Penrith Panthers vs Newcastle Knights: NRL match result, highlights

Match result:

The Penrith Panthers have finished their 2019 NRL season on a high, giving the Newcastle Knights a 44-point thumping in the final match of the home-and-away season.

Final score
Penrith Panthers 54
Newcastle Knights 10

Match preview:

In a battle of two of the season’s most disappointing sides, the NRL regular season will close out with the Penrith Panthers taking on the Newcastle Knights at the foot of the mountains. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 4:05pm (AEST).

While a dragons fan calling other teams disappointing might seem a bit like throwing stones in glass houses, there is no objectional way to say Penrith and Newcastle have been anything other than ordinary.

There were high hopes for both of these sides coming into the new season. Penrith were a top-four chance, and, after years of being glued to the wrong end of the ladder, the Knights, under Nathan Brown, were a realistic, in fact, better than that, chance of making it into the finals.

Fast forward to the final day of the NRL season though and we see two teams who are a rabble.

Penrith had a winning run through the middle of the season, but have struggled otherwise, at times looking disinterested in defending, and at others like they had just met each other for the first time in attack.

The Knights, on the other hand, have sacked their coach, have top players out of form and very little sense of direction as to where the club is headed in the next 12 months, with a new coach on the way and finals dreams for this year lying in tatters.

But, both teams should still be keen to finish the season on a high, and if they are, it could make for an entertaining contest to wind down the regular season.

With nothing to play for, it might turn into a glorified game of touch footy, with both teams happy to throw the ball around, offloads galore and high scores being posted.

Of course, that could also end in plenty of turnovers and dropped balls, making for a sloppy game, but the hope and prayer is that it won’t descend into that, and those loyal fans who do make their way to the foot of the mountains get an entertaining afternoon.

The Panthers have plenty of bright young stars in their team who can make things happen as well, while it could be an opportunity for Nathan Cleary to show his flamboyant side.

Both sides will have players competing for contracts as well, so there is still plenty on the line from that side of the coin.

Prediction
Who knows which team is actually going to turn up to their final game of the season. Hopefully both do, but I’ll take the Panthers on their home ground in a high-scoring affair.

Panthers by 10.

Be sure to join The Roar for live coverage of the final match of the NRL season from 4:05pm (AEST) and don’t forget to add a comment in the section below.

Game information

Kick-off: 4:05pm (AEST)
Venue: Panthers Stadium, Penrith
TV: Live, Fox League 502, Channel 9
Overall record: Played 48, Knights 24, Panthers 21, drawn 3
Last meeting: Round 2, 2019 – Knights 14 defeated by Panthers 16 at McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle
Last five: Panthers 4, Knights 1
Record at venue: Played 24, Knights 13, Panthers 8, drawn 3
Referees: Adam Gee, Jon Stone

Penrith Panthers
1. Dylan Edwards 2. Stephen Crichton 3. Dean Whare 4. Brent Naden 5. Brian To’o 6. James Maloney 7. Nathan Cleary 8. James Tamou 9. Wayde Egan 10. Moses Leota 11. Viliame Kikau 12. Liam Martin 13. James Fisher-Harris
Interchange: 14. Jarome Luai 15. Spencer Leniu 16. Billy Burns 17. Reagan Campbell-Gillard 18. Sione Katoa 19. Hame Sele

Newcastle Knights
1. Kalyn Ponga 2. Bradman Best 3. Sione Mata’utia 4. Hymel Hunt 5. Shaun Kenny-Dowall 6. Mason Lino 7. Mitchell Pearce 8. David Klemmer 9. Connor Watson 10. Daniel Saifiti 11. Lachlan Fitzgibbon 12. Mitchell Barnett 13. Tim Glasby
Interchange: 14. Kurt Mann 15. Herman Ese’ese 16. Josh King 17. Aidan Guerra 18. Jacob Saifiti 19. Jamie Buhrer 20. Jirah Momoisea 21. Starford Toa