2021 Newcastle Knights season
Rugby league team season
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The 2021 Newcastle Knights season was the 34th in the club's history. Coached by Adam O'Brien and co-captained by Jayden Brailey, Kalyn Ponga and Daniel Saifiti, they competed in the NRL's 2021 Telstra Premiership. In July, the NRL relocated the competition to Queensland to avoid an outbreak of the Deltra variant COVID-19 virus in New South Wales.[1] The Knights finished the regular season in 7th place (out of 16), thus reaching the finals but were knocked out after losing to the Parramatta Eels in week 1.
NRL Rank7th
Play-off resultElimination Finalists (Week 1)
2021 recordWins: 12; draws: 0; losses: 12
Points scoredFor: 428; against: 571
| 2021 Newcastle Knights season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NRL Rank | 7th | |||
| Play-off result | Elimination Finalists (Week 1) | |||
| 2021 record | Wins: 12; draws: 0; losses: 12 | |||
| Points scored | For: 428; against: 571 | |||
| Team information | ||||
| CEO | Phil Gardner | |||
| Coach | Adam O'Brien | |||
| Captain | ||||
| Stadium | McDonald Jones Stadium | |||
| Avg. attendance | 17,636 | |||
| High attendance | 23,015 | |||
| Top scorers | ||||
| Tries | Enari Tuala (13) | |||
| Goals | Jake Clifford (33) | |||
| Points | Jake Clifford (74) | |||
| ||||
Squad
| 2021 NRL top 30 squad | Development players | Coaching staff | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Extended squad players
|
Head coach Assistant coaches
Updated: 9 November 2021 | |||||
Transfers and Re-signings
Gains
| Player/Coach | Previous club | Length | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| McKenzie Baker | Sydney Roosters | 2021 | [2] |
| Zane Camroux | Wests Tigers | 2021 | [3] |
| Tyler Coburn | Ipswich Jets | Pre-season | [4] |
| Jake Clifford | North Queensland Cowboys | 2023 | [5] |
| Tyson Frizell | St. George Illawarra Dragons | 2023 | [6] |
| Bailey Hodgson | Castleford Tigers | 2023 | [7] |
| Jack Johns | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 2021 | [8] |
| Jacob Kiraz | North Queensland Cowboys | 2021 | [9] |
| Blake Lenehan | Ipswich Jets | Pre-season | [4] |
| Brayden Musgrove | Cessnock Goannas | 2022 | [10] |
| Andrew Ryan (NSW Cup coach) | South Newcastle Lions | 2021 | [11] |
| Garrett Smith | North Queensland Cowboys | 2021 | [12] |
| Sauaso Sue | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 2022 | [13] |
| Dom Young | Huddersfield Giants | 2023 | [14] |
Losses
| Player/Coach | Club | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Jack Cameron | South Sydney Rabbitohs | [15] |
| Matt Cooper | Lakes United | [16] |
| Herman Ese'ese | Gold Coast Titans | [17] |
| Beau Fermor | Gold Coast Titans | [18] |
| David Furner (assistant coach) | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | [19] |
| Tim Glasby | Retirement | [20] |
| Tony Gleeson (NSW Cup coach) | Released | |
| Aidan Guerra | Retirement | [21] |
| Danny Levi | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | [22] |
| Mason Lino | Wakefield Trinity | [23] |
| Toby Marks | Canberra Raiders | [24] |
| Sione Mata'utia | St Helens R.F.C. | [25] |
| Andrew McCullough | Brisbane Broncos | [26] |
| Tautau Moga | South Sydney Rabbitohs | [27] |
| Tyronne Roberts-Davis | Wests Tigers | [28] |
| Brandon Russell | Tweed Heads Seagulls | [29] |
| Bayden Searle | Macquarie Scorpions | [30] |
Promoted juniors
| Player | Junior side | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Harry Croker | Knights Jersey Flegg Cup | [31] |
| Cooper Jenkins | Knights Jersey Flegg Cup | [32] |
| Christian Ma'anaima | Knights Jersey Flegg Cup | [33] |
| Jaron Purcell | Knights Jersey Flegg Cup | [2] |
| Daniel Ticehurst | Knights Jersey Flegg Cup | [34] |
| Chris Vea'ila | Knights S. G. Ball Cup | [35] |
Change of role
Re-signings
| Player/Coach | Re-signed to | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Bradman Best | 2024 | [39] |
| Jayden Brailey | 2025 | [40] |
| Lachlan Fitzgibbon | 2023 | [41] |
| Hymel Hunt | 2023 | [42] |
| Brodie Jones | 2023 | [43] |
| Kurt Mann | 2023 | [44] |
| Adam O'Brien (head coach) | 2024 | [45] |
| Mitchell Pearce | 2022 | [46] |
