| 2018 Newcastle Knights season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NRL Rank | 11th | |||
| 2018 record | Wins: 9; draws: 0; losses: 15 | |||
| Points scored | For: 414; against: 607 | |||
| Team information | ||||
| CEO | Phil Gardner | |||
| Coach | Nathan Brown | |||
| Captain | ||||
| Stadium | McDonald Jones Stadium | |||
| Avg. attendance | 18,974 | |||
| High attendance | 24,662 (vs. Dragons, round 25) | |||
| Top scorers | ||||
| Tries | Ken Sio (12) | |||
| Goals | Kalyn Ponga (27) | |||
| Points | Ken Sio (98) | |||
| ||||
The 2018 Newcastle Knights season was the 31st in the club's history. Coached by Nathan Brown and co-captained by Jamie Buhrer and Mitchell Pearce, they competed in the NRL's 2018 Telstra Premiership, finishing the regular season in 11th place (out of 16).
| Player/Coach | Previous club | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Herman Ese'ese | Brisbane Broncos | 2020 |
| JJ Felise | Wests Tigers | 2018 |
| Slade Griffin | Melbourne Storm | 2019 |
| Aidan Guerra | Sydney Roosters | 2020 |
| Christian Hazard | Redcliffe Dolphins | 2018 |
| Chris Heighington | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 2018 |
| Jacob Lillyman | New Zealand Warriors | 2018 |
| Tautau Moga | Brisbane Broncos | 2020 |
| Brent Naden | Canberra Raiders | 2018 |
| Mitchell Pearce | Sydney Roosters | 2021 |
| Kalyn Ponga | North Queensland Cowboys | 2021 |
| James Shepherd (assistant coach) | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 2018 |
| Connor Watson | Sydney Roosters | 2020 |
| Player/Coach | Club |
|---|---|
| David Bhana | Released |
| Brendan Elliot | Gold Coast Titans |
| Jaelen Feeney | Townsville Blackhawks |
| Dane Gagai | South Sydney Rabbitohs |
| Jacob Gagan | South Sydney Rabbitohs |
| Heath Gibbs | Wests Tigers |
| Rory Kostjasyn | Retirement |
| Jake Mamo | Huddersfield Giants |
| Sam Mataora | Retirement |
| Peter Mata'utia | Leigh Centurions |
| Sam McIntyre | Wests Tigers |
| Jarrod Mullen | Contract terminated |
| Mickey Paea | Hull F.C. |
| Pauli Pauli | Wakefield Trinity |
| Will Pearsall | Retirement |
| Tyler Randell | Wakefield Trinity |
| Braden Robson | Wests Tigers |
| Korbin Sims | Brisbane Broncos |
| Bradie Smith | Wyong Roos |
| Josh Starling | Retirement |
| Jack Stockwell | Gold Coast Titans |
| Anthony Tupou | Retirement |
| Joe Wardle | Castleford Tigers |
| Kurt Wrigley (assistant coach) | Released |
| Player | Junior side |
|---|---|
| Matt Cooper | Knights National Youth Competition |
| Zac Hosking | Knights National Youth Competition |
| Jack Johns | Knights National Youth Competition |
| Brayden Musgrove | Knights National Youth Competition |
| Player/Coach | New role |
|---|---|
| Rory Kostjasyn (Harold Matthews Cup coach) | Knights Intrust Super Premiership NSW coach |
| Joe Morris | Knights second-tier squad |
| Player/Coach | Re-signed to |
|---|---|
| Tyrone Amey | 2018 |
| Nathan Brown (head coach) | ongoing contract |
| Jamie Buhrer | 2019 |
| Matt Cooper | 2018 |
| Zac Hosking | 2018 |
| Jack Johns | 2018 |
| Josh King | 2020 |
| Sione Mata'utia | 2021 |
| Brayden Musgrove | 2019 |
| Pasami Saulo | 2020 |
| Sam Stone | 2020 |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | 24 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 542 | 361 | +181 | 34 |
| 2 | | 24 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 536 | 363 | +173 | 34 |
| 3 | | 24 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 582 | 437 | +145 | 34 |
| 4 | | 24 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 519 | 423 | +96 | 34 |
| 5 | | 24 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 517 | 461 | +56 | 32 |
| 6 | | 24 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 556 | 500 | +56 | 32 |
| 7 | | 24 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 519 | 472 | +47 | 32 |
| 8 | | 24 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 472 | 447 | +25 | 32 |
| 9 | | 24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 377 | 460 | −83 | 26 |
| 10 | | 24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 563 | 540 | +23 | 22 |
| 11 | | 24 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 414 | 607 | −193 | 20 |
| 12 | | 24 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 428 | 474 | −46 | 18 |
| 13 | | 24 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 449 | 521 | −72 | 18 |
| 14 | | 24 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 472 | 582 | −110 | 18 |
| 15 | | 24 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 1 | 500 | 622 | −122 | 16 |
| 16 | | 24 | 6 | 0 | 18 | 1 | 374 | 550 | −176 | 14 |
In 2018, the Knights' jerseys were made by ISC and their major sponsor was nib Health Funds.
