‘Sick of being kicked in the guts': Under-siege O'Brien committed to Knights
'I've taken the approach that I'm the coach of the club right now,' he said on Saturday.
This masthead revealed during the week that Knights powerbrokers had started to make internal plans to part ways with O'Brien after six years at the helm of the club. A top-12 finish last year triggered a two-year extension for O'Brien, who is expected to receive a full payout.
Newcastle's highest-paid player, Kalyn Ponga, was also in the headlines, with his name floated to European rugby clubs, as well as organisers of the rebel R360 competition, amid fears he would not be at the club beyond this season. Ponga eventually took to social media to declare he would honour his Newcastle deal until the end of 2027.
As for O'Brien, who has taken the Knights to the finals in four of his five full seasons in charge, what comes next is not as clear.
Newcastle legend Andrew Johns said it was 'inevitable' O'Brien would be shown the door. His brother, Matthew, a fellow Knights hero, asked in his News Limited column if O'Brien had taken the side as far as he can.
Blake Green is already on the payroll and a potential successor, while Cronulla assistant Josh Hannay and Hull KR coach Willie Peters, who has worked at the Knights, are other options.
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The Age
11 hours ago
- The Age
A $900,000 offer after 28 matches. The NRL's latest Rugby360 target revealed
South Sydney utility Jye Gray has emerged as a surprise target for breakaway rugby competition Rugby360. R360 organisers are attempting to secure enough players to trigger the next rollout of private equity funds to ensure the concept gets off the ground. While the focus remains on signing established rugby union stars, a handful of NRL players considered capable of making a code switch have also been targeted. One of them is Gray. In some respects, he is a departure from the NRL names previously linked to R360 - including Ryan Papenhuyzen, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Nelson Asofa-Solomona, Zac Lomax and Herbie Farnworth - given he hasn't yet achieved marquee status in rugby league. However, Gray, who has played just 28 NRL matches and comes off contract at the Rabbitohs at the end of 2026, has a history in the 15-man code. He made his mark in rugby during three years at The Southport School, a prestigious GPS school on the Gold Coast. A potential 2027 start for Gray in R360 has been floated. The school's former coach, Mike Wallace, rated Gray among the best players he had overseen during his long association with the school, and the Queensland Reds expressed interest in Gray. Sources speaking on the condition of anonymity due to confidentiality said that R360 was prepared to offer Gray $US600,000 (A$920,000) to commit to the start-up competition. There has been speculation that R360 could be based in a tax-free state such as Dubai, which could make it even more financially lucrative for those considering joining. The Rabbitohs, who on Wednesday granted Englishman Lewis Dodd permission to seek a new contract elsewhere, and Gray's manager were contacted for comment.
The Advertiser
17 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Sacked after winning by 83 points. So much about this decision is confusing for all
"Things are never as good or as bad as they seem" has become a bit of a go-to piece of homespun philosophy in the world of AFL football over recent years. Increasingly, you can understand why. Take Melbourne, for example, which on Tuesday chose to end the tenure of its premiership coach Simon Goodwin with just three games remaining for the season. So last weekend must have been a shocker, right? Well, no, actually, the Demons had just thumped West Coast by a whopping 83 points. Umm ... OK. So it's about strong, decisive leadership from Melbourne's leaders, yes? Umm ... well, to be frank, what leaders? Fact is, incoming Melbourne chief executive Paul Guerra is still to actually sit in the chair, and chairman-in-waiting Stephen Smith has been on a European sojourn. Indeed, I suspect Tuesday's decision (at least its timing) may have had a bit to do with wanting to be seen to be exercising some control just as Melbourne is beginning to finally cop some public heat for the way even off the field it appears to have coasted through this season. Sure, the optics haven't been great given a still-talented list is about to miss out on finals for a second year in a row. But nor is Melbourne falling apart at the seams. Indeed, ironically, there was much more disquiet going on at board level in 2021 just as the club was winning its first premiership for 57 years than there is now. Football doesn't do nuance particularly