 |
|
| Names | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Newcastle Rugby League Football Club |
| Entry Details | |
| Founded | 1988 |
| Current Details | |
| Ground(s) | EnergyAustralia Stadium (26,126) |
| CEO(s) | Steve Burraston |
| Coach |  Brian Smith |
| Competition | National Rugby League |
| 2007 | National Rugby League, 15th |
| Records | |
| Premierships | 2 (1997, 2001) |
| Most Points | 2,176 - Andrew Johns |
The Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in Newcastle, New South Wales. They compete in Australasia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership. Playing in red and blue, the Knights joined the top tier competition in 1988, 79 years after the previous Newcastle based team, the Newcastle Rebels had departed with the formation of a league competition based in the Newcastle region.
Contents |
Club history
1988-1996
The Newcastle Knights entered the NSW Rugby League competition in 1988 with Allan McMahon as coach.[1] 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 the St. George Dragons. The Knights made the semi-finals again in 1995 when the competition became the Australian Rugby League, and won the reserve grade premiership the same year. The club stayed loyal to the Australian Rugby League when Rupert Murdoch started Super League in an attempt to win pay television rights to rugby league -- this decision was very popular in the Newcastle and Hunter Valley areas. News Limited formed the Hunter 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.
1997-2003
From 1997-2003, the Knights made seven finals series in a row. The Knights won the 1997 Australian Rugby League premiership, defeating the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 22-16 in the Grand Final, with Robbie O'Davis winning the Clive Churchill Medal. The match is best remembered for its classic finish - Darren Albert breaking a 16 all deadlock with his try 7 seconds from fulltime. This win was a huge morale boost to the district following the closure of the area's biggest employer, the BHP Steelworks, being announced the same year. Seventy per cent of the winning squad were Newcastle juniors. The following season, Knights players Robbie O'Davis, Wayne Richards and Adam 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 Knights finished equal on competition points with the Brisbane Broncos, but finished second on points differential. The Knights came third in 2000, followed by a National Rugby League Premiership victory over the Parramatta Eels in 2001, with Andrew Johns winning the Clive Churchill Medal. Newcastle were handed heavy underdog status, but shocked the Eels with a 24-0 halftime lead, and eventual 30-24 win. In 2002, the club finished equal with the New Zealand Warriors on competition points but, once again, finished second in the minor premiership due to inferior points differential. Andrew Johns won the Dally 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, Joey 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.
2004 to 2006
In 2004, injuries plagued the club, with Andrew Johns and Ben Kennedy out for extended periods of time. The club missed the finals, finishing 10th despite strong performances from Matthew Gidley, Kurt Gidley and NSW State of Origin captain, Danny Buderus. Following further injuries and a lack of experienced players, the club failed to win a single match in the first half of the 2005 premiership, losing 13 consecutive matches -- the worst start to a season by any club since the 1960s. That losing streak finally came to an end with a win away from home over the Penrith Panthers in late June. In a tribute to the club's followers, crowds remained high throughout the losing streak, and while the Knights were unable to avoid finishing last, fans were rewarded for their stoicism as the team managed to win eight of their last eleven games, including a six game winning streak brought to an end in round 26 by the St George Illawarra Dragons. 2006 boded well for the Novocastrians, with the side recruiting Great Britain and Irish winger Brian Carney and former Raider Luke Davico, as well as re-signing 2005 recruit Milton Thaiday and managing to retain the many promising young juniors (led by the likes of Brad Tighe, Jarrod Mullen, Reegan Tanner, and Riley Brown) that have come through in the club's worst ever season. Newcastle ultimately finished the season in fourth position, a stunning reversal in form, but were eliminated from the finals after losing to the Brisbane Broncos. Prior to the 2006 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 the Parramatta Eels. Ironically, during the week of the 2006 season-opening game against Parramatta, the Knights confirmed Parramatta coach Brian Smith would take over coaching duties in 2007.
2007 - Post Andrew Johns Era
-
For more details on this topic, see Newcastle Knights 2007.
