NRL.com Wrap: Knights defeated by Panthers at home

The Big 'O': Haumole OIakau'atu looks to have his name on a NSW Blues jersey for the series opener on May 27 after yet another powerhouse display. The edge forward was at his damaging best with 19 runs for 194 metres, nine tackle breaks and some bone-rattling defence. And speaking of defence, hooker Brandon Wakeham peeled off 43 tackles in 69 minutes of game time.

No.1 gun: Tolu Koula took over from Tommy Turbo at fullback and again had a blinder with 171 run metres and seven tackle breaks while Jason Saab and Lehi Hopoate combined for 26 runs and 337 metres.

Full-time: The Sea Eagles completed 40 of 45 sets at 88 per cent and had eight line breaks to one as they continue to play an exhilarating brand of footy under Kieran Foran. 

79 min: Some brilliance out of dummy half from Tallyn Da Silva lays on a try for Luca Moretti as the Eels have the final say. Sea Eagles 33-18

77 min: Jason Saab has the 17,329 fans at 4 Pines Park on their feet as he jams in off his wing and produces a bell-ringer on Sean Russell.

76 min: Ben Trbojevic races away down the left wing and puts a kick back inside for Reuben Garrick to chase and regather. Garrick looks certain to score before Ronald Volkman shows great desperation to get back and drag him down and force an error.

72 min: Jamal Fogarty forces a line dropout, the Eels go short, the ball bounces short of the 10m line and then crosses the line where Clayton Faulalo grabs it and races to the line untouched to score. Sea Eagles 33-12

71 min: We're back to 13 on 13 as Tallyn Da Silva comes back from the bin.

67 min: The Eels hit back when right winger Brian Kelly does well to get a kick back inside and Mitch Moses chases through to score. Moses adds the extras. Sea Eagles 27-12

63 min: Jason Saab breaks an 11-game try drought as he takes a clever offload from Lehi Hopoate on halfway and slips into top gear and powers away to wrap up Manly's fourth win on the bounce. Jamal Fogarty fails to convert. Sea Eagles 27-6

61 min: Tallyn Da Silva lifts Jake Simpkin above the horizontal and is sent to the sin for a dangerous tackle. The Eels are down to 12 men for the next 10 minutes.

60 min: Tolu Koula is ruled to have lost the ball in a tackle, the Sea Eagles challenge, the bunker rules in their favour.

57 min: Ben Trbojevic slips a nice offload to Jamal Fogarty who shows plenty of pace to outstrip Joash Papalii and get across for his third try of the season. The No.7 fails to convert his own try. Sea Eagles 23-6

55 min: Reuben Garrick slices through a poor tackle from Sean Russell to score and make it a double strike in quick time for Manly. Jamal Fogarty converts. Sea Eagles 19-6

54 min: Jamal Fogarty grubbers expertly into the in-goal where Joash Papalii cleans up. The line dropout fails to go 10 metres and the Sea Eagles reload.

50 min: Luke Brooks drifts to the left and picks up Clayton Faulalo who sends Lehi Hopoate over for Manly's second try of the day. Jamal Fogarty converts. Sea Eagles 13-6

47 min: After the Sea Eagles had blown a tryscoring opportunity the Eels hand the ball straight back when Brian Kelly makes an error.

44 min: Charlie Guymer leaves the field for a HIA while Dylan Walker has been ruled out with an arm injury.

43 min: The Sea Eagles come up empty on the last tackle when the ball is swung left to Tolu Koula who has no room to move and is easily shut down.

41 min: Mitch Moses is penalised and placed on report for a high shot.

Life of Brian: Playing back at Brookie where he launched his NRL career in 2017, Eels winger Brian Kelly was in everything in the opening term. Kelly had 14 runs for 109 metres and five tackle breaks and showed plenty of strength to get over in the corner for his team's only try. 

Half-time: A tense and tight first half with the Sea Eagles completing 19 of 23 sets at 82 per cent and the Eels 16 off 22 at 72 per cent. 

