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Newcastle Knights

Club information

Full name

Newcastle Rugby League
Football Club

Nickname(s)

Novocastrians

Website

newcastleknights.com.au

Colours

Primary:
     Blue
     Red
Secondary:
     White

Founded

1987

Current details

Ground(s)

McDonald Jones Stadium (33,000)

CEO

Phil Gardner

Coach

Adam O'Brien

Captain

Kalyn Ponga

Competition

National Rugby League

2024 season
NRL

8th

Uniforms

Home colours

Away colours

Records

Premierships

2 (1997, 2001)

Runners-up

Wooden spoons

4 (2005, 2015, 2016, 2017)

Most capped

257 - Danny Buderus

Highest points scorer

2,176 - Andrew Johns

The Newcastle Knights are a professional rugby league team from Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. They play in the National Rugby League (NRL) competition. The team wears red and blue colours.

The Knights joined the top league in 1988. This was 79 years after the last Newcastle team, the Newcastle Rebels, left the Sydney competition. The Knights have won the premiership (the main championship) twice, in 1997 and 2001. They are one of only two clubs that have never lost a Grand Final they played in.

Some famous players who have played for the Knights include Paul Harragon, Robbie O'Davis, Danny Buderus, and rugby league legend Andrew Johns. The team's home games are played at McDonald Jones Stadium.

Team History and Achievements

A Newcastle rugby league team had played in different competitions for most of the 20th century. The Newcastle Knights joined the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) competition in 1988. Allan McMahon was their first coach. Newcastle had been asked to join in 1982 but said no. They worried it would make their local league weaker. The Canberra Raiders joined instead that year.

The team quickly became popular. By 1990, they were strong enough to play for a top-five spot.

Early Success and First Premiership

The Knights won their first competition, the Nissan Sevens, in 1991. They made the playoffs in 1992 but lost to the St George Dragons. In 1995, when the competition became the Australian Rugby League (ARL), the Knights reached the semi-finals. They also won the reserve grade premiership that year.

The club stayed loyal to the ARL during a big change in rugby league called the Super League war. This decision was very popular in Newcastle. Another team, the Hunter Mariners, was formed to compete with the Knights, but they didn't get much support.

From 1997 to 2003, the Knights made the finals every year for seven years. They won the 1997 Australian Rugby League premiership by beating the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 22–16 in the Grand Final. The game is remembered for Darren Albert scoring a try with only seven seconds left to win! This win was a huge boost for the area. Earlier that year, the big BHP Newcastle Steelworks had announced it was closing. Most of the winning team were local players from Newcastle. Robbie O'Davis won the Clive Churchill Medal for being the best player in that Grand Final.

The next year, some Knights players were suspended for breaking rules about fair play.

Newcastle International Sports Centre at night, showing the old main grandstand

In 1998, Newcastle finished second in the league, just behind the Brisbane Broncos. In 1999, they finished 7th but were knocked out of the finals by the Parramatta Eels. In 2000, the Knights came third. Then, in 2001, they won the National Rugby League Premiership against the Parramatta Eels. Andrew Johns won the Clive Churchill Medal for his amazing performance in that Grand Final.

Andrew Johns was voted the best player in the National Rugby League, winning the Dally M Medal in 1998, 1999, and 2002. He also won the Provan-Summons Medal (the fans' favourite player award) four years in a row from 1998 to 2001. This was a record!

Challenges and Comebacks

In the first half of the 2005 season, the club lost 13 games in a row. This was their worst start to a season since the 1960s. In 2006, the Knights had a great comeback, finishing fourth. However, they were knocked out of the finals by the Brisbane Broncos.

Before the 2006 NRL season, it was announced that coach Michael Hagan would leave. Brian Smith took over as coach in 2007.

The 2007 NRL season was tough for the club. They started well, but then their captain and best player, Andrew Johns, suddenly retired. This affected the team a lot. They also had many injuries, using 37 different players in the top team that season.

Despite predictions that they would finish last (get the 'wooden spoon'), the Knights avoided it by winning their last game against the Wests Tigers.

Chart showing the Newcastle Knights' yearly league positions

In 2008, the Knights played much better and just missed out on the finals. In 2009, they had a great start, winning nine home games in a row. Coach Brian Smith announced he was leaving, and assistant coach Rick Stone became the new coach. The Knights finished 7th and made the finals but lost to the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.

In 2011, a mining businessman named Nathan Tinkler took over the club. In April 2011, famous coach Wayne Bennett signed with the Knights. They finished 8th in 2011 and made the finals. After 2011, many players left, but nine new, well-known players joined. This included club legends Danny Buderus and Timana Tahu, and Australian players Darius Boyd and Kade Snowden.