2007 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 the Canterbury Bulldogs - the club and rugby league world was rocked by the shock retirement of Andrew 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 irreperably 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 loyal clubmen such as Clint Newton, Kirk Reynoldson, and Josh Perry meeting with displeasure from the Sydney media and some sections of the Newcastle support base. Newton's defection to Melbourne and Reynoldson's threats of legal action over the club refusing to play him in the fifteen games required to trigger his fourth contract year saw the club's reputation dragged through the mud. The Daily Telegraph campaigned strongly for the sacking of Smith whilst Bluetongue owner John Singleton also threatened legal action after the releases lead to a multi-million dollar advertising campaign being cancelled. To cap it all off, Andrew Johns again made the press late in the season after being arrested for ecstacy possession in the United Kingdom and confessing to having been a drug addict for the entirety of his playing career. Despite these pressures, the Knights managed to avoid a second wooden spoon in three years - offloading the dreaded piece of 'silverware' to the Penrith Panthers with a last round victory over the Wests Tigers.
Season 2007
| Season 2007 - Draw and Results | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round | Date & Time | Knights vs | Venue | Result | Scorers | Crowd | ||||
| 1 | Sun, 18th March 2pm |
Bulldogs | Energy Australia Stadium | Win | Knights(25): Terrence Seu Seu, Josh Perry, Todd Polglase, James McManus tries; Kurt Gidley (4/5) goals; Kurt Gidley field goal. Bulldogs(24): Andrew Ryan, Luke Patten, Reni Maitua, Trent Cutler tries; Hazem El Masri (4/4) goals. |
18,791 | ||||
| 2 | Fri, 23rd March 7:30pm |
Dragons | Oki Jubilee Stadium | Win | Dragons(12): Chase Stanley, Keith Lulia tries; Wes Naiqama (2/3) goals Knights(16): Clint Newton, James McManus, Brad Tighe, George Carmont tries; Kurt Gidley (0/3), Daniel Abraham (0/1) goals |
12,326 | ||||
| 3 | Mon, 2nd April 7pm |
Raiders | Canberra Stadium | Loss | Canberra(48): William Zillman(3), Marshall Chalk, Lincoln Withers, Scott Logan, Colin Best, Phil Graham tries; Michael Dobson (8/10) goals. Knights(18): Adam MacDougall, Milton Thaiday, Cory Paterson tries; Andrew Johns (3/3) goals. |
13,109 | ||||
| 4 | Sat, 7th April 5:30pm |
Storm | Energy Australia Stadium | Loss | Knights(12): Steve Simpson, Daniel Abraham tries, Kurt Gidley (2/2) goals. Storm(22): Israel Folau(2), Matt King, Anthony Quinn tries, Cameron Smith (3/4) goals. |
20,051 | ||||
| 5 | Sun, 15th April 2pm |
Rabbitohs | Bluetongue Stadium | Win | Rabbitohs(22): David Faalogo, Dean Widders, Nigel Vagana, John Sutton tries, Joe Williams (3/4) goals. Knights(23): Kurt Gidley(2), James McManus, Brad Tighe tries, Kurt Gidley (3/4) goals, Kurt Gidley field goal. |
18,321 | ||||
| 6 | Sun, 22nd April 7pm |
Broncos | Energy Australia Stadium | Loss | Knights(16): Todd Polglase(2), Adam MacDougall tries, Kurt Gidley (2/3) goals. Broncos(20): Darren Lockyer (1/1), Michael Ennis (1/3) goals. |
25,524 | ||||
| 7 | Mon, 30th April 7pm |
Sharks | Energy Australia Stadium | Win | Knights(20): Kirk Reynoldson(2), Kurt Gidley tries, Kurt Gidley (4/4) goals. Sharks(16): David Simmons(2), Ben Pomeroy tries, Luke Covell (2/3) goals. |
