Both the Newcastle Knights and Wests Tigers came into yesterday's clash down on confidence.  Recent form had been anything but inspiring and despite the fact we are still in the month of May and a long way from finals time, there was a general feeling at the ground prior to kick off that this was "must-win" match for both sides.

Such self-imposed pressure can manifest itself in a few different ways. We either see an emotion-charged, highly physical opening to the contest where the two rival forward packs rip into each other trying to assert dominance. Sometimes we see both sides fling the ball from sideline to sideline, throwing caution to the wind, looking to out-skill and out-run opponents.

Or we get the very nervous and conservative opening period where players play the percentages, take few risks, control the ball and try to build some confidence in the run. That's pretty much what we witnessed yesterday.

From opening whistle these two teams went about their work with an attitude of caution and control. Neither side ever really looked like breaking free of these shackles during the course of the 80 minutes. They looked more like two teams trying their best not to lose, rather than a battle for the win. As a result the game never really lifted to any great heights as a spectacle. The afternoon's entertainment was saved though by the closeness of the scores which kept you interested for the entirety.

The Knights forwards, led by ever-greens Jeremy Smith and Beau Scott, with able assistance from Kade Snowden, Tariq Sims, David Fa'alogo and Chris Houston, did just enough to control the middle of the field and steer their side to victory. They were tough, gritty and relentless. They definitely got the measure of their rivals in the close-quarter exchanges.

As a defining moment of their dominance, at the back end of the match to rap up the result, these fellows combined to win a crucial scrum against the feed on their own goal line to deny the visitors an opportunity to steal a last minute win. It was a big play at the time and any worthwhile analysis of the contest would have to make reference to this rare event as being a big moment in the contest.

The Knights' football was not pretty by any stretch of the imagination. This is a club generally known for its skill, flair and unpredictable nature. The 2015 version of the Newcastle side is more comfortable when they grind away rather than attempting anything too flamboyant. The most likely looking players for them in attack were centres Sione Mata'utia, Joseph Leilua and fullback-come-centre Dane Gagai. None of these fellows really saw enough quality ball though to strut their stuff.

Perhaps their time will come when the pressure on the result is not so great and the side plays with more freedom in attack.

The Knights are definitely better than what they showed yesterday afternoon and now that they have finally broken a five-game losing run, maybe they can play with a bit more adventure in future.

The Tigers on the other hand are still a very young side with so much upside to them. With youth comes impetuous decision-making and inconsistency in execution.  The best place to learn is out there on the field and it's an unfortunate reality that the best lessons are generally when you get things wrong rather that get things right. In this respect the education process is certainly coming thick and fast for these youngsters.

As the game wore on and the scores remained close, you always had the feeling the kids would pull something miraculous out of their bag of tricks to produce a win. Unfortunately, they just couldn't get it together.  They tended to wander side-to-side in attack and that is often a sure sign that the playmakers were never really on the same page. Individually they were all giving it their best shot. They just didn't combine well enough as a unit. They didn't concentrate, think and communicate their way to the winner's circle.

Losing the scrum against the feed in the dying minutes only 10 metres out from the opponent's try line is a perfect example of one of those painful lessons you get when your head is not quite in the right place. Such lessons come at the worst possible time and the punishment will burn in their guts and their brains for quite a while.

Still, they will never make that mistake again. One day they will do it to someone else. Only then will the pain and embarrassment go away. In the end the home side prevailed, not so much through great football, but more through toughness, togetherness, experience and great perseverance.

When you really need to win a game, sometimes these simple measures are all that is needed. That certainly proved to be the winnings formula yesterday.

It was, as they say,  a case of mind over matter.