 | |||
| Club information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Newcastle Rugby League Football Club | ||
| Nickname | Newy | ||
| Short name | NEW | ||
| Colours | Primary: Blue Red Secondary: White | ||
| Founded | 1987 | ||
| Website | newcastleknights.com.au | ||
| Current details | |||
| Ground | |||
| CEO | Phil Gardner | ||
| Coach | Justin Holbrook | ||
| Captain | Kalyn Ponga | ||
| Competition | National Rugby League | ||
| 2025 Season | 17th | ||
 Current season | |||
| Uniforms | |||
| |||
| Records | |||
| Premierships | 2 (1997,2001) | ||
| Runners-up | 0 | ||
| Wooden spoons | 5 (2005,2015,2016,2017,2025) | ||
| Most capped | 257 –Danny Buderus | ||
| Highest try scorer | 109 –Akuila Uate | ||
| Highest points scorer | 2,176 –Andrew Johns | ||
TheNewcastle Knights are an Australian professionalrugby league team based inNewcastle, the largest city in theHunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. The club competes in theNational Rugby League (NRL) premiership. Playing in red and blue, the Knights joined the top-tier competition in1988, 79 years after the previous Newcastle based team, theNewcastle Rebels had departed the Sydney competition with the formation of aseparate league competition based in the Newcastle region.
The club has won the premiership twice (1997 and 2001) and is one of only two clubs (the other being theWests Tigers) that has never lost a grand final in which it has participated.[1] Notable players include:Paul Harragon,Robbie O'Davis,Danny Buderus andrugby league ImmortalAndrew Johns. The team's home ground isMcDonald Jones Stadium.
ANewcastle rugby league team had been assembled from players in theNewcastle Rugby League to compete in various competitions for most of the 20th century. The Newcastle Knights entered theNew South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) competition in 1988 withAllan McMahon as coach. Newcastle had previously been invited to field a team in the NSWRL competition for the 1982 season but declined, worried it would weaken the area's local league competition. TheCanberra Raiders were admitted to the 1982 competition in their place.
The team was a success from the start, becoming one of the most popular clubs in its first season. By 1990, the team was strong enough to enter a play-off for fifth spot.
The club won their first competition, the Nissan Sevens, in 1991 and made the playoffs in 1992, where they were beaten by theSt George Dragons. The Knights made the semi-finals again in 1995 when the competition became theAustralian Rugby League (ARL), and won the reserve grade premiership the same year.
The club stayed loyal to the ARL whenRupert Murdoch startedSuper League in an attempt to win pay television rights to rugby league. This decision was very popular in the Newcastle andHunter Region areas.News Limited formed theHunter Mariners to compete with the Knights in the one and only season of Super League in Australia, but the Mariners failed to win much support in the area.
From 1997 to 2003, the Knights achieved a finals berth for seven consecutive years. The Knights won the1997 Australian Rugby League premiership, defeating theManly-Warringah Sea Eagles 22–16 in the Grand Final. The match is best remembered for its classic finish – withDarren Albert breaking a 16-all deadlock with a try just seven seconds from full-time. This win was a huge morale boost to the district following the closure of the area's biggest employer, theBHPNewcastle Steelworks, being announced earlier the same year. Seventy per cent of the winning squad were Newcastle juniors. In this yearRobbie O'Davis won theClive Churchill Medal.
The following season, Knights playersRobbie O'Davis,Wayne Richards andAdam MacDougall tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs; however, all three maintained they started use after the Knights' 1997 victory. The three were suspended, despite O'Davis' claims the club was not notified his drug was banned until after his positive test, and MacDougall's medical reason for taking the steroids (his usage continued after he completed his suspension, now approved by the NRL). In addition, the Knights terminated Wayne Richards' contract.
