THE GRAND FINAL VS ROOSTERS ❤️💙❤️💙❤️

Even if we went on to somehow lose this game, the media talk will still be about Newcastle, the Roosters story will be boring as they are expected to win this, they will have their little circle jerk about DCE and Walker and then turn the attention to the Knights again because thats the better story.
So even if we lose we still beat the Roosters in the media attention.
 
I don’t even know if I can put into words how nervous, excited and proud I am as a Newcastle Knights fan. I was 1 in 1997 and 5 in 2001. Too young to even remember either so to me this feels like my first grand final experience.

I’m so happy for us all, not just for this past couple of weeks but to finally experience a grand final after 25 long years. Whether it’s a win or a loss, we should be pouring every bit of support into our boys. We’ve been through so much heartache that it still feels like a dream to be here today.

Long live the Newcastle Knights - ONE MORE ROUND. ❤️💙❤️💙❤️💙
 
As someone said on radio, we have beaten the teams that came 1st and 2nd and now need to beat the side that limped into 4th and lost their first final v Penrith.
They start favourites because they came 4th and we came 7th, but if we win, the game probably won't be as hard as our previous 2 wins.
 
I reckon including neutrals there’ll have to be 70% minimum supporting the Knights. And with the ratio of each sets of fans kings and passion it will sound like 85% of support to the Knights. It will be a complete drown out.

Weather is looking perfect. Clear sky, no wind and not too hot.
Watched the 1997 Grand Final last night and the crowd must have been 90% Knights fans, it'll be so good to see that again!

The Roosters fans might be even harder to spot than the Manly ones too, because of our similar colours lol.
 
Feel like this has made me so emotional I’ve been holding in tears all week, and I’m going to become a blubbering mess if we win haha.
Not alone, mate.
I feel like it’s affected me more than I thought it would.
When I’m looking for inspiration for my little spiels, or inspiration find me, it’s made me see how much this club means to everyone. It’s nice.

Honestly, I lost connection to this club for a while. Playing sokkah more competitively in older teens and through Uni. Moved to Sydney. Out of site, out of mind. Had other things going on.

Massive credit to this forum, you for running it and everyone here for making it somewhere we can come and chat about the Knights, but also life.
It’s helped make me feel connected again.

Far out. Let’s get this done!
 
Not alone, mate.
I feel like it’s affected me more than I thought it would.
When I’m looking for inspiration for my little spiels, or inspiration find me, it’s made me see how much this club means to everyone. It’s nice.

Honestly, I lost connection to this club for a while. Playing sokkah more competitively in older teens and through Uni. Moved to Sydney. Out of site, out of mind. Had other things going on.

Massive credit to this forum, you for running it and everyone here for making it somewhere we can come and chat about the Knights, but also life.
It’s helped make me feel connected again.

Far out. Let’s get this done!
It's been a pleasure to have you here the last few years, mate. And this forum really runs itself, I just bring my limited IT knowledge lol. And you guys all chip in to keep it going when the bills roll around, so imo it's the members here that deserve all the credit! ❤️

I've been thinking a lot about 1997 and 2001 myself ... 1997 I was a 16 year old still at school. 2001 I was a 20 year old at uni, didn't know what I was doing with my course or what my goals were in life, was still living at home. Both of those years the Knights were a major thing that kept me going throughout the year!

Fast forward to 2026, the love is still there and they're still a major part of my life. I now have a job I love, I own a house, got married earlier this year ... life has changed so much, but it would mean just as much for us to win it. Our games are still something I look forward to all weekend (and the game threads on here are always a highlight too!), if we win or lose has such an effect on my Monday morning haha.

It's not going to be easy, but how amazing will it be if we can pull something out the bag tonight.
 
Even if we went on to somehow lose this game, the media talk will still be about Newcastle, the Roosters story will be boring as they are expected to win this, they will have their little circle jerk about DCE and Walker and then turn the attention to the Knights again because thats the better story.
I can’t imagine what it’s been like on 360 panel
compared to the minimal discussion on the knights even today the media buzz is pretty subpar

- What a season the Roosters are having
- Does Robbo have an axe to grind with not being in contention for coach of the year
- No one is more watchable then Marky Mark (Weidler LOL)
- Do you guys think the Roosters should coast? If they starting getting too far ahead or run up the score?
- How much of a lead should the Roosters get to before they start coasting
- Which Roosters player is your pick for first try scorer fellas
- How much do you guys think this premiereship win will mean to DCE
- Should the Roosters rest players they expect to play in the World Cup once they get far ahead
 
Are we there yet?

