Ponga (shoulder), Jackson Hastings (ankle), Dane Gagai, Tyson Frizell, Phoenix Crossland and Leo Thompson (all rested) missed Saturday's clash at Jubilee Stadium where the Knights clinched fifth spot on the ladder with a ninth-straight win.
No side in the NRL era has finished in the bottom half of the top eight while qualifying for the finals in better form.
Heading into the play-offs next week, the next-longest winning streak will be four games shorter than the Knights'.
It comes after Newcastle sat in the bottom four through 19 rounds, their finals hopes appearing shot.
While the Knights will face sterner tests than the 16th-placed Dragons in the finals, they can draw strength from maintaining their relentless attack without Ponga, the chief architect of the streak.
Replacement fullback Lachlan Miller was solid with 131 metres and six tackle busts before he was sin-binned for a professional foul late.
Ponga is expected to return next weekend when Newcastle host either Canberra or the Sydney Roosters in their first home final since 2006.
The Knights laid the groundwork for victory with a blistering opening 10 minutes, and sealed it with some resilient goal-line defence in the second half.
Adam Elliott put stand-in captain Jacob Saifiti over with a flat ball in the opening two minutes before Tyson Gamble belted down the right to set Enari Tuala up.
Ben Hunt gave the Dragons a sniff with a chip-and-chase that put the scoreline at 12-6 in the first half.
But that was as close as they came, unable to truly capitalise on handy field position in the second half.
In the final three minutes, Knights winger Dom Young set a club record for most tries in a season (22) when he managed to plant the ball in the corner as he was spun upside down by Moses Suli. His second pushed the record to 23.
The result closes the book on a disappointing year for the Dragons, who finished with their fewest wins in any season as a joint venture (five).
The NRL's worst left-edge defence, the mid-year axing of coach Anthony Griffin and the protracted interest around Hunt's failed release request all worked against the Dragons.
But the Dragons' improvement under interim coach Ryan Carr was undeniable, albeit unclear from results alone, and the arrival of premiership-winning mentor Shane Flanagan next year is cause for optimism.
Saturday's match was also the last for veteran match official Ben Cummins, who has retired as the most-experienced referee in NRL history.
