The Canberra Raiders slipped to 1-4 after a 32-12 loss to the Newcastle Knights at McDonald Jones Stadium on Sunday.
Early in the game the Raiders were pinned on their own line as lapses in discipline handed Newcastle extended attacking possession.
Canberra's defence stood firm for the opening 10 minutes before Ethan Strange's clever footwork created space for Simi Sasagi to score the first try.
The match became a tight back-and-forth affair and Noah Martin looked to have opened it up with a strong break down the right edge, only for Knights cover to force an error in contact.
Newcastle then used two restart advantages to sweep the length of the field, with Greg Marzhew scoring down the left.
Sandon Smith missed the conversion, leaving the Raiders' lead slim at 6-4.
Momentum swung further when Fletcher Sharpe capitalised on a miscommunication under a high ball to put the Knights ahead.
Shortly after, Kaeo Weekes produced a brilliant defensive strip, dislodging the ball from Smith as he neared the line.