Newcastle’s NRL season is threatening to implode as the Warriors consigned the Knights to a five-game losing streak with their 26-12 win in Christchurch.
The Knights’ attack was once again their biggest issue on Friday night and now averages just 7.2 points across the side’s last five outings.
Their right edge also struggled to defuse Chanel Harris-Tavita’s kicking game close to the line as Newcastle fell to a match-defining 16-0 half-time deficit.
Newcastle have not led any game on their longest losing streak for nearly three years and could slip to last on the ladder if they fall to South Sydney at Magic Round next week.
The drums will no doubt beat louder for sixth-year coach Adam O’Brien should they drop that must-win game.
Adam Pompey gets us started! 😝#NRLWarriorsKnights pic.twitter.com/rbvm5vDOiN— NRL (@NRL) April 25, 2025
The Knights will take some confidence from recent history; they memorably sat 14th on the ladder after 19 rounds in 2023 before riding a Kalyn Ponga-inspired surge into the top eight.
But even superstar fullback Ponga is struggling to spark the 2025 Knights, who never had this long a losing streak two seasons ago.
Halves pairing Harris-Tavita and Luke Metcalf were superb for a Warriors side that remains entrenched in the top four through eight rounds with a 5-2 record.
The Warriors’ first two tries came on the back of Harris-Tavita’s kicks inside the red zone, first as Kurt Capewell regathered the ball to find Adam Pompey, then as Ali Leiataua sent an inside pass to Jackson Ford.
Metcalf dragged Greg Marzhew’s arm into touch as the winger looked certain to score the Knights’ first try before grabbing an intercept from opposite man Jack Cogger and sprinting 65 metres ahead of Wayde Egan’s second-half try.
By contrast, the Knights’ halves Cogger and Fletcher Sharpe each sprayed a kick dead on the side’s first two advances towards the line.
In another wasted chance, James Schiller dropped the ball when he looked certain to score from a Dane Gagai tap-on, the toughest moment on a tough night for the right winger.
The Warriors scored minutes after each of Newcastle’s two first-half tries scrubbed out by the bunker, with Ford backing up in support to seal his first double.
Gagai set Schiller up by burning Leiataua down the right edge 10 minutes after the break.
But Metcalf’s intercept dampened the Knights’ spirits only minutes later and Pompey sealed his own double to confirm the result in the last 10 minutes.
Marata Niukore and Leo Thompson could be charged by the match review committee after landing in the sin bin for high shots in the opening five minutes.
https://thewest.com.au/sport/rugby-league/knights-nrl-season-on-tilt-after-fifth-straight-loss-c-18486589
