Match Centre

FULL TIME - Defence not the priority tonight but entertaining nonetheless. Knights 42-24 winners.

Newcastle force a late dropout with one last chance to add to their points.

Joseph Leilua with an error and the Knights are 40 out with a chance to put an exclamation mark on this win.

Newcastle make an error but this one is dead and buried with 14 the difference.

Billy Walters streaks through and the Tigers have a chance but drop it shortly after. Knights now with a penalty and this one is over.

Kalyn Ponga grubbers early and Corey Thompson gets back there to save the day for Wests and get back into the field of play. But time is not their friend.

Six again Knights after Tigers play at it on the last. Home side are there for the taking now.

Knights may just run away with this here, they are rolling up with ease again. 20 out on the last. David Nofoaluma rapped in-goal.

The Knights appear to drop it on the first tackle but play on. Herman Ese'ese then barges over, going upstairs but looks like he is held up. He is - Knights still 10 out.

Joseph Leilua with a costly error. Knights 20 out.

Another penalty. Plenty of pressure on the Knights.

Massive play from Corey Thompson who steams through off the kick return. He's tackle 20 out and the Tigers have all the momentum. They haven't capitalised yet with Newcastle scrambling well. Now the Knights are penalised.

Josh Aloiai with a great run and the Tigers are 40 out. Benji Marshall to the air, Kalyn Ponga under it again. Wests just without the time and space Newcastle have with the ball in hand to threaten.

Nothing comes of the set for the Tigers as Kalyn Ponga fields the bomb on the last. Newcastle still getting up the field with too much ease.

Michael Maguire will be blowing up deluxe. The Tigers are incredibly timid in the air. Kalyn Ponga gets the bomb, passes, they kick ahead and the Tigers luckily escape with a penalty with Newcastle chasers offside. They are on the ropes.

Wests muck up the kick-off and are forced into their own in-goal area. They are trying to see who can play worse at the moment.

The Tigers really struggling to stop the roll forward for the Knights. They're 35 out on the last. Kalyn Ponga takes to the air. Corey Thompson under it. Tigers inside their own 10.

Connor Watson temporarily breaks free. Knights 40 out.

Benji Marshall with a smart kick on the last but Kalyn Ponga is well-positioned and Newcastle survive. Once again they are making good metres out of their own half, particularly through their outside backs.

Newcastle already on the front foot after Kalyn Ponga takes the last-tackle kick from Wests up towards the 40. But Connor Watson fumbles it in the play-the-ball and the Tigers get the first opportunity of the half.

Back underway at Leichhardt.

HALF TIME - Maguire will give his boys a spray at the break. Their attack was clunky and they gave up far too many metres through the middle but they somehow only trail by six. Interesting half to come. Knights with a few injury concerns, including Mitchell Barnett.

Strip and the Tigers get a penalty. Benji Marshall finds touch 25 out. Big chance Tigers near halftime.

Mitchell Pearce kicks and finds touch deep in the Tigers half. He is really showing Wests how to control a game. They are missing Luke Brooks' kicking game.

Knights awarded a penalty. They'll shoot for two.

Wests drop it and the Knights have a big chance to heap further misery on the Tigers.

Kurt Mann with a clearing kick. Adam Doueihi back to take it but the Tigers will work it out from their own 20 and they've struggled all afternoon to get many metres.

Benji Marshall toes it to the corner but Hymel Hunt redeems himself with a good pick-up and the Knights survive.

Knights drop it now through Hymel Hunt and give the Tigers a chance to redeem themselves.

Big blow for the Knights. Mitchell Barnett coming off injured. Meanwhile, the Tigers turn it over - that's a squandered opportunity for them.

Tigers earn a penalty - that's massive - really need to build some pressure here.

High kick for Kalyn Ponga who does very well to take it. Tigers need to muscle up in D but Hymel Hunt picks up strong metres. Gehamat Shibasaki does likewise. Wests really not aiming up here.

Adam Doueihi leaps above fantastically to take the bomb on the last and get the Tigers set off to a strong start. They really need to get down the other end of the field and trap Newcastle there. They are seriously losing the field position battle letting the Knights out of their end too easily.

Really concerning signs for Wests. Kalyn Ponga takes the kick on the last with no pressure at all. No one from Wests even contested it. Fortunately for them he is swarmed on after losing his footy. Michael Maguire will be livid.

Adam Doueihi gets a penalty, takes the quick tap and is pulled up just short of the line. Billy Walters to Josh Reynolds running on angle and a hole opens up but the Knights scramble well. The Knights otherwise survive a scrappy set from the Tigers.

The Tigers run it on the last and Corey Thompson rushes a kick infield - the bounce could be crucial with Tigers looming near the posts. It bounces fortunately for the Knights and Kurt Mann hits it dead.

Mitchell Pearce high on the last and Corey Thompson is under it. Very fast pace to this game so far.

Corey Thompson drifts across to the right edge and offloads to Joseph Leilua who isn't expecting it and drops the ball.

Newcastle respond with a great set too - finding metres again through the middle but they come up with a mistake. Tigers just shy of halfway.

Josh Aloiai with a big run here. The Tigers already looking more imposing in their own half. Luciano Leilua now steams up to the 40. Billy Walters out of dummy-half to Joseph Leilua who almost breaks through. Tigers looking much better. They now trap Kalyn Ponga five out.

Billy Walters with a mistake. Knights 20 out.

Knights making far too many metres through the middle, their outside backs with plenty to offer too. Mitchell Pearce to the air on the last, Corey Thompson under it but still the Tigers need a penalty. Struggling for go-forward. Knights with lots of intent in defence.

Apologies Brailey was the one who put in the kick. Not Pearce.

Newcastle with a penalty having already dominated field position. Wests need to weather the storm early here.

Luke Garner with a strong run on the fourth. Benji to the air on halfway. Kalyn Ponga under it and he is tackled on his 20.

Massive set after points from Newcastle who roll up field with ease before testing David Nofoaluma with another bomb. He fumbles it backwards and Corey Thompson is there to pick up the scraps. Tigers under pressure early.

David Klemmer with a big carry. Knights 40 out. They fo left from Kalyn Ponga to Lachlan Fitzgibbon who is taken in a strong tackle.

Luciano Leilua offloads and Wests spread it left. Now just 40 out. Benji Marshall kicks early and Enari Tuala plays at it before the Knights dive on it. Good field position for them, short of halfway on the second.

Mitchell Pearce clears it from inside his own half and the Tigers have it on their own 30 once more.

Corey Thompson with a great first touch, taking it up to the 40. Luke Garner with an aggressive run before Josh Aloiai surges over halfway. Luciano Leilua fends some defenders before being tackled 40 out. Last play - Benji Marshall to the air. Hymel Hunt taken in a strong tackle. Knights on their own 10.

Herman Ese'ese slow to get up and down on the ground clutching at what looks like his ankle. Newcastle finish the set with a clearing kick from Kurt Mann. Tigers to start their set on their own 30.

Newcastle with first use of it at a sunny Leichhardt Oval.

The Tigers at Leichhardt are a far tougher proposition though. Kick-off in five minutes.

Both sides were impressive last week with Newcastle in particular allaying concerns about their defence with a 20-0 shutout of the Warriors.

The Granger family's Chapel Street house might have a pretty sweet view of today's Tigers v Knights clash but we have all of you watching from covered with a live blog of the match.