| 2018 Home Jersey | 2018 Away Jersey | 2018 Heritage Jersey | 2018 Indigenous Jersey | 2018 MHF Beanie For Brain Cancer Jersey | 2018 NSW Mining Jersey | 2018 Women In League Jersey |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | |
| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wednesday, 7 February | Trial 1 | | AAMI Park | 26 – 22 | L.Fitzgibbon, K.Ponga, K.Sio, J.Buhrer, T.Cronan | K.Ponga (2/3), B.Lamb (1/2) | closed to public [40] | |||
| Saturday, 24 February | Trial 2 | | Maitland No.1 Sportsground | 6 – 26 | S.Kenny-Dowall | K.Ponga (1/1) | ||||
| Legend: Win Loss Draw | ||||||||||
| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 March | 1 | | McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle | 19-18 [41] | K. Ponga, S. Griffin, L. Fitzgibbon | K. Ponga (3/3), M. Pearce (FG) | 23,516 [42] | |||
| 18 March | 2 | | GIO Stadium, Canberra | 30-28 [43] | L. Fitzgibbon, A. Guerra, S. Mata'utia, T. Moga, C. Watson | K. Ponga (5/6) | 12,626 [43] | |||
| 25 March | 3 | | Allianz Stadium, Sydney | 8-38 [44] | A. Guerra | K. Ponga (2/3) | 15,153 [45] | |||
| 1 April | 4 | | WIN Stadium, Wollongong | 12-30 [46] | T. Moga, C. Heighington | K. Ponga (2/2) | 18,589 [46] | |||
| 7 April | 5 | | McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle | 15-10 [47] | L. Fitzgibbon, D. Saifiti | K. Ponga (3/3), M. Pearce (FG) | 21,969 [47] | |||
| 13 April | 6 | | AAMI Park, Melbourne | 14-40 [48] | K. Sio (2), L. Fitzgibbon | K. Ponga (1/3) | 12,386 [48] | |||
| 21 April | 7 | | Scully Park, Tamworth | 22-20 [49] | K. Sio (3), S. Kenny-Dowall, M. Pearce | K. Ponga (1/5) [50] | 10,082 | |||
| 27 April | 8 | | Lottoland, Manly | 18-12 [51] | S. Griffin, N. Ross, C. Watson | K. Sio (3/4) | 5,715 | |||
| 4 May | 9 | | McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle | 18-36 [52] | S. Kenny-Dowall (2), S. Mata'utai, L. Fitzgibbon | K. Sio (1/4) | 22,718 [52] | |||
| 11 May | 10 | | McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle | 18-29 [53] | K. Ponga, N. Ross, C. Watson | B. Lamb (2/2), K. Sio (1/1) | 14,801 | |||
| 19 May | 11 | | Cbus Super Stadium, Robina | 26-33 [54] | H. Ese'ese, S. Mata'utia, K. Ponga, K. Sio | B. Lamb (5/5) | 11,008 | |||
| 27 May | 12 | | McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle | 10-48 [55] | L. Fitzgibbon, S. Mata'utia | K. Sio (1/1), K. Ponga (0/1) | 20,913 | |||
| 2 June | 13 | | ANZ Stadium, Sydney | 30-4 [56] | J. Cogger, S. Mata'utia, D. Saifiti, K. Sio, C. Watson | K. Ponga (5/6) | 7,719 | |||
| 9 June | 14 | | McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle | 16-18 [57] | S. Mata'utia, K. Ponga | K. Ponga (4/4) | 18,029 | |||
| 17 June | 15 | | McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle | 10-28 [58] | K. Ponga, K. Sio | K. Ponga (1/2) | 14,803 | |||
| 30 June | 16 | | McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle | 16-36 [59] | C. Watson (2), H. Ese'ese | K. Sio (2/3) | 17,755 | |||
| 17 | Bye | |||||||||
| 13 July | 18 | | McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle | 18-16 [60] | C. Watson, S. Kenny-Dowall, M. Pearce | K. Sio (3/4) | 15,860 | |||
| 21 July | 19 | | McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle | 30-24 [61] | M. Barnett (2), N. Meaney, L. Fitzgibbon, S. Kenny-Dowall | K. Sio (5/6) | 14,095 | |||