15,453 | ||||
| 8 | Sun, 6th May 3pm |
Bulldogs | Telstra Stadium | Loss | Bulldogs(30): Luke Patten(2), Reni Maitua, Matthew Utai, Hazem El Masri tries, Hazem El Masri (5/5) goals. Knights(16): Cory Paterson, Danny Buderus, James McManus tries, Kurt Gidley (2/3) goals. |
12,654 | ||||
| 9 | Sat, 12th May 5:30pm |
Warriors | Energy Australia Stadium | Win | Knights(24): Kurt Gidley(2), Steve Simpson, Adam MacDougall tries, Kurt Gidley (4/4) goals. Warriors(18): Ruben Wiki, Nathan Fien, Jerome Ropati tries, Lance Hohaia (3/3) goals. |
15,107 | ||||
| 10 | BYE | - | - | - | - | |||||
| 11 | Sun, 27th May 2pm |
Broncos | Suncorp Stadium | Loss | Broncos(71): Tonie Carroll(2), Brent Tate(2), Justin Hodges(2), Joel Moon, Greg Eastwood, Ben Hannant, Petero Civoniceva, Darius Boyd, Karmichael Hunt tries, Corey Parker (4/5), Michael Ennis (4/4), Darren Lockyer (3/3), Darren Lockyer field goal. Knights(6): Jarrod Mullen try, Cory Paterson (1/1) goal. |
27,433 | ||||
| 12 | Sat, 2nd June 5:30pm |
Roosters | Bluetongue Stadium | Win | Roosters(18): Mitchell Pierce, Braith Anasta, Anthony Minichiello tries, Craig Fitzgibbon (3/4) goals. Knights(22): Brad Tighe, James McManus, Nathan Hinton, Cory Paterson tries, Cory Paterson (3/4) goals. |
11,263 | ||||
| 13 | Sun, 10th June 3pm |
Tigers | Energy Australia Stadium | Loss | Knights(14): Brad Tighe(2), Cory Paterson tries, Cory Paterson (1/3). Tigers(33): Liam Fulton, Chris Heighington, Taniela Tuiaki, Dean Collis, Robbie Farah tries, Dean Collis (6/6) goals, Robbie Farah field goal. |
13,609 | ||||
| 14 | Mon, 18th Jun 7pm |
Raiders | Energy Australia Stadium | Win | Knights(22): Adam MacDougall(2), Chris Bailey, Brad Tighe tries, Kurt Gidley (3/5) goals. Raiders(18): Brad Cross, Lincoln Withers, Colin Best tries, Michael Dobson (3/3) goals. |
11,349 | ||||
| 15 | Sat, 23rd June 7:30pm |
Titans | Carrara Stadium | Loss | Titans(28): Matthew Peterson(3), Brett Delaney, Mat Rogers tries, Mat Rogers (4/5) goals. Knights(22): Daniel Tolar, Luke Walsh, Adam MacDougall, James McManus tries, Kurt Gidley (3/4) goals. |
15,306 | ||||
| 16 | Fri, 29th June 7:30pm |
Rabbitohs | Energy Australia Stadium | Loss | Knights(25): Adam MacDougall, George Carmont, Cooper Vuna, Cory Paterson, James McManus tries, Cory Paterson (2/5) goals, Luke Walsh field goal. Rabbitohs(28): Roy Asotasi(2), Nigel Vagana, Jeremy Smith, Ben Rogers tries, Reece Simmonds (2/2), Isaac Luke (2/3) goals. |
16,320 | ||||
| 17 | Mon, 9th July 7pm |
Eels | Parramatta Stadium | Win | Eels(10): Krisnan Inu, Feleti Mateo tries, Krisnan Inu (1/1), Mark Riddell (0/1) goals. Knights(34): George Carmont(2), Steve Simpson, Mitchell Sargent, Adam MacDougall, James McManus tries, Kurt Gidley (5/7) goals. |
10,363 | ||||
| 18 | Mon, 16th July 7pm |
Storm | Olympic Park | Loss | Storm(44): Steve Turner(2), Anthony Quinn(2), Billy Slater(2), Ryan Hoffman, Matt King, Clint Newton tries, Cameron Smith (3/6), Steve Turner (1/3) goals. Knights(0) |
10,223 | ||||
| 19 | Sat, 21st July 7:30pm |
Roosters | Energy Australia Stadium | Loss | Knights(17): Cooper Vuna(2), Adam MacDougall tries, Kurt Gidley (2/3) goals, Luke Walsh field goal. Roosters(20): David Shillington, Joel Monaghan, Lopini Paea, Mitchell Aubusson tries, Craig Fitzgibbon (2/4) goals. |
