NRL

The Newcastle Knights will play Penrith in next week’s NRL preliminary final after a heroic 12-10 win over the New Zealand Warriors at Eden Park.

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Showing all the bravery and resilience the Hunter is known for, last year’s NRL wooden spooners stunned the Warriors — and a record NZ rugby league crowd of 48,511 — to book their place in next Sunday’s grand final qualifier at Accor Stadium.

But, almost inevitably, the win was tinged with controversy following a hugely dramatic ending.

With the Warriors trailing by two points in the closing seconds of the match, Knights forward Tyson Frizell appeared to obstruct Warriors centre Leka Halasima as he prepared to contest an attacking bomb almost directly in front of the posts.

MORE: Everything you need to know about the 2026 NRL Preliminary Finals

“That’s a penalty every day of the week,” Andrew Voss said in commentary for Fox League.

But instead of awarding a penalty that would almost certainly have sent the sudden death final into golden point, referee Ashley Klein thought otherwise and ruled Knights ball.

With the Warriors having already used their captain’s challenge, there was nothing Wahs’ skipper James Fisher-Harris could do but watch on in frustration as the match ended shortly after, consigning the hosts to a straight sets exit from the 2026 NRL finals after back-to-back home losses in Weeks 1 and 2.

The Frizell penalty no-call was just one of several moments that appeared to go against the home side on a dramatic evening in Auckland.

With their season now over for 2026 Wahs fans no doubt be fuming at the NRL bunker in the coming days.

NRL

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