well. Which will be a challenge for Melbourne now, also. Because there are alternate ways of looking at just where the Demons are placed in terms of their on-field future. And how Melbourne does peer through the looking glass will have a big say in who ends up being Goodwin's coaching replacement, whether it's an established premiership/grand final coach like any of John Longmire, Adam Simpson or Nathan Buckley, or one of the long catalogue of experienced and well-qualified assistant coaches who'd no doubt love a call-up. The "things are OK" argument is that the Demons still have plenty of star quality via the likes of Christian Petracca, Max Gawn, Kysaiah Pickett, Steven May and Clayton Oliver, some promising younger types with heaps of room for improvement coming through. Their best can still stack up, too, the Dees this season having beaten reigning premier Brisbane on the Gabba no less, likely finalist Fremantle in Perth, and almost upsetting Collingwood in the King's Birthday clash. And the "things are crook" theory? Well, the performance graph has been fairly consistently downward for a while since that famous 2021 flag. There were two subsequent top four finishes which both ended with Melbourne going out in straight sets both times, albeit extremely narrowly in 2023, after having lost to Collingwood by just seven points despite having 32 more inside 50 entries. They'd then lost to Carlton the following week by just two points after kicking 9.17. And the past two seasons have been a lot more dire, just 11 wins last year and a finish of 14th, then this season only seven wins, and the defeats including beltings at the hands of lowly North Melbourne (by 59 points) and Essendon (by 39 points). The demographics on the Melbourne list might be a little askew, also. The Dees have the fourth-oldest playing group in the AFL, with nine players on the cusp of 30 or older, a mid-tier group of which several have stagnated, and some promising but still largely unproven younger hands. There's still clear uncertainty, also, about the futures of the likes of Petracca and Oliver (both of whom we're continually being told aren't averse to heading elsewhere), along with May and Gawn, both of whom will be 34 when next season begins. MORE AFL NEWS Does that mean Melbourne should embrace a complete rebuild, though? Not necessarily. Is the age thing as relevant these days as it used to be? More broadly speaking when it comes to lists, do deficiencies in key areas mean the whole thing needs to be thrown away? Adelaide this year would seem to be a good example of why not. The Crows have added a handful of experienced midfielders to the mix and suddenly seem to have more options, flexibility and consistent performance right across the ground. So can Goodwin's nine-year coaching tenure with the Demons also be assessed as not as good or bad as it seemed? Absolutely. His coaching record of 203 games at a winning percentage of nearly 55 stacks up pretty well with most of his competitors. He is (for now at least) one of just four Melbourne premiership coaches in history. Then again, was Melbourne's incredibly dominant finals series of 2021 one of the greatest premiership wins ever? Not necessarily. It certainly was a great example of hitting a sweet spot at the perfect time, however. Goodwin should be rightly proud of his heightened status in the coaching pantheon. And you can bet he'll get another chance because of it. Yes, even when you've just been sacked, things actually mightn't be as bad as they seem. "Things are never as good or as bad as they seem" has become a bit of a go-to piece of homespun philosophy in the world of AFL football over recent years. Increasingly, you can understand why. Take Melbourne, for example, which on Tuesday chose to end the tenure of its premiership coach Simon Goodwin with just three games remaining for the season. So last weekend must have been a shocker, right? Well, no, actually, the Demons had just thumped West Coast by a whopping 83 points. Umm ... OK. So it's about strong, decisive leadership from Melbourne's leaders, yes? Umm ... well, to be frank, what leaders? Fact is, incoming Melbourne chief executive Paul Guerra is still to actually sit in the chair, and chairman-in-waiting Stephen Smith has been on a European sojourn. Indeed, I suspect Tuesday's decision (at least its timing) may have had a bit to do with wanting to be seen to be exercising some control just as Melbourne is beginning to finally cop some public heat for the way even off the field it appears to have coasted through this season. Sure, the optics haven't been great given a still-talented list is about to miss out on finals for a second year in a row. But nor is Melbourne falling apart at the