2020 Newcastle Knights season
Rugby league team season
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The 2020 Newcastle Knights season was the 33rd in the club's history. Coached by Adam O'Brien and captained by Mitchell Pearce, they competed in the NRL's 2020 Telstra Premiership. On 23 March, the NRL announced that the season would be suspended after round 2, until further notice due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] The NRL returned on 28 May with a new draw,[2] the Knights' round 3 game coming on 31 May against the Penrith Panthers.[3] The Knights finished the regular season in 7th place (out of 16), thus reaching the finals but were knocked out after losing to the South Sydney Rabbitohs in week 1.
| 2020 Newcastle Knights season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NRL Rank | 7th | |||
| Play-off result | Elimination Finalists (Week 1) | |||
| 2020 record | Wins: 11; draws: 1; losses: 8 | |||
| Points scored | For: 421; against: 374 | |||
| Team information | ||||
| CEO | Phil Gardner | |||
| Coach | Adam O'Brien | |||
| Captain | ||||
| Stadium | McDonald Jones Stadium | |||
| Avg. attendance | 4,614 | |||
| High attendance | 10,239 | |||
| Top scorers | ||||
| Tries | Enari Tuala (11) | |||
| Goals | Kalyn Ponga (46) | |||
| Points | Kalyn Ponga (132) | |||
| ||||
Squad
| 2020 NRL premiership (Top 30) squad | Development players | Coaching staff | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Extended squad players |
Head coach Assistant coaches
Updated: 4 August 2020 | |||||
Transfers and Re-signings
Gains
| Player/Coach | Previous club | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Adam Bettridge (Jersey Flegg Cup coach) | Macquarie Scorpions | 2020 |
| Jayden Brailey | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 2022 |
| Matt Cooper | Eastern Suburbs Tigers | 2020 |
| David Furner (assistant coach) | Leeds Rhinos | 2022 |
| Blake Green | New Zealand Warriors | 2020 |
| Andrew McCullough | Brisbane Broncos | 2020 |
| Adam O'Brien (head coach) | Sydney Roosters | 2022 |
| Willie Peters (assistant coach) | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 2020 |
| Tyronne Roberts-Davis | Burleigh Bears | 2020 |
| Gehamat Shibasaki | Brisbane Broncos | 2022 |
| Matt Soper-Lawler | Souths Logan Magpies | 2020 |
| Enari Tuala | North Queensland Cowboys | 2020 |
Losses
| Player/Coach | Club |
|---|---|
| Mitch Andrews | Contract terminated |
| Nathan Brown (head coach) | Contract terminated |
| Jamie Buhrer | Retirement |
| Kiah Cooper | Western Suburbs Rosellas |
| Sale Finau | Sunbury United Rugby League |
| Jacob Gagai | South Sydney Rabbitohs |
| James Gavet | Huddersfield Giants |
| Slade Griffin | Retirement |
| Shaun Kenny-Dowall | Hull Kingston Rovers |
| Brayden Musgrove | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles |
| Jesse Ramien | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks |
| Nathan Ross | Retirement |
| James Shepherd (assistant coach) | St. George Illawarra Dragons |
| Sam Stone | Gold Coast Titans |
| Kristian Woolf (assistant coach & interim head coach) | St Helens R.F.C. |
| Zac Woolford | Newtown Jets |
Promoted juniors
| Player | Junior side |
|---|---|
| Mitch Black | Knights Jersey Flegg Cup |
| Jack Cameron | Knights Jersey Flegg Cup |
| Zac Hosking | Knights Canterbury Cup NSW |
| Dylan Lucas | Knights Jersey Flegg Cup |
| Toby Marks | Knights Jersey Flegg Cup |
| Brandon Russell | Knights Jersey Flegg Cup |
| Bayden Searle | Knights Jersey Flegg Cup |
Change of role
| Player/Coach | New role |
|---|---|
| Scott Dureau (Jersey Flegg Cup coach) | Knights junior development |
| Tony Gleeson (Knights JFC assistant coach) | Knights Jersey Flegg Cup coach |
| Rory Kostjasyn (Canterbury Cup NSW coach) | Knights development coach |