| Daniel Saifiti | 2026 | [47] |
| Jacob Saifiti | 2024 | [47] |
| Starford To'a | 2023 | [48] |
Player contract situations
| 2021 (left) | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyler Coburn[49] | McKenzie Baker[50] | Mitchell Barnett[51] | Bradman Best[39] | Jayden Brailey[40] | Daniel Saifiti[47] |
| Blake Green[52] | Mitch Black[53] | Jake Clifford[5] | Jacob Saifiti[47] | ||
| Zac Hosking[54] | Zane Camroux[53] | Lachlan Fitzgibbon[41] | Kalyn Ponga[55] | ||
| Josh King[56] | Harry Croker[31] | Tyson Frizell[6] | |||
| Jacob Kiraz[57] | Mat Croker[58] | Bailey Hodgson[7] | |||
| Blake Lenehan[49] | Phoenix Crossland[59] | Hymel Hunt[42] | |||
| Christian Ma'anaima[60] | Tex Hoy[61] | Jack Johns[59] | |||
| Mitchell Pearce[62] | Cooper Jenkins[50] | Brodie Jones[43] | |||
| Gehamat Shibasaki[63] | Edrick Lee[64] | David Klemmer[65] | |||
| Garrett Smith[66] | Dylan Lucas[50] | Kurt Mann[44] | |||
| Matt Soper-Lawler[67] | Jirah Momoisea[68] | Chris Randall[59] | |||
| Starford To'a[69] | Brayden Musgrove[10] | Enari Tuala[70] | |||
| Connor Watson[71] | Jaron Purcell[72] | Chris Vea'ila[73] | |||
| Simi Sasagi[74] | Dom Young[14] | ||||
| Pasami Saulo[75] | |||||
| Sauaso Sue[13] | |||||
| Daniel Ticehurst[34] |
Ladder
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Melbourne Storm (M) |
24 | 21 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 815 | 316 | +499 | 44 | Advance to finals series |
| 2 |  Penrith Panthers (P) |
24 | 21 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 676 | 286 | +390 | 44 | |
| 3 |  South Sydney Rabbitohs |
24 | 20 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 775 | 453 | +322 | 42 | |
| 4 |  Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles |
24 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 744 | 492 | +252 | 34 | |
| 5 |  Sydney Roosters |
24 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 630 | 489 | +141 | 34 | |
| 6 |  Parramatta Eels |
24 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 566 | 457 | +109 | 32 | |
| 7 |  Newcastle Knights |
24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 428 | 571 | −143 | 26 | |
| 8 |  Gold Coast Titans |
24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 580 | 583 | −3 | 22 | |
| 9 |  Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks |
24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 520 | 556 | −36 | 22 | |
| 10 |  Canberra Raiders |
24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 481 | 578 | −97 | 22 | |
| 11 |  St. George Illawarra Dragons |
24 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 474 | 616 | −142 | 18 | |
| 12 |  New Zealand Warriors |
24 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 453 | 624 | −171 | 18 | |
| 13 |  Wests Tigers |
24 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 500 | 714 | −214 | 18 | |
| 14 |  Brisbane Broncos |
24 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 1 | 446 | 695 | −249 | 16 | |
| 15 |  North Queensland Cowboys |
24 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 1 | 460 | 748 | −288 | 16 | |
| 16 |  Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs (W) |
24 | 3 | 0 | 21 | 1 | 340 | 710 | −370 | 8 |
Updated to match(es) played on 5 September 2021. Source: 2021 NRL Ladder
(M) Minor premiers; (P) Premiers; (W) Wooden spoon
(M) Minor premiers; (P) Premiers; (W) Wooden spoon
Milestones
- Round 1: Jayden Brailey captained his 1st game for the club.
- Round 1: Tyson Frizell made his debut for the club, after previously playing for the St. George Illawarra Dragons.
- Round 1: Daniel Saifiti played his 100th career game and captained his 1st game for the club.
- Round 1: Sauaso Sue made his debut for the club, after previously playing for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.
- Round 2: Jayden Brailey scored his 1st try for the club.
- Round 3: Tyson Frizell scored his 1st try for the club.
- Round 3: Mitchell Pearce played his 300th career game.
- Round 3: Dom Young made his NRL debut for the club, after previously playing for the Huddersfield Giants.
- Round 4: Kurt Mann kicked his 1st career field goal.
- Round 5: Chris Randall scored his 1st career try.
