In the moments before kick-off, while previewing the game for Nine, Andrew Johns made the following observation.

“I never thought in my lifetime that I would ever see a better buy than Ben Kennedy for the Knights,” said the Eighth Immortal. “I think this bloke may have gone past BK, he’s that good.”

This bloke, the highest-paid player in the game on a purported $1.4 million, is Kalyn Ponga. While he couldn’t quite seal the result for his side, Ponga further proved what a shrewd investment the Knights had made.

The star fullback was involved in the lead-up to his side’s first two tries, to Jayden Brailey and Fletcher Sharpe. And then with the scores locked at 16-all, the reigning Dally M medalist set up what appeared to be the match winner, only for Dane Gagai to spill the Steeden as the try line loomed. It was a costly miss.

“I don’t think the scoreboard is a reflection of the fight and effort in this team,” said Newcastle coach Adam O’Brien.

“They are good traits to have as a footy team, as men, as fathers and husbands and all the things these guys have got going on. They are good values to have. If you have resilience and grit to fight through tough periods – whether it’s games or tough periods of your season – they have done that.

“I feel like we have turned the corner a bit in terms of our DNA. Yeah, we want to be sitting here talking about a win, but it’s not through a lack of having a go.”

This was always going to be a huge mountain for the Knights to climb. Sudden-death football had come a week early, after beating the Dolphins the previous week just to qualify for this fixture. Further, game-breaking centre Bradman Best was ruled out with a hamstring injury, as they travelled to a venue at which they last tasted success in 2015.

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When Best’s replacement, back-rower Dylan Lucas, threw an intercept to Feldt it seemed an insurmountable obstacle. Yet the Knights did not go quietly.

Lucas was one of his side’s best, scoring a wonderful solo try and defending stoutly on his edge.

However, the Cowboys finished over the top of their opponents in the tropical conditions, scoring four second-half tries to set up a crack at Cronulla. When they last met in the play-offs, in 2022, the northerners prevailed courtesy of a 92nd-minute field goal to one of their old boys, Valentine Holmes.

Hopefully, another epic awaits.

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