Re-signings
| Player/Coach | Re-signed to |
|---|---|
| Mitchell Barnett | 2023 |
| Blake Green | 2021 |
| Hymel Hunt | 2021 |
| Brodie Jones | 2021 |
| Josh King | 2021 |
| Christian Ma'anaima | 2023 |
| Jirah Momoisea | 2022 |
| Kalyn Ponga | 2024 |
| Chris Randall | 2021 |
| Daniel Saifiti | 2022 |
| Jacob Saifiti | 2022 |
| Simi Sasagi | 2022 |
| Pasami Saulo | 2022 |
| Enari Tuala | 2021 |
| Connor Watson | 2021 |
Player contract situations
Ladder
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 537 | 238 | +299 | 37 | Advance to finals series | |
| 2 | 20 | 16 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 534 | 276 | +258 | 32 | ||
| 3 | 20 | 15 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 392 | 288 | +104 | 30 | ||
| 4 | 20 | 14 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 552 | 322 | +230 | 28 | ||
| 5 | 20 | 14 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 445 | 317 | +128 | 28 | ||
| 6 | 20 | 12 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 521 | 352 | +169 | 24 | ||
| 7 | 20 | 11 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 421 | 374 | +47 | 23 | ||
| 8 | 20 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 480 | 480 | 0 | 20 | ||
| 9 | 20 | 9 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 346 | 463 | −117 | 18 | ||
| 10 | 20 | 8 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 343 | 458 | −115 | 16 | ||
| 11 | 20 | 7 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 440 | 505 | −65 | 14 | ||
| 12 | 20 | 7 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 378 | 452 | −74 | 14 | ||
| 13 | 20 | 7 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 375 | 509 | −134 | 14 | ||
| 14 | 20 | 5 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 368 | 520 | −152 | 10 | ||
| 15 | 20 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 282 | 504 | −222 | 6 | ||
| 16 | 20 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 268 | 624 | −356 | 6 |
(M) Minor premiers; (P) Premiers; (W) Wooden spoon
Milestones
- Round 1: Jayden Brailey made his debut for the club, after previously playing for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks.
- Round 1: Kalyn Ponga played his 50th career game.
- Round 1: Gehamat Shibasaki made his debut for the club, after previously playing for the Brisbane Broncos.
- Round 1: Enari Tuala made his debut for the club, after previously playing for the North Queensland Cowboys.
- Round 2: Enari Tuala scored his 1st try for the club.
- Round 3: Tex Hoy made his NRL debut for the club and kicked his 1st career goal.
- Round 3: Brodie Jones made his NRL debut for the club.
- Round 3: Chris Randall made his NRL debut for the club and set a new record for amount of tackles made by a player making their debut, with 71 tackles.
- Round 4: Andrew McCullough made his debut for the club, after previously playing for the Brisbane Broncos.
- Round 7: Tex Hoy scored his 1st career try.
- Round 7: Gehamat Shibasaki scored his 1st career try.
- Round 8: Andrew McCullough scored his 1st try for the club.
- Round 9: Herman Ese'ese played his 50th game for the club.
- Round 10: Aidan Guerra played his 200th career game.
- Round 11: Kalyn Ponga played his 50th game for the club.
- Round 12: Mitchell Pearce played his 50th game for the club.
- Round 13: Phoenix Crossland scored his 1st career try.
- Round 13: Blake Green made his debut for the club, after previously playing for the New Zealand Warriors.
- Round 14: Aidan Guerra played his 50th game for the club.
- Round 16: David Klemmer played his 150th career game.
- Round 17: Josh King scored his 1st career try.
- Finals Week 1: Aidan Guerra kicked his 1st career goal.
Jerseys and sponsors
In 2020, the Knights' jerseys were made by O'Neills and their major sponsor was nib Health Funds.
