Win-Loss: 12-12
Ladder Position: 8th
Finals: Elimination Final
Attack: 19.58 (16th)
Defence: 21.25 (6th)
Longest Win Streak: 4 (R8-11)
Longest Loss Streak: 3 (R13-15 and R19-22)
Best Win: Round 27: 14-6 v Dolphins
Worst Loss: Round 13: 32-2 v Canterbury
Season Review
Highlights: Making the finals was a pleasant surprise, something that arguably saved Adam O’Brien’s job.
Unearthing rookie Fletcher Sharpe will no doubt have the fanbase excited for many years to come.
The Knights did not concede more than 20 in their final five matches and it proved crucial with Newcastle winning four of those including the must-win final round matchup against the Dolphins.
Only the Warriors drew better home crowds.
Lowlights: Newcastle started slowly with just two wins in their opening seven matches.
A decrepit attack only got worse as Adam O’Brien chopped and changed his halves.
O’Brien’s refusal to play Will Pryce was exceedingly poor.
Despite an average roster, the Knights are in salary cap trouble.
What Worked: The Knights were a strong defensive unit who made the finals on the back of it.
Newcastle led the NRL in short dropouts, leading the new trend.
The Knights were also a good handling team, ranking third last in errors.
Finally, Newcastle were excellent in busting tackles, ranking fourth in tackle breaks.
What Didn’t: Newcastle’s attack was abhorrent and not helped at all by the continual chopping and changing of the halves pairing which stifled their creativity.
They ranked fifth bottom in line break assists and no team had fewer try assists per game than the Knights.
Newcastle were uber-conservative with the ball, ranking bottom five in offloads.
Betting Stats
ATS: 17-8
Over/Under: 9-16
Head-to-Head Return: -4.01 units
Three Betting Notes:
- Newcastle were the leading cover team in 2024.
- The Knights were an outstanding daytime team covering 12 of 15 afternoon matches.
- Newcastle went 9-3 to the under in home games.
Personnel
Best Player: Kalyn Ponga
Next Best: Dylan Lucas and Leo Thompson
Most Disappointing Player: Greg Marzhew
Next Most Disappointing: Jackson Hastings and Dane Gagai
Top Tryscorer: Fletcher Sharpe (11)
Top Assist Merchant: Jackson Hastings (12)
Top Tackle Breaker: Dane Gagai (6.57 per game)
Top Metre Eater: Greg Marzhew (186.52 per game)
Top Tackler: Jayden Brailey (37.82 per game)
Best Buy: Kai Pearce-Paul
Worst Buy: Jack Cogger
Best Rookie: Fletcher Sharpe
Player Ratings
| Player | Season Grade (Out of 10) |
| David Armstrong | 4.0 |
| Bradman Best | 7.0 |
| Jayden Brailey | 5.5 |
| Thomas Cant | 1.5 |
| Jed Cartwright | 1.0 |
| Jack Cogger | 2.0 |
| Mat Croker | 3.5 |
| Phoenix Crossland | 4.5 |
| Adam Elliott | 4.0 |
| Tyson Frizell | 6.0 |
| Dane Gagai | 5.0 |
| Tyson Gamble | 1.5 |
| Jackson Hastings | 2.0 |
| Jack Hetherington | 2.5 |
| Thomas Jenkins | 1.0 |
| Brodie Jones | 3.0 |
| Dylan Lucas | 7.0 |
| Kyle McCarthy | 0.5 |
| Krystian Mapapalangi | 3.5 |
| Greg Marzhew | 5.0 |
| Kai Pearce-Paul | 6.5 |
| Kalyn Ponga | 7.5 |
| Will Pryce | 3.0 |
| Daniel Saifiti | 4.0 |
| Jacob Saifiti | 4.5 |
| Fletcher Sharpe | 6.5 |
| Sebastian Su’A | 0.5 |
| Leo Thompson | 6.5 |
| Enari Tuala | 2.5 |