In 1998, the Newcastle club finished equal on competition points with theBrisbane Broncos, but finished second on points differential (sum of points scored less points scored against). In 1999, the Knights lost their final two games of the regular season to finish 7th, before being knocked out a week later by theParramatta Eels. The Knights came third in 2000, followed by a National Rugby League Premiership victory over the Parramatta Eels in 2001, with Andrew Johns winning theClive Churchill Medal.
Andrew Johns won theDally M Medal for best player in the National Rugby League twice in a row in 1998 and 1999, and won an unprecedented third Dally M Medal in 2002. In addition, Johns also won the Provan-Summons Medal (the people's choice award for player of the year) four years in a row from 1998 to 2001, the best performance by any player in the history of the award.
The club failed to win a single match in the first half of the 2005 premiership, losing 13 consecutive matches which was the worst start to a season by any club since the 1960s. In 2006, the Knights finished the season in fourth position, a stunning reversal in form, but were eliminated from the finals after losing in the semi-final to theBrisbane Broncos, going down 50–6.
Prior to the2006 NRL season kick-off it was announced that the club's longest serving coach, Michael Hagan would depart the club following the 2006 season to begin a three-year contract with theParramatta Eels. Ironically, during the week of the 2006 season-opening game against Parramatta, the Newcastle outfit confirmed Parramatta coachBrian Smith would take over coaching duties in 2007.
The2007 NRL season was a year of turmoil for the club both on and off the field. After making a promising start to the season with victories over contenders such as theCanterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs – the club and rugby league world was rocked by the shock retirement ofAndrew Johns. The departure of their captain and most influential player had an obvious effect on the team, and although they managed to stay in touch with the top eight until the last third of the season, their season was irreparably damaged by his absence. In addition to this, the Knights endured the worst injury toll in the 2007 season fielding thirty seven players in first grade by season's end.
The club also struggled off-field, with Brian Smith's decision to release players such asClint Newton,Kirk Reynoldson, andJosh Perry. Newton's took a contract at Melbourne and Reynoldson threatened legal action over the club refusing to play him in the fifteen games required to trigger his fourth contract.
Before the final round of 2007, Tab Sportsbet's Glenn Munsie was reported in theDaily Telegraph saying that the Newcastle side were certainties for the 'wooden spoon' (coming last in the season) and "it was pointless taking money on the wooden spoon gong given Newcastle would be firmly planted at the bottom of the ladder by the end of the weekend".[2] Despite these pressures, the Knights managed to avoid a second wooden spoon in three years – offloading the dreaded piece of 'silverware' to thePenrith Panthers with a last round victory over theWests Tigers.
2008 was a resurgence year for the Novocastrians narrowly missing out on the finals. Newcastle started the2009 NRL season convincingly equaling their best home winning streak of nine wins in 1995. Towards the end of the season coachBrian Smith announced he was leaving Newcastle to join the troubledSydney Roosters in 2010. Over the next weeks assistant coachRick Stone was announced as the new coach of the Newcastle club. Toward the end of the season the Knights lost three games in a row which put them in doubt for the finals. They then had an outstanding comeback to beat eventual grand finalists,Parramatta up the ladder. They finished the year 7th out of 16 after losing to theCanterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in week one of the finals.
On 16 December 2009 it was announced playerDanny Wicks was caught-up in a drug issue involving amphetamines, cocaine and ecstasy. He was stood down from the club. Wicks' contract was terminated. For the2010 NRL season Newcastle signedMcDonald's andCoca-Cola as major sponsors. In March 2010Chris Houston was served with notice to attend court on charges of supplyingecstasy andcocaine.[3] He was stood down indefinitely. June 2010 signalled a good period for the Knights after they confirmed the signings of 2009Toyota Cup Player of the YearBeau Henry on a three-year contract, 2009Toyota Cup Centre of the YearSiuatonga Likiliki on a two-year contract and former Australian international propAntonio Kaufusi on a two-year contract. In the next few days, the Knights also confirmed the signings of currentQueensland Maroons starNeville Costigan on a three-year contract, and the promising young backrowerKyle O'Donnell on a two-year contract.
