The Sydney Roosters and Newcastle Knights met in the 2026 NRL grand final on Sunday, with the premiership decided in a single match between a hot favourite and an underdog that had already built a strong finals run.
For the Roosters, the game was about a 16th premiership and another chance to add to a long run of success under Trent Robinson. For the Knights, it was a shot at a first title in 25 years after a late-season surge that kept their run alive and turned them into a genuine threat.
How the Roosters reached the decider
The Roosters entered the final as the more established contender, but their path to the grand final was not a straight line. They finished the regular season with a 16-8 record, then suffered a 12-19 loss to Penrith in the first week of finals and a 20-50 loss to South Sydney in the final round of the season. From there, they steadied quickly, beating the Sharks 46-10 in the second week of the finals and then the Dolphins 36-20 at Suncorp in the preliminary final.
Robinson guided the Roosters into their 13th finals campaign in 14 years in charge, a reminder of how consistently the club has stayed in the mix. Daly Cherry-Evans, who left the Sea Eagles for the Roosters the previous year to chase another title, was part of that push as the club looked to finish the job in 2026.
How the Knights got there
The Knights came from much further back. In 2025, they won just six games and collected the wooden spoon, so simply reaching the grand final was already a major turnaround. Their finals run became even more impressive after successive away wins over the Rabbitohs 20-10 at Allianz and the Warriors 12-10 at Eden Park before they stunned the Panthers 22-14 in the preliminary final while playing 44 minutes with 12 men.
That kind of resilience defined the Knights' march through the postseason. They also had the benefit of belief built from two regular-season meetings with the Roosters. In April, the Roosters beat the Knights 38-24 after trailing 12-24 at half-time. In July, the Roosters edged them 23-22 after Daly Cherry-Evans kicked a field goal in the 77th minute. Those games showed how close the matchup could be, even if the Roosters entered Sunday as the stronger side on paper.
What the matchup meant
The grand final set up a classic contrast: the Roosters chasing a 16th premiership and the Knights trying to end a 25-year wait for the title. The Roosters brought experience, depth and a coach who has kept them near the top for most of the past decade and a half. The Knights brought momentum, momentum from three straight finals wins away from home, and the confidence that comes from surviving difficult moments in high-pressure games.
For the 70,000 Novacastrians who followed the run, the occasion carried obvious weight. For the Roosters, it was another chance to turn a strong season into silverware. However the final played out, the 2026 NRL grand final had already given both clubs a clear story: one team arrived as the benchmark, while the other arrived after refusing to stop believing.
