Knights prop Daniel Saifiti scores match-sealing try in an 18-10 win over Manly

The Knights led 12-10 at halftime but produced an outstanding second half defensive effort to break a two-game losing streak for just their third win in their past nine games.

But it took until the final minutes for the 17,348-strong home crowd to feel safe with Saifiti charging onto a reverse pass from Jayden Brailey close to Manly's line to force his way over.

"We just needed to win," Knights coach Adam O'Brien said.

"It didn't matter if it was 2-0. We just needed to find a way and get that feel good back in the place."

Manly struggled with their discipline with forwards Sean Keppie and Marty Taupau both spending time in the sin bin. Knights prop David Klemmer was also sent to the bin in the closing seconds when the game was won.

In a scare for the NSW Blues, Tyson Frizell was on report but also limped from the field with four minutes remaining.

The Knights opted to run with a stiff breeze at their back in the first half and they went close to posting first points just three minutes in when Daniel Saifiti went agonisingly close to scoring after a great off-load from Mitch Barnett.

But he lost control of the ball as he reached out to touch down and the chance went begging.

The home side enjoyed plenty of early field position but again let themselves down with errors and found themselves behind on the scoreboard when their flimsy right edge defence again came up empty on a Manly raid.

Daly Cherry Evans wrong-footed Barnett before putting Karl Lawton in a gap and he found Brad Parker who crossed out wide 11 minutes in.

It was the sixth consecutive game the Knights had conceded the opening try.

It got worse for the home side when, after again coming up empty as they camped themselves on the Manly tryline, a Lachlan Fitzgibbon error saw Eagles flier Jason Saab pick up the loose ball and run 90 metres to score.

It took some ill-discipline and errors from Manly for the Knights to storm back into the match.

Tevita Funa was placed on report for two separate incidents and was lucky to avoid the sin bin but his teammate Sean Keppie wasn't so fortunate after he collected Phoenix Crossland late and high.

He was missing for the final seven minutes of the half and the Knights scored two tries to take the lead at the break.

"I don't quite understand the rule about the sin bin," Sea Eagles coach Des Hasler said.

"Our player attacked the head, on report, 10 minutes.

"But when Marty was carrying the ball he got hit high ... forceful contact with the head, that's (meant to be) a sin bin and they didn't get sent to the sin bin.

"There was no review on it. No going back to it. He wasn't right so there was some indication or cause there.

"And no sin-binning ... If we're going to go down this track we need to be consistent on it."

Starford To'a scored the first in the corner after some quick hands caught Manly just short and then, seconds from halftime, Connor Watson got into dummy half and hit a charging Jesse Sue with a wonderful face pass across Jacob Saifiti who scored in the posts.

Tex Hoy converted both tries to put the Knights up 12-10.

Watson started the game at five-eighth with Kurt Mann ruled out after picking up a strain during Saturday's captain's run.

The second half was an absolute arm-wrestle with the Knights enjoying the bulk of the field possession but they could not come up a knockout blow as the game went right down to the wire.

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