Newcastle Knights
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| Newcastle Knights | |
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| Full name | Newcastle Rugby League Football Club |
| Nickname(s) | Knights |
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| Founded | 1988 |
| Ground | EnergyAustralia Stadium Lambton, Newcastle |
| Capacity | 26,126 |
| CEO |  Ken Conway |
| Coach | Brian Smith |
| League | National Rugby League |
| 2006 | National Rugby League, 5th |
The Newcastle Knights are a National Rugby League team based in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia.
A team also representing Newcastle played two seasons (1908-09) in the formative years of the NRL competition's predecessor, the New South Wales Rugby League.
- First Grade Titles: 2 (1997, 2001)
- Reserve Grade Titles: 1 (1995)
- Club Championships: 1 (1992)
- World Sevens: 2 (1991, 1996)
- Club Sponsors: Coal and Allied, Subway, NIB Health Funds, Bluetongue Brewery
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[edit] Club history
[edit] 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, losing to the Balmain Tigers.
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.
[edit] 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, 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.
[edit] 2004-present
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, and Reegan Tanner) 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.
In an amazing trial match played in Tamworth, NSW on February 19, 2006 the Knights were defeated 38-30 by the Penrith Panthers. The Knights had led 24-0 at halftime before imploding. It remains the greatest comeback in a trial match in NRL history.
[edit] Current squad
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[edit] Coaches
- Allan McMahon (1988-1991)
- David Waite (1991-1994)
- Malcolm Reilly (1995-1998)
- Warren Ryan (1999-2000)
- Michael Hagan (2001- 2006)
- Brian Smith (2007- )
[edit] First Grade Captains
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[edit] Prominent players
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
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[edit] Trivia
- Jennifer Hawkins, the 2004 Miss Universe is a former cheerleader for the Knights. Before becoming Miss Universe she dated Knights second-rower Clint Newton.
[edit] Source
- ABC Australian Sports Almanac 2002
[edit] 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.