| 27 July | 20 | | 1300SMILES Stadium, Townsville | 18-20 [62] | L. Fitzgibbon (2), A. Guerra | K. Sio (3/4) | 11,709 | |||
| 3 August | 21 | | McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle | 16-25 [63] | A. Guerra, S. Mata'utia, K. Ponga | K. Sio (2/3) | 18,561 | |||
| 10 August | 22 | | Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland | 4-20 [64] | K. Sio | K. Sio (0/1) | 14,395 | |||
| 18 August | 23 | | Panthers Stadium, Penrith | |||||||
| 26 August | 24 | | Southern Cross Group Stadium, Cronulla | |||||||
| 1 September | 25 | | McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle | |||||||
| Legend: Win Loss Draw | ||||||||||
| Name | Appearances | Tries | Goals | Field goals | Points | Captain | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchell Barnett | 23 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 24 |
| Jamie Buhrer | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 29 |
| Jack Cogger | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 21 |
| Cory Denniss | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 21 |
| Herman Ese'ese | 23 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 24 |
| JJ Felise | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 |
| Lachlan Fitzgibbon | 21 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 24 |
| Slade Griffin | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 27 |
| Aidan Guerra | 24 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 9 | 30 |
| Chris Heighington | 21 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 36 |
| Shaun Kenny-Dowall | 24 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 30 |
| Josh King | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 |
| Brock Lamb | 8 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 21 |
| Danny Levi | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 |
| Jacob Lillyman | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 |
| Sione Mata'utia | 23 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 0 | 22 |
| Nick Meaney | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 21 |
| Tautau Moga | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 25 |
| Mitchell Pearce | 15 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 15 | 29 |
| Kalyn Ponga | 20 | 6 | 27 | 0 | 78 | 0 | 20 |
| Nathan Ross | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 30 |
| Daniel Saifiti | 21 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 22 |
| Jacob Saifiti | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 |
| Pasami Saulo | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| Ken Sio | 20 | 12 | 25 | 0 | 98 | 0 | 28 |
| Tom Starling | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| Sam Stone | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
| Connor Watson | 15 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 22 |
| Luke Yates | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 |
| Totals | 24 | 73 | 60 | 2 | 414 | - | Average: 25 |
29 players used.
Source: [65]
The following players appeared in a representative match in 2018.
Australian Schoolboys
Fiji
Junior Kiwis
New South Wales under-16s
New South Wales under-18s
New Zealand
Queensland
Queensland under-20s