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Knights v Raiders: Ponga good to go; Schiller in for Kris

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The Knights are the hottest team in the NRL heading into the finals and will go in as overwhelming favourites to make it 10 wins in a row against the Raiders.

Sitting 14th after Round 17 the Knights looked out of sorts and out of contention but they have peeled off nine straight to earn a home final and a crack at a first premiership in 22 years.

The Raiders, meanwhile, lost three of their last four games to hobble into the finals with a points differential of -137, the fourth worst in the NRL ahead of only the Bulldogs, Dragons and Wests Tigers.

With forward leaders Josh Papalii and Corey Horsburgh both unavailable, the Raiders will have to produce one of their bravest efforts in recent memory to overcome the in-form Knights and their passionate fans.

As they showed in 2019 when they downed the Storm at AAMI Park in week one of the finals on their way to the decider, the Green Machine are never to be taken lightly when their backs are against the wall and coach Ricky Stuart will have them primed for an ambush.

The last time the Knights played a home final was 2006, when Andrew Johns and Danny Buderus led them to a 25-18 win over Manly, and the Newcastle faithful will be hoping Kalyn Ponga can orchestrate another famous victory to keep the dream alive for another week.

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Team News

Knights: Kalyn Ponga is good to go and will start at fullback after missing last week with a shoulder injury. He heads up a host of key additions for Newcastle, with Jackson Hastings (ankle), utility Kurt Mann (sternum) and back-rower Lachlan Fitzgibbon (shoulder) all declared fit. Dane Gagai starts at centre despite being sick during the week. 

Raiders: No late changes for coach Ricky Stuart, with James Schiller the man to replace Seb Kris (suspension) on the wing. Club legend Jarrod Croker was dropped from the reserves an hour before kick-off, with Albert Hopoate remaining to be the 18th man. The loss of Josh Papalii (biceps) and Corey Horsburgh (suspended) has tested the club's forward depth, with Ata Mariota and Hohepa Puru again part of the run-on side. 

Team Lists

Backs

  • Fullback for Knights is number 1 Kalyn Ponga
    Fullback for Raiders is number 1 Jordan Rapana
  • Winger for Knights is number 2 Dominic Young
    Winger for Raiders is number 2 James Schiller
  • Centre for Knights is number 3 Dane Gagai
    Centre for Raiders is number 3 Jack Wighton
  • Centre for Knights is number 4 Bradman Best
    Centre for Raiders is number 4 Matthew Timoko
  • Winger for Knights is number 5 Greg Marzhew
    Winger for Raiders is number 5 Nick Cotric
  • Five-Eighth for Knights is number 6 Tyson Gamble
    Five-Eighth for Raiders is number 6 Matt Frawley
  • Halfback for Knights is number 7 Jackson Hastings
    Halfback for Raiders is number 7 Jamal Fogarty

Forwards

  • Prop for Knights is number 8 Jacob Saifiti
    Prop for Raiders is number 8 Ata Mariota
  • Hooker for Knights is number 9 Phoenix Crossland
    Hooker for Raiders is number 9 Zac Woolford
  • Prop for Knights is number 10 Leo Thompson
    Prop for Raiders is number 10 Joseph Tapine
  • 2nd Row for Knights is number 11 Tyson Frizell
    2nd Row for Raiders is number 11 Hudson Young
  • 2nd Row for Knights is number 12 Lachlan Fitzgibbon
    2nd Row for Raiders is number 12 Elliott Whitehead
  • Lock for Knights is number 13 Adam Elliott
    Lock for Raiders is number 13 Hohepa Puru

Interchange

  • Interchange for Knights is number 14 Kurt Mann
    Interchange for Raiders is number 14 Tom Starling
  • Interchange for Knights is number 15 Daniel Saifiti
    Interchange for Raiders is number 15 Emre Guler
  • Interchange for Knights is number 16 Jack Hetherington
    Interchange for Raiders is number 16 Pasami Saulo
  • Interchange for Knights is number 17 Mat Croker
    Interchange for Raiders is number 17 Trey Mooney

Reserves

  • Replacement for Knights is number 20 Dylan Lucas
    Replacement for Raiders is number 19 Albert Hopoate

Match Officials

  • Referee: Ashley Klein
  • Touch Judge: Liam Kennedy
  • Touch Judge: Jon Stone
  • Senior Review Official: Adam Gee

Last updated:

Stat Attack 

  • This will be the first time these two clubs have met in finals football.
  • The Knights have not won a finals match since 2013.
  • The Raiders have won only one of their past six games at McDonald Jones Stadium.
  • The Raiders have won only three from 10 against top-eight opposition in 2023.
  • The Knights have come up with 142 line breaks this season, equal best in the competition with the Sharks. The Raiders ranked 15th with 99 line breaks.
  • The Raiders have played finals in four of the past five seasons while the Knights will make their third finals appearance in the past four seasons.
  • The Knights have a 9-3 record at McDonald Jones Stadium in 2023, including a 24-14 win over the Raiders in Round 4.
  • Knights winger Dom Young tops the NRL for line breaks with 31. Jordan Rapana and Matt Timoko lead the Raiders with 14 apiece.
  • Knights winger Greg Marzhew has scored 14 tries in 10 games at McDonald Jones Stadium in 2023.
  • The Knights will play their first home final since 2006.

Stats supplied by David Middleton, League Information Services, author of the .

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