Newcastle’s 15-minute slip up comes at Knightmare time

Scott Bailey | September 16, 2023

It took 15 stuttering minutes to end a three-month Newcastle crusade.

From 14th on the ladder in June to the second week of the finals, the Knights were the only rivals to the Warriors as the feel-good story of this NRL season.

But from the moment Newcastle winger Greg Marzhew put down a simple pass on the third play of the game, it quickly became clear which of the league’s fairytale runs was most in danger.

In the following set, Shaun Johnson put Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad over.

The Warriors led 4-0, but the more concerning sight for the Knights was the miss from Bradman Best to let the Warriors fullback in. 

From the ensuing kick off, Jacob Saifiti was penalised and Tyson Gamble followed it up with a meek effort on his own line attempting to stop a rampaging Addin Fonua-Blake.

By the time Newcastle had completed a set the game was 15 minutes old and the Warriors led 16-0 and had completed nine sets of their own.

Johnson’s problematic calf had barely been tested and the Warriors halfback had laid on two tries before the Knights even put a hand on him.

Not even Kalyn Ponga, playing the best football of any Knight since Andrew Johns in the early 2000s, could turn this around.

Newcastle have scored tries in batches all season. Their four in 15 minutes last week against Canberra was proof of that.

But in a do-or-die semi-final, it was clear they had left themselves too much to do.

In their first attacking raid, two passes went to ground and Dane Gagai eventually spilled the ball on the final play of the set.

The Knights scored soon after when Ponga had success in sending Marzhew over on the left wing.

It was to be the only big moment the fullback had, as he finished with four tackle busts and a sole try involvement with the Warriors giving him little space in attack.

And while Newcastle briefly put themselves back in the match at 16-10 down just after halftime, a Tohu Harris bust and Dylan Walker try quickly put paid to that shortly after.

Newcastle’s run into the finals was at times a piece of magic, with the 10 straight wins before Saturday the most in their history.

But history has long shown that winning streaks can rarely continue into finals without at least one slip up late in the season.

Unfortunately for Newcastle, that 15-minute slip up came when it mattered most on Saturday night.

And it proved catastrophic, with the 40-10 defeat meaning their 22-year wait for another premiership to now extend to a 23rd season.