His head might be on the chopping block, but Adam O’Brien’s troops are clearly still playing for him, despite Newcastle’s heart-breaking 20-15 loss to the Warriors at McDonald Jones Stadium on Sunday.
The Knights were on the verge of banking two sorely needed competition points, only for explosive Warriors back-rower Leka Halasima to score a match-winning try after the full-time siren and send the crowd of 21,117 home disappointed.
The result lifted the Warriors to third on the ladder, leapfrogging Melbourne. The Knights have slipped to 14th and now need to win their remaining six games to have any hope of sneaking into the finals.
This masthead broke the news last week that Knights management have been discussing O’Brien’s future, and are considering alternative options, despite the 47-year-old coach being contracted for two more seasons.
O’Brien is no stranger to such uncertainty. In 2023, he was reportedly facing the sack mid-season, only for the Knights to embark on a 10-game winning streak that earned him a three-year contract extension.
Whether his current team can again save his bacon remains to be seen, but they certainly haven’t downed tools, judging by the evidence presented on Sunday.
Bradman Best on the charge against the Warriors.Credit: Getty Images
With attacking weapons Kalyn Ponga, Fletcher Sharpe and Dylan Lucas all sidelined because of injury – and a host of other players bed-ridden after a gastro virus spread through the squad last week – Newcastle did everything but win.
Only a cruel comedy of errors in the dying moments denied them victory.
“I’m really proud of the playing group, what they’ve been through in the last 48 hours,” a O’Brien said after the game.
“You guys would know by now, we had 12 of them in bed over the last 24 hours, and for them to turn up today and put in that type of effort, I couldn’t be any prouder of them.”
O’Brien said his players have been competing hard all season, despite winning only six of their first 18 games.
“They’re not just playing for me,” O’Brien said.
“They’re playing for our club, our town. They’ve done that all year. These boys haven’t rolled over or turned it up once.
“The narrative out there that we’re a basket case of whatever is really unfair, because these guys, week in week out ... they haven’t lost their fight.
“They haven’t lost their competitive spirit, their resilience, they’ve got that in spades. You put that in a footy team, and you can add other stuff.”
Warriors coach Andrew Webster joked “I’ll take it” when asked about his team’s great escape.
“I liked the way we kept fighting and going after the moment, when it wasn’t happening for us,” Webster said.
“We had some really good looks at field goals, penalty goals, and we were earning that through our defence.
“We just came up with a freakish play by a young guy who’s got plenty of talent, and that’s what he’s got in his tool kit.
“I’m just happy for the boys. It wasn’t pretty tonight but we just wanted to earn the victory and go after it.”
The Knights led 12-6 at half-time and could have been up by more, but for some wayward conversion attempts from Jackson Hastings and Dane Gagai.
The visitors drew first blood in the eighth minute when halfback Tanah Boyd grubbered into the in-goal and centre Adam Pompey arrived in a flash to ground it.
Ten minutes later, the Warriors thought they had increased their advantage, only for the video referee to penalise hooker Wayde Egan as he stretched out to plant the ball down from dummy-half.
The Knights, after absorbing plenty of early pressure, hit back in the 23rd minute when Hastings kicked for the corner, winger Dominic Young batted it down and centre Fletcher Hunt scooped up the dregs to score.
Knights coach Adam O’Brien lauded his team’s fighting spirit.Credit: Getty Images
Newcastle hit the lead four minutes later when winger Greg Marzhew, tackled short of the line, produced a freakish offload off the ground to fullback Gagai, who dived over.
Even Gagai appeared surprised Marzhew was not penalised for passing off the ground, after a tackle had been completed.
Marzhew doubled up in the 31st minute when the Knights spun the ball to their left edge and he dived at full stretch to ground the ball one-handed.
The Warriors got themselves back to equal terms in the 50th minute when interchange forward Demitric Vaimauga reached out to score in a soft one-on-one tackle.
Newcastle regained the lead in the 57th minute with a Gagai penalty goal, only for the Warriors to equalise 11 minutes later with a Boyd two-pointer after Jack Cogger was penalised for high contact.
Boyd had a shot at a field goal with no pressure on him in the 72nd minute, only to slice it well wide of the right-hand post.
Cogger was more accurate in the 75th minute, nailing a one-pointer from 35 metres out.
Newcastle appeared home and hosed after Boyd’s unsuccessful drop-goal attempt in the 78th minute, only for the video referee to penalise Hastings for not standing square at marker.
With a penalty shot from 32m out, almost in front, to potentially win the game, Boyd hooked it to the left.
He then had another crack at a long-range field goal, only for Hastings to charge it down. Then Halasima pounced on the loose ball and raced nearly 40m in a weaving, barnstorming run to score the match-winning try after the siren.
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