Newcastle Knights return to NRL grand final after unexpected turnaround

Newcastle Knights forward Tyson Frizell has played 305 National Rugby League games, yet he avoids watching the end of grand finals when the final siren sounds.

An Unlikely Run Back to the Grand Final

The Knights finished the 2025 season with the wooden spoon, making their current resurgence an unexpected turnaround for the proud rugby league city. Mid-season injuries threatened to derail the campaign when expensive halfback recruit Dylan Brown was sidelined with an injury following his move from Parramatta. Despite that loss, chief executive Peter Parr credited new coach Justin Holbrook with instilling belief in the squad and keeping their focus entirely on the players available. Frizell noted that Holbrook brought a confident calmness to the group. Under the new coach, Frizell transitioned from his traditional edge forward position into the middle of the field, handling the physical demands of the attritional role.

Community Backing and Club Legends

The team’s success has reenergized the local community, with fans lining the main road through Wallsend as the team bus travelled to matches. Five-eighth Fletcher Sharpe, who grew up in nearby Cessnock, was not yet born when Newcastle claimed their last premiership titles in 1997 and 2001. Sharpe watched Newcastle greats Andrew and Matthew Johns growing up and noted the deep emotional connection the current squad shares with past players. It almost brings a tear to your eye seeing legends of the game and legends of the club and how emotional they get and what it means to them for the current playing group to be back into the grand final.

Club legends have maintained active contact with the roster throughout the season. Paul Harragon, who captained the 1997 premiership side, spoke to the players earlier in the year, and Andrew Johns sent a video message prior to the preliminary final victory over Penrith.