| 2020 Home Jersey | 2020 Away Jersey | 2020 Indigenous Jersey | 2020 NSW Mining Jersey |
|---|---|---|---|
Fixtures
NRL Nines
Squad: 1. Kurt Gidley 2. Jirah Momoisea 3. Hymel Hunt 4. Brodie Jones 5. Gehamat Shibasaki 6. Aidan Guerra (c) 7. Starford To'a 8. Jacob Saifiti 9. Pasami Saulo 10. Kurt Mann (c) 11. Tyronne Roberts-Davis 12. Mason Lino 13. Sione Mata'utia 14. Mitchell Barnett 15. Bayden Searle 16. Tex Hoy 17. Simi Sasagi 18. Matt Soper-Lawler
| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Drop Goal Conversions | Attendance | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, 14 February | Round 1 | HBF Park | 34–0 | M.Lino, S.Mata'utia, T.Hoy, M.Soper-Lawler | M.Lino (4/4) | |||||
| Saturday, 15 February | Round 2 | HBF Park | 16–4 | S.Sasagi, J.Saifiti, T.Hoy | M.Lino (2/3) | |||||
| Saturday, 15 February | Quarter Finals | HBF Park | 7–14 | T.Hoy | T.Roberts-Davis (1/1) | |||||
| Legend: Win Loss Draw | ||||||||||
Pre-season Trials
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Conversions | Attendance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 22 February | Maitland Sportsground | 12–38 | C.Randall, L.Huth | M.Lino (1) T.Hoy (1) | ||||||
| Saturday, 29 February | Central Coast Stadium | 58–0 | M.Barnett, J.Brailey, K.Ponga, G.Shibasaki, H.Hunt, L.Fitzgibbon, C.Watson, S.Sasagi, T.Hoy, M.Barnett | K.Ponga (3), M.Lino (6) | ||||||
| Legend: Win Loss Draw | ||||||||||
Regular season
| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Conversions/Penalty | Attendance | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday 14 March | Round 1 | Mcdonald Jones Stadium | 20–0 | D.Saifiti, E.Lee, K.Ponga | K.Ponga (4/5) | 10,239 | ||||
| Sunday 22 March | Round 2 | Leichhardt Oval | 42–24 | E.Tuala (2), M.Barnett, K.Mann, E.Lee, K.Ponga, M.Pearce, C.Watson | K.Ponga (5/9) | 0 (closed event) | ||||
| Saturday 28 March | Round 3 (Suspended)** | Netstrata Jubilee Stadium | Suspended | |||||||
| Friday 3 April | Round 4 (Suspended)** | Mcdonald Jones Stadium | Suspended | |||||||
| Thursday 9 April | Round 5 (Suspended)** | Lottoland | Suspended | |||||||
| Saturday 18 April | Round 6 (Suspended)** | Suspended | ||||||||
| Sunday 26 April | Round 7 (Suspended)** | Mcdonald Jones Stadium | Suspended | |||||||
| Saturday 2 May | Round 8 (Suspended)** | Suncorp Stadium | Suspended | |||||||
| Saturday 9 May | Round 9 (Suspended)** | Mcdonald Jones Stadium | Suspended | |||||||
| Thursday 14 May | Round 10 (Suspended)** | Sydney Cricket Ground | Suspended | |||||||
| Sunday 24 May | Round 11 (Suspended)** | Mcdonald Jones Stadium | Suspended | |||||||
| Saturday 30 May | Round 12 (Suspended)** | Mcdonald Jones Stadium | Suspended | |||||||
| Sunday 7 June | Round 13 (Suspended)** | Panthers Stadium | Suspended | |||||||
| Saturday 13 June | Round 14 (Suspended)** | Mcdonald Jones Stadium | Suspended | |||||||
| Sunday 28 June | Round 15 (Suspended)** | Mcdonald Jones Stadium | Suspended | |||||||
| Round 16 (Suspended)** | Bye | |||||||||
| Sunday 12 July | Round 17 (Suspended)** | Queensland Country Bank Stadium | Suspended | |||||||
| Sunday 19 July | Round 18 (Suspended)** | Mcdonald Jones Stadium | Suspended | |||||||
| Sunday 26 July | Round 19 (Suspended)** | Mcdonald Jones Stadium | Suspended | |||||||
| Saturday 1 August | Round 20 (Suspended)** | Bankwest Stadium | Suspended | |||||||
| Sunday 9 August | Round 21 (Suspended)** | Mt Smart Stadium | Suspended | |||||||
| Saturday 15 August | Round 22 (Suspended)** | Mcdonald Jones Stadium | Suspended | |||||||
| Saturday 22 August | Round 23 (Suspended)** | Suncorp Stadium | Suspended | |||||||
| Friday 28 August | Round 24 (Suspended)** | Bankwest Stadium | Suspended | |||||||
| Sunday 6 September | Round 25 (Suspended)** | Mcdonald Jones Stadium | Suspended | |||||||
| Legend: Win Loss Draw Suspended | ||||||||||
- From Round 2 the NRL announced matches would be played behind closed doors until further notice due to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) situation[45]
