Newcastle’s NRL finals campaign remains alive following a dramatic and controversial 12-10 victory over the New Zealand Warriors in a sudden-death semi-final at Eden Park on Sunday. The win propels the Knights into a preliminary final against minor premiers Penrith.

The match’s final moments were marked by a contentious decision when referee Ashley Klein and his officiating team failed to call a clear escort penalty against Tyson Frizell after he bumped Warriors’ Leka Halasima while chasing a kick near the posts. Replays suggested the contact warranted a penalty that would have tied the game and sent it into extra time. However, no penalty was awarded, and the Warriors were unable to challenge the call.

The officiating throughout the match attracted scrutiny. Several other decisions raised questions, including a bunker overturn after a deflected pass and a penalty against Te Maire Martin for a strip that appeared to be a loose carry. Despite the debate, Newcastle emerged victorious.

“The last one, two points would have drawn the game,” said Warriors coach Andrew Webster, expressing frustration with the refereeing. He added that despite the officiating, his team had sufficient opportunities to win. “At the end of the day, you make your own luck in this game.”

Knights coach Justin Holbrook opted not to focus on the refereeing. “I thought they were all right,” he said. “We were fantastic today. The Warriors have had a great year, they were enormous and there wasn’t much in the game. I want to thank our players.”

The match was played before a crowd of 48,511 at Eden Park, where tensions ran high after the final whistle. As the officials left the field, projectiles, including multiple cans, were thrown, though Kleins and the other match officials were unharmed.

Key to Newcastle’s win was fullback and captain Kalyn Ponga, who delivered a commanding performance throughout the match. While not as visibly dominant as in past games where he scored or set up multiple tries, Ponga consistently influenced crucial moments, including a significant break early in the game and a strategic kick return in the second half that helped shift field position. Ponga also made several important tackles and successfully challenged decisions during the match.

The Knights’ bench players contributed strongly, with Fletcher Sharpe scoring after previous near misses and Phoenix Crossland making two critical loose-ball recoveries in addition to 50 tackles.

Injury concerns emerged late in the game with Ponga suffering a head injury following a heavy collision with Halasima. He was taken off for a head injury assessment with six minutes remaining but the impact was classified as a category two, not expected to sideline him for the upcoming preliminary final. The Warriors were forced to remove two players from their backline due to injury—Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad was ruled out despite being named to start, and Taine Taupiki exited late in the match.

Newcastle now prepares to face Penrith, a team widely regarded as one of the strongest of the decade, in what shapes up to be a high-stakes preliminary final showdown.