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The Sydney Roosters beat the Newcastle Knights 19-18 in the 2026 NRL grand final, with Daly Cherry-Evans kicking the winning field goal and Kalyn Ponga escaping a sin-bin for a high shot.
The Sydney Roosters won the 2026 NRL grand final 19-18 against the Newcastle Knights at Stadium Australia, with Daly Cherry-Evans kicking the decisive field goal in the final 10 minutes.
The win gave James Tedesco his third premiership with the Roosters. Cherry-Evans, playing his final NRL match after leaving Manly, kicked a smartly taken one-pointer to give the Roosters a vital seven-point lead. Second-half tries to Billy Smith and Mark Nawaqanitawase had put the Roosters ahead 18-12 before the field goal. The Knights led 12-0 in the first half and threatened one of the great grand final upsets.
Controversial Head Contact Involving Kalyn Ponga
Newcastle scored first when Francis Manuleleua, who dislocated his elbow on August 30, ran through a huge gap off a Fletcher Sharpe pass just 35 days later. The Roosters were unhappy in the 25th minute when Knights captain Kalyn Ponga collected Victor Radley in the head with his left shoulder but avoided the sin bin. Referee Adam Gee and bunker official Chris Butler penalised Ponga and placed him on report but kept him on the field.
Roosters captain James Tedesco was overheard on the Nine broadcast telling Gee: If we are consistent with the rules, that is a shoulder to the head. It has been a sin bin all year. The decision proved massive, as Ponga stayed on and soon produced a 95-metre try. Ponga first made a diving effort to knock the ball out of Nawaqanitawase's grasp, denying a certain Roosters try.
Minutes later, he stood at marker near the right touchline, sprinted across the field as the Roosters kicked to the opposite corner, swooped on Nawaqanitawase's tap-back and ran 95 metres to score as Knights fans went wild. Ponga was chased all the way by Cherry-Evans but had enough speed and energy to help Newcastle take a 12-0 lead. Naufahu Whyte scuffled with Jermaine McEwan after the high shot.
Radley Head Injury Assessment Decisions
Radley, who has had a shocking run with head knocks, was not ordered off for a head injury assessment. Earlier, an early Cherry-Evans bomb hit the Spidercam wire, but Ponga adjusted well and caught the ball as it plummeted. A knock-on would have been a major controversy. The Knights also got into attacking position off a penalty against Lindsay Collins for a head-high tackle, though replays appeared to show contact with the chest and shoulder of Mat Croker.
Nawaqanitawase got the Roosters on the scoreboard with his soccer skills, kicking the ball towards the in-goal off his right shin, then trapping it under his right boot before kicking forward with his left foot. He kept his feet and sprinted to the goal-line to score and get the Roosters back into the contest. Tedesco was outstanding in winning his third premiership.
Two of his biggest plays came in the final minutes when he caught a Sandon Smith kick with Thomas Cant running through and making no attempt to catch the ball, then put his body on the line to take a ball that had been toe-poked forward in desperation. The 33-year-old Tedesco is off contract at the end of next year but is at the top of his game and has every chance to chase a fourth premiership next year.
Newcastle Knights Work Ethic in Grand Final
The Roosters statistically dominated the match, but the Knights managed to lead in the second half. Newcastle could not get enough good field position to put the Roosters under pressure consistently. How they stayed in the contest as long as they did beggared belief and summed up the work ethic of a team that represents a blue-collar, working-class town. Ponga tried his heart out for the Knights, who carried the support of most neutrals.
Cherry-Evans, the former Queensland State of Origin captain, had his off-season switch from Manly vindicated by guiding the Roosters to the grand final and kicking the winning field goal. Nawaqanitawase's grand final was the final chapter of his NRL career for now before he returns to rugby union.
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abcnews:This story was compiled and edited by the HeadTopics newsroom and HT AI from the reports above.
NRL Grand Final Kalyn Ponga Newcastle Knights Sydney Roosters Referee Controversy Kalyn Ponga Sin Bin Daly Cherry-Evans Field Goal
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