- * Match relocated to Canberra due to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) situation[46]
- ** Season suspended from Round 3 until further notice due to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) situation[47]
Updated Regular Season - 21 May 2020
| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Conversions/Penalty | Attendance | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday 14 March | Round 1 | Mcdonald Jones Stadium | 20–0 | D.Saifiti, E.Lee, K.Ponga | K.Ponga (4/5) | 10,239 | ||||
| Sunday 22 March | Round 2 | Leichhardt Oval | 42–24 | E.Tuala (2), M.Barnett, K.Mann, E.Lee, K.Ponga, M.Pearce, C.Watson | K.Ponga (5/9) | 0 (closed event) | ||||
| - | - | - | - | - | Season Suspended due to COVID-19 Pandemic | - | - | |||
| Sunday 31 May | Round 3 | Campbelltown Stadium | 14–14 | J.Saifiti, B.Best (2) | T.Hoy (1/3) | 0 (closed event) | ||||
| Sunday 7 June | Round 4 | Campbelltown Stadium | 34–18 | B.Best (2), K.Ponga, E.Lee (2), E.Tuala | K.Ponga (4/5), T.Hoy (1/1) | 0 (closed event) | ||||
| Saturday 13 June | Round 5 | Central Coast Stadium | 12–26 | B.Best, E.Lee | K.Ponga (2/3) | Not Counted | ||||
| Thursday 18 June | Round 6 | Central Coast Stadium | 27–6 | K.Mann, H.Hunt, D.Saifiti, M.Pearce | K.Ponga (5/5), M.Pearce (1/1 Field Goal) | 167 *Restricted Capacity | ||||
| Saturday 27 June | Round 7 | Queensland Country Bank Stadium | 32–20 | T.Hoy, H.Hunt, K.Mann, G.Shibasaki | K.Ponga (2/4) | 1,853 *Restricted Capacity | ||||
| Sunday 5 July | Round 8 | 14–12 | A.McCullough, K.Mann | K.Ponga (3/3) | 2,271 *Restricted Capacity | |||||
| Sunday 12 July | Round 9 | 10–3 | A.McCullough | K.Ponga (0/1) | 6,980 *Restricted Capacity | |||||
| Saturday 18 July | Round 10 | Bankwest Stadium | 20–18 | E.Tuala, K.Mann, K.Ponga, B.Best | K.Ponga (2/5) | 4,249 *Restricted Capacity | ||||
| Sunday 26 July | Round 11 | Mcdonald Jones Stadium | 12–18 | H.Hunt, S.Mata'utia | K.Ponga (2/2) | 3,521 *Restricted Capacity | ||||
| Sunday 2 August | Round 12 | 16–26 | B.Best, A.Guerra, E.Tuala | K.Ponga (2/3) | 5,437 *Restricted Capacity | |||||
| Saturday 8 August | Round 13 | Mcdonald Jones Stadium | 44–3 | K.Ponga (2), H.Hunt, S.To'a, J.Saifiti, H.Ese'ese, G.Shibasaki, P.Crossland | K.Ponga (6/9) | 2,952* Restricted Capacity | ||||
| Sunday 16 August | Round 14 | Mcdonald Jones Stadium | 26–24 | S.To'a, K.Mann, E.Tuala (2), H.Hunt | K.Ponga (3/5) | * Restricted Capacity | ||||
| Sunday 23 August | Round 15 | Mcdonald Jones Stadium | 12–0 | H.Hunt, E.Tuala | K.Ponga (2/5) | 5,304* Restricted Capacity | ||||
| Saturday 29 August | Round 16 | Scully Park | 36–6 | G.Shibasaki | K.Ponga (1/1) | * Restricted Capacity | ||||
| Friday 4 September | Round 17 | Mcdonald Jones Stadium | 38–10 | S.To'a (2), K.Ponga (3), L.Fitzgibbon, J.King | K.Ponga (0/2), M.Lino (5/6) | 5,597* Restricted Capacity | ||||
| Saturday 12 September | Round 18 | Sydney Cricket Ground | 42–12 | E.Tuala, G.Shibasaki | M.Lino (2/2) | * Restricted Capacity | ||||
| Sunday 20 September | Round 19 | Mcdonald Jones Stadium | 42–18 | K.Ponga, G.Shibasaki, A.Guerra, D.Saifiti, E.Tuala (2), J.Saifiti | M.Lino (2/2) | 6,659* Restricted Capacity | ||||
| Friday 25 September | Round 20 | Cbus Super Stadium | 36–6 | E.Lee | M.Lino (1/1) | 9,877* Restricted Capacity | ||||
| Legend: Win Loss Draw | ||||||||||
Finals series
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time (Local) | Venue | Referees | Crowd | |||||
| QUALIFYING & ELIMINATION FINALS | ||||||||
| 46–20 | 4 October 2020, 4:05 pm | ANZ Stadium | B.Cummins | 17,212* Restricted Capacity | ||||
| Qualifying and elimination finals | Semi-finals | Preliminary finals | Grand final | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 Oct, Panthers Stadium | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | 29 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | 28 | 9 Oct, Sydney Cricket Ground | |||||||||||||||||
