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Newcastle have scored late to beat Manly 26-24 and leave the Sea Eagles walking the finals tightrope.

Manly must pull off the best late-season charge in the NRL era to make the top eight after their season slipped into further peril with a 26-24 loss to Newcastle.

Enari Tuala scored two tries for the Knights while Kalyn Ponga starred in the win, to move them one step closer to their first finals series since 2013.

But the story couldn't be any more dire for Manly.

Seventh on the ladder when Tom Trbojevic was injured in round six, they have won just two of their eight games since.

Des Hasler conceded Manly were now walking a finals tightrope, after dropping four points out of the top eight with six rounds to play.

Since the end of the Super League war in 1997, no team has come from so far back in the final six rounds to play finals football.

And it's not only on the ladder where the Sea Eagles are struggling for numbers.

Fill-in fullback Brendan Elliott added to their injury woes on Sunday with a suspected ACL tear, while Trbojevic is still two weeks away.

"Equation wise I think there are still enough points," Hasler said.

"But in the past two weeks we have let four points go. We are making it very difficult.

"We are walking the tightrope now and we need to walk it well."

They face a crucial clash with South Sydney next week where a loss could mean curtains for their season.

Manly were dogged given the circumstances.

They started the game without props Martin Taupau and Addin Fonua Blake, while Cade Cust starred in the halves with injuries in both legs.

Hasler was left to lament a 11-3 penalty count against his team.

"That would be my only gripe. It kind of kept them in the game," he said.

"I don't mind 11 against, I just want more than three.

"Newcastle were offside at least six times. ... Bernie Sutton can do a review of (referee) Ashley (Klein)."

The Sea Eagles coach later insisted he was be facetious.

The Knights, meanwhile, were rewarded for fighting back time and time again.

They trailed 12-0 early, but dominated the ball with 71 per cent of possession and three tries in the 20 minutes before the break.

After Ponga and Mitchell Pearce combined for the Knights' first, Kurt Mann grabbed a try out of dummy-half to level the scores before Tuala crossed to give the hosts a 16-12 advantage at the main break.

When Hymel Hunt made it 20-12 just after the break, Newcastle looked in control.

Again the roller coaster set in.

Jack Gosiewki scored for Manly from a Daly Cherry-Evans grubber before Lachlan Croker was the beneficiary of Taniela Paseka and Sean Keppie's power in the middle.

But Newcastle wouldn't relent.

They were denied twice in the final 20 minutes, before Tualia landed the knockout blow when he beat Manly's defence from 20m out and eight minutes to play.

"There is some stuff there we need to fix up," Knights coach Adam O'Brien said.

"I don't think we were anywhere near our best."