Newcastle's 25-year wait is over as veterans and kids chase glory
Newcastle Knights will face the Sydney Roosters in the 2026 NRL Grand Final on Sunday 4 October, ending a 25-year wait for a place in Australian rugby league's championship decider. Newcastle Knights
It is Newcastle's first grand final in 25 years. The club's last title came with a 30-24 win in the 2001 decider for their second premiership.
Newcastle booked their place with a 22-14 win over Penrith in the preliminary final, the semi-final that decides who reaches the grand final. NRL.com They did it with only 12 men on the field for a period, after beating the Warriors 12-10 the week before to set up the Penrith tie at Accor Stadium in Sydney. Sandon Smith scored twice against Penrith to drive the upset against a side that had won five of six preliminary finals since 2020.
No one feels the wait more than Tyson Frizell. The 34-year-old forward has played 305 NRL games across a 15-year professional career, represented the NSW Blues state side and the Australian Kangaroos national team, and never reached a season decider until now. The Guardian
Frizell admitted he normally cannot bear to watch. He said he usually switches off or stops watching the grand final as soon as the siren goes. This time he will be in the middle of it.
At the other end of the dressing room is Fletcher Sharpe. The 22-year-old five-eighth, league's chief playmaker outside the halfback, grew up in Cessnock in the Hunter Valley and still lives there. He said he still kind of pinches himself to be in the grand final.
The past is close around this team. Andrew Johns, the former Newcastle halfback inducted as rugby league's eighth Immortal in 2012, sent the players a video message before the Penrith game. Paul Harragon, the prop who captained the club in 1997, remains a touchstone for what a Newcastle grand final week means to the town.
There is also a coaching story of revival. Justin Holbrook is Newcastle's head coach after serving as an assistant at the Sydney Roosters as recently as last season, following his sacking by Gold Coast in 2023. His plans were tested when Dylan Brown, the big recruit from Parramatta, suffered a mid-season injury in 2026.
What makes this stand out is the mix. A veteran who has seen everything except a grand final. A local kid living at home and running out in the biggest club game in league. And a club carrying 25 years of longing into one Sunday in Sydney.
The Knights have published a Grand Final Week guide for supporters, covering game-day information and a Fan Fest around the NRL and NRLW Telstra Premiership deciders.
