Newcastle have already secured their place in the finals, but a home elimination final remains up for grabs as they host the fading Sea Eagles. Manly’s season is all but over, yet the return of Tom Trbojevic offers hope of an upset against one of the competition’s form teams.
Read Full Previews
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- Dolphins vs Eels → Read full preview: dolphins-vs-eels-round-25-preview-2026
- Knights vs Sea Eagles → Read full preview: knights-vs-sea-eagles-round-25-preview-2026
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Matchday Details
Saturday, 22 August 2026 – 3:00pm AEST – McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle
📺 Broadcast: Foxtel / Kayo
Referee: Wyatt Raymond | Senior Review Official: Adam Gee
Knights: 1. Kalyn Ponga (c), 2. Dominic Young, 3. Fletcher Hunt, 4. Bradman Best, 5. Greg Marzhew, 6. Fletcher Sharpe, 7. Sandon Smith, 8. Jacob Saifiti, 9. Phoenix Crossland, 10. Trey Mooney, 11. Jermaine McEwen, 12. Tyson Frizell, 13. Mat Croker, 14. Harrison Graham, 15. Cody Hopwood, 16. Lachlan Crouch, 17. Thomas Cant, 18. Pasami Saulo, 19. Toby Winter, 20. Diesel Hagan, 21. Kyle McCarthy, 22. Elijah Salesa-Leaumoana
Sea Eagles: 1. Tom Trbojevic (c), 2. Jason Saab, 3. Tolutau Koula, 4. Reuben Garrick, 5. Lehi Hopoate, 6. Clayton Faulalo, 7. Jamal Fogarty, 8. Simione Laiafi, 9. Brandon Wakeham, 10. Nathan Brown, 11. Haumole Olakau’atu, 12. Ben Trbojevic, 13. Jake Trbojevic, 14. Jake Simpkin, 15. Nicholas Lenaz, 16. Corey Waddell, 17. Caleb Navale, 18. Josh Feledy, 19. Fletcher Baker, 20. Onitoni Large, 21. Jackson Shereb, 22. Blake Wilson
Match Preview
The Newcastle Knights have ensured their place in the 2026 finals series and will now be looking to guarantee a home finals appearance with a win over the struggling Manly Sea Eagles. The Newcastle Knights require one more win from their remaining two matches to finish in fifth or sixth place and ensure an elimination home finals appearance in Newcastle. With an upcoming final round encounter with the third placed New Zealand Warriors in Auckland, this game is a must win for the Knights.
The Manly Sea Eagles remain two wins outside the top eight, with three rounds remaining. The return of local favourite Kieran Foran into the coaching role provided fans with plenty of optimism as they went on a nine-win-from-12-match winning spree from Round 5. Sitting in third position on the ladder in Round 15, a spot in the finals seemed all but assured. Since then, they have lost seven of their past eight games. With a mounting injury list, the end of the season can’t come soon enough.
Unlike some of the ladder leading teams with substantial depth, the Sea Eagles were relying on an injury-free run for the 2026 season and persistent injury concerns to key players have cruelled their finals ambitions. Coach Kieran Foran has maintained he expects the Sea Eagles to continue to compete for the remaining games and will be pushing for an upset over a Knights team not without injury concerns of their own.
A season-ending ACL injury to resurgent five-eighth Luke Brooks in Round 17 coincided with the disastrous six game losing streak, highlighting his growing importance to this squad, while star fullback Tom Trbojevic has missed ten games with recurrent hamstring strains.
The Knights have managed to overcome the significant season-ending injuries to halfback Dylan Brown and left-edge try scoring machine Dylan Lucas. Sandon Smith has proven he is not merely a substitute, with leading roles in multiple Knights wins. While Francis Manuleleua has become one of the most destructive second-rowers in the NRL.
The Newcastle Knights will not just be looking to make up numbers in the finals series and will continue to believe they can take down any team that stands in their way. Multiple wins in close encounters during the year have shown they can tough out games when required, while close losses to Cronulla Sharks and Sydney Roosters will provide confidence, they are thereabouts with the heavyweights of the competition.
This game will provide a clear indication of where Newcastle sit in relation to the other contenders, with an expectation that they win convincingly and carry strong momentum into the finals series. For Manly, the Sea Eagles will be looking to give their fans a glimpse of their future ambitions heading into the 2027 season. Their players will need to prove their value and put themselves in the best possible position moving forward, while the Knights will be aiming to demonstrate they belong in this year’s finals and give themselves the strongest possible platform for premiership success.
The Knights will be boosted by the return of Bradman Best and forward leader Jacob Saifiti, while Dane Gagai (hamstring) and Francis Manuleleua (concussion) will also miss. The Sea Eagles will welcome back Ben and Tom Trbojevic.
If the Knights have a vulnerability, it is certainly their starting second-rowers missing with injury. They Sea Eagles will be hoping to stretch the Knights edges by unleashing Ben Trbojevic and Haumole Olakau’atu near the line, with assistance from fullback Tom Trbojevic and centres Tolutau Koula and Reuben Garrick. They will be desperate to put a score on after being held to nil against the Dolphins.
Points have never been an issue for the Knights this year. Wingers Greg Marzhew and Dominic Young have scored forty tries between them for the year and remain in third and fourth on the 2026 try-scoring leader list. Their backline is loaded with attacking flare and it seems only a matter of time before they score points when they have field position.
Will the Sea Eagles be able to limit these opportunities and rebound from their six game losing streak?
Prediction
RLZ Tip: Knights by 10
Full Round 25 tips → /nrl-round-25-predictions-2026/
Bold call: Fletcher Sharpe to score a try.
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Related
- Full Round 25 coverage → /nrl/2026-season/round-25/
- NRL Round 25 Team Lists → /nrl-round-25-team-lists-2026/
- NRL Injury List → /nrl/injuries/
- NRL Round 24 Review → /nrl-round-24-review-2026/
