Daly Cherry-Evans’ 70th-minute field goal proved the difference Sunday as the Sydney Roosters came back from a 12-point deficit to beat the Newcastle Knights 19-18 in the NRL Grand Final at Accor Stadium. A crowd of 80,814 watched two evenly matched teams fight for the title in a compelling contest.
Newcastle struck first. Francis Manuleleua and Kalyn Ponga scored tries, and Sandon Smith converted both to give the Knights a 12-0 lead. But the Roosters didn’t fold. Mark Nawaqanitawase scored after a remarkable solo effort: he kicked a bouncing ball toward the in-goal with his right shin, trapped it under his right boot, then kicked it forward with his left foot before reaching the line. Billy Smith added another try, and Sam Walker’s two conversions brought Sydney back within reach.
Then the match turned. Cherry-Evans, playing his final NRL match after a high-profile offseason move from Manly to the Roosters, kicked a field goal in the 70th minute to put Sydney seven points ahead with 10 minutes remaining. Newcastle hit back hard. Greg Marzhew broke two tackles and scored in the corner with less than four minutes left. Smith converted, cutting the gap to one point. The Knights had two more possessions, but couldn’t reach the Roosters’ goal line.
The Comeback Factor
Sydney’s composure under pressure stood out. The Roosters trailed 12-0 against a team chasing its first premiership since the 1930s, yet they maintained discipline and execution. Newcastle had momentum and a compelling story: the Knights were trying to become the first team since the 1930s to go from wooden spoon to premiers. But consistency won out.
Manuleleua also made a notable contribution. The 22-year-old dislocated his elbow in Newcastle’s final home-and-away match on August 30, then returned 35 days later to score the opening try. He ran through a gap after a pass from Fletcher Sharpe, and his try suggested the Knights had genuine momentum. Two-time premiership winner Luke Lewis said on the ABC Sport broadcast: “It looked way too easy – didn't look like there was anything wrong … absolutely brilliant football, outstanding pass, but it all looked too easy for the Knights.”
Ponga ran 95 metres to score and otherwise played strongly. He also stopped a likely Roosters try by knocking the ball from Nawaqanitawase’s grasp. One moment drew controversy: Ponga’s shoulder hit Victor Radley’s head in a tackle midway through the first half. Roosters captain James Tedesco challenged referee Adam Gee, saying the contact had “been a sin bin all year” in terms of consistency. Gee and the bunker chose not to send Ponga to the sin bin.
Tedesco’s Defining Performance
James Tedesco took home the Clive Churchill Medal as player of the match after a dominant performance. The Roosters captain ran for 385 metres, the most by any player in an NRL finals match, broke 14 tackles and positioned himself almost flawlessly under the high ball. He also made two vital kick receptions in the closing minutes, helping Sydney hold its defensive shape.
This premiership means a lot to Tedesco. It was his third overall, but his first as captain and his first grand final win since taking the role. He won back-to-back premierships with Sydney in 2018 and 2019, then became captain. His awards now include the Wally Lewis Medal from the 2019 State of Origin series and Dally M awards from 2019 and 2025.
Retired Parramatta great Peter Sterling presented the Clive Churchill Medal, 40 years after he became its first winner. Tedesco spoke about the emotion of the victory immediately after the match. “So proud of this team, what a game,” he said. “Honestly, it felt like we had them on the ropes, but they just kept coming back. There's so many great attacking players and that game could've gone either way.”
The Broader Picture
The Roosters capped a dominant weekend by winning the women’s competition earlier Sunday, beating defending champion Brisbane Broncos 30-6. The women’s side won 13 consecutive matches during the season. Sydney’s men claimed their first premiership since 2019, ending a seven-year drought for a club with a deep premiership tradition.
The grand final followed a Saturday incident in which a vehicle drove into a crowd gathered on a road to cheer the Knights as they left Newcastle for Sydney. The crash injured 10 people, including several children. Despite the shadow of that tragedy, Sunday’s match delivered spirited, closely contested football that helps explain the sport’s place in Australian culture.
Why This Matters:
This grand final shows why market-driven, privately operated professional sports leagues thrive when competition fairly determines outcomes. The Roosters’ comeback rewarded execution and organizational discipline over narrative sentiment. Newcastle’s wooden-spoon-to-premiers story was compelling, but it couldn’t overcome Sydney’s resilience. From a governance perspective, the rules worked as intended. Match officials made the controversial no-call on Ponga’s tackle within their authority, and no appeals process followed. The event’s economic value matters too: 80,814 paying spectators at one venue generated substantial revenue for the club, the league and the broader sporting economy. Tedesco’s performance shows how individual excellence under pressure drives consumer interest and viewership. The Roosters’ organizational and financial investment, including the high-profile acquisition of Cherry-Evans, delivered measurable results. This is how competitive markets work: investment, execution and performance determine outcomes. The women’s premiership on the same day shows that market expansion occurs when leagues operate effectively and allow organic growth rather than mandate it.