False dawn of a Newy era as brave Knights run out of steam

October 4, 2026 — 7:35pm

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If you told any rugby league fan in March that the Knights, wooden-spooners last season, would be up by 12 points in this year’s grand final, they would have laughed at you.

Is it worse to not be in the contest at all, like Parramatta against Penrith in 2022, or lead by two converted tries and then lose the decider by a solitary point?

You will have to ask the Newcastle players, whose rags-to-riches story missed out on its happy ending on Sunday evening as the Roosters secured a 19-18 victory.

The Newcastle spirit, cited so often this week, took them so close to the ultimate prize. In the end, a Daly Cherry-Evans field goal 10 minutes from the death was all that separated them from the premiership.

As Roosters players sprinted into the middle of Accor Stadium, toasting their first title since 2019, dejected Knights players slumped on the turf.

Newcastle were........

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