South Sydney Rabbitohs vs Newcastle Knights - Finals Week 1, 2026
The result
Knights beat Rabbitohs 20 to 10 at Allianz Stadium, pulling away after a tight start. Jermaine McEwen opened the scoring in the 5th minute and the Knights led 10 to 6 at halftime before closing it out.
How it unfolded
Knights made 1806 all run metres to the Rabbitohs' 1507, and backed it up with 39 tackle breaks to the Rabbitohs' 25. The forward pressure carried through the middle of the park all game.
Against projection
Kalyn Ponga scored 69 against a projection of 45, while Mat Croker got to 51 against a projection of 30. At the other end Latrell Mitchell managed only 34 against a projection of 75, and Cody Walker, named to start, lasted just 30 minutes and scored 3 against a projection of 49.
