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Newcastle edges Tigers 10-8 in tight NRL Round 1 clash

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Newcastle Knights
Newcastle Knights defeat Wests Tigers 10-8.

The Newcastle Knights have kicked off their 2025 NRL campaign with a gritty 10-8 comeback victory over the Wests Tigers at Campbelltown Sports Stadium.

Despite dominating much of the contest, the Tigers fell agonisingly short in their season opener, surrendering an 8-0 lead as the Knights clawed their way back with two second-half tries as the $1.72 bookmaker favourites.

The game started promisingly for the Tigers, with new recruit Jarome Luai making an immediate impact.

The former Panthers star orchestrated the first try, linking with Adam Doueihi to send Jeral Skelton over in the corner, paying $11.00 in first tryscorer betting with the top rugby league markets.

A penalty goal from Doueihi extended the lead to 8-0, a scoreline that remained intact at halftime as the Tigers’ defensive resolve kept Newcastle at bay.

However, the second half saw the momentum shift, with the Knights finding their way into the contest through sheer persistence.

Dylan Lucas produced a barnstorming 30-metre run, paving the way for Fletcher Sharpe to burrow over from dummy-half in the 51st minute.

Newcastle continued to press, and with just over ten minutes remaining, Greg Marzhew delivered the knockout blow, recovering a loose Bradman Best pass before turning on his heels and diving over in the corner to put the Knights ahead.

Wests Tigers v Newcastle Knights Round 1 Highlights

Tigers coach Benji Marshall was left frustrated after watching his side control large portions of the game, only to let it slip away.

“It’s hard to hide the disappointment because we should have won,” Marshall admitted post-match.

“Take the result out of it—did we improve? Yeah, we did. But we should’ve won.”

Despite the frustration, Marshall praised his side’s effort, particularly their defensive energy.

“I thought the energy with our defence was fairly good,” he said.

“We defended our try line probably six or seven sets in a row, which was a pleasing sign. But moments in the second half we’d like to have back.”

For the Knights, it was far from a polished performance, but coach Adam O’Brien was pleased with his team’s resilience after a poor first half.

“We worked hard in the second half, but we can play a hell of a lot better and we need to,” O’Brien said.

“There were some individual moments that pulled us out… we could have easily lost that game.”

One of those individual moments came from Dylan Lucas, who was instrumental in Newcastle’s comeback. “He was massive,” O’Brien said.

“I thought he was outstanding with a couple of key runs, but also how he talks as a leader.”

With Round 1 now in the books, the Knights will face the Dolphins while the Tigers will be set to take on the Eels in Round 2.

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Topics: Newcastle Knights, NRL, Rugby League, Wests Tigers

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