15,171 | ||||
| 20 | Sat, 28th July 7:30pm |
Warriors | Mt Smart Stadium | Loss | Warriors(52): Wade McKinnon(2), Grant Rovelli(2), Jerome Ropati(2), Steve Price, Wairangi Koopu, Manu Vatuvei tries, Michael Witt (8/9) goals. Knights(10): James McManus, Kirk Reynoldson tries, Kurt Gidley (1/2) goals. |
11,301 | ||||
| 21 | Fri, 3rd August 7:30pm |
Dragons | Energy Australia Stadium | Loss | Knights(4): Kurt Gidley try, Kurt Gidley (0/1) goal. Dragons(20): Jamie Soward(2), Dan Hunt, Chase Stanley tries, Jamie Soward (2/4) goals. |
12,573 | ||||
| 22 | Fri, 10th August 7:30pm |
Sea Eagles | Bluetongue Stadium | Loss | Sea Eagles(50): Brett Stewart(2), Jamie Lyon(2), Jack Afamasaga, Glenn Stewart, Steve Menzies, Matt Orford, Adam Cuthbertson tries, Matt Orford (2/4), Jamie Lyon (4/4), Steve Menzies (1/1) goals. Knights(16): Brad Tighe, Steve Simpson, James McManus tries, Scott Dureau (2/3) goals. |
17,122 | ||||
| 23 | Sun, 19th August 3pm |
Panthers | Energy Australia Stadium | Loss | Penrith(46): Frank Pritchard(3), Michael Jennings(3), Michael Gordon tries, Michael Gordon (9/9) goals. Knights(12): 2 tries, Kurt Gidley (2/2) goals. |
|||||
| 24 | Fri, 24th August 7:30pm |
Cowboys | Energy Australia Stadium | Loss | Cowboys(34): Ashley Graham(2), Johnathan Thurston, Matthew Bowen, Ty Williams, Neil Sweeney tries, Thurston (5/6) goals. Knights(18): Cooper Vuna, Chris Bailey, Cory Paterson tries, Kurt Gidley (3/3) goals. |
12000 | ||||
| 25 | Fri, 31st August 7:30pm |
Tigers | Telstra Stadium | Win | Knights(26): Cory Paterson, Cooper Vuna (2), Kurt Gidley tries, Gidley (5/5) goals. Tigers(24): John Morris, Benji Marshall(2), Chris Lawrence tries, Benji Marshall(4/5) goals. |
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2008 Squad
-
For more details on this topic, see Newcastle Knights 2007.
| Newcastle Knights 2007 Fulltime Squad | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | No | Position | DOB (Age) | Height | Weight | Previous Club | ||||
| 1 | Kurt Gidley | |
Fullback | 07/06/1982 (24) | 182cm | 87kg | Newcastle Knights | |||
| 2 | Luke MacDougall | |
Wing | 05/02/1983 (24) | 183cm | 95kg | St George Illawarra Dragons | |||
| 3 | Paul Franze | |
Centre | 03/05/1982 (25) | 185cm | 97kg | Castleford Tigers | |||
| 4 | George Carmont |  |
Centre | 30/06/1978 (28) | 180cm | 91kg | Otahuhu | |||
| 5 | Brad Tighe | |
Wing | 05/04/1984 (23) | 183cm | 89kg | West Tamworth | |||
| 6 | Jarrod Mullen | |
Five Eighth | 29/07/1986 (20) | 174cm | 83kg | Port Macquarie | |||
| 7 | Luke Walsh | |
Scrum Half | 09/04/1987 (20) | 179cm | 86kg | Newcastle Knights | |||
| 8 | Ben Cross | |
Prop | 06/12/1978 (29) | 190cm | 113kg | Melbourne Storm | |||
| 9 | Danny Buderus | |
Hooker | 06/02/1978 (29) | 178cm | 91kg | Taree | |||
| 10 | Mitchell Sargent | |
Prop | 02/07/1979 (27) | 187cm | 107kg | North Queensland Cowboys | |||
| 11 | Cory Paterson | |
Second Row | 14/07/1987 (19) | 194cm | 105kg | ||||
| 12 | Kirk Reynoldson | |
Second Row | 11/03/1979 (28) | 186cm | 102kg | Melbourne Storm | |||
| 13 | Daniel Abraham | |
Lock | 11/03/1981 (26) | 188cm | 106kg | Macquarie United | |||
| 14 | Jesse Royal |  |
Prop | 20/05/1980 (26) | 190cm | 107kg | Penrith Panthers | |||
| 15 | Steve Simpson | |
Second Row | 27/09/1979 (27) | 187cm | 104kg | Singleton | |||
