Full Time
80:00
2:00pm Sun August 20, 2023
Round 25 - McDonald Jones Stadium, New Lambton / Awabakal - Crowd: 29018
79min

Trell goes for that cheap shot.

79min

Fair bit of argy-bargy to finish this one out. Trell tries to get revenge on Frizell and they come from everywhere again.

78min

Field Goal: Knights
Kicked by Adam Clune.

Icing on the cake, Clune's first appearance this season earns him a nice point.

Knights lead Knights 29 - 10 Rabbitohs
78min

Clock winding down, result in no doubt. Knights on the attack....

71min

Conversion: Knights
Kicked by Kalyn Ponga.

Ponga converts and it's back out to 18.

Knights lead Knights 28 - 10 Rabbitohs
70min

Try: Knights
Scored by Bradman Best. Kick to come.

Bradman Best capitalises on a Latrell Mitchell drop-ball, running 60 metres to score what should be a match-sealer for the hosts.

Knights lead Knights 26 - 10 Rabbitohs
67min

Conversion: Rabbitohs
Kicked by Latrell Mitchell.

Trell converts Shaq's try and the margin is back to two converted tries.

Knights lead Knights 22 - 10 Rabbitohs
67min

Try: Rabbitohs
Scored by Shaquai Mitchell. Kick to come.

SHAQ ATTACK! His first ever try at NRL level and it's a simple carry and reach-out. Bunnies back in it?

Knights lead Knights 22 - 8 Rabbitohs
62min

Conversion: Knights
Attempted by Kalyn Ponga.

Ponga is now 1/5. Oof.

Knights lead Knights 22 - 4 Rabbitohs
61min

Try: Knights
Scored by Adam Clune. Kick to come.

Grubber through, Mitchell looks to wrap it up but he's tackled and loses possession, it deflects of the referee and Clune grounds it. Bunker ticks it off.

Knights lead Knights 22 - 4 Rabbitohs
59min

Conversion: Knights
Kicked by Kalyn Ponga.

Headgear off, conversion on. Ponga finally kicks a two-pointer.

Knights lead Knights 18 - 4 Rabbitohs
57min

Try: Knights
Scored by Daniel Saifiti. Kick to come.

D Saf crashes over! Newcastle's lead is back up to 12 points.

Knights lead Knights 16 - 4 Rabbitohs
56min

Newcastle with a shambolic moment after a Young break saw the ball inside for Ponga who falls agonisingly short, then it just looked like a rugby maul. Knights on the attack though...

54min

No change to the score since the Cook try. End to end stuff and neither side able to crack the line.

44min

Conversion: Rabbitohs
Attempted by Latrell Mitchell.

'Trell has hit the post from next to the sticks... that's a shocking attempt!

Knights lead Knights 12 - 4 Rabbitohs
43min

Try: Rabbitohs
Scored by Damien Cook. Kick to come.

Air sucked out of the stadium! Cook runs off the scrum and reaches out and plants it despite two tacklers clamouring for him.

Knights lead Knights 12 - 4 Rabbitohs
42min

Young is ruled to have lost it. He's filthy and thinks he was interfered with, Ponga wasn't having a bar of it and the replays show the Newcastle captain was correct, and Souths will have a scrum.

42min

Good attack early for South Sydney but Dane Gagai plucks the last-tackle floating kick from Ilias out of the air and the hosts come away with it.

41min

Second half underway, Knights lead by twelve.

39min

Conversion: Knights
Attempted by Kalyn Ponga.

You'd want to hope these missed conversions don't come back to haunt Newcastle...

Knights lead Knights 12 - 0 Rabbitohs
37min

Try: Knights
Scored by Greg Marzhew. Kick to come.

Marzhew has a hat-trick in the left corner! Superb, and MJS is bouncing.

Knights lead Knights 12 - 0 Rabbitohs
37min

Souths in all sorts in attack, having to run down the short side and rely on offloads before AJ is taken into touch on Newcastle's 30m.

31min

No penalty for the fights, Newcastle were offside so the penalty is Souths' for that.

31min

A bit of push and shove happening on the sideline after Tyson Frizell and Latrell Mitchell came to blows after a stray ball was thrown. Dom Young ends up in the thick of it.

29min

Up to Bunker. Souths claiming a try but it looks like there was an obstruction. Tallis Duncan will not get the four-pointer. NO TRY.

27min

No sooner had we filed the previous update... and Ilias puts a mid-field bomb up which somehow ends up out on the full.

26min

Souths seemed to have stalled the Knights' momentum nicely.

18min

Ponga with an amusing error from dummy half, spiralling the pass straight over the left hand touchline. Souths off the hook once more.

14min

Conversion: Knights
Attempted by Kalyn Ponga.

Another miss from Ponga.

Knights lead Knights 8 - 0 Rabbitohs
12min

Try: Knights
Scored by Greg Marzhew. Kick to come.

Marzhew scores his second off a superb Ponga run down the left edge. Nice medium-range try, scored near the left corner post.

Knights lead Knights 8 - 0 Rabbitohs
11min

Souths go close after earning a repeat set, but Lachlan Ilias benefits from obstruction and Newcastle pick up the penalty.

8min

Conversion: Knights
Attempted by Kalyn Ponga.

Ponga pushes it wide.

Knights lead Knights 4 - 0 Rabbitohs
6min

Try: Knights
Scored by Greg Marzhew. Kick to come.

Superb hands to the left and Marzhew gets the spoils out wide.

Knights lead Knights 4 - 0 Rabbitohs
5min

Newcastle pick up a penalty after Dom Young was illegally put into touch. Full set on the Rabbitohs line.

4min

Ilias' last tackle kick is fielded on the full by Bradman Best and it's a 20m restart for the hosts.

1min

Kickoff. No moment's silence for the passing of Kyle Turner, however John Sutton did walk out after the team with Turner's #15 jersey, which will sit on a seat sideline for the Rabbitohs in what is no doubt an emotional day.

In team news - Hastings is out for the Knights with Clune his halves replacement. South Sydney welcome Tatola and Sele onto the bench with Chee Kam and Moale dropping out.

Kickoff pushes back to 2:05pm, presumably so broadcasters can run more ads pre-game.

Referees & scorers:

Referee: Grant Atkins

Touch Judges: David Munro, Phil Henderson

Video Referee: Adam Gee

NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS (29)
Tries: Greg Marzhew (3), Daniel Saifiti, Adam Clune, Bradman Best
Field Goals: Adam Clune (1/1)
Conversions: Kalyn Ponga (2/6)

SOUTH SYDNEY RABBITOHS (10)
Tries: Damien Cook, Shaquai Mitchell
Conversions: Latrell Mitchell (1/2)