The Knights finished 11th in 2010. While the club did not play in the finals,Adam MacDougall recorded the most tries for the club andAkuila Uate equaled the most tries in a season. In December 2010, former Newcastle playerChris Houston was cleared of all drug charges and re-signed with the club for two years. In March 2011, Newcastle were officially taken over by mining magnateNathan Tinkler after a member's vote in which Tinkler won by 97%. In April 2011, Newcastle confirmed the signing ofWayne Bennett. The Knights finished 8th in 2011, being eliminated in the first week of the finals. After the 2011 season, the Knights cleaned out 15 players, but nine other renowned players were signed including club legendsDanny Buderus andTimana Tahu, Kangaroos wingerDarius Boyd and Kangaroos forwardKade Snowden.
The Newcastle club celebrated 25 years in the NRL competition in 2012. CaptainKurt Gidley succumbed to a shoulder injury early in the season which resulted in him missing the remainder of the year. The team failed to click and won only 10 of their 24 games to finish 12th. During the year, the club signedWillie Mason andDane Gagai.
Newcastle finished 7th on the ladder and making the third week of the finals by beating theMelbourne Storm in Melbourne in the second week of the finals. Newcastle were defeated the following week by theSydney Roosters in the preliminary final 40–14.[4]
In round 3 of the 2014 NRL Season, Newcastle played against theMelbourne Storm atAAMI Park. Shortly before half time, Newcastle forward Alex McKinnon was involved in a three-man tackle that involvedJordan McLean and the Bromwich brothers (Jesse andKenny). McKinnon suffered fractures to his C4 and C5 vertebrae. Later in Round 19, the NRL held the 'Rise for Alex Round', where for every ticket sold, $1 would be donated to McKinnon to assist with his continuous medical bills and rehabilitation funds.
On 7 July 2015 coachRick Stone[5] was sacked after a string of disappointing results, andDanny Buderus would coach for the remainder of the 2015 season. In round 26 against Penrith, Newcastle went down 30–12 to claim their second wooden spoon.[6]
In September 2015, Newcastle signedNathan Brown to a three-year contract to coach starting from 2016. During the 2016 season, the club debuted 11 players in the NRL, while losing co-captainTariq Sims midway through to year to go to St. George Illawarra. Against Cronulla in round 10, Newcastle were defeated 62–0, their biggest defeat at home and second biggest defeat in history. Newcastle would only win one game all year, to claim the wooden spoon for a second consecutive season, and third overall.
2017 was the Knights' 30th year in the NRL where they finished last again, claiming their thirdWooden Spoon in a row.[7]
In December 2017, the Newcastle Knights expressed their interest in applying for a licence to participate in the inauguralNRL Women's season.[8]
In November 2017, the club was sold toThe Wests Group, a Newcastle-based not for profit club, after being administered by the NRL since the departure ofNathan Tinkler.[9] The following season marked a resurgence for the club, with the arrivals of high-profile halfbackMitchell Pearce, sought after rookie fullbackKalyn Ponga, as well as Queensland Origin representativeAidan Guerra and several other players. The team started the season strongly, winning five of their opening eight games to sit comfortably inside the top 8. However, with a long-term injury to Mitchell Pearce, the side won only four of their remaining 12 matches to finish 11th.
