The Newcastle Knights’ comeback on Saturday against the Melbourne Storm to win 32-30 will be a game that goes down as a career highlight for many of the players.
Knights TV spoke to Aku Uate in the sheds after his memorable try on the siren that levelled the scores.
“I was just hoping (Dane) Gags would pass the ball at the end there, and then we hoped for (Kurt) Gidsy to kick the goal,” Uate said.
“It would be good to come in the sheds and feel like this every game.
"I’m looking forward to next week now."
Hooker Travis Waddell said the energy after the game and in the sheds felt like the team had just won a grand final.
“It was a good game, and the best game I’ve ever played in,” he admitted.
The game took a sudden turn in the right direction for the Knights when Waddell stripped the ball from Melbourne’s Billy Slater metres from the try line to score two minutes from full time.
“I don’t know what was going through my head,” Waddell reflected.
“I just wanted to take them back in the in-goal area.
“But I ended up with the ball, which was a bonus for me with the try as well."
For Chanel Mata’utia, he scored his first try in the NRL in just his third game since making his debut.
Mata’utia flew through the air to skilfully ground the ball in the corner early in the second half of the game.
“I was just thinking, get that ball down and eventually I put it down,” he explained.
The 21-year-old relished playing a part in the gutsy win.
“The boys did well, we started off strong but got caught towards the end, but we hung in there and got stuck into the grind, then Gidsy got the two for us," Mata'utia said.
“Hopefully we can carry on and keep the wins up."
The NRL side's victory capped off a sensational day for the Club with wins in both the Under 20s NYC and NSW Cup matches.
“That just shows how much pride we’ve got in all three grades,” Mata’utia said.
Uate was equally as thrilled to see the Club record wins across the board.
“All winning today is unreal, I’m really grateful to be part of it,” he said.
“Everyone is happy, and we’ll go home and get ready for next week.”
The Newcastle Knights are set to play the New Zealand Warriors at Hunter Stadium on Sunday, August 17. Buy your ticket HERE!