40 min: A massive hit by Haumole Olakau'atu on Dylan Walker forces an error. Manly get a couple of tackles to try and put on points and Jamal Fogarty knocks over a field goal to give his team a narrow lead at the break. Sea Eagles 7-6

39 min: A great leap and take by Haumole Olakau'atu over Joash Papalii but the big Manly edge forward can't find his support.

37 min: Luke Brooks gets hold of a loose ball and takes off up field but his final pass gives Clayton Faulalo no chance and Jack Williams gets back to clean up the loose ball.

36 min: Jamal Fogarty goes to the sky with a spiral bomb and Joash Papalii comes up with a safe catch.

33 min: Dylan Walker digs into the line but his short ball to Junior Paulo travels forward and the opportunity is lost.

32 min: Sea Eagles forward Corey Waddell leaves the field with a suspected pectoral injury.

31 min: Jason Saab puts the ball down on his own 10-metre line as he brings the ball back on kick return.

27 min: Clayton Faulalo tries to push a pass to winger Lehi Hopoate but the ball travels forward. The scrum packs and the Sea Eagles are penalised for a time violation.

24 min: A bizarre moment from Jason Saab as he follows through a high ball and chooses to put a soccer header on the ball rather than trying to catch it. The header travels 20 metres and is cleaned up by the Eels.

22 min: Jack de Belin loses the ball and is ruled to have knocked on. The Eels throw in a captain's challenge which is successful and they retain possession.

21 min: The Sea Eagles are penalised for offside just in front of their own posts and Mitch Moses bangs over the penalty goal. 6-6

19 min: The ball ends up with Ben Trbojevic on tackle five and the back-rower is forced to kick. It's a shocker and goes well over the dead ball line.

18 min: Jack Williams comes up with an error as he tries to play the ball and Manly take over on halfway.

14 min: Five Sea Eagles defenders combine to force Brian Kelly over the sideline to snuff out an Eels attacking raid.

13 min: Haumole Olakau'atu is penalised for high contact on Ronald Volkman who leaves the field for a HIA. Dylan Walker comes into the fray. Volkman passes his HIA.

12 min: Jack de Belin and Junior Paulo come up with a great hit to force the error from Kobe Hetherington.

7 min: The Eels spin the ball to the right and some slick hands from Mitch Moses, Joash Papalii and Will Penisini create the chance for Brian Kelly to crash over in the corner. Moses fails to convert. Sea Eagles 6-4

6 min: A high shot by Ben Trbojevic on Luca Moretti hands the Eels some good field position and a chance to hit back.

3 min: Jamal Fogarty puts up a bomb, Will Penisini spills it and Jake Trbojevic picks up the scraps to score his first try since Round 15 in 2024. Fogarty bangs over the conversion. Sea Eagles 6-0

2 min: Taniela Paseka hits the ball up and loses it but a strip is ruled against the Eels.

Late Mail

Sea Eagles: No late changes for Manly on game day. Tom Trbojevic's hamstring injury has prompted a minor backline reshuffle, with Tolu Koula slotting into the No.1 jumper. Clayton Faulalo will line up in the centres as a result. Emerging centre Josh Feledy could make his second appearance of the year after coming on to the six-man bench. Jake Trbojevic will play in his 100th game at 4 Pines Park. Centre Reuben Garrick has scored 13 tries in 14 games against the Eels. 

Eels: A late switch with Jack de Belin into the starting side and Dylan Walker shifting to the bench. Centre Sean Russell and back-rower Kelma Tuilagi complete their returns from concussions and will take their place in the team. Eels winger Josh Addo-Carr has scored four tries in his last five games.

Numbers Game

• The Sea Eagles have won six of their last seven games against the Eels at 4 Pines Park.
• Eels winger Josh Addo-Carr has scored four tries in his last five games.
• Sea Eagles centre Reuben Garrick has scored 13 tries in 14 games against the Eels.
• The Eels have conceded an average of 35 points per game in 2026.
• Sea Eagles lock Jake Trbojevic will make his 100th appearance at 4 Pines Park.