seams. Indeed, ironically, there was much more disquiet going on at board level in 2021 just as the club was winning its first premiership for 57 years than there is now. Football doesn't do nuance particularly well. Which will be a challenge for Melbourne now, also. Because there are alternate ways of looking at just where the Demons are placed in terms of their on-field future. And how Melbourne does peer through the looking glass will have a big say in who ends up being Goodwin's coaching replacement, whether it's an established premiership/grand final coach like any of John Longmire, Adam Simpson or Nathan Buckley, or one of the long catalogue of experienced and well-qualified assistant coaches who'd no doubt love a call-up. The "things are OK" argument is that the Demons still have plenty of star quality via the likes of Christian Petracca, Max Gawn, Kysaiah Pickett, Steven May and Clayton Oliver, some promising younger types with heaps of room for improvement coming through. Their best can still stack up, too, the Dees this season having beaten reigning premier Brisbane on the Gabba no less, likely finalist Fremantle in Perth, and almost upsetting Collingwood in the King's Birthday clash. And the "things are crook" theory? Well, the performance graph has been fairly consistently downward for a while since that famous 2021 flag. There were two subsequent top four finishes which both ended with Melbourne going out in straight sets both times, albeit extremely narrowly in 2023, after having lost to Collingwood by just seven points despite having 32 more inside 50 entries. They'd then lost to Carlton the following week by just two points after kicking 9.17. And the past two seasons have been a lot more dire, just 11 wins last year and a finish of 14th, then this season only seven wins, and the defeats including beltings at the hands of lowly North Melbourne (by 59 points) and Essendon (by 39 points). The demographics on the Melbourne list might be a little askew, also. The Dees have the fourth-oldest playing group in the AFL, with nine players on the cusp of 30 or older, a mid-tier group of which several have stagnated, and some promising but still largely unproven younger hands. There's still clear uncertainty, also, about the futures of the likes of Petracca and Oliver (both of whom we're continually being told aren't averse to heading elsewhere), along with May and Gawn, both of whom will be 34 when next season begins. MORE AFL NEWS Does that mean Melbourne should embrace a complete rebuild, though? Not necessarily. Is the age thing as relevant these days as it used to be? More broadly speaking when it comes to lists, do deficiencies in key areas mean the whole thing needs to be thrown away? Adelaide this year would seem to be a good example of why not. The Crows have added a handful of experienced midfielders to the mix and suddenly seem to have more options, flexibility and consistent performance right across the ground. So can Goodwin's nine-year coaching tenure with the Demons also be assessed as not as good or bad as it seemed? Absolutely. His coaching record of 203 games at a winning percentage of nearly 55 stacks up pretty well with most of his competitors. He is (for now at least) one of just four Melbourne premiership coaches in history. Then again, was Melbourne's incredibly dominant finals series of 2021 one of the greatest premiership wins ever? Not necessarily. It certainly was a great example of hitting a sweet spot at the perfect time, however. Goodwin should be rightly proud of his heightened status in the coaching pantheon. And you can bet he'll get another chance because of it. Yes, even when you've just been sacked, things actually mightn't be as bad as they seem. "Things are never as good or as bad as they seem" has become a bit of a go-to piece of homespun philosophy in the world of AFL football over recent years. Increasingly, you can understand why. Take Melbourne, for example, which on Tuesday chose to end the tenure of its premiership coach Simon Goodwin with just three games remaining for the season. So last weekend must have been a shocker, right? Well, no, actually, the Demons had just thumped West Coast by a whopping 83 points. Umm ... OK. So it's about strong, decisive leadership from Melbourne's leaders, yes? Umm ... well, to be frank, what leaders? Fact is, incoming Melbourne chief executive Paul Guerra is still to actually sit in the chair, and chairman-in-waiting Stephen Smith has been on a European sojourn. Indeed, I suspect Tuesday's decision (at least its timing) may have had a bit to do with wanting to be seen to be exercising some control just as Melbourne is beginning to finally cop some public heat for the way even off the field it appears to have