The Raiders dominated possession and field position for most of the match, but scored just one try, despite the fact Newcastle lost key playmaker Jarrod Mullen to an ankle injury after just three minutes.

The Knights scored 16 points in a 15-minute burst before half-time to set up the 23-4 win.

They then defended grimly as the Raiders threw everything they could at them after the break.

Raiders coach David Furner admitted his team's poor finish to the opening half had cost it dearly and said it needed to do better with its attacking opportunities.

''We spoke about that 20-minute period before half-time that they seem to score a lot of their points and they did tonight,'' Furner said.

''I thought our on-line defence let us down a little bit.

''They had three opportunities there on our line and they scored three tries.''

Knights five-eighth Ben Rogers was outstanding in Mullen's absence, while veteran centre Adam MacDougall was a rock in defence.

The loss means the Raiders are still four points adrift of the top eight with just eight rounds remaining.

Newcastle coach Brian Smith was full of praise for his team's brave defensive efforts.

For more, pick up a copy of today's Canberra Times