2019 saw the arrival of forwardsDavid Klemmer andTim Glasby, boosting the team's forward pack. After winning their opening match, Newcastle lost five consecutive games before reversing their fortunes with five consecutive victories to reach 4th place. The Knights would finish in 11th place.[10]In the 2020 season, Newcastle would reach the finals for the first time since 2013 after finishing 7th on the table. Newcastle were eliminated in the first week of the finals bySouth Sydney losing 46–20.[11]
In 2021, Newcastle would reach the finals once again finishing 7th on the table. For the second straight year, they would go out in the first week of the finals losing toParramatta 28–20.[12]In 2022, the Newcastle side finished 14th on the table winning six games for the entire year.[13][14]In round 18 of the2023 NRL season, Newcastle recorded their biggest ever victory as a club when they defeated Canterbury 66–0.[15]Newcastle would end up finishing the 2023 NRL season in 5th place after winning nine straight matches, coming from 14th on the table after round 17. In week one of the finals, Newcastle defeated Canberra in extra-time 30–28. In week two, Newcastle would lose 40–10 against theNew Zealand Warriors which ended their season.[16]In the2024 NRL season, Newcastle finished in 8th place on the table and qualify for the finals. They would be eliminated in week one of the finals series by North Queensland.In the2025 NRL season, Newcastle started the season brightly winning their opening two matches. The club then went on a five game losing streak after this. Newcastle would then only manage to record wins over State of Origin and injury ravaged South Sydney and Penrith sides. Towards the back end of the season, Adam O'Brien announced he was stepping down as Newcastle head coach. Newcastle finished in last place after losing the final game of the season against the Parramatta Eels 66-10, claiming their 5th Wooden Spoon. The loss also meant that Newcastle had lost nine games in a row to close out the year. Newcastle also were held scoreless in eleven of their matches at half-time.[17][18]
In 1988, theNewcastle Knights were re-established to represent rugby league in the Hunter region once more. Newcastle adopted 'The Knights' moniker as a reference to its 'steel city' industrial heritage. The jersey colours of red and blue were adopted from the district's representative side that wore red jerseys, white shorts and blue socks.[19]
| Top 30 squad - 2026 NRL season | Development list | Coaching staff | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Head coach Assistant coaches
Updated: 2 November 2025 | |||||||||
All players that have captained the Newcastle Knights in first-grade.
| Cap No. | Name | Years As Captain | Debut Round | Games As Captain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Sam Stewart | 1988–90 | Round 1 | 40 |
| 2. | Glenn Miller | 1988 | Round 17 | 3 |
| 3. | Michael Hagan | 1989–93 | Round 15 | 91 |
| 4. | Peter Johnston | 1990 | Round 8 | 1 |
| 5. | Mark Sargent | 1994–95 | Round 1 | 26 |
| 6. | Robbie McCormack | 1994 | Round 4 | 3 |
| 7. | Paul Harragon | 1995–99 | Round 7 | 71 |
| 8. | Matthew Johns | 1995–99 | Round 18 | 21 |
| 9. | Tony Butterfield | 1997, 1999–00 | Round 3 | 46 |
| 10. | Andrew Johns | 1998, 2000–07 | Round 23 | 106 |
| 11. | Bill Peden | 2000–02 | Round 10 | 13 |
| 12. | Ben Kennedy | 2001, 2003–04 | Round 24 | 9 |
| 13. | Matt Parsons | 2002–03 | Finals Week 2 | 5 |
