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Live sport on SN this weekendThe mantra that set Knights up for run from spoon
Scott Bailey, AAP •  October 3rd, 2026 8:01 pm
Newcastle Knights coach Justin Holbrook wants his players to enjoy what they do, and it shows | Photo: Dan Himbrechts/AAP
When Justin Holbrook landed for his first pre-season in charge of Newcastle last November, he arrived with a key mantra.
Put simply, it was: You can't wait to win to be happy, you need to be happy to win.
"That's the environment I want to create," Holbrook told AAP.
"You can't just be waiting for it. You've got to enjoy yourself, work hard.
"Then you get the rewards."
Club greats see plenty of similarities between the current Knights side and the premiers from 2001 | Photo: Dean Lewins/AAP
Holbrook's influence has been evident in everything Newcastle have done in this year's finals, from the way they play their football to embracing the off-field hype.
Knights old boys have noticed it too ahead of Sunday night's grand final against the Sydney Roosters.
They see similarities to the 2001 premiership in Michael Hagan's first year as coach, and the way Newcastle are under Holbrook.
"It just feels like a Michael Hagan moment," Knights great Timana Tahu said.
"When Warren Ryan was there (in 1999 and 2000), he built the team. But there was a lot of friction in the team with senior players bumping heads with him.
"Then all of a sudden Hages comes through (in 2001). Things relax.
"That's probably the concept of the Knights at finals. They relax and they enjoy themselves."
Bradman Best certainly enjoyed Newcastle's preliminary final win over the Penrith Panthers | Photo: Dan Himbrechts/AAP
Hagan sees other similarities.
Where he had 20-year-olds Josh Perry and Daniel Abraham in the pack that stunned Parramatta, Holbrook has Cody Hopwood and Lachlan Crouch.
Greg Marzhew and Dom Young are strike wingers like Tahu and Adam MacDougall, and both sides have a generational talent in Kalyn Ponga and Andrew Johns.
There is also a sense of how a relaxed mentality has taken Newcastle through the finals as underdogs in every game, surviving a send-off and dealing with $3 million of injured talent.
"You can just sense that environment's really positive all the time," Hagan said.
"They've been able to adapt quickly to things.
"And Justin's got a similar make-up and a similar approach to footy (to 2001). Very down to earth, very straightforward. He's a smart coach."
Greg Marzhew has played a key role in Newcastle's road to the grand final this year | Photo: Dan Himbrechts/AAP
Hagan knows Holbrook well.
He coached the half as a young "larrikin" in reserve grade at Newcastle and was on the panel that appointed him to replace Adam O'Brien as coach this year.
That Knights history came to the fore in Holbrook's interview and the way he has coached since.
Newcastle players spent time in the region's mines in the pre-season and are building this run around local talent.
The other fact that stood out to Hagan was Holbrook's winning stocks, with a Super League title in England before a premature Gold Coast axing.
"You learn a bit more about yourself when you get moved on," Hagan said.
"You reflect a bit more on what you might have done differently, and I think he's taken that on board.
"He had been successful as a head coach in England with St Helens, which is a one-team-town type scenario.
"But he also understood that he had a pretty good roster here."
Newcastle have had their challenges, like the sending off of Phoenix Crossland against Penrith | Photo: Mark Evans/AAP
Newcastle have added the injured Dylan Brown and back-up half Sandon Smith, but are otherwise largely unchanged to last year's wooden spooners.
They have gone from the worst attacking team in the NRL last year to averaging an extra 12 points per game this year in the regular season.
Where last year Newcastle were cagey and scored five tries from their own half, Holbrook has encouraged early shifts and netted 35 from long distance in 2026.
"It's really unlocked our style of footy," centre Bradman Best said.
"It's just backing ourselves and taking opportunities when we see them. We're not forcing anything.
"We make a few errors but it's because we're trying and we're seeing an opportunity."
Kalyn Ponga says coach Justin Holbrook's energy has rubbed off on the players | Photo: Dan Himbrechts/AAP
Those shifts may only need to come off four times on Sunday for Newcastle to end their 25-year premiership drought, with their defence superb through the finals.
"It's crazy how much Justin's energy can rub off on us," Ponga said.
"It definitely has throughout the year.
"He's always stayed neutral. A win or lose, it's always the same. He's always the same and it's consistent."
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