PENRITH PANTHERS 14 NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS 22
TOM SMITH, Accor Stadium, Sunday

SANDON SMITH stole two second-half tries after opposite number Nathan Cleary went down with a sickening ankle injury as twelve-man Newcastle somehow overcame Penrith to book their first Grand Final appearance in 25 years.

On an afternoon of high drama under leaden skies at the rain-soaked Sydney Olympic Stadium, referee Gerard Sutton sent off Phoenix Crossland for a hip-drop tackle that inflicted a compound ankle fracture on the Panthers superstar just before half-time.

Trailing 14-6 at the break, the Knights fought back through Dom Young then two whip-smart scores to Smith, who can now look forward to meeting his old Roosters team-mates in Sunday’s decider.

Crossland will miss the Grand Final after Cleary was carted off the hospital with a horror injury that will rule him out of the World Cup.

Samoa gun Blaize Talagi also went down late with an Achilles injury.

Cleary’s men entered the clash heavy favourites but the visitors were roared on by the lion’s share of the monster 57,102-strong crowd who’d made the two-hour journey south for Newcastle’s first preliminary final in 13 years.

Train disruptions and foul weather didn’t dampen Knights fans’ dreams of returning to the big dance for the first time since 2001.

Rebounding from last year’s wooden spoon under new coach Justin Holbrook, Newcastle have enjoyed a dream September, and it has one final chapter waiting next Sunday against the Chooks.

All eyes were on Cleary, who started from the bench due to a broken foot sustained a fortnight ago in the win over the Roosters.
Father and coach Ivan Cleary also shuffled Lindsay Smith and Isaiah Papali’i onto the bench for starters Liam Henry and Scott Sorensen.

Holbrook stuck with the same 19-man squad that churned out a gritty win over the Warriors at Eden Park the Sunday prior.

Star back-rower Dylan Lucas came back from a broken ankle in New Zealand but was named a sub again here.

After Dylan Edwards missed an early shot at penalty-goal, Bradman Best sent the away fans into raptures.

Steaming onto a Kalyn Ponga pass, Best steamrolled Talagi then galloped away to find Francis Manuleleua in support to score.

Talagi struck back, though, grounding a clever Jack Cogger grubber behind the stretched goal-line defence.

Cleary came on for Cogger, but only lasted ten minutes before Crossland’s send-off offence left the stadium in stunned silence.

Talagi kicked the ensuing penalty-goal and Lindsay Smith converted a mountain of pressure into an eight-point edge at the break.

Young powered Newcastle back into the contest two minutes after the restart, beating Edwards to the right corner after Sandon Smith bravely chose to run the ball on the last tackle.

Then after two inexplicable Thomas Jenkins errors, the number seven pounced again.

Spotting the Penrith defenders’ backs turned following a Billy Phillips high-tackle penalty, Smith scampered 50 metres to score under the sticks, then converted his own try to poke the Knights’ noses in front.

Both sides lost their composure as the game hung on a knife’s edge, and the Panthers lost Talagi to another devastating injury.

But after Casey McLean came within millimetres of the winning try for the men in black, Smith snaffled a length-of-the-field intercept in the 80th minute to seal an epic underdog victory.

GAMESTAR: With opposite number Nathan Cleary off with a compound ankle fracture and Knights hooker Phoenix Crossland sent off for the hip drop that caused it, Sandon Smith took control of the second half with the two winning tries.

GAMEBREAKER: As Penrith probed for a go-ahead try against the twelve-man Knights in the dying seconds, Smith reeled in an intercept to seal Newcastle’s place in their first Grand Final since 2001.

MATCHFACTS

PANTHERS
1 Dylan Edwards
2 Thomas Jenkins
3 Blaize Talagi
4 Casey McLean
5 Brian To’o
6 Jack Cole
14 Jack Cogger
8 Moses Leota
9 Mitch Kenny
16 Liam Henry
12 Liam Martin
15 Scott Sorensen
13 Isaah Yeo
Subs
7 Nathan Cleary
10 Lindsay Smith
11 Isaiah Papali’i
17 Billy Phillips
18 Luke Garner
21 Freddy Lussick (not used)

Tries: Talagi (12), Smith (39)
Goals: Edwards 1/2, Talagi 2/2

KNIGHTS
1 Kalyn Ponga
2 Dom Young
3 Dane Gagai
4 Bradman Best
5 Greg Marzhew
6 Fletcher Sharpe
7 Sandon Smith
8 Tyson Frizell
9 Phoenix Crossland
10 Cody Hopwood
11 Jermaine McEwen
12 Francis Manuleleua
13 Mat Croker
Subs
14 Harrison Graham
15 Lachlan Crouch
16 Pasami Saulo
17 Dylan Lucas
18 Fletcher Hunt (not used)
19 Thomas Cant (not used)

Tries: Manuleleua (8), Young (42), Smith (59, 80)
Goals: Smith 3/4
Dismissal: Crossland (36) – dangerous tackle

SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-6, 6-6, 8-6, 14-6; 14-10, 14-16, 14-22

Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Panthers: Isaah Yeo; Knights: Sandon Smith

Penalty count: 6-3
Half-time: 14-6
Referee: Gerard Sutton
Attendance: 57,102