| 14. | Steve Simpson | 2003, 2006–10 | Round 15 | 18 |
| 15. | Danny Buderus | 2004–08, 2012 | Round 7 | 67 |
| 16. | Robbie O'Davis | 2004 | Round 14 | 1 |
| 17. | Matthew Gidley | 2004–05 | Round 17 | 2 |
| 18. | Craig Smith | 2005 | Round 14 | 3 |
| 19. | Jarrod Mullen | 2007, 2010–11, 2013–14 | Round 11 | 21 |
| 20. | Kirk Reynoldson | 2007 | Round 13 | 1 |
| 21. | Adam Woolnough | 2007 | Round 16 | 1 |
| 22. | Kurt Gidley | 2007–15 | Round 19 | 123 |
| 23. | Chris Houston | 2008–09, 2012–13 | Round 13 | 5 |
| 24. | Daniel Tolar | 2010 | Round 14 | 1 |
| 25. | Wes Naiqama | 2011 | Round 16 | 2 |
| 26. | Beau Scott | 2015 | Round 1 | 2 |
| 27. | Trent Hodkinson | 2016–17 | Round 1 | 30 |
| 28. | Jeremy Smith | 2016 | Round 1 | 21 |
| 29. | Tariq Sims | 2016 | Round 6 | 8 |
| 30. | Sione Mata'utia | 2017 | Round 8 | 15 |
| 31. | Jamie Buhrer | 2017–19 | Round 18 | 30 |
| 32. | Mitchell Pearce | 2018–20 | Round 1 | 59 |
| 33. | Aidan Guerra | 2018 | Round 8 | 9 |
| 34. | Shaun Kenny-Dowall | 2019 | Round 16 | 1 |
| 35. | Jayden Brailey | 2021–24 | Round 1 | 38 |
| 36. | Daniel Saifiti | 2021 | Round 1 | 17 |
| 37. | Kalyn Ponga | 2021–24 | Round 21 | 55 |
| 38. | Tyson Frizell | 2022–24 | Round 2 | 35 |
| 39. | Dane Gagai | 2023–24 | Round 3 | 5 |
| 40. | Jackson Hastings | 2023 | Round 3 | 1 |
| 41. | Jacob Saifiti | 2023 | Round 27 | 1 |
Team of the Era[edit]In August 2007 the Knights announced their team of 20 years.[clarification needed] This team was:
Representative players[edit]Main article:List of Newcastle Knights representatives
| |||||||||||||||||||
Justin Holbrook (September 2025 - present)
| 1988–1996 | 1997–2000 | 2001–2004 | 2005–2007 |
|---|---|---|---|
| |  | |
| 2008–2010 | 2011–2012 | 2013–2014 | 2015–2016 |
 |  |  | |
| 2017–2018 | 2019–present | ||
 |  |
| 2000–2002 | 2003–2005 | 2006–2007 | 2008–2009 |
|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  |  |
| 2010–2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014–2015 |
 |  |  |  |
| 2016–2018 | |||
|
| 1988 Trial | 2008 Heritage | 2009–2011 Heritage | 2012 Heritage |
|---|---|---|---|
 |  | |  |
| 2014 Women in League | 2015 Heritage | ||
 | |
| Opponent | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Dolphins | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 83.33 |
 Rabbitohs | 49 | 30 | 0 | 19 | 61.22 |
 Tigers | 40 | 22 | 0 | 18 | 55.00 |
 Titans | 32 | 17 | 0 | 15 | 53.13 |
 Eels | 61 | 31 | 1 | 29 | 50.82 |
 Sharks | 63 | 32 | 1 | 30 | 50.79 |
 Warriors | 53 | 25 | 1 | 27 | 47.17 |
 Cowboys | 47 | 22 | 0 | 25 | 46.81 |
 Bulldogs | 58 | 26 | 1 | 31 | 44.83 |
 Raiders | 61 | 27 | 2 | 32 | 44.26 |
 Panthers | 59 | 25 | 4 | 30 | 42.37 |
 Sea Eagles | 61 | 24 | 1 | 36 | 39.34 |
 Storm | 49 | 17 | 0 | 32 | 34.69 |
 Roosters | 62 | 21 | 2 | 39 | 33.87 |
 Dragons | 45 | 15 | 0 | 30 | 33.33 |
 Broncos | 57 | 17 | 1 | 39 | 29.82 |
| Games | Wins | Drawn | Losses |
|---|---|---|---|
| 886 | 415 | 18 | 453 |
Last updated on 3 March 2023. Source:[21]
Finals Series: 17 (1992,1995,1997*,1998,1999,2000,2001,2002,2003,2006,2009,2011,2013,2020,2021,2023,2024)
* ARL season only
Most Games
Most Points
Most Tries
Most Goals
Most Points
Most Tries
Most Points
Most Tries
Most Goals
Go Hard, Go Knights (1995–present)
Playin' hard, playin' tough,
Just plain good is not good enough,
We're gonna show you what league's all about,
If there's a lesson to be learned we're handing it out.This game is our game,
This town is our town,
Turn the heat up and listen to the crowd.
