Match Centre

Round 23: Knights v Wests Tigers preview

Knights, Tigers look to have fun in the sun

Attacking football will be the order of the day on Sunday afternoon when the Newcastle Knights host the Wests Tigers in a contest of contrasting desperation. 

Facing an uphill battle as the longest shot remaining in the hunt to play finals football, the Newcastle Knights will be hoping the rare chance to play at home during the day brings out their best.

Coach Adam O'Brien has recalled Brodie Jones in the only change from the side that went down 22-14 to the Panthers last Sunday, however Sebastian Su'a has been included in the extended squad for the first time in a sign the highly-rated youngster could come into calculations for a debut.

The Knights have experienced a disappointing decline in their attack over the past year, going from averaging 26 points to a league-worst 17 points per game, in part due to the lack of consistency in key spine positions with five different halves combinations and captain Kalyn Ponga appearing in ten matches.

Sunday will be only the third time the Knights have played at home during daylight hours this year; the side has thrived over the past 18 months with eight wins from ten day matches.

Languishing at the bottom of the ladder, four points adrift of their closest rivals, the Wests Tigers will need to win on Sunday afternoon to stave off a third straight wooden spoon.

Demonstrating attacking flair and defensive frailty during last Thursday's 48-30 defeat to the Cowboys at home, coach Benji Marshall has recalled Adam Doueihi in place of suspended centre Justin Olam, while Aidan Sezer and Fonua Pole also come back into the squad.

Holding a fair record in Newcastle with nine wins from 20 visits over the past quarter of a century, the Tigers have managed just one win away from home this season.

The Tigers have used 36 players in the league this season - the most of any club in the league - with only a quarter of their personnel appearing in over 75% of games and a third playing five games or fewer.

Last meeting: Round 10 2024 - Wests Tigers 14 Knights 20

Who to watch: There are few sights as electrifying in rugby league as Kalyn Ponga at his best while the sun shines over McDonald Jones Stadium. Winning eight out of nine matches in daytime conditions after reverting to fullback last season, the reigning Dally M medallist has had limited opportunities to replicate that form with one try and four assist in ten matches throughout 2024. With the Knights needing to win all their remaining games to have any chance of making the finals, the hope of every Novocastrian will live or die on Ponga adding to his highlight reel on Sunday afternoon.

The present has been tough for the Wests Tigers, but in Lachlan Galvin the future appears bright. Enjoying a rapid rise to announce himself among the best young talents in the game, the 19-year-old five-eighth has produced scintillating moments of attack with ten try assists to stand as the best of the 11 debutants used by the joint venture in first grade this season. Averaging over 120 running metres in 17 games as a rookie, look for Galvin to thrive in daytime conditions as the Tigers look to claim their first win in the Hunter in three years.

FAVOURITE: The Knights are expected to extend their record over the Wests Tigers after winning seven out of nine meetings during O'Brien's tenure.

MY TIP: The Newcastle faithful have turned up each week in droves waiting for their team to recapture the heights of last season. If they can't lift on Sunday, it's never going to happen for them in 2024. Knights by 14.