2001 was a season that had it all for the Knights.
Countless records broken, a second premiership and a myriad of biblical moments that will be forever engraved in Knights history.
However, the game that went quietly unnoticed and was one of the ‘Holy Grail’ moments of the season, was the Classic Clash between the Knights and the Wests Tigers in Round 10, which saw the Knights defeat the Tigers 56-6.
Marching into Marathon Stadium to an army of 15,105 predominantly red and blues supporters, the Knights were led by none other than captain Andrew Johns, as they hoped to maintain their top position on the ladder.
What seemed like moments after the opening whistle, both Mark Hughes and Ben Kennedy crossed over for doubles in the first half.
Newcastle also had strong influence off the bench, with impact players Julian Bailey (back row) and Clinton O’Brien (front row) coming on to add to the scoreboard and extend their lead further over a shocked Wests Tigers.
Undeniably the most memorable display was the performance from the halves. Five-eighth Sean Rudder crossed for a try and Andrew Johns created an assembly of try assists and kicked eight from ten.
The Tigers defence was battered and bruised, and it seemed all hope was lost until left centre John Carlaw saw a glimpse of light at the end of tunnel and broke through the defence of Matt Gidley to bring the Tigers off a nil-point defeat.
The stadium was kept on their feet when Knights legends Timana Tahu, Danny Buderus and Adam MacDougall all kept the tries flowing in the second half and made a mockery of a lacklustre Tigers defence.
