No matter how brilliant Sydney might prove to be on Sunday night, the 2026 grand final will be remembered for Newcastle’s presence in the decider
Grudging favourite the Sydney Roosters meet rugby league’s forgotten child the Newcastle Knights in the NRL grand final on Sunday night. The recipe is delicious, its concoction somehow spiritual: the effect of the combined crossings of every finger in the Hunter Valley, urging just one more win in the Knights’ improbable run to the decider.
Whatever the result, and no matter how brilliant the Roosters might prove to be, the occasion will be remembered for the Knights’ presence. They are, of course, outsiders against the formidable tricolours. The underdogs finished seventh, and the finals have already delivered them three upsets against the Rabbitohs, the Warriors and the Panthers. This Knights’ tale gleams more brightly one year after their wooden spoon.
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