While Alex McKinnon was still lying unconscious at Melbourne Hospital with an induced coma, Newcastle Knights paid the due respect defeating Cronulla Sharks by 30-0.

It was more than a mere match for Knights as they truly missed their teammate. Right before the start of the match, a plane bearing a message "Get Well Alex 232" flew over the stadium. The Knight fans also showed their support for McKinnon.

In another gesture, the No.16 jersey that McKinnon wore in the last fateful match against Melbourne was retired for the season.

Knights' captain Kurt Gidley, along with other members of the team, is slated to visit Melbourne today, March 31, to see McKinnon. "Obviously Macca's with us for the rest of the year ... He's a teammate for the rest of the year and there's a few of us making the trip down to Melbourne tomorrow, which will be an emotional day I'm sure, for the first time seeing him since last week's game ... But he's with us for the rest of the year. He's our teammate. He's going to be on our jersey and part of our spirit for the rest of the year," Gidley added.

Coach Wayne Bennet was equally ecstatic and emotional after this magnificent win. "Emotion can be a negative and it can be a positive thing...It's how you handle that and we talked about how to handle that and I think they did a really great job with it - as they've done all week. They've been outstanding all week and I thought today was a real credit to them," Bennet said.

Newcastle Knights was determined from the start of the match as the players are in full vigour, albeit composed to reach the victory.

However, for the losing side, Cronulla had hit the rock bottom of the chart with zero win in the tournament after crossing four rounds