Get the expert take on NRL Grand Final Day with FOX LEAGUE\u2019s extensive coverage, plus full and mini replays available post-game on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo?Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/p>\n WHAT’S GAMBLING REALLY COSTING YOU? Set a deposit limit. For Free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au.<\/p>\n It was an Andrew Johns masterclass that delivered Newcastle the premiership back in 2001, but there were a host of unsung heroes who also played a role in the grand final glory.<\/p>\n Here, foxsports.com.au looks back at the 17 men who stunned Parramatta and does some digging to see what some of them are up to now.<\/p>\n 1. Robbie O\u2019Davis<\/p>\n The diminutive fullback is a Newcastle great, playing his entire 13-year career for the Knights.<\/p>\n He was one of the club\u2019s best attacking weapons that season and a crucial cog in Newcastle\u2019s premiership success.<\/p>\n Since retirement, O\u2019Davis has unfortunately battled with the symptoms of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).<\/p>\n In an interview back in 2023, O\u2019Davis said he doesn\u2019t remember anything about his two grand final victories.<\/p>\n \u201cAll I remember is that I played for a good team, played for a town,\u201d O\u2019Davis told Channel 7. <\/p>\n \u201cEven watching the grand finals now, I\u2019ve watched them that many times, I can\u2019t remember doing them.\u201d<\/p>\n O\u2019Davis has a daughter, Dior, who is an emerging star in the Sea\u2019 Eagles NRLW system.<\/p>\n Get all the latest NRL news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now!!!<\/a><\/p>\n Robbie O’Davis celebrates after a try. (AAP Image\/Daniel Berehulak)Source: AAP<\/p>\n 2. Timana Tahu<\/p>\n Tahu is a code star who forged a terrific career as an outside back in the NRL, playing 196 games for the Knights, Eels and Panthers as well as 12 appearances for the Blues and five for Australia.<\/p>\n In 2008, Tahu switched to rugby union, playing for the NSW Waratahs and representing the Wallabies on four occasions but after two years in the 15-man code, he was back in the NRL.<\/p>\n Tahu scored the match-sealing try in the 2001 decider but the Eels\u2019 stunning late flurry did make things interesting. <\/p>\n Tahu recounted the reception the club received following the 2001 win.<\/p>\n \u201cNewcastle got a public day off. There was over 100,000 people lined up on the streets. It was just an ongoing party,\u201d he told CODE Sports. <\/p>\n \u201cThen also we were going out to all the other towns like Cessnock and Kurri and Maitland, having parades out there as well. It just didn\u2019t stop.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was amazing to experience that in \u201801 and that\u2019s what I\u2019m hoping for the boys to experience again this year.\u201d<\/p>\n Tahu works for the NRL as a business development officer and Indigenous pathways manager.<\/p>\n Using his platform and standing in the game, he denounced racism in rugby league when appearing on the Hi Society podcast last year, believing players are on a hiding to nothing standing up to racism..<\/p>\n \u201cI feel sorry for the athletes…We can go through the past of all the athletes that stood up against racism and they\u2019re still copping it to this day\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cStanding up, you\u2019ve gotta have some guts. The athletes aren\u2019t prepared for the backlash.\u201d<\/p>\n Timana Tahu in action.Source: News Corp Australia<\/p>\n 3. Matthew Gidley<\/p>\n Gidley did it all during his 11 years at the Knights.<\/p>\n The oldest of the Gidley brothers made his debut in 1996 at the age of 18 and went on to have an outstanding career as a one-club man, writing his name into Newcastle folklore.<\/p>\n Gidley enjoyed a breakout season in 1998 before then making his Australian debut in the Tri-Nations the following year and representative honours continued to follow for the standout centre.<\/p>\n He and Timana Tahu formed a lethal combination, with the pair playing a key role in Newcastle\u2019s premiership-winning 2001 season.<\/p>\n Gidley went on to play another five years at the Knights before leaving for the Super League, later returning to Newcastle as CEO from 2011 to 2017.<\/p>\n Matt Gidley, Marc Glanville and Mark Hughes celebrate the 2001 NRL Grand Final win.Source: AAP<\/p>\n When Gidley finished up in that role, he was looking for something \u201ctotally different\u201d and after around nine months of \u201cdoing nothing and talking to people\u201d he landed on something completely left-of-field \u2014 owning McDonald\u2019s franchises.<\/p>\n Gidley opened up on his journey on the Backstage with Cooper & Matty Johns podcast earlier this year, explaining that he knew a few licensees in Newcastle that had sponsored the club over the years. <\/p>\n So, he expressed his interest to them and then had to undergo nine months of interviews followed by 12 months of training in-store with no pay.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve got to learn everything from scratch,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Gidley said when he was first approved to start training he was sent to the McDonald\u2019s in Wallsend, which is where he grew up. So naturally, it didn\u2019t take long for people to take notice. <\/p>\n Gidley recalled one hilarious exchange with a Knights fan who assumed the legendary centre must have been down on his luck.