The young Bulldogs-bound fullback, playing just his second top grade game for the injured Kalyn Ponga, was highly influential as Newcastle fought back from a 14-point second half deficit to beat the Gold Coast Titans 30-24 at McDonald Jones Stadium

The Titans looked to be in command early in the second half when they raced out to a 24-10 lead after holding a 12-10 advantage at the break.

But the Knights crossed for two tries in the space of three minutes midway through the half and then leveled it up before five-eighth Connor Watson came up with a clutch inside pass for his centre Shaun Kenny-Dowall to cross with eight minutes left for the six point win.

Meaney, who is almost certain to make way for Ponga next week, had a hand in a try, scored one himself and saved two others in a great performance at the back.

Hooker Danny Levi again played strongly out of dummy half for the winners, winger Nathan Ross was terrific while backrowers Lachlan Fitzgibbon and Mitch Barnett were great on the edges.

The Knights opened the scoring after 11 minutes when Barnett celebrated his 50th NRL game with his first try of the season.

Barnett skillfully picked up a Meaney grubber that the Titans failed to handle close to their own line and planted it down for the Knights to lead 4-0.

The visitors got back on level terms just five minutes later when a right edge raid netted winger Anthony Don a spectacular diving try in the corner.

The Knights had the defensive numbers to stop the movement but winger Ken Sio drifted in off his wing to create the overlap when he should have stayed out.

Both sides had some close calls before the Titans produced a great interchange of passes, started by Kevin Proctor and Michael Gordon on the Knights 40, that ended in an outstanding try to replacement forward Moeaki Fotuaika 10 minutes from the break.

Gordon’s conversion gave the Titans a 10-4 advantage.

Gordon extended the lead to 12-4 minutes later with a penalty goal and would have gone further ahead but for some Meaney defensive brilliance.

After putting down a bomb that gave the Titans great field position, he somehow managed to hold up replacement hooker Mitch Rein over the line after he looked certain to score before snuffing out another Titans assault on the Knights’ try-line a short time later.

To complete a fantastic few minutes, Meaney then out-jumped the Titans defence to pull down a Mitchell Pearce short cross kick to score next to the posts with less than two minutes left in the half to bring up a 12-10 halftime scoreline.

The Titans blew the game open within the opening seven minutes of the second half with two converted tries to turn a two point advantage into a commanding 24-10 lead.

Winger Phillip Sami crossed in the corner untouched four minutes after the break before Don got his second three minutes later after Ash Taylor got a fortuitous rebound from a last tackle kick.

But just as quickly, the Knights hit back with two tries in three minutes.

They reduced the deficit to eight points less than a minute after the Titans lost five-eighth AJ Brimson with concussion.

Fitzgibbon spun out of two tackles to plant the ball over the line from close range after taking a Levi pass for a 24-16 scoreline before Barnett grabbed his second in identical circumstances on the left edge to bridge the gap to just two points.

The game was all tied up with 15 minutes to go when Sio landed a penalty goal.

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