Newcastle beat Penrith 22-14 in an NRL preliminary final at Accor Stadium in Sydney on 27 September 2026, sending the Knights into their first grand final since 2001.
The result was overshadowed by a serious injury to Panthers halfback Nathan Cleary, who suffered a compound fracture of his left ankle during the match, in the tackle of Newcastle's Phoenix Crossland and Francis Manuleleua.
Crossland was sent off for a hip-drop tackle on Cleary, leaving Newcastle to play out the rest of the match with 12 men.
Cleary was given pain relief, known as the green whistle, before he was placed on a stretcher and taken to hospital by ambulance.
It was the second serious injury of the finals series for Cleary, who had started the match from the bench after fracturing a bone in his right foot in the qualifying final. He will now require surgery on both the fractured left ankle and the right foot.
Penrith coach Ivan Cleary, who is Nathan's father, said he was aware of what his son had sacrificed to take the field. "I knew how hard he'd worked and what he put himself through to play today," he told the ABC.
Newcastle were reduced to 12 players for the final 44 minutes of the match after Crossland's send-off, but the Knights scored three tries in the second half to complete the upset. Sandon Smith crossed late to help seal the result for Newcastle.
The Knights will meet the Sydney Roosters in the grand final. The Roosters beat the Dolphins 36-20 in the other preliminary final, at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on 25 September, to reach their first grand final in seven years.
Sam Walker returned from injury to play in that win for the Roosters, and Mark Nawaqanitawase ran for 329 metres.
The 2026 NRL grand final between the Sydney Roosters and Newcastle Knights will be played at Accor Stadium in Sydney on 4 October.