2025 NRL: Newcastle Knights Season Preview

For the first time since 2003, the Knights will be looking to enter their third consecutive NRL finals series in 2025.

Season Preview

Adam O’Brien enters his sixth season at the Newcastle Knights looking to qualify for his fifth NRL finals series.

Despite being under almost constant media pressure since he started with Newcastle in 2020, he’s turned the Knights into a regular finals contender, making the top eight every season except 2022 (finishing 14th). Although they haven’t advanced beyond week two of the finals series (last making a preliminary final in 2013).

Newcastle squeezed into the 2024 finals after beating The Dolphins in the final game of the regular season. They lost the elimination final 28-16 to North Queensland.

Newcastle were relatively quiet the off-season: they’d already signed James Schiller from Canberra, and added Francis Manuleleua, Taj Annan (Queensland Reds), Tyrone Thompson (Rugby NZ), Siteni Taukamo (Cronulla – train and trial), and Matt Arthur (Parramatta). They lost Myles Martin (Raiders), David Armstrong (Leigh), Daniel Saifiti (Dolphins) Enari Tuala (Canterbury), Tom Jenkins (released), and Krystian Mapapalangi (released). But the big signing news was Leo Thompson: while he seemed destined to go to Canberra for 2026, he signed for the Bulldogs – a move that shocked Raiders fans (with one Raiders fan podcast recording an “emergency episode” to discuss the fallout) as much as Knights fans.

Newcastle have a kind draw for 2025: of the eight teams they play twice, only two (Penrith and Cronulla) made the 2024 finals. And they have a nice spread of byes: Round 4, Round 18, and Round 22, although three of their last five games are away (including a trip to Townsville).

Newcastle had a big win (48-10 against the Sydney Roosters) and a big loss (44-18 to Parramatta) in the pre-season. The Roosters win was with a full-strength side, with two tries to Jacob Saifiti and Fletcher Sharpe (who had an excellent 2024) and 7/7 goals for Kalyn Ponga.

Newcastle will be aiming for another top eight finish (especially if Ponga, Bradman Best, and Sharpe stay injury-free) but could finish anywhere between seventh and 12th.

Best Signing

The Raiders and Knights have swapped players so often, the Knights have jokingly been called Canberra’s feeder club. But Newcastle get one back on the boys from the capital, signing James Schiller last year. Schiller played just 15 first grade games at Canberra, including only five last season, though he scored 16 tries in 15 NSW Cup games as the Raiders reserves made the finals (but blew a shot at the minor premiership and lost both finals games). While Schiller played wing in both trials for Newcastle, there’s no guarantee he’s a walk up start to first grade. While he has plenty of attacking flair, his defence was criticised while at Canberra.

Key Player

When the Knights are in form it could be argued that Bradman Best is part of the reason. They won 10 from 17 when Best took the field last year and only two from seven when he wasn’t available. Hamstring problems curtailed his season despite returning for the final two regular season games which included the do-or-die victory over the Dolphins. He might be in with a chance of cracking the 50-try milestone at some point of the season.

Player to Watch

Kai Pearce-Paul will improve in his second season in the NRL. With his Knights contract coming to an end this season and his future up in the air, the 24-year-old will want to prove he deserves to stay at Newcastle. Will he be another English player who carves out a long career in the NRL?