Adam O’Brien’s frustrations peaked during Newcastle’s significant 48-12 defeat to Penrith, following a prior 10-0 loss. The match took a controversial turn in the 10th minute when Jermaine McEwen was penalised for making contact with Nathan Cleary during a kick. Replays indicated that this contact occurred simultaneously with Cleary’s kick, leading Fox League commentator Steve Roach to suggest that McEwen could not have avoided it. “That’s a tough one on the Newcastle Knights,” remarked caller Warren Smith, noting O’Brien’s visible anger from the coach’s box.
The match proved to be a rough outing for O’Brien and his team, as they fell behind early, with Penrith scoring four tries in the first half—two from Luke Garner and Lindsay Smith, followed by additional tries from Liam Henry, Brian To’o, and Thomas Jenkins. By half-time, Newcastle found themselves trailing 26-0.
The second half began with Casey McLean adding to Penrith’s tally, but Newcastle eventually managed to get on the scoreboard with tries from Mat Croker and McEwen. However, the second-half misery continued as Isaiah Papali’i and McLean found the try line again, and Izack Tago capped off the scoring for Penrith.
Next up, Penrith will face the Storm in a highly anticipated Thursday night clash, while Newcastle will look to rebound against North Queensland on Sunday, August 17. The disparity in performance highlights ongoing struggles for the Knights this season.