- Round 6: Hymel Hunt played his 50th game for the club.
- Round 6: Brodie Jones scored his 1st career try.
- Round 6: Brayden Musgrove made his NRL debut for the club.
- Round 8: David Klemmer played his 50th game for the club.
- Round 8: Brayden Musgrove scored his 1st career try.
- Round 8: Sauaso Sue played his 150th career game.
- Round 9: Connor Watson played his 50th game for the club.
- Round 10: Mitchell Barnett played his 100th career game.
- Round 11: Phoenix Crossland kicked his 1st career goal.
- Round 11: Simi Sasagi made his NRL debut for the club.
- Round 11: Sauaso Sue scored his 1st try for the club.
- Round 12: Mitchell Barnett played his 100th game for the club.
- Round 12: Enari Tuala played his 50th career game.
- Round 13: Jake Clifford made his debut for the club, after previously playing for the North Queensland Cowboys.
- Round 13: Mat Croker made his NRL debut for the club.
- Round 13: Jack Johns made his debut for the club, after previously playing for the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
- Round 14: Jake Clifford kicked his 1st goal for the club.
- Round 14: Kurt Mann played his 50th game for the club.
- Round 14: Dom Young scored his 1st career try.
- Round 16: Hymel Hunt played his 100th career game.
- Round 21: Jake Clifford played his 50th career game and scored his 1st try for the club.
- Round 21: Kalyn Ponga captained his 1st game for the club.
- Round 22: Connor Watson played his 100th career game.
- Round 23: Jirah Momoisea made his NRL debut for the club.
- Round 25: Jack Johns scored his 1st career try.
Jerseys and sponsors
In 2021, the Knights' jerseys were made by O'Neills and their major sponsor was nib Health Funds.
| 2021 Home Jersey | 2021 Away Jersey | 2021 Heritage Jersey | 2021 Indigenous Jersey | 2021 NSW Mining Jersey |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  |
Fixtures
Pre-season Trials
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Conversions | Attendance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 27 February | Melbourne Storm | Albury Sports Ground | 10–30 | D.Lucas, D.Young | C.Randall (1/1) | |||||
| Legend: Win Loss Draw | ||||||||||
Statistics
| Name | Appearances | Tries | Goals | Field goals | Points | Captain | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchell Barnett | 24 | 4 | 13 | 0 | 42 | 0 | 27 |
| Bradman Best | 17 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 20 |
| Jayden Brailey | 23 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 20 | 25 |
| Jake Clifford | 13 | 2 | 33 | 0 | 74 | 0 | 23 |
| Mat Croker | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 |
| Phoenix Crossland | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 21 |
| Lachlan Fitzgibbon | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 27 |
| Tyson Frizell | 19 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 30 |
| Blake Green | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 |
| Tex Hoy | 7 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 22 |
| Hymel Hunt | 17 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 28 |
| Jack Johns | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 24 |
| Brodie Jones | 22 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 23 |
| Josh King | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 26 |
| David Klemmer | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 |
| Kurt Mann | 22 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 28 |
| Jirah Momoisea | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 |
| Brayden Musgrove | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 23 |
| Mitchell Pearce | 12 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 32 |
| Kalyn Ponga | 15 | 8 | 10 | 0 | 52 | 5 | 23 |
| Chris Randall | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 26 |
| Daniel Saifiti | 20 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 17 | 25 |
| Jacob Saifiti | 23 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 25 |
| Simi Sasagi | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| Pasami Saulo | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 |
| Gehamat Shibasaki | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 23 |
| Sauaso Sue | 23 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 29 |
| Starford To'a | 12 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 21 |
| Enari Tuala | 25 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 52 | 0 | 23 |
| Connor Watson | 25 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 25 |
| Dom Young | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 20 |
| Totals | 25 | 80 | 63 | 2 | 448 | – | Average: 25 |
31 players used.
Source:[76]
Representative honours
The following players appeared in a representative match or were named in a representative squad in 2021.
Emerging Blues squad
New South Wales
Queensland
- Kurt Mann (18th man)
- Kalyn Ponga
Individual honours
Newcastle Knights awards
- Player of the Year (Danny Buderus Medal): Jacob Saifiti
- Excalibur Club Players' Player: Connor Watson
- Gladiator of the Year: Jayden Brailey
- Community Player of the Year: Josh King
- Rookie of the Year: Brodie Jones
- Knight in Shining Armour: Mitchell Pearce
- Club Person of the Year: Mathew Morris & Jane Farrell
- NSW Cup Player of the Year: Zac Hosking
- NSW Cup Excalibur Club Players' Player: Mat Croker & Luke Huth