Newcastle upsets South Sydney 20-10 to advance in NRL finals
Newcastle beat South Sydney 20-10 in an NRL elimination final, advancing to next week's semi-final despite missing key players.
Newcastle beat South Sydney 20-10 in a Friday night elimination final at Allianz Stadium, keeping their premiership hopes alive with their first road finals win since 2013. The Knights were missing five-eighth Dylan Brown and their first-choice front-rowers.
Few expected them to advance. Jermaine McEwen, a young back-rower, scored two tries, and Newcastle's right edge, spearheaded by Dane Gagai, controlled the game against South Sydney's Latrell Mitchell.
McEwen drew first blood with a catch and 30-metre run in the sixth minute. Gagai added another try as the Knights led 10-6 at halftime.
South Sydney fought back when Campbell Graham scored a try, but they lost key players Cody Walker and Alex Johnston to injury. A Sullivan try was ruled out after a bunker review.
Newcastle will face the loser of Saturday's qualification between the Warriors and Dolphins.
- Newcastle 20, South Sydney 10
- Final score
- Allianz Stadium
- Venue
- 28,152
- Crowd
- 2013
- Last road finals win
Why it mattersA surprising elimination final win keeps Newcastle's unlikely finals run alive and sets up a semi-final appearance despite injuries to key players.
AustraliaNewcastle supporters have their first realistic finals hopes in years; the Knights remain in contention for a deep NRL finals push in front of a 28,152-strong home crowd.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 53 min ago
