2025 NRL Team Previews

Newcastle Knights NRL 2025 Team Preview, Predictions & Player Movement

Ryan Tucker

Editor

Last updated: 11 Feb 2025

Ryan Tucker 11 Feb 2025

Share this article

Knights expected to finish 11th with 11 projected wins in 2025.
Key player: Kalyn Ponga, strong Dally M contender.
Off-season included several player ins and outs to boost lineup.

Kalyn Ponga of the Knights. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

Newcastle Knights NRL 2025 Team Preview, Predictions & Player Movement

Newcastle Knights NRL 2025 Team Preview, Predictions & Player Movement
Where Newcastle Knights finish in 2025: 11th
Projected Win total: 11
Best contender for Dally M: Kalyn Ponga
What’s to like
What’s NOT to like
Newcastle Knights Offseason Player Movement
Newcastle Knights Predicted Starting 17

Where Newcastle Knights finish in 2025: 11th

The Knights scraped into the finals last year winning 4 of their last 5 games and beating out the Raiders on points differential. With the expectation that other teams around them improve in 2025 it is difficult to see the Knights getting to the magical 13 win total which would almost guarantee a finals berth.

With their halves still not locked in and the inability to score points consistently hampering them all through 2024 the expectations for this team are at the bottom half of the mid-tier. Add to that the possibility of Kalyn Ponga returning to the Origin arena and the number decreases again.

Projected Win total: 11

The Knights over-achieved their projected win total last season by 1 (12 wins) and have over-achieved in 4 of their last 5 seasons. The law of averages says they are due for a let down and we are siding with that belief.

Scoring points is the biggest contributor to winning games and it is unlikely there is a significant shift in the ability for this team to put points on the board in 2025.

Best contender for Dally M: Kalyn Ponga

Kalyn Ponga won the Dally M in 2023 and was in the top 10 voting last season despite missing 9 games meaning he averaged 2.6 points per game played.

The Knights are also a different team with him on the park and if they can be successful this season it will likely be with Ponga at the front. Without any other superstar on the team competing for points Kalyn will often take the highest honours for Knights players even in losing games.

What’s to like

This team is stacked. Through almost every position there are a couple guys competing for the same spot and all are top grade level. This lifts the team and contributes to solid injury coverage throughout the season.

The Knights were one of the better defensive teams in 2024 and will continue to build on that foundation putting the clamps on opponents, forcing them to go away from their game plan to be able to score points. Add to that they have one of the best players in Rugby League in Kalyn Ponga on the team, when he is healthy he can single handedly win games.

What’s NOT to like

The halves merry-go-round continues for the Newcastle Knights and with only weeks until the season starts there is still no clarity on who will start in the 6 and 7 jumpers in Round 1. The instability hurt them during last season and will no doubt affect their chances early on if the team hasn’t settled into their groove.

Newcastle scored the 2nd fewest points out of any team in 2024 and have not directly addressed that problem in the off-season. Similar to the Bulldogs, their defence will get them some wins but they won’t be premiership contenders until they can consistently put points on the board.

Newcastle Knights Offseason Player Movement

Ins: Francis Manuleleua, Taj Annan (Queensland Reds), Tyrone Thompson (Rugby NZ), James Schiller (Raiders), Siteni Taukamo (Sharks - train and trial), Matt Arthur (Eels)

Outs: Myles Martin (Raiders), David Armstrong (Leigh), Daniel Saifiti (Dolphins) Enari Tuala (Bulldogs), Tom Jenkins (released), Krystian Mapapalangi (released)