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m handing orders out the window and a bloke comes up in his car,\u201d Gidley said.<\/p>\n \u201cI hand him his order and he goes, \u2018Are you Matt Gidley?\u2019. I said, \u2018Yeah\u2019. He goes, \u2018F***. How bad are you going?\u2019 I had a few of those moments through the training week. Keep an eye on the bigger picture.\u201d <\/p>\n Get all the latest NRL news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now!!!<\/a><\/p>\n Newcastle Knights players Timana Tahu (L), Matthew Gidley, Ben Kennedy and Danny Buderus hoist the NRL Premiership Trophy in the air at Stadium Australia in Homebush, Sydney following the defeat of the Parramatta Eels in the 2001 NRL Grand Final 30\/09\/2001.Source: News Corp Australia<\/p>\n 4. Mark Hughes<\/p>\n Hughes was quick to make an impact in his first appearance for the Knights, scoring a try in a 32-24 loss to the Gold Coast Chargers after a quick exchange of passes through the middle of the field.<\/p>\n By the end of that season he was playing in a grand final, starting on the wing against Manly after 10 games and at just 20 years old.<\/p>\n The versatile Hughes played both at wing and fullback before establishing himself in the centres, where he later became a dual premiership-winner as part of the 2001 side.<\/p>\n Hughes earned a State of Origin call-up that season, playing all three games of the series at fullback and went on to play 161 games for the Knights, scoring 66 tries in the process.<\/p>\n He later left the club in 2005 to play for the Catalans Dragons in the Super League before retiring. <\/p>\n While Hughes left an incredible mark on the game, his work off the field in raising funds and awareness to support brain cancer patients and their families has had an even greater impact.<\/p>\n Hughes was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2013 and started the Mark Hughes Foundation alongside wife Kirralee in 2014, which was also the inaugural year of Beanie for Brain Cancer round.<\/p>\n It is an annual fundraising event which has only gained momentum since, with over one million beanies sold. <\/p>\n To date the foundation has raised over $30 million and in 2022 announced a $25 million brain cancer research centre at The University of Newcastle.<\/p>\n Mark Hughes from the Mark Hughes Foundation. Pics by Julian Andrews.Source: News Corp Australia<\/p>\n 5. Adam MacDougall <\/p>\n One of the greater post-playing career success stories.<\/p>\n Nicknamed \u2018Mad Dog\u2019, MacDougall launched the super successful weight-loss meal replacement The Man Shake and Lady Shake, which landed him on the Australia\u2019s Richest 250 list with a net worth of over $635 million.<\/p>\n In 2022, Australian investment giant Pacific Equity Partners paid $200 million according to The Financial Review<\/a> to acquire the business with MacDougall calling it a \u201creal rags to riches story\u201d at the time in an interview with News Corp<\/a>.<\/p>\n It was reported in July this year that MacDougall has since bought back the company after PEP agreed terms to sell Cranky Health, the holding company for the Man Shake and Lady Shake.<\/p>\n \u201cI made a mistake,\u201d MacDougall said in a video announcing the news last month<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI sold out to big corporate and I\u2019m so sorry. But I\u2019m back. When I found out the Man Shake was for sale, I didn\u2019t want to make the same mistake again.\u201d<\/p>\n On the back of the success of The Man Shake, MacDougall also released a book called The Man Plan in 2015.<\/p>\n MacDougall won two premierships with the Knights in 1997 and 2001 and was a constant fixture in rep circles during his playing career, playing 11 games for NSW and 11 for the Kangaroos.<\/p>\n He hung the boots up at the end of 2011 season after 195 NRL games for the Roosters, Knights and Rabbitohs.<\/p>\n Get the expert take on NRL Grand Final Day with FOX LEAGUE\u2019s extensive coverage, plus full and mini replays available post-game on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo?Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/p>\n Newcastle Knights players Chris Houston and Kurt Gidley with former player Adam MacDougall at Gidley’s home in Newcastle. MacDougall has launched a meal replacement drink called “The Man Shake” (pictured).Source: News Limited<\/p>\n 6. Sean Rudder<\/p>\n When Matty Johns left the Knights at the end of 2000, it left Michael Hagan looking for a new five-eighth.<\/p>\n So, he decided to give young local junior Sean Rudder a shot. <\/p>\n He may have been playing outside of Joey Johns and as a result largely faded into the background in most peoples\u2019 memories, but Rudder stood up in the grand final. <\/p>\n Newcastle\u2019s unsung hero threw the final pass on two tries in the win over Parramatta.<\/p>\n Rudder left the Knights to suit up for Castleford in 2004 and then Catalans, while he also had stints in Japan, France and Australia playing rugby union before he made one final NRL appearance in 2008 for the Roosters. <\/p>\n He later finished up playing for Newtown before calling time on his playing career in 2009 and going on to study law at the University of Newcastle while also working at Taren Point Bottle-O.<\/p>\n Since then, he told the Jets website in 2020<\/a> that he had moved down to Victoria with his partner.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m into coffee and yoga these days,\u201d he said at the time.