Newcastle to play in NRL grand final for first time in 25 years — ABC News Australia

In Australia, the Newcastle Knights defeated the Penrith Panthers 22–14 in the National Rugby League preliminary final and reached the men’s grand final for the first time since 2001. The match took place at Stadium Australia in Sydney.

As ABC News Australia reports, former Knights player Matty Johns was unable to hold back tears after the final whistle, praising the team’s performance and the support of its fans during difficult years for the club.

Victory with a man down

Newcastle played more than half of the match with a man down after Phoenix Crossland was sent off for a hip-drop tackle. During that incident, Penrith player Nathan Cleary suffered a serious leg injury.

Shortly afterwards, the Panthers took a 14–6 lead, which the teams carried into half-time. In the second half, the Knights played reliably in defence and scored three tries to secure victory.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

Newcastle’s men’s team had not played in a grand final since 2001. At that time, the Knights, led by Andrew Johns, defeated the Eels in the season’s decisive match.

Support from the stands

Newcastle coach Justin Holbrook thanked the fans who made it to the game despite delays and train service cancellations on the Central Coast and Newcastle lines. Due to problems with a freight train, supporters had to seek alternative routes and replacement transport services, causing congestion on the M1 motorway.

According to Holbrook, the support of 30,000 fans helped the team feel as though it had an extra player on the field. Captain Kalyn Ponga also named the supporters as one of the main reasons for the victory. In the NRL grand final on October 4, the Newcastle Knights will play against the Sydney Roosters.