coasted through this season. Sure, the optics haven't been great given a still-talented list is about to miss out on finals for a second year in a row. But nor is Melbourne falling apart at the seams. Indeed, ironically, there was much more disquiet going on at board level in 2021 just as the club was winning its first premiership for 57 years than there is now. Football doesn't do nuance particularly well. Which will be a challenge for Melbourne now, also. Because there are alternate ways of looking at just where the Demons are placed in terms of their on-field future. And how Melbourne does peer through the looking glass will have a big say in who ends up being Goodwin's coaching replacement, whether it's an established premiership/grand final coach like any of John Longmire, Adam Simpson or Nathan Buckley, or one of the long catalogue of experienced and well-qualified assistant coaches who'd no doubt love a call-up. The "things are OK" argument is that the Demons still have plenty of star quality via the likes of Christian Petracca, Max Gawn, Kysaiah Pickett, Steven May and Clayton Oliver, some promising younger types with heaps of room for improvement coming through. Their best can still stack up, too, the Dees this season having beaten reigning premier Brisbane on the Gabba no less, likely finalist Fremantle in Perth, and almost upsetting Collingwood in the King's Birthday clash. And the "things are crook" theory? Well, the performance graph has been fairly consistently downward for a while since that famous 2021 flag. There were two subsequent top four finishes which both ended with Melbourne going out in straight sets both times, albeit extremely narrowly in 2023, after having lost to Collingwood by just seven points despite having 32 more inside 50 entries. They'd then lost to Carlton the following week by just two points after kicking 9.17. And the past two seasons have been a lot more dire, just 11 wins last year and a finish of 14th, then this season only seven wins, and the defeats including beltings at the hands of lowly North Melbourne (by 59 points) and Essendon (by 39 points). The demographics on the Melbourne list might be a little askew, also. The Dees have the fourth-oldest playing group in the AFL, with nine players on the cusp of 30 or older, a mid-tier group of which several have stagnated, and some promising but still largely unproven younger hands. There's still clear uncertainty, also, about the futures of the likes of Petracca and Oliver (both of whom we're continually being told aren't averse to heading elsewhere), along with May and Gawn, both of whom will be 34 when next season begins. MORE AFL NEWS Does that mean Melbourne should embrace a complete rebuild, though? Not necessarily. Is the age thing as relevant these days as it used to be? More broadly speaking when it comes to lists, do deficiencies in key areas mean the whole thing needs to be thrown away? Adelaide this year would seem to be a good example of why not. The Crows have added a handful of experienced midfielders to the mix and suddenly seem to have more options, flexibility and consistent performance right across the ground. So can Goodwin's nine-year coaching tenure with the Demons also be assessed as not as good or bad as it seemed? Absolutely. His coaching record of 203 games at a winning percentage of nearly 55 stacks up pretty well with most of his competitors. He is (for now at least) one of just four Melbourne premiership coaches in history. Then again, was Melbourne's incredibly dominant finals series of 2021 one of the greatest premiership wins ever? Not necessarily. It certainly was a great example of hitting a sweet spot at the perfect time, however. Goodwin should be rightly proud of his heightened status in the coaching pantheon. And you can bet he'll get another chance because of it. Yes, even when you've just been sacked, things actually mightn't be as bad as they seem.
The Advertiser
2 days ago
- The Advertiser
Knights opt for new set of halves against Panthers side on eight-game winning run
