It wasn't a repeat of the demolition job they did on the Broncos, but the Melbourne Storm did enough to overcome a plucky Newcastle Knights 20-16 at Hunter Stadium on Sunday.

Fijian winger Marika Koroibete scored a double and fellow flyer Suilasi Vunivalu took his try tally to 17 in 11 games as the visitors squeaked home.

The win moved the Storm to 32 points and alongside leaders Cronulla, who play the second-last-placed Roosters at Allianz Stadium on Monday.

The Knights have recorded a lone win – 18-16 over the Tigers on April 10 –  all season and are unbackable favourites to claim a second wooden spoon.

But they showed plenty of fight to push the Storm to the limit.

When Jake Mamo flew high to secure a bomb out of the arms of Cameron Munster and score beside the sticks with three minutes remaining, an upset was a possibility.

But the visitors had enough left to close the game out and inflict the Knights' 11th straight loss.

Storm coach Craig Bellamy toyed with the idea of resting Cameron Smith and Cooper Cronk in a bid to freshen up his superstars after a heavy workload in the Origin series.

Rather than rest players, Bellamy brought back fullback Munster (ankle) and centre Will Chambers (foot) a week early from injury.

It was Chambers' first match since fracturing his foot in the 18-12 loss to the Bulldogs in round six.

The Knights were the team minus a star, with Dane Gagai absent after completing his first interstate series for Queensland.

Mamo replaced Gagai in a reshuffled back line that included Jarrod Mullen at five-eighth for the first time since Anzac Day.

Cronk, who made a couple of uncharacteristic handling errors, and Smith were kept relatively quiet by a committed Newcastle defence.

Mamo was outstanding at the back and Mullen proved how much the Knights need him, producing a five-star kicking game to continually turn the Storm pack around.

The Knights won the battle of the ruck, but lacked a bit of polish to make the most of their 58 per cent of possession.

The Storm led 8-6 at the break after an absorbing opening 40 minutes. The Knights had the upper hand everywhere bar the scoreboard. They had 63 per cent of possession, ran 912 metres and produced six offloads.

Despite the late inclusions for the visitors, it was the Knights who started on the front foot.

Melbourne five-eighth Blake Green gifted the Knights possession from the kick-off when he stepped over the dead-ball after claiming the ball, forcing a line drop out.

The Knights were camped in the Melbourne quarter for the opening 10 minutes.

Korbin Sims, who rattled Matt White with a ferocious hit in the fifth minute, crashed over under the sticks but was ruled to have dropped the ball as he went to ground.

A minute later Koroibete put the visitors ahead.

Knights winger Mamo spilt the pill in a heavy tackle from Cheyse Blair. The ball landed in the hands of the Fijian flyer who won an 85-metre footrace to the tryline. Smith's conversion hit the upright.

Although trailing, the Knights had 70 per cent of possession and dominated field position in the opening 20 minutes.

The Storm eventually cracked in the 21st minute when Mamo ran a nice line on the inside of Mitch Barnett to collect a Trent Hodkinson pass and dart over under the stick. Storm captain Smith appealed for an obstruction but the bunker went in favour of home side. Hodkinson converted to go ahead 6-4.

The lead was short-lived. The Knights turned over possession in the first set from the restart. Two tackles later Munster threw a peach of a pass for Vunivalu to score in the corner. Again Smith failed to add the extras.

The Storm extended the lead in 52nd minute through Koroibete.

On the back of a stiff penalty against the Knights, the Storm went wide to the Fijian. The defence appeared to have plenty of cover but somehow the winger powered through the tackles of Brendan Elliot and Pat Mata'utia and slammed the ball down in the corner.

The Knights continued to plug away. They needed a bit of brilliance and Pat Mata'utia provided it in the 68th minute. The right centre, a late inclusion for Gagai, drew in winger Young Tonumaipea and released a pass out the side door for Elliot to slide over in the corner. Hodkinson pushed the conversion left to leave the Knights down 14-10.

Again the Knights turned the ball over in the first set from the restart. They compounded the error by giving away a penalty. Three tackles later Tohu Harris muscled across the line. Smith converted.