As a long-suffering Knights fan 10 rounds ago, a home final did not seem in the realm of possibilities for this year.
After a couple of disappointing defeats to Roosters and Panthers teams missing a lot of regular players, and a bye to regroup, something clicked at the Knights and they have gone on a fairytale run to rise into fifth spot and then a home final culminating in a heart-stopping game that left most fans struggling to recover from jangled nerves.
In the past few years Kalyn Ponga has been sledged for not doing enough for the team, considering the large percentage of the salary cap he takes up, as well as his position and responsibility.
But now he seems worth every penny. Watching the games and interviews lately it is noticeable how far he’s come with his maturity and the improvement in his game.
He has recovered from the head knock saga and not being selected for Queensland and his form over the past 10 weeks has been incredible.
Since moving back to fullback from five-eighth, it seems like he has improved at knowing when to inject himself into the attack and connect with the players around him.
But the Knights are not a one-pony show. A woefully unsung hero of their run has been Tyson Gamble. This bloke has shown in every game his strong qualities and has been the buy of the year. He has shown tenacity and a mongrel type competitiveness that is infectious to the players around him.
Another player exceeding expectations is Pheonix Crossland, who has been getting better and better after switching from the halves to hooker.
Tyson Gamble with Bradman Best. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)
Will Jayden Brailey regain the starting position when he returns from injury because Crossland is currently owning that No.9 jersey and it’d be quite tough to take it off him.
Ponga has been supported by a lot of players hitting their best form – Bradman Best, Dominic Young, Lachlan Fitzgibbon and Greg Marzhew. All of these players have been incredible in their own right and the team is working well as a whole.
Adam O’Brien deserves credit here too. With the personal circumstances he’s had, to come to work still during it all and lead the Knights to where they are is special.
The crowd and atmosphere on Sunday was special for the 30-28 triumph over Canberra in extra time, a reflection of the exciting brand of football the team is playing.
And there’s no reason why the Knights can’t continue their winning ways against the Warriors this Saturday if they keep buying in to be a sum greater than their collective parts.
astro
Roar Rookie
The second half of the Knights season really makes you wonder what happened to the first half! Obviously, Ponga at 5/8th was a failure, and injuries an issue, but the Knights always had that dominant back 5...they just didn't seem to know how to use them. Bizarrely, I think Origin helped them. Ponga and Gagai seemed determined to show Qld what they were missing out on. Best and Saifiti had a huge Game 3 and came back to the club with a big boost in confidence. But above all, I agree, the form of Gamble, Crossland and to a slightly lesser extent, the backrowers Elliot and Fitzgibbon, has been amazing. Ponga cant play the way he is without those guys doing their job as well as they have been. Its a great story and agree they'll challenge the Wahs this weekend.