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I went back to Newcastle after playing, I saw a physio and they said Yoga and stretching would help with the tightness in my muscles caused by footy.<\/p>\n \u201cAs for coffee, my partner\u2019s brother-in-law got me into that.\u201d<\/p>\n Sean Rudder played an integral part in the winning try by Ben kennedy. (AAP Image\/Daniel Berehulak\/Action Photographics)Source: AAP<\/p>\n 7. Andrew Johns<\/p>\n The legend himself. <\/p>\n Joey won the Clive Churchill Medal for his man of the match performance against the Eels, where he controlled things perfectly to guide Newcastle to an unassailable 24-0 halftime lead.<\/p>\n Parramatta fought back hard but the damage was done. Joey\u2019s masterclass would go down in history. <\/p>\n Johns has since made a name for himself as a lead commentator and media personality at Channel Nine and will be part of Sunday\u2019s grand final coverage, where he no doubt will be riding an emotional rollercoaster as he cheers on his beloved Knights.<\/p>\n He has also previously worked with the club as a specialist coaching consultant.<\/p>\n Player Matt Gidley celebrating with Andrew Johns. \/Rugby\/AustraliaSource: News Limited<\/p>\n 8. Josh Perry<\/p>\n He was the rookie on the wrong end of a Michael Hagan spray earlier in the year that left him in tears. <\/p>\n But for Perry, that reality check was well worth it considering his first full season in the NRL ended in premiership glory.<\/p>\n Perry had played just four games the season prior before being entrusted with a regular spot in Hagan\u2019s 2001 premiership-winning side. <\/p>\n But after an error-riddled performance against the Tigers in Round 23, Hagan let it rip at his young prop. By the time he was done, Perry was reduced to tears.<\/p>\n Hagan, however, said he got the response he wanted from Perry, who started in the grand final against Parramatta and later went on to join Manly in 2008 where he started in the 40-0 shutout of Melbourne.<\/p>\n Perry went on to have a highly successful career, playing three State of Origin games and also representing his country before finishing up in the Super League with St Helens.<\/p>\n Now he is the owner and director of ByronBuilt<\/a>, a company which specialises in architecturally designed homes, off-the-grid builds and select renovations in the Northern Rivers.<\/p>\n Perry completed an apprenticeship in 2001 and according to the ByronBuilt website is either \u201chands on building with the boys onsite or helping potential clients to visualise their new ByronBuilt home\u201d.<\/p>\n Josh Perry. (AAP Image\/Sandra Teddy)Source: AAP<\/p>\n 9. Danny Buderus <\/p>\n 2001 was a big year for Buderus, who not only started at hooker for Newcastle in the grand final win but also made his international debut for Australia against New Zealand.<\/p>\n Buderus went on to have a legendary career for the Knights, playing a club-record 257 games.<\/p>\n He didn\u2019t get a fairytale farewell, however, knocked out cold by Jared Waerea-Hargreaves in a preliminary final loss to the Roosters in 2013. <\/p>\n It was an unfortunate end to an accomplished career for Buderus, who naturally made the transition to coaching after retirement. <\/p>\n He previously stepped in as interim head coach in 2015 before moving up to become general manager of football from 2020 to 2022 and now serves as assistant coach to Justin Holbrook, expanding on existing leadership and ambassadorial responsibilities at the club.<\/p>\n Danny Buderus. Pic Robert McKell. Rugby League F\/LSource: News Corp Australia<\/p>\n 10. Matt Parsons <\/p>\n Parsons made his NRL debut for the Rabbitohs in 1997 and was named Dally M Prop of the Year in 1999 before moving to Newcastle in 2000.<\/p>\n That, of course, was largely out of his control given the Rabbitohs were removed from the competition at the end of the 1999 season.<\/p>\n Although Parsons later said he and Craig Wing were the only two players who had guaranteed contracts offered to them to play for South Sydney in 2000.<\/p>\n But one of his old trainers at the Dragons and Bunnies, Scott Campbell, had since moved to Newcastle and rang Parsons one day to say the Knights were interested.<\/p>\n So, he met with Newcastle in the middle of the 1999 season and signed an unofficial agreement that saw Parsons land at the Knights in 2000 and win a premiership soon after.<\/p>\n Parsons went on to play 164 NRL games before retiring at the end of 2004. <\/p>\n In an interview with Knights TV in 2018<\/a>, Parsons said he started working for Carlton United Breweries in Newcastle after he finished his career before getting a job further north in Tamworth.<\/p>\n \u201cAt that job I was away a lot, so I gave it away and went into my own businesses,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve got a dairy farmers run, a franchise with my wife at our property, and I\u2019m in the Newsagency with my in-laws, so I\u2019m pretty busy.<\/p>\n \u201cI grew up working all the time and only had a few years out of it while I was playing footy, so I was able to go back into work without too many issues.\u201d<\/p>\n He also was involved in a coaching capacity at Werris Creek Magpies and as well as the Tamworth Thunderbolts, having also developed a love for basketball.<\/p>\n MORE NRL GF NEWS<\/p>\n TALKING PTS: $40k proof of big Knights advantage; mistake Roosters can\u2019t repeat<\/a><\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1791099496_783_poster-fallback.png\"\/)
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