JAKE Arthur will make his first NRL appearance for Newcastle after being named to start in the halves against defending-premiers Penrith on Friday. Arthur, 22, only joined Newcastle five weeks ago from Manly but has won a call-up to the first-grade side after three NSW Cup appearances. He was a late withdrawal from the reserve-grade side's match in Sydney on Sunday, on a weekend when the NRL team had a bye. Knights coach Adam O'Brien has named Arthur at five-eighth for the 6pm match at McDonald Jones Stadium, alongside halfback Jack Cogger. Tyson Gamble, who started at five-eighth in Newcastle's loss to Canberra before the bye, has been dropped to 18th man. In other changes, rookie forward Elijah Salesa-Leaumoana has been named to play his fourth NRL game and first since round 16, winning a spot on the bench. Tom Cant has also been recalled for an interchange spot. O'Brien has opted for four forwards on the bench, which also includes Mat Croker and Tyson Frizell. Jack Hetherington has been dropped. Jackson Hastings, who had featured in the halves before being dumped to the bench last game, is in the extended match squad along with Kyle McCarthy, Hetherington and Matt Arthur, Jake's younger brother. Jake's sole NRL appearance this year came for Manly in round 12. He has played 29 NRL games overall, 22 of them for his debut club Parramatta across 2021-23. The Rouse Hill Rhinos junior, the son of former Eels coach Brad Arthur, faces a potential baptism of fire against Penrith, given they are on an eight-game winning streak. The Panthers will be without injured skipper Isaah Yeo, but they've won every game since losing to Newcastle in May The Knights' 25-6 victory at Bathurst in round 12, their first win over Penrith since 2018, came when the four-time reigning champions were without more than 1100 games of combined NRL experience. Yeo, Nathan Cleary, Brian To'o, Liam Martin and Dylan Edwards were all on Origin duty, while experienced forwards Isaiah Papali'i and Luke Garner were also unavailable. But all but Yeo, who is nursing a shoulder injury, have been named to feature this time round. "We've had some good run-ins over the last couple of years," Knights forward Mat Croker said on Tuesday. "They got us by a field goal a few years ago, [and] Nathan scored a match-winner maybe last year. "We've always had good run-ins with them. "They're on a bit of a hot streak at the moment. I know they didn't have a great second half last week but still managed to get the job done. "There will be a big crowd there on Friday, and [we are] ready for the challenge." Newcastle's breakthrough win over Penrith this year came after some close contests in recent seasons. Since a 42-6 hammering in 2022, the Knights have lost to Penrith 16-15 in golden-point extra time and 20-12 in 2023, and 26-18 and 22-14 last year. Panthers halfback Nathan Cleary sealed victory with a try of his own late last season at Penrith, while he memorably kicked two field goals to snatch the 16-15 win in Newcastle. "It's pretty special when you get to come up against the elite of the elite, and I think that's what everyone tries to relish in ... the fact you want to try and beat them teams and those players," Croker said of Penrith. "We'll take that challenge head on, and are pretty excited for it." But as undermanned as Penrith were earlier this season, as O'Brien was at pains to point out after the win, Newcastle were also missing skipper Kalyn Ponga, starting front-rowers Jacob Saifiti and Leo Thompson, and their left centre-wing combination of Bradman Best and Greg Marzhew. Fletcher Sharpe ran riot playing fullback in place of Ponga, Gamble set up three tries and back-rower Dylan Lucas scored a hat-trick. This week, the Knights will be without at least Ponga, Sharpe and Lucas, while Best has been named to return from a knee injury after missing the side's 44-18 loss to Canberra. Penrith dropped to dead last after losing to Newcastle in May, but after eight consecutive wins they have rocketed into fifth position on the NRL ladder, just a single competition point behind the fourth-placed Warriors. They scored a controversial win over Gold Coast on Saturday, blowing a 24-0 lead as the Titans scored five tries in the second half to take a 26-24 advantage in the 73rd minute, before Clearly kicked a two-point field goal to draw level in dying stages. Blaize Talagi's runaway try secured the win two minutes into golden-point extra time. Since beating Penrith, Newcastle have won just two of eight games, improving only one position to 14th. With five games left to play, only a better points differential is keeping Newcastle (-116) above 15th-placed Parramatta (-153), while the Gold Coast (-153) and South Sydney (-197) are both two points, or a win, behind on the bottom rungs of the ladder. Those two sides play each other this weekend, while the Rabbitohs are the only side in the bottom four who have a bye to come. JAKE Arthur will make his first NRL appearance for Newcastle after being named to start in the halves against defending-premiers Penrith on Friday. Arthur, 22, only joined Newcastle five weeks ago from Manly but has won a call-up to the first-grade side after three NSW Cup appearances. He was a late withdrawal from the reserve-grade side's match in Sydney on Sunday, on a weekend when the NRL team had a bye. Knights coach Adam O'Brien has named Arthur at five-eighth for the 6pm match at McDonald Jones Stadium, alongside