Newcastle Knights vs St George Illawarra Dragons - Round 16, 2026
The result
Newcastle led 16 to 12 at halftime and held on as the Dragons closed to within 2 points late, Dylan Egan's 71st minute try the last score of the night. Fletcher Sharpe opened the scoring in the 6th minute and the Knights never trailed at McDonald Jones Stadium, winning 22 to 20.
How it unfolded
St George Illawarra held more of the ball and completed at a higher rate, with the Dragons recording 51 percent possession and a 90 percent completion rate to the Knights' 89 percent, yet Newcastle made more metres, running for 1837 to the Dragons' 1816.
Against projection
Thomas Cant returned 60 points against a projection of just 17, while Setu Tu beat his own mark with 50 against 31. Greg Marzhew fell well short, managing 21 against a 61 projection, and Josh Kerr was hauled off after just 21 minutes despite being named to start, still finishing with 31 points.
Price moves
Ryan Couchman's 77 against a break even of 40 lifted his price by $33,000, and Daniel Atkinson's 59 against a break even of 28 added $27,000. At the other end, Luciano Leilua fell $54,000 after scoring 29 against a break even of 76, with Phoenix Crossland down $27,000 after his 42 missed a 67 break even.
Ownership outcome
Dylan Brown, a starting half likely to have been among the more heavily owned Knights, delivered 77 points off a 57 projection with 2 try assists. Sandon Smith also started and scored 47 against a 42 projection, a modest return alongside Brown's bigger night.
