South Sydney Rabbitohs 46–20 Newcastle Knights — Elimination Final, 2020 NRL Finals Series
4 Oct 2020 · ANZ Stadium, Sydney, NSW · Attendance: 17,212
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
Elimination Final, 2020 NRL finals series: South Sydney Rabbitohs 46–20 Newcastle Knights, at ANZ Stadium, Sydney, NSW on 4 Oct 2020.
Sourcing caveat: Precise minute markers for each try/goal could not be independently verified from an authoritative primary scoresheet; minutes shown are reconciled approximations.
Scoring timeline
| 2′ | Newcastle Knights — try, Hunt |
| 7′ | Newcastle Knights — try, Best |
| 16′ | South Sydney Rabbitohs — try, Allan |
| 20′ | South Sydney Rabbitohs — try, Walker |
| 23′ | South Sydney Rabbitohs — try, Johnston |
| 35′ | South Sydney Rabbitohs — try, Murray |
| 61′ | South Sydney Rabbitohs — try, Tatola |
| 68′ | South Sydney Rabbitohs — try, Johnston |
| 73′ | South Sydney Rabbitohs — try, Tatola |
| 75′ | South Sydney Rabbitohs — try, Cook |
| 80′ | Newcastle Knights — try, Hunt |
Tries with a sourced minute, in order scored, with the conversion kicked/missed alongside each one where source data lets us match a kicker to that specific try. Tries whose exact minute isn't recorded in available sources appear in the Scorers table below but not here; goal tallies we can't attribute to one specific try are shown as descriptive text in Scorers rather than guessed into this timeline.
Scorers
| South Sydney Rabbitohs | Tries: Allan 16'; Walker 20'; Johnston 23'; Murray 35'; Tatola 61'; Johnston 68'; Tatola 73'; Cook 75' Goals: Reynolds (6/8 conversions); Gagai (1/1 conversions) |
| Newcastle Knights | Tries: Hunt 2'; Best 7'; Hunt 80' Goals: Ponga (2/2 conversions); Ponga — penalty goal 12'; Guerra (1/1 conversions) 80' |
Team sheets
| South Sydney Rabbitohs | Newcastle Knights | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Corey Allan | Fullback | Kalyn Ponga | 1 |
| 2 | Alex Johnston | Wing | Edrick Lee | 2 |
| 3 | Campbell Graham | Centre | Enari Tuala | 3 |
| 4 | Dane Gagai | Centre | Bradman Best | 4 |
| 5 | Jaxson Paulo | Wing | Hymel Hunt | 5 |
| 6 | Cody Walker | Five-eighth | Kurt Mann | 6 |
| 7 | Adam Reynolds | Halfback | Mitchell Pearce | 7 |
| 8 | Tevita Tatola | Prop | David Klemmer | 8 |
| 9 | Damien Cook | Hooker | Chris Randall | 9 |
| 10 | Thomas Burgess | Prop | Daniel Saifiti | 10 |
| 11 | Jaydn Su'A | Second Row | Lachlan Fitzgibbon | 11 |
| 12 | Bayley Sironen | Second Row | Mitchell Barnett | 12 |
| 13 | Cameron Murray | Lock | Herman Ese'ese | 13 |
| Substitutes | ||||
| 14 | Liam Knight | Aidan Guerra | 14 | |
| 15 | Mark Nicholls | Jacob Saifiti | 15 | |
| 16 | Jed Cartwright | Sione Mata'utia | 16 | |
| 17 | Keaon Koloamatangi | Tex Hoy | 17 | |
| Wayne Bennett | Coach | Adam O'Brien | ||
Match officials
| Referee | Ben Cummins |
| Player of the match | Cody Walker — Bundaberg Rum Man of the Match award |
Match report
South Sydney's 46-20 win over Newcastle in the 2020 Elimination Final at ANZ Stadium capped a dramatic turnaround. The Knights, appearing in the finals for the first time since 2013, raced to an early 14-0 lead inside the opening 12 minutes through tries to Hymel Hunt and Bradman Best plus two Kalyn Ponga goals and a penalty. South Sydney then produced a remarkable response, scoring 20 unanswered points before half-time through tries from Corey Allan, Cody Walker, Alex Johnston and Cameron Murray to lead at the break. The Rabbitohs took total control after half-time, adding further tries to Tevita Tatola (2), Alex Johnston and Damien Cook to blow the margin out before a consolation Hunt try and Aidan Guerra conversion — Guerra's final act in first grade before retirement — closed the score to 46-20. The win sent South Sydney through to face Parramatta and ended Newcastle's season.