In 2012, the Newcastle club celebrated 25 years in the NRL. Their captain, Kurt Gidley, got a shoulder injury and missed most of the season. The team struggled and finished 12th.

In 2013, Newcastle finished 7th and made it to the third week of the finals. They beat the Melbourne Storm in Melbourne but then lost to the Sydney Roosters.

In 2014, a Newcastle player, Alex McKinnon, suffered a serious neck injury during a game. The NRL held a special 'Rise for Alex Round' to raise money for his medical care.

In 2015, coach Rick Stone was sacked, and Danny Buderus coached for the rest of the season. The Knights finished last, getting their second 'wooden spoon'.

Nathan Brown became coach in 2016. The team had a tough year, winning only one game and getting the wooden spoon for the second year in a row. In 2017, they finished last again, making it three wooden spoons in a row.

New Ownership and Recent Seasons

In November 2017, the club was sold to The Wests Group, a local not-for-profit club. This brought new hope. Famous players like Mitchell Pearce, Kalyn Ponga, and Aidan Guerra joined the team. They started 2018 well but finished 11th after injuries.

In 2019, more strong players like David Klemmer and Tim Glasby joined. The team had a mix of wins and losses and finished 11th.

In 2020, Newcastle made the finals for the first time since 2013, finishing 7th. They lost to the South Sydney Rabbitohs in the first week. In 2021, they made the finals again, finishing 7th, but lost to the Parramatta Eels.

In 2022, the team finished 14th. In 2023, Newcastle had their biggest ever win, beating Canterbury 66–0. They finished 5th after winning nine games in a row! They beat Canberra in the first week of the finals but then lost to the New Zealand Warriors. In the 2024 NRL season, Newcastle finished 8th and made the finals, but were eliminated by North Queensland.

Team Look and Feel

Logos

1988–1997
1998–2007

When the Newcastle Knights were formed in 1988, they chose 'The Knights' as their name. This was a nod to Newcastle's history as a 'steel city'. The team's red and blue jersey colours came from the local representative team.

Primary Jerseys

1988–1991
1992–1996
1997–2000

Players and Coaches

Current Squad

Team Captains

Here are all the players who have been captain for the Newcastle Knights in the top league.

Cap No.	Name	Years As Captain	Debut Round	Games As Captain
1.	Stewart, SamSam Stewart	1988–90	Round 1	40
2.	Miller, GlennGlenn Miller	1988	Round 17	3
3.	Hagan, MichaelMichael Hagan	1989–93	Round 15	91
4.	Johnston, PeterPeter Johnston	1990	Round 8	1
5.	Sargent, MarkMark Sargent	1994–95	Round 1	26
6.	McCormack, RobbieRobbie McCormack	1994	Round 4	3
7.	Harragon, PaulPaul Harragon	1995–99	Round 7	71
8.	Johns, MatthewMatthew Johns	1995–99	Round 18	21
9.	Butterfield, TonyTony Butterfield	1997, 1999–00	Round 3	46
10.	Johns, AndrewAndrew Johns	1998, 2000–07	Round 23	106
11.	Peden, BillBill Peden	2000–02	Round 10	13
12.	Kennedy, BenBen Kennedy	2001, 2003–04	Round 24	9
13.	Parsons, MattMatt Parsons	2002–03	Finals Week 2	5
14.	Simpson, SteveSteve Simpson	2003, 2006–10	Round 15	18
15.	Buderus, DannyDanny Buderus	2004–08, 2012	Round 7	67
16.	O'Davis, RobbieRobbie O'Davis	2004	Round 14	1
17.	Gidley, MatthewMatthew Gidley	2004–05	Round 17	2
18.	Smith, CraigCraig Smith	2005	Round 14	3
19.	Mullen, JarrodJarrod Mullen	2007, 2010–11, 2013–14	Round 11	21
20.	Reynoldson, KirkKirk Reynoldson	2007	Round 13	1
21.	Woolnough, AdamAdam Woolnough	2007	Round 16	1
22.	Gidley, KurtKurt Gidley	2007–15	Round 19	123
23.	Houston, ChrisChris Houston	2008–09, 2012–13	Round 13	5
24.	Tolar, DanielDaniel Tolar	2010	Round 14	1
25.	Naiqama, WesWes Naiqama	2011	Round 16	2
26.	Scott, BeauBeau Scott	2015	Round 1	2
27.	Hodkinson, TrentTrent Hodkinson	2016–17	Round 1	30
28.	Smith, JeremyJeremy Smith	2016	Round 1	21
29.	Sims, TariqTariq Sims	2016	Round 6	8
30.	Mata'utia, SioneSione Mata'utia	2017	Round 8	15
31.	Buhrer, JamieJamie Buhrer	2017–19	Round 18	30
32.	Pearce, MitchellMitchell Pearce	2018–20	Round 1	59
33.	Guerra, AidanAidan Guerra	2018	Round 8	9
34.	Kenny-Dowall, ShaunShaun Kenny-Dowall	2019	Round 16	1
35.	Brailey, JaydenJayden Brailey	2021–24	Round 1	38
36.	Saifiti, DanielDaniel Saifiti	2021	Round 1	17
37.	Ponga, KalynKalyn Ponga	2021–24	Round 21	55
38.	Frizell, TysonTyson Frizell	2022–24	Round 2	35
39.	Gagai, DaneDane Gagai	2023–24	Round 3	5
40.	Hastings, JacksonJackson Hastings	2023	Round 3	1
41.	Saifiti, JacobJacob Saifiti	2023	Round 27	1

