46 10 →Sun, 20 Sept, 4:05 pm, Final score, Warriors 10, Knights 12
10 12 →Fri, 25 Sept, 7:50 pm, Final score, Dolphins 20, Roosters 36
20 36 →Sun, 27 Sept, 4:00 pm, Game not started, Panthers versus Knights
- - →Sun, 4 Oct, 7:30 pm, Game not started, versus
- - →
The blueprint of a Newcastle Knight was inked in black and white before anyone wore the red and blue.
asserted
anyone → start → red
Newcastle's inaugural coach Allan McMahon spelled out his vision in a 1987 newspaper column, ahead of the club's 1988 debut.
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coach → spell → debut
"Our guidelines for recruiting players are that the major part of their football be in front of them," McMahon decreed.
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McMahon → recruit → them
"[Players] will have an in-built desire to win as well as strength, tackling ability, and speed.
"
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Players → have → desire
There's a fantastic nursery for rugby league around Newcastle and that will be looked after.
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that → be → Newcastle
"Promising, strong players with their careers ahead of them — that's the only way to go."
McMahon, who died in 2003, will undoubtedly be looking down on the 2026 Knights with a special brand of pride only Novocastrians know.
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Novocastrians → promise → pride
And if any player embodies every ounce of his dream-Knight, it's Phoenix Crossland.
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it → embody → Knight
"It's hard to put into words what this club means to me and the whole team," Crossland said.
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Crossland → put → me
The 26-year-old half-turned-hooker was sourced from the Erina Eagles, at the border of Newcastle's nursery, crafted through the club's pathways, and unleashed into top-flight footy in 2019.
"
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half → turn → 2019
We can do something special here; we just need to focus," he said.
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he → do → something
"I've always been inspired and motivated to play for this club and to do my best for them and the fans."
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I → inspire → them
Crossland said "Justo" (coach Justin Holbrook) gave him a simple to-do list at the start of the season.
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Justo → say → season
"[He said] all you need to do, and make sure you're the best in the comp at it, is tackling, defending and turning up for your team."
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you → say → team
Club identity
The motivation Crossland feels going into this weekend's preliminary final against the Penrith Panthers is a club-wide sentiment.
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Crossland → feel → Panthers
"There's a belief that whatever's thrown our way, we can overcome it," the Knights' director of football Chris James said.
"
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James → be → football
I reckon you can sense that, for these players, no opposition scares them, no situation in a game scares them.
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situation → reckon → them
"After winning in New Zealand, that very quickly turned to, 'Right, let's go after winning the comp.'"
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's → win → comp
James, a former NRL referee, joined Newcastle from the Roosters at the start of last season.
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James → join → season
"A lot of the reasons that Allan McMahon put in that article is why I came here," he said.
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he → put → article
He added one question has been asked by the coaching staff, and it's driving the players' hunger for success: "
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it → add → success
"If you can make that greater than an individual 'why', by representing this town and the region that's supported us for so long and playing in a style that would make them proud, then you've got something special."
Young and hungry
Half of Newcastle's extended 22-player squad named earlier this week wasn't born by the 2001 grand final, when the underdog Knights upset the Eels to snatch a second premiership.
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Knights → make → premiership
One of them is Fletcher Sharpe, the Cessnock boy who can play halfback, five-eighth, wing and centre.
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who → play → halfback
He'd probably have a crack in the front row if things got desperate.
"
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things → have → row
We've enjoyed putting a bit of pressure on ourselves this year to go out there and represent the town and the community, and make them a part of the team," he said.
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he → put → team
"We've put ourselves in a good position, and now it's about going out there and executing."
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it → put → position
In the context of this weekend, it's eerie to look back and see what Allan McMahon wrote about Penrith in his column.
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McMahon → look → column
He referenced a young Mark Geyer as an inspiration for what a Knight should and could be, a local junior moulded into a die-for-his-jersey Panther.
uncertain
Knight → reference → Panther
"That's the sort of thing we will be encouraging, the youth of Newcastle and young players from surrounding areas," he wrote.
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he → encourage → areas
Maitland's Cody Hopwood, Lachlan Crouch and Tom Cant all fit that bill too.
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Hopwood → fit → bill
And for the formidable Penrith, it is embodied in Nathan Cleary, Brian To'o, Lindsay Smith, Mitch Kenny, Moses Leota and several more.
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it → embody → Cleary
The challenge
McMahon didn't mince his words in 87.
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McMahon → mince → 87
He knew it was going to be a tough slog to build the Knights.
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it → know → Knights
When Holbrook arrived at the end of the 2025 season, he didn't mince his words either.
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he → arrive → words
He said he'd focus on connecting with the region's pathway clubs urgently, and connecting the players to the Hunter's real roots.
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he → say → roots
"It's a hard-working area, and you want to see that in your rugby league team," he said at his first press conference.
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he → work → conference
He took his squad underground into one of the Hunters' many coal mines during the pre-season, pulling them further than down-to-earth.
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He → take → earth
He wanted to show them what scores of their fans do day-to-day, and show them how lucky they were to play footy for a living.
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they → want → living
The top comment on the club's social media post of the visit, from Daniel Connors, summed it up.
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comment → sum → it
"This is great, a lot of them needed a dose of reality, most of them seemed to be taking their positions for granted last year.
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most → need → positions
"
Even if the finals-versed Panthers do spell the end for the Knights' 2026 campaign, it's inarguable that Newcastle is the rugby league fairytale of the year.
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Newcastle → verse → year
…and 3 more, not listed.
The Aporia