| 16 | Terrence Seu Seu | |
Hooker | 20/11/1987 (19) | 180cm | 89kg | ||||
| 17 | Kade Snowden | |
Prop | 31/12/1986 (20) | 188cm | 113kg | ||||
| 18 | Willie Tupou | |
Second Row | 26/10/1985 (21) | 191cm | 105kg | St George Illawarra Dragons | |||
| 19 | Nathan Hinton | |
Fullback | 13/10/1985 (21) | 178cm | 84kg | Newcastle Knights | |||
| 20 | Akuila Uate |  |
Wing | 06/10/1987 (19) | 185cm | 94kg | ||||
| 21 | Riley Brown | |
Utility | 15/10/1984 (22) | 181cm | 92kg | Singleton | |||
| 22 | Todd Polglase | |
Fullback | 21/03/1981 (26) | 178cm | 85kg | South Sydney Rabbitohs | |||
| 23 | Chris Bailey | |
Lock | 05/07/1982 (24) | 186cm | 94kg | Inverell Hawks | |||
| 24 | Adam MacDougall | |
Centre | 08/05/1975 (31) | 183cm | 95kg | South Sydney Rabbitohs | |||
| 25 | Cooper Vuna | |
Wing | 05/07/1987 (19) | 182cm | 97kg | New Zealand Warriors | |||
| 26 | Ben Remington | |
Utility | 11/02/1984 (23) | 181cm | 90kg | Valentine-Eleebana | |||
| 27 | James McManus |  |
Centre | 15/01/1986 (21) | 185cm | 89kg | ||||
| 28 | Zeb Taia |  |
Second Row | 11/10/1984 (22) | 186cm | 104kg | Parramatta Eels | |||
| 29 | David Seage | |
Fullback | 29/11/1979 (27) | 183cm | 90kg | ||||
| 30 | Marvin Karawana | |
Five Eighth | 30/07/1986 (20) | 180cm | 94kg | Canterbury Bulldogs | |||
| 31 | Reegan Tanner | |
Second Row | 27/09/1982 (24) | 183cm | 99kg | Kurri Kurri | |||
| 32 | Mark Taufua | |
Prop | 24/10/81 (25) | 188cm | 103kg | Waratahs (Newcastle) | |||
| 33 | Milton Thaiday | |
Fullback | 15/02/1980 (27) | 175cm | 83kg | - | |||
| 34 | Daniel Tolar | |
Prop | 04/11/1982 (25) | 188cm | 100kg | Central Charlestown | |||
| 35 | Luke Walsh | |
Halfback | 12/05/1987 (19) | ||||||
| 36 | Matthew White | |
Prop | 17/05/1984 (22) | 190cm | 110kg | ||||
Coaches
- Allan McMahon (1988-1991)
- David Waite (1991-1994)
- Malcolm Reilly (1995-1998)
- Warren Ryan (1999-2000)
- Michael Hagan (2001- 2006)
- Brian Smith (2007-)
First Grade Captains
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Representative players (NSW & QLD)
Including representative players first selected and other notable players and the years they first achieved the honours if known.
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Australia
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New Zealand
Great Britain
Ireland
Samoa
|
Knights Team of the Era
In August 2007 the Knights announced their team of the era. This team was:
| Newcastle Knights Team of the Era | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
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Bench
- 14 Michael Hagan
- 15 Kurt Gidley
- 16 Tony Butterfield
- 17 Adam Muir
Coach
Famous Supporters
- Jennifer Hawkins - 2004 Miss Universe, was a cheerleader for the club at one stage
- Kim Beazley - Former club patron, Former Federal Opposition Leader (Australia)
- Michael Costa - Current Club patron, NSW Treasurer and Minister for the Hunter (Australia)
- Jessica Mauboy - 2006 Australian Idol runner up
See also
Source
- ABC Australian Sports Almanac 2002
Notes
- ^ 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. The Canberra Raiders were admitted to the 1982 competition in their place.
External links
- Newcastle Knights official website
- Newcastle Knights Archive
- Daily Telegraph - Newcastle Knights 2007 season feature
