Knights enter top eight after ending Warriors comeback

Scott Bailey | April 9, 2023

Newcastle have returned to the NRL’s top eight for the first time in more than a year by holding off a gutsy Warriors side with a 34-24 win at McDonald Jones Stadium.

Up 22-6 at halftime, the Knights looked at risk of becoming the second team to fall victim to a Warriors comeback in as many weeks when the visitors got the score back to 22-18.

But a costly Marcelo Montoya error coming out of his own end killed off the visitors’ momentum, before Kurt Mann regained control of the match with a try in the next set.

The result could have come at a cost though, with captain Jayden Brailey suffering a meniscus injury on the same knee in which he ruptured his ACL during 2020.

The Warriors also have concerns, with five-eighth Te Maire Martin suffering a suspected broken leg after a try-saving tackle from Knights five-eighth Phoenix Crossland.

Crossland was not penalised on field, but there were some suggestions of a hip-drop tackle as he swung around the playmaker in the tackle and contacted the back of Martin’s legs.

Warriors hooker Wayde Egan was also concussed, ruling him out of Saturday’s match against North Queensland.

Much maligned and among the favourites for the wooden spoon at the start of the season, the Knights are now in a finals-playing position for the first time since round four last year.

In the time since, Newcastle have finished third-last in 2022 as pressure built on coach Adam O’Brien, and battled several injuries to key players.

“I’m sick to death of talking about last year, and I am the one to constantly do it,” O’Brien said.

“I’m going to stop doing it. It’s a different group, new season, new players, new staff, everything’s different.

“We’re having a crack, but there is still plenty for us to get better at.

“But certainly if we’re going to compete at the back end of the year we have to get better at stuff too.”

Winger Dominic Young was again influential, after being dropped only a fortnight ago and then scoring four tries against Manly last week.

He scored the Knights’ first try when he carried Montoya over the line and played a crucial role in their second when he marked a bomb, took a fast 20-metre gap and helped the Knights break downfield before Greg Marzhew scored on the other wing.

Newcastle also went in through Tyson Frizell and Crossland via kicks before the break and looked home at 22-6.

But the Warriors were valiant, as they threatened to repeat their comeback from 20-0 down against Cronulla last week.

Shaun Johnson was again brilliant down the right edge, putting Adam Pompey over for two tries.

Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad also impressed at fullback, as he and Johnson combined to help put Edward Kosi over to narrow the margin to four with 23 minutes to play.

“I did feel a bit of deja vu. I was saying to myself if we win this one I don’t know if I will be celebrating as hard this week,” Warriors coach Andrew Webster said.

“I’m a bit frustrated with how its happening.

“We’re good at sticking to the plan when we’re behind.

“You could be coaching worse teams, the boys never give up”

Ultimately though, it was too big of a mountain to climb as the Warriors’ hopes of drawing level with ladder-leaders Brisbane were extinguished.