A mega run to the 2023 finals has announced the Newcastle Knights as a lethal lineup ready to do damage in the NRL postseason, and now they have playoffs experience under their belt too.
Things fell off the rails for the Newy hype train once they came up against a shining New Zealand Warriors across the Tasman, but up until that point, things had been going in just the right direction for Adam O’Brien’s men.
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It was a far cry from the dire start of the year, where O’Brien had been facing the axe and Ponga had question marks around him when it came to position—and even worse, whether he could play on beyond his mounting concussion problems. Twelve months later, the club’s premiership window is open, and very wide at that.
Last year’s finish: Fifth (semis), 14 wins, one draw, and nine losses
Last ten NRL campaigns: 5th (semis), 14th, 7th (qualifying), 7th (qualifying), 11th, 11th, spoon, spoon, spoon, 12th
Predicted Round 1 lineup
- Kalyn Ponga
- Greg Marzhew
- Dane Gagai
- Bradman Best
- Enari Tuala
- Tyson Gamble
- Jackson Hastings
- Jacob Saifiti
- Phoenix Crossland
- Leo Thompson
- Tyson Frizell
- Dylan Lucas
- Adam Elliott
- Jack Cogger
- Kai Pearce-Paul
- Daniel Saifiti
- Jack Hetherington
Coach: Adam O’Brien
Biggest losses: Dominic Young, Lachlan Fitzgibbon Biggest gains: Jack Cogger
How 2024 is looking for Newcastle
Expect the Knights to be one of the form teams of the competition for much of the 2024 campaign. Losing Dom Young is a mighty blow considering just how good he was, but the beating heart of the red-and-blue machine—Kalyn Ponga—has the ability to turn anyone into a world beater.
With Jack Cogger coming in to stir up competition in the halves and Jackson Hastings seemingly just the man to happily take a back seat to Ponga’s brilliance, the Knights are on the up and up with their eyes firmly set on top four.
The only question is how they withstand the pressure. They ran out of steam after a huge battle with the Raiders in the finals first week and may face similar trials against the Broncos, Panthers, and Storm. If they can prove their calibre against the big dogs they’ll be in it ‘til the final whistle.
Predicted 2024 finish: 4th
First five: Raiders (H), Cowboys (A), Storm (H), Warriors (A), Dragons (H)
TopSport odds: Premiers $26, Make Top 4: $4.80, Make Final 8: $2.15, Miss The Top 8: $1.67
Pass mark: Top four and a deep playoffs run.
