The Newcastle Knights have sought revenge in the UNE Harold Matthews Cup as they take out the 2026 premiership with a dominant 22-0 win over the Sydney Roosters.
A promising start from both sides saw the contest look even, before the Knights found the upper hand capitalising on errors and penalties as they entered the sheds with a 10-0 lead at halftime.
A dominant second half from the Knights saw them continue piling on the points as they etched themselves onto the UNE Harold Matthews Cup in 2026 after coming undone to the Warriors 30-16 in last years Grand Final.
“It is unbelievable. Last year we obviously were defeated by the Warriors, and we took accountability for that,” Knights captain Riley Rostron who has been part of the Knights last two Harold Matthews Grand Final sides said.
“We knew we were going to come back this year and knew we had to bring our A-game and that’s what we did.”
The Knights broke the points drought in the 18th minute after a Roosters handling error saw them feed a scrum 40-metres out from their try-line. Surging down the field, the speed of the Knights play-the-ball saw them threatening the line, before a shift to the right saw halfback Chase Firman attract the Roosters defence as he got a pass out to Ryder Tupou whose footwork got him through a defensive gap. Unable to convert, the Knights lead 4-0.
A few minutes later, the Knights found their way over the line again. A kick on the last from Knights skipper Riley Rostron saw second-rower Kade McKay on the chase as he snatched the ball in the air and charged his way over. Rostron converted the try, and the Knights led 10-0 at half-time.
Another strong opening from both sides saw the Steeden travel up and down the field. It wasn’t until 10-minutes into the second half that the Knights were rewarded back-to-back sets in close range to their try-line. A darting run from dummy half on the second play of the set saw prop Oliver Lawrence run an aggressive line taking the Roosters defence with him as he crashed over to extend the Knights lead. Rostron’s conversion put the Knights in a comfortable lead, 16-0.
As the clock ticked down, the Knight produced one more try to seal the deal. Firman who had his hand in a number of the Knights attacking plays, found a try of his own as his right foot step saw a gap open on his inside as he dived over the try-line. Rostron added the extra’s as the Knights took out the 22-0 win to claim the UNE Harold Matthews Cup.
“They’re a really good bunch of kids that worked hard for this,” Knights coach Matthew McLaren said.
“We just knew we had to be gritty and we have done that for 12-weeks, it was just a matter of doing it for one more game, turning up for each other and never giving in.
“Everyone’s growth this season has been fantastic, and I really couldn’t be prouder.”
