The Newcastle Knights’ 2025 NRL season was a disastrous campaign marred by injuries, poor attack (scoring the fewest points at 338), and leaky defence (conceding 638), culminating in the club’s wooden spoon—their fifth in history—despite only sitting bottom in the final round. Under Adam O’Brien—whose tenure ended with his season end departure—the Knights won just six games, plagued by Kalyn Ponga’s injury absence and inconsistent spine play. Prop Jacob Saifiti claimed the Danny Buderus Medal as Player of the Year, veteran Dane Gagai earned Players’ Player for the second straight season, Fletcher Sharpe took Gladiator of the Year, and rookie Jermaine McEwen won Rookie of the Year—but the dismal results prompted a coaching change to Justin Holbrook for 2026, offering hope for a swift rebound with incoming recruits.
Embed from Getty Images📊 Season Overview
- Final Ladder Position: 17th of 17
- Regular Season Record (24 games): 6 wins, 18 losses, 0 draws
- Overall Record (incl. finals) (24 games): 6 wins, 18 losses, 0 draws
- For and Against (regular season): 338 – 638 (-300)
- Home Record (regular season): 2 wins, 10 losses, 0 draws
- Away Record (regular season): 4 wins, 8 losses, 0 draws
- Average points scored per game (regular season): 14.08
- Average points conceded per game (regular season): 26.58
- Best winning streak: 2 games (Rounds 1–2)
- Worst losing streak: 9 games (Rounds 17–27)
- Games Decided by ≤6 points (regular season): 6 total (Won: 2, Lost: 4, Drew: 0)
🏟️ 2025 Regular Season Results
| Round | Opponent | Date | Venue | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wests Tigers | Friday 07/03/2025 | Campbelltown Sports Stadium | W | 10–8 |
| 2 | Dolphins | Thursday 13/03/2025 | McDonald Jones Stadium | W | 26–12 |
| 3 | Titans | Saturday 22/03/2025 | Cbus Super Stadium | L | 6–26 |
| 4 | (Bye) | – | – | – | – |
| 5 | Bulldogs | Sunday 06/04/2025 | Accor Stadium | L | 0–20 |
| 6 | Wests Tigers | Sunday 13/04/2025 | McDonald Jones Stadium | L | 4–20 |
| 7 | Sharks | Sunday 20/04/2025 | McDonald Jones Stadium | L | 14–34 |
| 8 | Warriors | Friday 25/04/2025 | Apollo Projects Stadium | L | 12–26 |
| 9 | Rabbitohs | Saturday 03/05/2025 | Suncorp Stadium | W | 30–4 |
| 10 | Titans | Friday 09/05/2025 | McDonald Jones Stadium | L | 20–24 |
| 11 | Eels | Friday 16/05/2025 | McDonald Jones Stadium | L | 6–28 |
| 12 | Panthers | Saturday 24/05/2025 | Carrington Park | W | 25–6 |
| 13 | Dragons | Friday 30/05/2025 | Jubilee Stadium | L | 6–20 |
| 14 | Sea Eagles | Thursday 05/06/2025 | McDonald Jones Stadium | W | 26–22 |
| 15 | Roosters | Saturday 14/06/2025 | McDonald Jones Stadium | L | 8–12 |
| 16 | Dolphins | Saturday 21/06/2025 | HBF Park | W | 26–20 |
| 17 | Raiders | Friday 27/06/2025 | McDonald Jones Stadium | L | 18–22 |
| 18 | (Bye) | – | – | – | – |
| 19 | Storm | Saturday 12/07/2025 | McDonald Jones Stadium | L | 14–32 |
| 20 | Warriors | Sunday 20/07/2025 | McDonald Jones Stadium | L | 15–20 |
| 21 | Raiders | Sunday 27/07/2025 | GIO Stadium | L | 18–44 |
| 22 | (Bye) | – | – | – | – |
| 23 | Panthers | Friday 08/08/2025 | McDonald Jones Stadium | L | 12–48 |
| 24 | Cowboys | Sunday 17/08/2025 | Queensland Country Bank Stadium | L | 4–38 |
| 25 | Broncos | Sunday 24/08/2025 | McDonald Jones Stadium | L | 12–46 |
| 26 | Sharks | Sunday 31/08/2025 | Sharks Stadium | L | 16–40 |
| 27 | Eels | Sunday 07/09/2025 | CommBank Stadium | L | 10–66 |
👤 Player Appearances & Contributions
| Player | Appearances | Wins | Win% | Pts | Tries | Goals | 1pt | FG | 2pt FG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adam Elliott | 6 | 3 | 50.0% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bradman Best | 18 | 4 | 22.2% | 24 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brock Greacen | 1 | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brodie Jones | 16 | 5 | 31.3% | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cody Hopwood | 1 | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Connor Votano | 1 | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dane Gagai | 24 | 6 | 25.0% | 48 | 2 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dominic Young | 10 | 1 | 10.0% | 16 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dylan Lucas | 14 | 6 | 42.9% | 20 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Elijah Salesa-Leaumoana | 7 | 2 | 28.6% | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fletcher Hunt | 12 | 2 | 16.7% | 20 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fletcher Sharpe | 14 | 6 | 42.9% | 44 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Greg Marzhew | 18 | 4 | 22.2% | 24 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jack Cogger | 21 | 6 | 28.6% | 18 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Jack Hetherington | 7 | 2 | 28.6% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jackson Hastings | 5 | 0 | 0.0% | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jacob Saifiti | 16 | 3 | 18.8% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jake Arthur | 5 | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| James Schiller | 16 | 6 | 37.5% | 32 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jayden Brailey | 24 | 6 | 25.0% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jermaine McEwen | 15 | 2 | 13.3% | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kai Pearce-Paul | 23 | 6 | 26.1% | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kalyn Ponga | 13 | 5 | 38.5% | 42 | 1 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kyle McCarthy | 5 | 1 | 20.0% | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Leo Thompson | 17 | 3 | 17.6% | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mat Croker | 24 | 6 | 25.0% | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Matthew Arthur | 2 | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Paul Bryan | 1 | 1 | 100.0% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Phoenix Crossland | 23 | 6 | 26.1% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Thomas Cant | 17 | 3 | 17.6% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tyrone Thompson | 3 | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tyson Frizell | 23 | 6 | 26.1% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tyson Gamble | 6 | 1 | 16.7% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
🔹 Top Performers Snapshot
- Most Tries: Fletcher Sharpe, 11 tries
- Most Points: Dane Gagai, 48 points
- Most Goals: Dane Gagai, 20 goals
- Most Appearances: Dane Gagai, Jayden Brailey & Mat Croker – 24 games
- Highest Win % (min 5 games): Adam Elliott, 50.0%
🏅 2025 Club Awards
- Player of the Year (Danny Buderus Medal) – Jacob Saifiti
- NRL Players’ Player – Dane Gagai
- Gladiator of the Year – Fletcher Sharpe
- NRL Rookie of the Year – Jermaine McEwen
- Community Player of the Year – Dylan Lucas
- Knight in Shining Armour – Brodie Jones
- NSW Cup Player of the Year – Mason Teague
- NSW Cup Players’ Player – Francis Manuleleua