 

Knights v Panthers at McDonald Jones Stadium

Dylan's double ton: Knights playmaker Dylan Brown showcased his running game with a number of slashing runs and a classy long-range try. Brown finished with 201 metres from 15 runs and broke five tackles.

Total domination: The Panthers racked up 2077 run metres to 1305 metres for the Knights. The line break tally was 10 to 3 and the tackle breaks ran 63-33 in favour of the Panthers.

Full-time: For the fourth time in eight games this season the Panthers have topped 40 points as they take their record to 7-1. After eight rounds last year the Panthers were last on the ladder with a 2-6 record. Fast forward 12 months and they are 7-1 and dominating the 2026 premiership.

77 min: A wild offload from Trey Mooney 10 metres out from his own line is intercepted by Izack Tago who scores. Nathan Cleary bangs over his sixth conversion. Panthers 44-12

77 min: The Panthers threaten to cross for an eighth try but Lindsay Smith puts the ball down. 

74 min: Blaize Talagi tries to find Thomas Jenkins to keep his tryscoring streak going but the ball goes behind the winger and into touch.

73 min: Fletcher Hunt is again man-handled by the Panthers defence and bundled over the sideline.

69 min: Nathan Cleary goes high, James Schiller puts it down, the ball falls to Izack Tago who flicks it on to Brian To'o and the winger has a double. That's 18 career doubles for To'o. The conversion from Nathan Cleary is again off target. Panthers 38-12

65 min: Dylan Edwards dances around a defender and throws a long ball that is collected on the bounce by Brian To'o who crosses for his sixth try in five games at McDonald Jones Stadium. Nathan Cleary pushes the conversion to the right. Panthers 34-12

60 min: Brian To'o makes plenty of metres and the ball is kept alive to Nathan Cleary who hears a call for a pass but it's Pasami Saulo who tricks the Panthers No.7 and comes away with the ball.

57 min: Fletcher Hunt is bundled towards touch and tries to get an offload away but the ball rolls into touch and the Panthers come away.

56 min: James Schiller makes up for his previous mistake with a great catch on a Nathan Cleary bomb and a 20-metre run to boot.

53 min: A sensational solo try from Dylan Brown who dummies his way past Freddy Lussick and backs his pace to go 60 metres and dot down for his first try as a Knight. Sandon Smith converts. Panthers 30-12

51 min: A spilled bomb by James Schiller invites the Panthers into the red zone again but the defence stands tall and Luke Garner puts the ball down on the last tackle.

49 min: Freddy Lussick takes a dart out of dummy half and manages to get the ball down despite the efforts of Jacob Saifiti and Harrison Graham to hold him up. Nathan Cleary converts from right in front. Panthers 30-6

48 min: A mistake by Harrison Graham at dummy half puts the Knights under the pump again.

47 min: The Panthers go to the left edge on the last tackle and Thomas Jenkins chips ahead but Fletcher Sharpe takes the catch.

45 min: Concerted pressure from the Panthers with Nathan Cleary grubbering on the last tackle but Dylan Brown is on hand to clean up.

Powerful Paul: Panthers centre Paul Alamoti was a constant danger on the right edge with eight tackle breaks and 102 run metres. In total the Panthers racked up 987 run metres compared to 636 for the Knights.

Half-time: The Panthers had 57 per cent of possession and made five line breaks to one as they set up a commanding 18-point lead. Fullback Dylan Edwards stole the show with three tries, 179 run metres, two line breaks and five tackle breaks.

37 min: Phoenix Crossland surges on to a pass from Harrison Graham from close range and gets the ball down despite Scott Sorensen's best efforts to hold him up. Sandon Smith adds the extras. Panthers 24-6

35 min: Trey Mooney puts the ball down to squander a Knights opportunity but Dylan Edwards returns the favour and Newcastle get another chance.

