Knights get bitten on special night

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THE Newcastle Knights found hope and inspiration sitting in the dressing sheds, laughing and smiling with them before kick-off.

In his first public appearance, Alex McKinnon showed up to watch his Knights only just get rolled by the Bulldogs, sitting in the Newcastle coaching box behind Wayne Bennett.

Alex McKinnon in the coaches box. Source: News Corp Australia

Against the top-of-the-table Bulldogs, the Knights definitely rose for Alex on the Anzac Day weekend.

Or as Bennett put it succinctly afterwards: "I thought we rattled their cage a fair bit. We were beaten on the score board but I'm not sure we were beaten anywhere else."

Bulldog's Josh Reynolds is tackled. Source: News Corp Australia

In one of the most brutal encounters of the season, the Knights continually found that little bit extra against a forward pack containing Sam Kasiano, Tony Williams, James Graham, Greg Eastwood and David Klemmer.

Leading 12-10 for a large portion of the second half, it looked as though Newcastle might have done enough to record an uplifting victory until Bulldogs prop Aiden Tolman became the accidental hero with a video referee try with ten minutes remaining.

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Newcastle captain Kurt Gidley later admitted the presence of McKinnon was a wonderful surprise for everyone at the club, commending his progress.

"It was a nice surprise.

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"He's got a great attitude Alex, it's great to see him with a smile on his face," Knights captain Kurt Gidley said.

"None of us boys knew he was going to be at the game today. We knew he was going to be close to coming but instant smile on my face when I saw him in the dressing room.

Bulldog's Mitch Brown leaps high for a bomb. Source: News Corp Australia

"That's probably why it made it a little bit hard seeing him after the game today. It would have been great to get the result for him today, but it was still great having him here at the game.

"It's nice to see the progression he's making too from where he was."

The Bulldogs might be sitting as outright leaders on the NRL competition ladder but coach Des Hasler still found a number of issues with the referees, and rightly so.

Bulldog's Sam Kasiano celebrates scoring a try. Source: News Corp Australia

Canterbury-Bankstown five-eighth Josh Reynolds kicked a 40/20 in the second half which the touch judge failed to award, robbing the Bulldogs of a valuable opportunity with the Knights clinging to a 12-10 lead.

From a NSW State of Origin perspective, Reynolds scored the narrowest of points victories over Newcastle opposite Jarrod Mullen, with the pair expected to go head-to-head again next Sunday in the annual City-Country clash in Dubbo.

Knight's James McManus and Bulldog's Moses Mbye contest a bomb. Source: News Corp Australia

With incumbent NSW five-eighth James Maloney expected to be sidelined for up to four weeks with a shoulder injury, Reynolds continued to mount an extremely strong case for inclusion in the Blues.

The Bulldogs first try underlined why Reynolds is making such a push for selection, with the Dogs no.6 all energy, effort and class to make an AFL-style leap and bat the ball back for Mitch Brown to score.

Bulldog's Tony Williams attempts to bust the tackle of Knight's Jarrod Mullen. Source: News Corp Australia

Mullen also rose to the challenge in only his third match back from a hamstring injury, with the Newcastle five-eighth's left boot and decision making steadying the Knights against an early Bulldogs onslaught.

Bulldogs coach Hasler said he expects Reynolds to be in the Blues line-up.

"I think the way it is and the way he's been playing, Josh deserves to be in the 17 somewhere," Hasler said.

"We'll just have to wait and see."

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Bennett also endorsed Mullen's performance, saying: "He's a much more mature player and a real linch pin in our team. He's only in his third game back, two of them have been outstanding and one was good."

A physical match also saw a fiery ending, with Newcastle centre Joey Leilua and Bulldogs backrower Josh Jackson almost coming to blows.

BULLDOGS 16 (M Brown S Kasiano A Tolman tries T Hodkinson 2 goals) bt NEWCASTLE 12 (J McManus R Rochow tries T Roberts 2 goals) at ANZ Stadium. Referee: Alan Shortall, Henry Perenara. Crowd: 15,286.

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