halfback Jack Cogger. Tyson Gamble, who started at five-eighth in Newcastle's loss to Canberra before the bye, has been dropped to 18th man. In other changes, rookie forward Elijah Salesa-Leaumoana has been named to play his fourth NRL game and first since round 16, winning a spot on the bench. Tom Cant has also been recalled for an interchange spot. O'Brien has opted for four forwards on the bench, which also includes Mat Croker and Tyson Frizell. Jack Hetherington has been dropped. Jackson Hastings, who had featured in the halves before being dumped to the bench last game, is in the extended match squad along with Kyle McCarthy, Hetherington and Matt Arthur, Jake's younger brother. Jake's sole NRL appearance this year came for Manly in round 12. He has played 29 NRL games overall, 22 of them for his debut club Parramatta across 2021-23. The Rouse Hill Rhinos junior, the son of former Eels coach Brad Arthur, faces a potential baptism of fire against Penrith, given they are on an eight-game winning streak. The Panthers will be without injured skipper Isaah Yeo, but they've won every game since losing to Newcastle in May The Knights' 25-6 victory at Bathurst in round 12, their first win over Penrith since 2018, came when the four-time reigning champions were without more than 1100 games of combined NRL experience. Yeo, Nathan Cleary, Brian To'o, Liam Martin and Dylan Edwards were all on Origin duty, while experienced forwards Isaiah Papali'i and Luke Garner were also unavailable. But all but Yeo, who is nursing a shoulder injury, have been named to feature this time round. "We've had some good run-ins over the last couple of years," Knights forward Mat Croker said on Tuesday. "They got us by a field goal a few years ago, [and] Nathan scored a match-winner maybe last year. "We've always had good run-ins with them. "They're on a bit of a hot streak at the moment. I know they didn't have a great second half last week but still managed to get the job done. "There will be a big crowd there on Friday, and [we are] ready for the challenge." Newcastle's breakthrough win over Penrith this year came after some close contests in recent seasons. Since a 42-6 hammering in 2022, the Knights have lost to Penrith 16-15 in golden-point extra time and 20-12 in 2023, and 26-18 and 22-14 last year. Panthers halfback Nathan Cleary sealed victory with a try of his own late last season at Penrith, while he memorably kicked two field goals to snatch the 16-15 win in Newcastle. "It's pretty special when you get to come up against the elite of the elite, and I think that's what everyone tries to relish in ... the fact you want to try and beat them teams and those players," Croker said of Penrith. "We'll take that challenge head on, and are pretty excited for it." But as undermanned as Penrith were earlier this season, as O'Brien was at pains to point out after the win, Newcastle were also missing skipper Kalyn Ponga, starting front-rowers Jacob Saifiti and Leo Thompson, and their left centre-wing combination of Bradman Best and Greg Marzhew. Fletcher Sharpe ran riot playing fullback in place of Ponga, Gamble set up three tries and back-rower Dylan Lucas scored a hat-trick. This week, the Knights will be without at least Ponga, Sharpe and Lucas, while Best has been named to return from a knee injury after missing the side's 44-18 loss to Canberra. Penrith dropped to dead last after losing to Newcastle in May, but after eight consecutive wins they have rocketed into fifth position on the NRL ladder, just a single competition point behind the fourth-placed Warriors. They scored a controversial win over Gold Coast on Saturday, blowing a 24-0 lead as the Titans scored five tries in the second half to take a 26-24 advantage in the 73rd minute, before Clearly kicked a two-point field goal to draw level in dying stages. Blaize Talagi's runaway try secured the win two minutes into golden-point extra time. Since beating Penrith, Newcastle have won just two of eight games, improving only one position to 14th. With five games left to play, only a better points differential is keeping Newcastle (-116) above 15th-placed Parramatta (-153), while the Gold Coast (-153) and South Sydney (-197) are both two points, or a win, behind on the bottom rungs of the ladder. Those two sides play each other this weekend, while the Rabbitohs are the only side in the bottom four who have a bye to come. JAKE Arthur will make his first NRL appearance for Newcastle after being named to start in the halves against defending-premiers Penrith on Friday. Arthur, 22, only joined Newcastle five weeks ago from Manly but has won a call-up to the first-grade side after three NSW Cup appearances. He was a late withdrawal from the reserve-grade side's match in