Knights Secure Win Over Penrith Following Cleary Injury

An eerie silence descended over Accor Stadium on Sunday as Panthers halfback Nathan Cleary lay in agony on the turf, knowing his leg was busted.

Fans from both teams knew the seriousness of what had just happened. If only they knew what was to come.

This was undoubtedly Penrith’s saddest finals match. It ended with Andrew Johns in tears, unable to contain his emotions in the Channel Nine commentary box, and his brother, Matthew, also wiping away tears on Fox Sports.

The result – a 22-14 Newcastle win – was as dramatic as you could script.

Kalyn Ponga slumped to his knees at full-time, on the tryline he and his mates had so valiantly defended, after watching Sandon Smith’s amazing intercept try on the final play of the game. He also burst into tears as the Knights qualified for their first NRL grand final in a quarter of a century.

Smith was the hero, conjuring a sensational quick tap for a game-defining try in the 58th minute when Penrith were napping. You could only imagine what was going on in the pubs of Newcastle at that moment.

Penrith’s devastation was exacerbated by the fact the heartbeat of their side – and, in many ways, the rugby league community of western Sydney – had his season extinguished in the most brutal circumstances.

The complexion of this year’s finals series changed in the split second of a Phoenix Crossland hip-drop tackle. He was then sent from the field.

Everyone knew the severity of Cleary’s injury as players gathered around their inspirational leader.

Panthers coach Ivan Cleary, about as emotionless as an NRL coach can be, took a small sip of water. There was still a job to do, with the game locked at 6-6, but watching his son’s season end must have been difficult.

Cleary snr revealed later that his son had taken a broken foot into the game.

A handful of hard former league players insinuated during the week that Newcastle should have gone after Cleary’s sore foot. History will show an accidental hip drop was ultimately the thing that brought down the four-time premiership great and consigned Penrith to preliminary final misery for the second year in a row.

Despite being down to 12 men for more than half the match, the indomitable spirit of last year’s wooden spooners during those final 45 minutes was about as good as you will see.

You can’t help but feel energised by the Newcastle fairytale. In a town where rugby league is a way of life, the support at Accor Stadium was immense – and louder than that for the club based just 40 kilometres west of the venue.

Francis Manuleleua’s opening try had the red-and-blue army on their feet. Even Dylan Edwards’ no-try eight minutes before half-time produced a similar reception.

For those Newcastle fans, the only colour that mattered on the field was red: Ponga’s headgear.

The Knights maestro zigzagged across the edges in slippery conditions. Some of his teammates struggled in the wet, but Ponga was adamant he needed to chance his arm and search for line breaks rather than allow the game to drift.

He didn’t score a try, but asked so many questions of Penrith’s well-oiled defensive unit that their attention was constantly being dragged elsewhere.

Another turning point – and a sign this wasn’t the Penrith we have come to know – came with Tom Jenkins’ double blunder inside a minute. First came a rubbish kick, then a knock-on. It was uncharacteristic stuff from one of the competition’s golden boys this year.

Those same Knights fans exploded when Smith took a quick tap and scored 22 minutes from full-time to put the visitors ahead. There was a similar roar when Dane Gagai leapt like Swans full-forward Charlie Curnow to snaffle a short line dropout above his head. The Knights grabbed the big moments.

Accor Stadium has become Penrith’s cauldron at this time of year. On Sunday evening, it belonged to Newcastle – on and off the field.

Earlier in the match, Cleary fidgeted with his reserve card on the sideline as Newcastle infiltrated Penrith’s territory. Reserve playmaker Jack Cogger did a decent job in his absence and was smashed twice after kicking. Cleary eventually got his chance 25 minutes into the match.

Within an hour, Cleary was sucking on a green whistle to dull the pain of a compound fracture to his leg. His day ended in the back of an ambulance, finding out the final score on the way to hospital.

Public transport and traffic chaos for fans coming from Newcastle was offset by the early news of Cleary coming off the bench due to the injury he sustained against the Roosters. Anyone running slightly late wouldn’t have wanted to head back home after hearing that the game’s most potent weapon was indeed wounded.

All of them would have been mighty glad they stuck it out and made the trip down the highway. You can guarantee they will be back next week in droves.

If you own a bus company in Newcastle, it will be a lucrative week. The game’s boss, Peter V’landys, could do worse than ring Daniel Johns and see whether Silverchair are available for a comeback at next Sunday’s pre-match entertainment.

Buckle up for the possibility of rugby league’s ultimate fairytale: last to first in a season.

If so, there will be more tears.

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