Rabbitohs knocked out of NRL finals by Knights
George Clarke |
Newcastle have completed one of the great NRL finals heists, dumping South Sydney out of the competition in a surprise 20-10 elimination final win.
On a night young back-rower Jermaine McEwen made everyone sit up and take notice with a two-try display at Allianz Stadium, the Knights advanced to next week’s semi-final by upstaging Souths on their home patch.
The Knights will face the loser of Saturday’s qualification between the Warriors and the Dolphins, after claiming their first finals win on the road since 2013.
Without five-eighth Dylan Brown and their first-choice front-row pairing of Trey Mooney and Daniel Saifiti, there would have been few pundits who would have given Newcastle a chance before kick-off.
But, inspired by Dane Gagai’s running battle with South Sydney’s Latrell Mitchell, last year’s wooden spooners kept their premiership ambitions alive in front of a 28,152 crowd that included a healthy contingent of Novocastrians.
On the other hand, next to nothing went right for the Bunnies in their first finals game since 2023.
Alex Johnston (groin) and Cody Walker (calf) trudged off with injuries, while Mitchell was largely kept quiet by Gagai, who formed part of a fruitful right edge that was the Knights’ main source of attack.
McEwen drew first blood down that side when he caught a Dom Young bat-back and raced in from 30m out to score a sixth minute opener.
Mitchell and Gagai’s skirmish boiled over soon afterwards but when neither player landed a clean blow, referee Ashley Klein allowed both to stay on the field.
The fracas injected some venom into a game in which the Knights slowly began to take the upper hand.
McEwen and fellow edge Francis Manuleleua made their presence felt on the Bunnies’ edges before Gagai raced past Mitchell to dot down on a Sandon Smith grubber.
Rabbitohs winger Campbell Graham crashed over Greg Marzhew to get his side on the board as they trailed 10-6 at the break.
Souths struggled to connect after Walker limped off late in the second half and it was only through a moment of Mitchell magic, in which Johnston had a try chalked off, did the Bunnies look likely.
With the game in the balance, Young helped swing the result in Newcastle’s favour by making a break down the right to set up McEwen for his second try in the 62nd minute.
Four minutes later, the big English winger tip-toed down the sideline to score and all but send Justin Holbrook’s men into week two of the finals.
Jye Gray scored a late try for the Bunnies but Wayne Bennett’s side had left their charge too late.
AAP