Timana Tahu's return to Newcastle in the wake of the Andrew Johns racism row lasted eight fiery minutes before the Parramatta centre was put on report then sin-binned for consecutive high tackles against his former National Rugby League club last night.
Tahu's return to the New South Wales side for State of Origin III is now likely to depend on whether he's suspended after his blatant swinging arm on Knights winger James McManus.
The incident overshadowed a sideline conversion from Newcastle and New South Wales captain Kurt Gidley to seal a last gasp 6-4 win for the Knights.
A pre-match brass band known as The Marching Koalas had done their best to defuse tensions - their repertoire included Wild Cherry's Play That Funky Music White Boy and Michael Jackson's anti-racism anthem Black or White.
The Knights' win snapped a three-match losing streak but also came with backrower Cory Paterson being placed on report for a high shot.