| 18 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 3 Oct, GIO Stadium Canberra | 22 | 17 Oct, ANZ Stadium | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | 32 | 20 | |||||||||||||||||
| 8 | 20 | 16 | 25 Oct, ANZ Stadium | ||||||||||||||||
| 20 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 4 Oct, ANZ Stadium | 16 Oct, Suncorp Stadium | 26 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | 46 | 30 | |||||||||||||||||
| 7 | 20 | 10 Oct, Bankwest Stadium | 10 | ||||||||||||||||
| 24 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 3 Oct, Suncorp Stadium | 38 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | 36 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | 24 | ||||||||||||||||||
Statistics
| Name | Appearances | Tries | Goals | Field goals | Points | Captain | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchell Barnett | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 26 |
| Bradman Best | 11 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 0 | 19 |
| Jayden Brailey | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
| Phoenix Crossland | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 20 |
| Herman Ese'ese | 21 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 26 |
| Lachlan Fitzgibbon | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 26 |
| Tim Glasby | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 |
| Blake Green | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 |
| Aidan Guerra | 21 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 32 |
| Tex Hoy | 9 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 21 |
| Hymel Hunt | 20 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 0 | 27 |
| Brodie Jones | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 |
| Josh King | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 25 |
| David Klemmer | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 |
| Edrick Lee | 11 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 28 |
| Mason Lino | 5 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 26 |
| Kurt Mann | 20 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 27 |
| Sione Mata'utia | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 24 |
| Andrew McCullough | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 30 |
| Tautau Moga | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 |
| Mitchell Pearce | 21 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 21 | 31 |
| Kalyn Ponga | 19 | 10 | 46 | 0 | 132 | 0 | 22 |
| Chris Randall | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 |
| Daniel Saifiti | 14 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 24 |
| Jacob Saifiti | 21 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 24 |
| Pasami Saulo | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 |
| Gehamat Shibasaki | 11 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 22 |
| Starford To'a | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 20 |
| Enari Tuala | 20 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 0 | 22 |
| Connor Watson | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 24 |
| Totals | 21 | 78 | 64 | 1 | 441 | – | Average: 25 |
30 players used.
Source:[49]
Representative honours
The following players appeared in a representative match or were named in a representative squad in 2020.
Indigenous All Stars
Māori All Stars
New South Wales extended 64-man squad
- David Klemmer (Senior squad)
- Mitchell Pearce (Senior squad)
- Jonah Pezet (Future Blues)
- Daniel Saifiti (Senior squad)
New South Wales
Queensland
- Hymel Hunt (train-on squad)
- Edrick Lee
- Kalyn Ponga (train-on squad)
Individual honours
Newcastle Knights awards
- Player of the Year: Kalyn Ponga
- Players' Player: Kalyn Ponga
- Gladiator of the Year Award: Kurt Mann
- Community Player of the Year: Connor Watson
- Rookie of the Year: Chris Randall
- Knight in Shining Armor: Mitchell Barnett
- Club Person of the Year: Luke Huth