It was the try which lifted Anthony Minichiello into the Sydney Roosters' record books, but there may have been something far more pertinent about the milestone four-pointer in Sunday's 12-10 win over Newcastle.

Minichiello joined Bill Mullins atop the Roosters' tryscorers list with his 104th touchdown, a memorable achievement for a player whose career looked over just a few seasons ago as a debilitating back injury refused to release its grip.

But it was the method in which the try was scored that would have given heart to every Roosters fan, with a delightful inside ball from Todd Carney putting Minichiello through an enormous gap.

Carney's highlights have been few and far between in 2011, but this was one to offer hope.

"Most of Todd's stuff is about himself, getting himself right, and then playing some games - he's an instinct player and he's a touch player," coach Brian Smith said of his playmaker, forced to slide over to halfback to cover for absent NSW Origin half Mitchell Pearce.

"The other boys like to build those combinations and we're a bit rusty, he hasn't done a lot of training since the grand final last year really.

"We're all hopeful that will all click into gear very soon."

It certainly clicked with Minichiello, the play the result of some pre-game planning.

"Toddy and I spoke during the week that we wanted to work together and work some little combo's out," Minichiello said.

"We turned it under a couple of times. I saw (the marker) was a bit wider or a bit loose, caught it off Toddy and it ended up being a good play."

The try should have been the signal for the Roosters to put away the Knights as they jumped out to a 12-0 lead just after halftime, but they didn't count on the visitors digging deep to put up a fight.

In fact had the Knights played the first 60 minutes with the same desperation and execution they showed in the last 20, there's every chance they would have walked away from the Sydney Football Stadium with the two points.

They gave the ball some air on the hour and Shannon McDonnell finished off a 60 metre play that started with Keith Lulia busting through some soft Carney defence, and they were very nearly over three minutes late only for Braith Anasta to grab hold of McDonnell two metres short of the line after the Knights fullback had reeled in a bomb.

As it was they had a chance to send it through to golden point when Peter Mata'utia celebrated his debut with a try six minutes from time, but Wes Naiqama's conversion from wide out sailed wide of the left upright.

"It could have been quite easy to pack up the tents and go home after that (Minichiello try) but I thought from there we fought hard and kept finding something for each other," Knights coach Rick Stone said.

Added skipper Jarrod Mullen: "We just needed the rub of the green to go our way a couple of times in the second half and I think we win the game.

"You make you're own luck I suppose and we've just got to keep hanging in there every game and hopefully our luck will turn towards the back end of the games and we start winning some."

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