Go hard, Go Knights, Go proud.This game is our game,
This town is our town,
Turn the heat up and listen to the crowd.
Go hard, Go Knights, Go proud.
Newcastle Knights fans have been described as being among the most rabid in the NRL[22] and in 2008, 2011 and 2012, were the third best supported club in the league.[23] In 2008, the average home game attendance was 18,750, 19,186 in 2011 and 20,919 in 2012. In 2012, the Knights also had the largest Monday Night Football crowd of the year with 18,637 fans turning up in Round 16.[24]
Some notable supporters of the club include;
|
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On 11 June 2021, the Newcastle Knights were granted a licence to compete in the2021 National Rugby League Women's (NRLW) competition. Recently retired Knights playerBlake Green was announced as the head coach.[48] The season was planned to commence in August 2021, postponed to October 2021 and further postponed to 2022 due to the ongoingCOVID-19 pandemic.[49]
On 1 July 2021, the Knights announced their first ever NRLW signing inIndigenous All Stars andPrime Minister's XIII representativeCaitlan Johnston, who was a foundationTarsha Gale Cup player for the Knights in 2018 before spending two seasons with theSydney Roosters NRLW side.[50]
On 25 November 2021, it was announced that Knights Tarsha Gale Cup coachCasey Bromilow would be taking on the head coach role after Green had been appointed into a specialist halves role alongsideAndrew Johns with Newcastle's NRL side.[51]Jess Skinner was announced as the assistant coach.[52] On the same day, the Knights announced a further six Newcastle and Hunter based signings inBobbi Law from theSydney Roosters,Jayme Fressard from theBrisbane Broncos andGeorgia Page from theSt. George Illawarra Dragons, as well asPhoebe Desmond,Chantelle Graham andKyra Simon from local teams. Six development players were also announced inBree Chester,Sophie Clancy,Matilda Jones,Kayla Romaniuk,Jesse Southwell andTylah Vallance.[53]
On 1 December 2021, the Knights signed nineKiwi Ferns representatives inNgatokotoru Arakua,Maitua Feterika,Annetta Nu'uausala,Charntay Poko,Krystal Rota,Charlotte Scanlan,Autumn-Rain Stephens-Daly,Katelyn Vaha'akolo andKararaina Wira-Kohu,[54] Two days later, the club signedRomy Teitzel from theBrisbane Broncos,AFLW playerPaige Parker,rugby sevens playerEmma Sykes andNorth Queensland Gold Stars playersRangimarie Edwards-Bruce,Katie Green,Emma Manzelmann andTahlulah Tillett.[55]
In January 2022, the Knights signedKirra Dibb from theNew Zealand Warriors after Emma Sykes withdrew from the squad.[56] On 21 February, the 24-woman squad was finalised with the signing ofShannon Evans from theCentral Coast Roosters[57] andRomy Teitzel was named team captain,Caitlan Johnston andKrystal Rota named as club captains.[58]
The club played in 5 matches without a win in its inaugural season.[59]
In April 2022,Ronald Griffiths was announced as the new head coach for the upcoming season.[60]
On 18 May 2022, the Knights announced the signing ofAustralian Jillaroos playersMillie Boyle andTamika Upton for their second season in the competition.[61][62] Additional notable signings for the 2022 season wereSydney Roosters premiership winning playersYasmin Clydsdale,Olivia Higgins,Simone Karpani,Tayla Predebon,Hannah Southwell,[63][64] former Jillaroos playerCaitlin Moran and former Roosters playersShanice Parker andKiana Takairangi.[65]
On 16 August 2022,Millie Boyle andHannah Southwell were appointed co-captains of the club.[66]
After winning 4 of its 5 regular season games, the Knights won their first premiership during the2022 NRL Women's season, defeating theParramatta Eels 32–12.[67]
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