Team of the Era

In August 2007, the Knights announced their best team from the first 20 years (1988–2007).

Newcastle Knights – Team of the Era (1988–2007)
Starting 13						Reserves		Coach
68 Robbie O'Davis – FB 128 Timana Tahu – WG 98 Matthew Gidley – CE 108 Mark Hughes – CE 102 Adam MacDougall – WG 73 Matthew Johns – FE 75 Andrew Johns – HB 39 Mark Sargent – PR 103 Danny Buderus – HK 35 Paul Harragon – PR 126 Steve Simpson – SR 130 Ben Kennedy – SR 26 Marc Glanville – LK						37 Michael Hagan 143 Kurt Gidley 2 Tony Butterfield 70 Adam Muir		Head coach Mal Reilly Legend: (c) Captain(s) (vc) Vice captain(s)

Players Who Played for Their Country

Coaches of the Knights

Allan McMahon (1988 – 1991)
David Waite (1991 – 1994)
Mal Reilly (1995–1998)
Warren Ryan (1999–2000)
Michael Hagan (2001–2006)
Brian Smith (2007 – 2009)
Rick Stone (2009 – 2011)
Wayne Bennett (2012–2014)
Rick Stone (2015)
Danny Buderus (2015)
Nathan Brown (2016 – 2019)
Kristian Woolf (2019)
Adam O'Brien (2020 – present)

Team Jerseys

Jersey Makers

Good Fellows (1988–94)
Peerless (1995–1996)
Canterbury (1997–1999)
Fila (2000–2001)
ISC (2002–2007)
KooGa (2008–2010)
XBlades (2011)
ISC (2012–2019)
O'Neills (2020–2022)
Classic Sportswear (2023–present)

Home Jerseys Over the Years

1988–1996	1997–2000	2001–2004	2005–2007

2008–2010	2011–2012	2013–2014	2015–2016

2017–2018	2019–present

Away Jerseys Over the Years

2000–2002	2003–2005	2006–2007	2008–2009

2010–2011	2012	2013	2014–2015

2016–2018

Other Jerseys

1988 Trial	2008 Heritage	2009–2011 Heritage	2012 Heritage

2014 Women in League	2015 Heritage

Team Records

Individual Player Records

Most Games Played

Danny Buderus has played the most games: 257

Most Points Scored

Andrew Johns has scored the most points: 2,176

Most Tries Scored

Akuila Uate has scored the most tries: 110

Most Goals Kicked

Andrew Johns has kicked the most goals: 917

Most Points in a Season

Andrew Johns scored 279 points in 2001.

Most Tries in a Season

Dom Young scored 23 tries in 2023.

Most Points in a Single Game

Andrew Johns scored 34 points against Canberra in 2001.

Most Tries in a Single Game

Edrick Lee scored 5 tries against Gold Coast in 2022.

Most Goals in a Single Game

Kalyn Ponga kicked 11 goals against Canterbury-Bankstown in 2023.
Andrew Johns also kicked 11 goals against Canberra in 2006.

Club Song

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.

Women's Team

On 11 June 2021, the Newcastle Knights were given a licence to play in the NRL Women's (NRLW) competition. Former Knights player Blake Green was announced as the first head coach. The season was delayed to 2022 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On 1 July 2021, the Knights signed their first NRLW player, Caitlan Johnston. She had played for the Knights' junior team before.

In November 2021, Casey Bromilow became the new head coach. The team also signed six local players and nine players from New Zealand. More players joined in December 2021 and January 2022. Romy Teitzel was named team captain.

The team played 5 games in their first season but didn't win any.

In April 2022, Ronald Griffiths became the new head coach. For the 2022 season, the Knights signed famous Australian players Millie Boyle and Tamika Upton. Other key players also joined.

On 16 August 2022, Millie Boyle and Hannah Southwell were named co-captains.

The Knights won 4 of their 5 regular season games in 2022. They then won their first premiership in the 2022 NRL Women's season, beating the Parramatta Eels 32–12.