Newcastle Knights 30–28 Canberra Raiders — Elimination Final, 2023 NRL Finals Series
10 Sep 2023 · McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle, NSW · Attendance: 29,548
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
Elimination Final, 2023 NRL finals series: Newcastle Knights 30–28 Canberra Raiders, at McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle, NSW on 10 Sep 2023.
Sourcing caveat: Sources vary slightly on exact try-scoring minutes and on the precise minute of Ponga's match-winning golden-point penalty goal. No official player-of-the-match award was found for this fixture.
Scoring timeline
| 5′ | Newcastle Knights — try, Marzhew |
| 18′ | Canberra Raiders — try, Schiller |
| 33′ | Canberra Raiders — try, Mooney |
| 39′ | Canberra Raiders — try, Schiller |
| 47′ | Newcastle Knights — try, Ponga |
| 54′ | Newcastle Knights — try, Young |
| 56′ | Newcastle Knights — try, Gagai |
| 62′ | Newcastle Knights — try, Young |
| 64′ | Canberra Raiders — try, Frawley |
| 77′ | Canberra Raiders — try, Starling |
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
| Newcastle Knights | Tries: Marzhew 5'; Ponga 47'; Young 54'; Gagai 56'; Young 62' Goals: Ponga (5/6 conversions); Ponga — penalty goal (golden point) |
| Canberra Raiders | Tries: Schiller 18'; Mooney 33'; Schiller 39'; Frawley 64'; Starling 77' Goals: Fogarty (4/5 conversions) |
Team sheets
| Newcastle Knights | Canberra Raiders | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kalyn Ponga | Fullback | Jordan Rapana | 1 |
| 2 | Dominic Young | Wing | James Schiller | 2 |
| 3 | Dane Gagai | Centre | Jack Wighton | 3 |
| 4 | Bradman Best | Centre | Matthew Timoko | 4 |
| 5 | Greg Marzhew | Wing | Nick Cotric | 5 |
| 6 | Tyson Gamble | Five-eighth | Matt Frawley | 6 |
| 7 | Jackson Hastings | Halfback | Jamal Fogarty | 7 |
| 8 | Jacob Saifiti | Prop | Ata Mariota | 8 |
| 9 | Phoenix Crossland | Hooker | Zac Woolford | 9 |
| 10 | Leo Thompson | Prop | Joseph Tapine | 10 |
| 11 | Tyson Frizell | Second Row | Hudson Young | 11 |
| 12 | Lachlan Fitzgibbon | Second Row | Elliott Whitehead | 12 |
| 13 | Adam Elliott | Lock | Hohepa Puru | 13 |
| Substitutes | ||||
| 14 | Kurt Mann | Tom Starling | 14 | |
| 15 | Daniel Saifiti | Emre Guler | 15 | |
| 16 | Jack Hetherington | Pasami Saulo | 16 | |
| 17 | Mat Croker | Trey Mooney | 17 | |
| Adam O'Brien | Coach | Ricky Stuart | ||
Match officials
| Referee | Ashley Klein |
Match report
Canberra dominated the opening stanza at McDonald Jones Stadium, controlling possession and racing to a 16-6 halftime lead built on tries to James Schiller (twice) and Trey Mooney, with Newcastle's only first-half response coming from winger Greg Marzhew. The Knights roared back after the break, scoring four unanswered tries through Kalyn Ponga, Dominic Young (two) and Dane Gagai to surge into a 28-16 lead. Canberra refused to fold, hitting back with tries to Matt Frawley and, with time running out, hooker Tom Starling, whose try and Jamal Fogarty's conversion locked the scores at 28-28 and forced golden-point extra time. Canberra's Hudson Young was then penalised for an offside infringement, handing Newcastle fullback Kalyn Ponga a shot at goal directly in front. Ponga slotted the penalty goal to complete a stirring comeback, sending the Knights through 30-28 and ending Canberra's season.