Heading into the game, you would have thought that the Tigers would win in a landslide, given the recent form of the Newcastle Knights – but this was not to be, as the Newcastle Knights showed some fire in the belly, to beat the in-form Tigers 38-20, at Hunter Stadium.
It was on the back of a hat-trick to centre Timana Tahu, his first since 2005, that proved the catalyst and turning point for the Knights win – with the three tries coming in the space of just 12 minutes.
It was the Tigers who burst out of the blocks, and seemed headed for a big victory – as they raced out to a 14-0 lead, before the Knights resurgence began.
The game may have been the revival of inconsistent Knights fullback Darius Boyd, who finished the game with three try assists.
The Tigers matters were not helped late in the game, when winger and fan-favourite Beau Ryan was sent to the sin bin, for a professional foul 16 minutes from full-time.
For Knights coach Wayne Bennett, whilst the way his side performed did not surprise him, he has urged his team to be more consistent.
“Confidence is a bit hard to be define and what it gives to you and where it goes, but I would suggest we need to start doing it two or three weeks in a row and have some real belief,” Bennett said.
“They can do some special things these guys, but just need to do it on a consistent basis.”
Tigers coach Tim Sheens on the other hand, was in a rather dry mood, and was disappointed with his side’s overall effort.
“I am not in a mood to assess who did well, I am not in a happy mood at all,” Sheens said.
“I have a good look at the video this week and go from there.”
The Tigers loss was compounded by an expected hamstring injury to fullback Tim Moltzen, that will keep him out of action for at least 3 weeks.