Throwback Thursday: vs Newcastle Knights

Over the past 23 seasons, Wests Tigers have played 33 matches against the Knights and emerged victorious on 17 occasions.

The joint-venture’s record against the Knights at Campbelltown is even stronger, with Wests Tigers winning six of the nine clashes between the two sides at the venue.

Ahead of Sunday’s match, we’re partnering with Boomer Home Loans to go back and revisit two of the most memorable matches between the Wests Tigers and Newcastle Knights.

2011

With both sides sitting in eighth and ninth respectively, Wests Tigers met the Newcastle Knights at Leichhardt Oval for a crucial Monday night clash in 2011.

After a cagey start, Robert Lui brought the home crowd to life with a barnstorming run to the line off the back of a short pass from Robbie Farah.

The Knights struck back through Neville Costigan before a freakish tap-back from Junior Sa’u saw the visitors hit the front.

Not to be outdone by his opposite number, Tim Simona conjured a magical flick pass of his own to give Mitch Brown the opportunity to tie the game on the stroke of halftime.

A try to Antonio Kaufusi in the 47th minute put the Knights back in front as the visitors took control of a tightly fought second half.

With time running low, Robbie Farah took advantage of some strong field position to isolate Liam Fulton against Beau Henry.

The second-rower was too strong for the Newcastle five-eighth and sent the match to Golden Point by crashing his way to the line.

Neither side was able to crack the deadlock in the first half of extra time, but Robbie Farah soon stepped out of dummy half and nailed an unexpected one-pointer to send the crowd into raptures.

Farah’s field goal would kickstart Wests Tigers’ season as the joint-venture embarked on an impressive run that saw them finish the year within the top four.

2019

If Brett Kimmorley’s men need any inspiration ahead of Sunday’s match, they need not look any further than their last performance against the Knights at Campbelltown.

It took just three minutes for Wests Tigers to hit the front, with a Benji Marshall grubber bouncing fortuitously for Ryan Matterson.

Robert Jennings soon had the second try for the home side before Corey Thompson poked through a hole and offloaded to an unmarked Esan Marsters.

Not satisfied with an eighteen point lead, Wests Tigers put on two more quick tries before the break as Luke Brooks sent Luke Garner away with a no-look pass and Benji Marshall placed a pinpointed kick for David Nofoaluma to score in the right corner.

The home side continued their attacking momentum after the break, with David Nofoaluma collecting his own grubber kick for the first try of the second half.

Nofoaluma then finished a terrific team try to complete his hattrick, before Michael Chee Kam planted the ball over the line to extend the scoreline to 46-0.

A late consolation try to the Knights couldn’t dampen the spirits of the lively Campbelltown crowd, who were treated to a dazzling display of rugby league from the home side.

The victory set the scene for a thrilling end to the season, which would see Wests Tigers narrowly miss the finals by a single competition point.