They exceeded all expectations of them this year and their venture into the preliminary final was what made the Newcastle Knights’ 2013 season very impressive and successful.
After missing the finals in their first season under the tutelage of Wayne Bennett, the master coach and the Knights embarked on a successful 2013 season, reaching the preliminary final after having finished 7th at the end of the season.
The season saw many highlights for the Knights, with the team winning seven of its home games, including crushing victories over the Wests Tigers, Bulldogs, Titans and Eels. There was also a thrilling draw against the Broncos in Round 21.
They also won five games on the road, including crucial victories over the Sharks and the Broncos towards the end of the season, and also recorded an impressive victory on the Gold Coast on ANZAC Day Round.
The Knights, despite their ageing roster which led to the media calling the team “Oldcastle”, were able to maintain a high level of consistency all season, never dropping to below ninth on the ladder and with their largest losing margin at home just 16 points, albeit being against the eventual premiers, the Sydney Roosters, in Round 20.
Never did they have a genuinely bad effort during any game this season, though they did suffer two losses by more than 30 points: against the Sea Eagles (by the same margin in which they had beaten the Wests Tigers by in the opening round) and a 44-14 mauling in Canberra, just five weeks after beating the same team at game.
After finishing seventh at the end of the season, the Knights were given no chance of beating the Bulldogs at ANZ Stadium, but a committed performance in defence saw the team send last year’s grand finalists packing, in the process notching up a third victory over them this season alone (after contrasting victories at home and in Mackay during the middle of the season).
Many also didn’t give them a chance of toppling the defending premiers, the Melbourne Storm, in their AAMI Park backyard.
However, another great performance saw Wayne Bennett claim his first victory over Craig Bellamy since 2009, and first in a finals match since the Brisbane Broncos last won the premiership in 2006 as the Knights followed up their victory over the Bulldogs by ending the premiership defence of the team that beat them in last year’s decider, the Storm.
Those back-to-back victories earned the Knights a place in the preliminary finals, having not ventured that far since their most recent premiership in 2001.
Their luck and petrol finally ran out in the penultimate weekend as the Sydney Roosters proved too good for the Knights, winning by the crushing scoreline of 40-14 as Danny Buderus ended his career in hospital, having been on the wrong end of an accidental hit-up by Jared Waerea-Hargreaves in the first half.
But what if that had not happened? The result might not have been different, but the match could still have been as close as it was before Buderus was forced off.
His unfortunate send-off from the sport on a medi-cab was where Newcastle lost the match as they were completely outplayed by the Chooks, who went on to claim the premiership for the first time since 2002.
Nevertheless, it was a successful season from the Knights and next year will be about building on it, as time runs out for Wayne Bennett and his ageing squad to claim a third premiership.
In the past few years the master coach has done an excellent job in luring some of the club’s legends, past and present, back home, such as Timana Tahu, Danny Buderus and Kade Snowden, while Anthony Quinn also returned after seven years at Melbourne, though he was only able to make four appearances all year as injury ruined his homecoming.
Willie Mason, although not a club legend but actually a local, also made a good impact and proved to be a good influence on the club’s forwards, as his career winds down.
Jeremy Smith and Beau Scott, who both came from Cronulla and St. George Illawarra respectively, also impressed in their first season in the Steel City, though neither made more than 20 appearances in the year.
Their continued input will be crucial to the Knights’ chances in 2014.
One more club legend will return home after stints at Melbourne, the English Super League, and very recently, Penrith.
Clint Newton will return to the club in 2014, seven years after being previously unwanted by then-coach Brian Smith after a century of games’ service in 2007. His milestone match was, sadly, tarnished by a record 71-6 thrashing at the hands of the Brisbane Broncos on the darkest day in the Knights’ history.
But he will relish the chance to finally return home as his career goes full circle, and it would be the perfect way to end an illustrious career.
He could also prove to be the missing piece in Newcastle’s quest for the premiership, Knights fans not forgetting what he had previously contributed for the club on the field prior to 2007 (except for a miscued shoulder charge on Ashton Sims which earned him a 12-week ban in 2004).
The future is bright for Newcastle fans, and I see no reason why they cannot do well in 2014. Undoubtedly, the premiership would be their biggest aim, having not experienced this high since 2001.
However, with the retirement of Buderus at the end of the year, only Timana Tahu and Matt Gidley (CEO) will remain from the victorious squad from 12 years ago, while Darius Boyd, Jeremy Smith, Beau Scott and Neville Costigan also have premiership experience from Wayne Bennett’s days at the Dragons, in addition to Willie Mason being a Clive Churchill Medallist as part of the Bulldogs team which won in 2004.
This experience should be enough, though, to inspire the Knights to a third premiership. Anything is possible, and can happen, as they say.
Reckon you can pick the winning team? Build your own dream team with Draftstars daily fantasy and compete on any match. For great odds on the NRL head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
Who are the hardest working big men in the NRL?
1. Manu is not No.1 at Roosters Everyone knows Joey Manu is a really good fullback. He’s probably in the top five in the…
Kalyn Ponga showed he was tough but the Knights didn’t display too much intelligence in allowing him to remain on the field when he…
Newcastle have taken the two points over St George Illawarra at McDonald Jones Stadium, edging the Dragons 30-10 on a night when the weather…
Playing talent is always important, yet creating a winning culture even more so.
The life of an NRL coach is portrayed as a cut-throat occupation where they could get the punt at any given moment. In reality,…