Sydney on Sunday, on a weekend when the NRL team had a bye. Knights coach Adam O'Brien has named Arthur at five-eighth for the 6pm match at McDonald Jones Stadium, alongside halfback Jack Cogger. Tyson Gamble, who started at five-eighth in Newcastle's loss to Canberra before the bye, has been dropped to 18th man. In other changes, rookie forward Elijah Salesa-Leaumoana has been named to play his fourth NRL game and first since round 16, winning a spot on the bench. Tom Cant has also been recalled for an interchange spot. O'Brien has opted for four forwards on the bench, which also includes Mat Croker and Tyson Frizell. Jack Hetherington has been dropped. Jackson Hastings, who had featured in the halves before being dumped to the bench last game, is in the extended match squad along with Kyle McCarthy, Hetherington and Matt Arthur, Jake's younger brother. Jake's sole NRL appearance this year came for Manly in round 12. He has played 29 NRL games overall, 22 of them for his debut club Parramatta across 2021-23. The Rouse Hill Rhinos junior, the son of former Eels coach Brad Arthur, faces a potential baptism of fire against Penrith, given they are on an eight-game winning streak. The Panthers will be without injured skipper Isaah Yeo, but they've won every game since losing to Newcastle in May The Knights' 25-6 victory at Bathurst in round 12, their first win over Penrith since 2018, came when the four-time reigning champions were without more than 1100 games of combined NRL experience. Yeo, Nathan Cleary, Brian To'o, Liam Martin and Dylan Edwards were all on Origin duty, while experienced forwards Isaiah Papali'i and Luke Garner were also unavailable. But all but Yeo, who is nursing a shoulder injury, have been named to feature this time round. "We've had some good run-ins over the last couple of years," Knights forward Mat Croker said on Tuesday. "They got us by a field goal a few years ago, [and] Nathan scored a match-winner maybe last year. "We've always had good run-ins with them. "They're on a bit of a hot streak at the moment. I know they didn't have a great second half last week but still managed to get the job done. "There will be a big crowd there on Friday, and [we are] ready for the challenge." Newcastle's breakthrough win over Penrith this year came after some close contests in recent seasons. Since a 42-6 hammering in 2022, the Knights have lost to Penrith 16-15 in golden-point extra time and 20-12 in 2023, and 26-18 and 22-14 last year. Panthers halfback Nathan Cleary sealed victory with a try of his own late last season at Penrith, while he memorably kicked two field goals to snatch the 16-15 win in Newcastle. "It's pretty special when you get to come up against the elite of the elite, and I think that's what everyone tries to relish in ... the fact you want to try and beat them teams and those players," Croker said of Penrith. "We'll take that challenge head on, and are pretty excited for it." But as undermanned as Penrith were earlier this season, as O'Brien was at pains to point out after the win, Newcastle were also missing skipper Kalyn Ponga, starting front-rowers Jacob Saifiti and Leo Thompson, and their left centre-wing combination of Bradman Best and Greg Marzhew. Fletcher Sharpe ran riot playing fullback in place of Ponga, Gamble set up three tries and back-rower Dylan Lucas scored a hat-trick. This week, the Knights will be without at least Ponga, Sharpe and Lucas, while Best has been named to return from a knee injury after missing the side's 44-18 loss to Canberra. Penrith dropped to dead last after losing to Newcastle in May, but after eight consecutive wins they have rocketed into fifth position on the NRL ladder, just a single competition point behind the fourth-placed Warriors. They scored a controversial win over Gold Coast on Saturday, blowing a 24-0 lead as the Titans scored five tries in the second half to take a 26-24 advantage in the 73rd minute, before Clearly kicked a two-point field goal to draw level in dying stages. Blaize Talagi's runaway try secured the win two minutes into golden-point extra time. Since beating Penrith, Newcastle have won just two of eight games, improving only one position to 14th. With five games left to play, only a better points differential is keeping Newcastle (-116) above 15th-placed Parramatta (-153), while the Gold Coast (-153) and South Sydney (-197) are both two points, or a win, behind on the bottom rungs of the ladder. Those two sides play each other this weekend, while the Rabbitohs are the only side in the bottom four who have a bye to come. JAKE Arthur will make his first NRL appearance for Newcastle after being named to start in the halves against defending-premiers Penrith on Friday. Arthur, 22, only joined