Gonna be a long day.

Pacing is the key, no beersies till after 8pm here in NZ. Game isn't on till 9:30 at night, which has absolutely nothing to do with my sudden coming down with Man flu and taking a hit for the team at the office by not bringing my bugs to work.

I think the Roosters are in for a rude awakening. They probably see the Knights as an opportunity too good to miss, they think they are going to be facing their dream opponent (the list of who you want to play in a GF is gonna be someone outside the four, and to drill down into that you could imagine their wish list looking like 1. Cows 2. Knights 3. Rabbitohs in that order).

I ain't gonna pretend to be an expert on the Knights, they are not my club, I have watched more of their games this year than your average neutral though, and I watched all of their games in the last quarter of the season, so I have a feel of what is going on, and I have seen all of the Chooks fourth quarter run.

Newcastle's defence is how this game will be won, it is not reactive, it is the type of defending that gets imposed on you. Watching the second half of last week revealed a lot, especially once the Knights defensive line was shortened. Time and again the Panthers tried to go full Riff ball with their hot potato upper gear second phase killer attack. But they ended up looking clunky, because the Knights were flooding the zone with bodies and forcing errors - which tells you that the defensive leaders like Ponga are directing based off accurate vision, that the communication is on point, it shows accurate positioning of players, but most of all, adaptability (when you have 12 you are going to constantly have to cover short edges, the only way to do that for eighty minutes is if EVERYONE stays live and alert, and in scramble mode, you rely on a mate to turn up for his brother, especially the hard running from the inside out to close holes.
This team behaves defensively like a hive minded single organism, I guess I am talking about effort plays, the ones you aren't coached on, the personal decisions by individuals to sacrifice what little energy they have left for the bloke next to you.

All of that sophisticated and effort driven defence points to great coaching. Hey, if you do it once it could be explained away as effort (apparently the Knights played their GF vs Souths, oh wait...no against the Warriors....hold the phone they definitely played it against the Panthers.)

12 men can beat 13 off effort, but do it twice? that is system stuff (Warriors and Penrith lets not forget were teams one and two - not just ladder, in attack and defence).

Provided the Knights just roll with the plan, everything will be fine, the Roosters will have a very bad evening, that killer attack of theirs won't find easy purchase against the defence the Knights are running because it is smart, fast, adaptive and relentless. Those micro effort plays (like getting a hand under the ball on a try line) are all down to a team understanding the do or die play by play mentality of winning finals.

And as we all know this Knights grouping use the same number counting, the same stacking of edges when it comes to their attack (because they are bloody well coached both sides of the ball) if the Roosters line gets broken, they will see three to four Knights coming through that breached line in support, and the problem for the Roosters is that their fullback and Winger won't be able to just hit the ball carrier and shut it down, since the ball carrier is waiting for them to be drawn in.

Those length of the field Knights breaks are no fluke, nor are they the hail Mary type breaks that look ad hock or ad lib, these are Fullback constructed set play block shape breaks run at you from the 'wrong end' of the field.
For those of us getting sick of system ball, it is a sight to behold, all hail the return football, rather than over constructed athlete stacked suffocating boring cynical grind fests.
Some games you don't even feel like you are watching the same sport anymore.

Anywho I will stop there, like I say, I don't know the minutia of this side like you all, I just know good footy when I see it.

COME ON NEWY, one last time. Do or die who cares. You got here. You earned it. Take your shot.
 
Last edited:
I can’t imagine what it’s been like on 360 panel
compared to the minimal discussion on the knights even today the media buzz is pretty subpar

- What a season the Roosters are having
- Does Robbo have an axe to grind with not being in contention for coach of the year
- No one is more watchable then Marky Mark (Weidler LOL)
- Do you guys think the Roosters should coast? If they starting getting too far ahead or run up the score?
- How much of a lead should the Roosters get to before they start coasting
- Which Roosters player is your pick for first try scorer fellas
- How much do you guys think this premiereship win will mean to DCE
- Should the Roosters rest players they expect to play in the World Cup once they get far ahead
Please good lord. Give us strength and heaps of 6 agains to put a score on these ****ers
 
Back
Top