Newcastle have sealed fifth position on the NRL ladder to set up a home final against the side that runs eighth after accounting for St George Illawarra 32-12 at Kogarah on Saturday night.
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The Knights will take on either the Sydney Roosters or Canberra Raiders in an elimination final at McDonald Jones Stadium next weekend, likely on Saturday or Sunday.
Eighth-placed Canberra meet Cronulla at Shark Park this Sunday in the last game of the regular season. The winner will finish sixth but if Cronulla lose, their for-and-against is far superior to both the Raiders and Roosters, meaning they would run seventh.
It will be Newcastle's first final at home since 2006.
Saturday's victory was their ninth in a row, equalling the club's longest winning-streak set in 1995.
Winger Dominic Young also set a new club record for the most tries in a season after scoring a breath-taking double in the last five minutes.
Young had already equalled the record of 21 tries which was held by Timana Tahu (2002) and Aku Uate (2010), but now holds it outright after tries in the 76th and 78th minutes.
Given the result would only determine if they finished fifth or sixth, the Knights rested multiple players but their depleted outfit had little trouble getting past the Dragons, who'd lost their past five games and were certain to run second last.
Newcastle led 16-6 at half-time after tries from debutant skipper Jacob Saifiti and Enari Tuala in the opening eight minutes, and Greg Marzhew late in the half.
They bagged another three after the break to heap more misery on the struggling home side and keep their winning streak intact.
Newcastle were on the front foot from the opening exchanges after being gifted a penalty just seconds after kick-off and then a repeat set further up-field.
They took advantage of it with Saifiti crossing for the opening points after just two minutes, finding space to the right of the goal-posts to bag his first try of the season.
The visitors had their second six minutes later after Tyson Gamble found a gap in the defence near halfway. The five-eighth ran 30 metres before passing inside to Tuala to beat the fullback.
Halfback Ben Hunt produced a perfect chip and chase to get the Dragons on the scoreboard in the 17th minute, kicking 25 metres away from the try-line and catching Knights fullback Lachlan Miller out in the front line.
Leading 12-6, the Knights furthered their lead in the 32nd minute when Greg Marzhew finished off a sweep on the left edge to score his 20th try of the year, moving just one shy of the then club record for the most in a season.
The Dragons threatened in the minute before half-time but failed to find a way through the Knights' defence.
Playing just his second NRL game for the club, Knights hooker Fa'amanu Brown burrowed his way over the try-line just three minutes into the second stanza to help Newcastle move to a 22-6 lead following the conversion.
The Dragons enjoyed the lion's share of possession for much of the second half and Newcastle's defence held solid until Mikaele Ravalawa scored a sensational diving try in the right corner in the 66th minute.
His effort and Zac Lomax's conversion reduced the deficit to 12 points.
Newcastle lost Lachlan Miller to the sin-bin in the ensuing set after he tackled a Dragons player without the ball, but a few sets later the Dragons lost forward Jack De Belin as well.
Barely a minute later, prop Blake Lawrie was also sin-binned for tackling Daniel Saifiti without the ball. Miller slotted a penalty goal to make it 24-12.
Young scored a remarkable try four minutes before full-time, planting the ball down with one hand whilst being thrown over the sideline virtually upside down. He grabbed another in the next set.
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