34 min: Isaiah Papalii is penalised and placed on report for a crusher tackle.

30 min: Paul Alamoti beats three defenders on a charge down the right edge before Nathan Cleary takes the first pass off the ruck and powers through the defence from close range to grab the Panthers' fourth try. Cleary converts his own try. Panthers 24-0

28 min: A grubber from Dane Gagai forces Dylan Edwards back to his own line but the fullback collects calmly and brings the Panthers out of trouble.

25 min: Jacob Saifiti leaves the field for a HIA after a head clash with teammate Trey Mooney as they tried to make a tackle. Saifiti passes the assessment and is able to return.

20 min: Chalk up a second career hat-trick for Dylan Edwards after a Moses Leota charge puts the Panthers on the attack and they keep the ball alive through Lindsay Smith and Isaah Yeo, who delivers the final pass for his fullback to score. Nathan Cleary converts. Panthers 18-0

19 min: Sandon Smith launches an enormous spiral bomb, Dylan Edwards allows it to bounce, the ball goes dead. Seven-tackle set for the Panthers.

16 min: Dylan Edwards makes it a double after scooping up a loose ball deep in his own territory and sprinting 70 metres to score. The mistake was made by Fletcher Hunt on the left edge and Edwards pounced. Nathan Cleary adds the extras. Panthers 12-0

13 min: On the back of 66 per cent of possession the Panthers strike through Dylan Edwards who crosses courtesy of a deft short pass from Moses Leota. Nathan Cleary converts. Panthers 6-0

11 min: The Knights hold firm again as Luke Garner makes an error just short of the tryline.

10 min: Blaize Talagi goes to the air and Fletcher Sharpe fails to control the catch. Panthers scrum 10 metres out.

9 min: Great online defence from the Knights as they scramble well to hold Thomas Jenkins up over the line.

7 min: An error by Francis Manuleleua coming out of his own end has the Knights under more heat on their own line.

6 min: Freddy Lussick grubbers into the in goal, Fletcher Sharpe cleans up, the Knights go the short dropout and Fletcher Hunt comes up with a catch to get the Knights the ball.

4 min: Another tough moment for Fletcher Sharpe as he is man-handled by the defence and comes up with a knock on as tries to get a pass away before he is dragged into touch.

2 min: Nathan Cleary's first high ball of the afternoon sails close to the sideline and Fletcher Sharpe allows it to bounce. The ball hits the Knights No.1 and goes into touch to hand the Panthers a scrum feed 20 metres out.

Late Mail

Knights: Pasami Saulo has been promoted to the starting side on game day with Trey Mooney going to the bench. Greg Marzhew has been ruled out due to a concussion, with James Schiller taking his place. Former Tiger and Panther Asu Kepaoa is part of the six-man bench and could make his club debut. Dom Young will make his 100th NRL appearance. Knights fullback Fletcher Sharpe has scored 14 tries in 12 games at McDonald Jones Stadium. Lachlan Crouch and Wilson de Courcey dropped out of the squad 24 hours before kick-off.

Panthers: The Panthers are 1-19 with no changes on game day. Casey McLean's return from suspension will see Izack Tago shift to the six-man bench, while Freddy Lussick has won the race to replace injured hooker Mitch Kenny. Jack Cogger is a new face on the interchange. Panthers winger Brian To’o has scored seven tries in eight games against the Knights. Luron Patea and John Fonua made way on Saturday when the squad was trimmed to 20.

Numbers Game

• The Knights have won only one of their last eight games at McDonald Jones Stadium.
• The Panthers have won eight of their last nine games against the Knights.
• Knights fullback Fletcher Sharpe has scored 14 tries in 12 games at McDonald Jones Stadium.
• Panthers winger Brian To’o has scored seven tries in eight games against the Knights.
• Knights winger Dominic Young will make his 100th NRL appearance.