Newcastle five weeks ago from Manly but has won a call-up to the first-grade side after three NSW Cup appearances. He was a late withdrawal from the reserve-grade side's match in Sydney on Sunday, on a weekend when the NRL team had a bye. Knights coach Adam O'Brien has named Arthur at five-eighth for the 6pm match at McDonald Jones Stadium, alongside halfback Jack Cogger. Tyson Gamble, who started at five-eighth in Newcastle's loss to Canberra before the bye, has been dropped to 18th man. In other changes, rookie forward Elijah Salesa-Leaumoana has been named to play his fourth NRL game and first since round 16, winning a spot on the bench. Tom Cant has also been recalled for an interchange spot. O'Brien has opted for four forwards on the bench, which also includes Mat Croker and Tyson Frizell. Jack Hetherington has been dropped. Jackson Hastings, who had featured in the halves before being dumped to the bench last game, is in the extended match squad along with Kyle McCarthy, Hetherington and Matt Arthur, Jake's younger brother. Jake's sole NRL appearance this year came for Manly in round 12. He has played 29 NRL games overall, 22 of them for his debut club Parramatta across 2021-23. The Rouse Hill Rhinos junior, the son of former Eels coach Brad Arthur, faces a potential baptism of fire against Penrith, given they are on an eight-game winning streak. The Panthers will be without injured skipper Isaah Yeo, but they've won every game since losing to Newcastle in May The Knights' 25-6 victory at Bathurst in round 12, their first win over Penrith since 2018, came when the four-time reigning champions were without more than 1100 games of combined NRL experience. Yeo, Nathan Cleary, Brian To'o, Liam Martin and Dylan Edwards were all on Origin duty, while experienced forwards Isaiah Papali'i and Luke Garner were also unavailable. But all but Yeo, who is nursing a shoulder injury, have been named to feature this time round. "We've had some good run-ins over the last couple of years," Knights forward Mat Croker said on Tuesday. "They got us by a field goal a few years ago, [and] Nathan scored a match-winner maybe last year. "We've always had good run-ins with them. "They're on a bit of a hot streak at the moment. I know they didn't have a great second half last week but still managed to get the job done. "There will be a big crowd there on Friday, and [we are] ready for the challenge." Newcastle's breakthrough win over Penrith this year came after some close contests in recent seasons. Since a 42-6 hammering in 2022, the Knights have lost to Penrith 16-15 in golden-point extra time and 20-12 in 2023, and 26-18 and 22-14 last year. Panthers halfback Nathan Cleary sealed victory with a try of his own late last season at Penrith, while he memorably kicked two field goals to snatch the 16-15 win in Newcastle. "It's pretty special when you get to come up against the elite of the elite, and I think that's what everyone tries to relish in ... the fact you want to try and beat them teams and those players," Croker said of Penrith. "We'll take that challenge head on, and are pretty excited for it." But as undermanned as Penrith were earlier this season, as O'Brien was at pains to point out after the win, Newcastle were also missing skipper Kalyn Ponga, starting front-rowers Jacob Saifiti and Leo Thompson, and their left centre-wing combination of Bradman Best and Greg Marzhew. Fletcher Sharpe ran riot playing fullback in place of Ponga, Gamble set up three tries and back-rower Dylan Lucas scored a hat-trick. This week, the Knights will be without at least Ponga, Sharpe and Lucas, while Best has been named to return from a knee injury after missing the side's 44-18 loss to Canberra. Penrith dropped to dead last after losing to Newcastle in May, but after eight consecutive wins they have rocketed into fifth position on the NRL ladder, just a single competition point behind the fourth-placed Warriors. They scored a controversial win over Gold Coast on Saturday, blowing a 24-0 lead as the Titans scored five tries in the second half to take a 26-24 advantage in the 73rd minute, before Clearly kicked a two-point field goal to draw level in dying stages. Blaize Talagi's runaway try secured the win two minutes into golden-point extra time. Since beating Penrith, Newcastle have won just two of eight games, improving only one position to 14th. With five games left to play, only a better points differential is keeping Newcastle (-116) above 15th-placed Parramatta (-153), while the Gold Coast (-153) and South Sydney (-197) are both two points, or a win, behind on the bottom rungs of the ladder. Those two sides play each other this weekend, while the Rabbitohs are the only side in the bottom four who have a bye to come.
