Penrith caretaker coach Cameron Ciraldo admits his players are beginning to show signs of frustration after two players were sin-binned for punching during a 20-12 upset loss to Newcastle.
After three straight weeks of comeback victories, the Panthers' luck finally dried up after they were unable to reel in an eight-point halftime deficit on Saturday.
Instead they will nervously await the match review committee charge sheet on Sunday after Viliame Kikau and Tyrone May were marched for throwing punches in a late brawl.
Knights pair Danny Levi and Shaun Kenny-Dowall were also binned, while a fan was ejected for throwing the match ball at the Newcastle bench after a touch kick landed in the crowd.
With road trips against the Warriors and Melbourne left to round out the regular season, Ciraldo conceded he was disappointed to see his players risk their fate ahead of the finals.
"There was definitely some frustration out there, but that's no excuse to be being involved in that.
"I didn't see who started it, but we've got to be better than that and keep our calm," he said.
"I didn't see the replay. I'm not sure what the consequences will be but it'd be disappointing if we do lose anyone to suspension."
The loss for Penrith - Ciraldo's first since taking over from the sacked Anthony Griffin last week - opens the door for St George Illawarra or Cronulla to steal a crucial top-four spot.
The Panthers were disappointing from the outset in front of a strong 14,125 crowd, appearing disjointed in attack without injured veteran James Maloney.
In contrast, the Knights were led by strong performances from their spine, highlighted by a classy effort from Kalyn Ponga in his first appearance at five-eighth.
Fullback Nick Meaney and co-captain Mitchell Pearce also stood tall.
Playing into a fierce southerly in the first half, the Panthers' afternoon went south early.
Tries to Aidan Guerra and Cory Denniss inside the opening 20 minutes gave the Knights an 8-0 advantage and it appeared the Panthers were destined to chase a big lead again.
However, a long kick from Nathan Cleary on the third tackle paid off when Corey Harawira-Naera forced an error from Meaney that gave Tyrone May an easy passage to the line.
Knights coach Nathan Brown said it was their best defensive effort since his arrival at the club.
"I would've thought so, just based on the sheer power and athleticism of the players we played. They had their fair share of goes at us too. There was no lack of ball for them," he said.
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