Both NRL Preliminary Finals Are Set — and Newcastle Is Back in One for the First Time Since 2013

The Knights weren’t supposed to win this one. New Zealand had a home final at Eden Park, a crowd of 48,511, and everything the occasion demanded. What they didn’t have, in the end, was the last three penalties.

Newcastle beat the Warriors 12-10 on Sunday to reach a preliminary final for the first time since 2013 — and it didn’t finish quietly. Three late calls went Newcastle’s way, and fans inside Eden Park responded by throwing objects at the officials. Warriors coach Andrew Webster called the decisions “frustrating” afterwards, careful with his words but not hiding what he thought of them.

A day earlier, the Roosters made theirs look easy

Saturday’s semi-final wasn’t close. Sydney Roosters 46, Cronulla Sharks 10, at Sydney Football Stadium, a one-sided second half that turned a contest into a rout. It sends the Roosters to Brisbane for a rematch with the club that beat them in their qualifying final a fortnight ago.

Both preliminary finals

The bracket is complete. Four teams left, two matches, one weekend:

• Dolphins v Sydney Roosters — Friday 25 September, Lang Park, Brisbane
• Penrith v Newcastle — Sunday 27 September, Stadium Australia, Sydney

Penrith haven’t played a match in three weeks. They beat the Roosters in the qualifying final, then watched from a bye while everyone else fought for the right to face them. Whether that rest helps them or leaves them undercooked against a Newcastle side that has now won two knockout matches in a row is the question the whole game will be asking by kickoff.

What Newcastle is actually up against

A prelim final at Stadium Australia is a different proposition to an away game at Eden Park with the crowd willing you on. Penrith have been the benchmark all season, and they’ll have had three weeks to prepare specifically for whoever turned up. Newcastle will arrive having played the tougher run — away to the Dolphins in the qualifying final, away to the Warriors in the semi — and having already shown they don’t fold when a game is tight.

The grand final

Whoever wins these two matches meets at Accor Stadium on Sunday 4 October. Penrith are chasing a fifth premiership in six seasons. The Roosters, the Dolphins and Newcastle are all chasing something that hasn’t happened for their club in years — for Newcastle, since 1997 and 2001.