A rare treat with three games on a Sunday so make yourself comfortable and settle in for a feast of footy kicking off in rugby league heartland in Newcastle with the Knights hosting the Rabbitohs.
The Bunnies have surged into the top four on the back of wins over the Dragons and Storm, savouring their first ever triumph in Melbourne as they piled on nine tries in a stunning 48-6 demolition.
The Knights have received a huge boost with Kalyn Ponga, Bradman Best and Tyson Frizell back on deck for a game that will tell us plenty about the men from the Hunter.
The Sharks and Wests Tigers square off at Ocean Protect Stadium with the home side seeking a response after giving up 80 points in losses to the Roosters and Cowboys.
The curtain comes down on Round 9 with a blockbuster clash between two of the NRL’s hottest teams in Penrith and Manly.
Nathan Cleary and Isaah Yeo have the Panthers humming at 7-1 while the Sea Eagles have won four straight since Kieran Foran took charge and loom as a genuine threat to the ladder leaders.
Follow all the action from Round 9 of the NRL Telstra Premiership on NRL.com’s live blog.
Knights v Rabbitohs at McDonald Jones Stadium
80 min: Another Rabbitohs penalty for a late shot by Kalyn Ponga who goes on report.
79 min: Souths get a penalty for a high shot by Dane Gagai on Tallis Duncan. The Bunnies are 20 metres out.
77 min: Cody Walker fails to come up with a kick and goes to ground on the last tackle to hand the Knights back the ball.
74 min: Euan Aitken comes up with an error as Souths try to come out of their own end and the Knights regain the lead thanks to a magnificent Dylan Brown offload for Trey Mooney to score beside the posts. Kalyn Ponga adds the extras. Knights 42-38
72 min: Alex Johnston and Latrell Mitchell combine and the superstar centre steamrolls Kalyn Ponga and tiptoes down the sideline before launching himself into the corner for the try that levels the scores. Mitchell nails the conversion from touch. Rabbitohs 38-36
70 min: Souths mount more pressure but Cody Walker’s high ball is way too long and Bradman Best claims it easily for a seven-tackle set.
66 min: The shootout continues as Cody Walker’s grubber rebounds off a Knights defender and comes straight back to the Bunnies No.6 who skips away to score. Latrell Mitchell converts. Knights 36-32
65 min: Dylan Brown tries to flick pass to Dane Gagai but the centre can’t hang on and the Rabbitohs go on the attack.
63 min: Repeat sets for the Knights and they cash in with Greg Marzhew defying three cover defenders to slam the ball down to complete his hat-trick. Kalyn Ponga’s sideline conversion is a beauty. Knights 36-26
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Alex Johnston 2nd Try
58 min: Souths’ left edge clicks with Cody Walker and Latrell Mitchell combining to send Alex Johnston over to complete yet another double. Knights 30-26
57 min: Latrell Mitchell launches a bomb, Kalyn Ponga takes it, Greg Marzhew is penalised for running one of the chasers off the ball.
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Tallis Duncan Try
55 min: The Rabbitohs cash in when Cody Walker’s last-tackle grubber sits up for Tallis Duncan to chase through and score. Latrell Mitchell adds the extras. Knights 30-22
54 min: Jermaine McEwen is penalised for a shoulder charge and the Rabbitohs get another set in close range.
51 min: Cody Walker’s error sees the chance go begging for Souths.
50 min: A mistake by Dylan Brown just 20 metres out from his own line puts the Knights under the pump. Brown has also been placed on report for a hip drop tackle on Cameron Murray.
47 min: Kalyn Ponga goes to the line and his pass goes astray but the Rabbitohs are pinged for being offside and the penalty hands Ponga an easy shot at goal. Knights 30-16
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Cody Walker Try
43 min: Latrell Mitchell’s sublime flick pass puts Alex Johnston into space and the winger kicks back inside where Cody Walker controls the catch and races away to score. The perfect start for Souths as Mitchell converts. Knights 28-16
King Kalyn: The Knights skipper ran for 109 metres, had five tackle breaks, one line break and one try assist as his speed and footwork tormented the Bunnies. Ponga was well supported on the left edge by winger Greg Marzhew (128 run metres and two tries) while big man Trey Mooney scored the game’s opening try and racked up 115 run metres.
Half-time: The return of superstar Kalyn Ponga has the Knights firing on all cylinders as they take an 18-point lead to the break. On the back of 64 per cent possession and 890 run metres to Souths’ 492, the Knights’ attack looks as slick as it did back in Round 1 in Vegas when all the stars were on deck.
39 min: Another effort play in defence from Lachlan Hubner forces an error from Dane Gagai but the Bunnies waste the opportunity when Latrell Mitchell’s offload goes astray.
36 min: Dylan Brown’s spiral bomb is spilled by Campbell Graham and the Knights are inside the red zone again.
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Alex Johnston Try
32 min: After Lachlan Hubner got the ball back for Souths from the kick-off they head left and Latrell Mitchell’s silky hands send Alex Johnston over for try No.220 of his career. Johnston has now scored in eight consecutive games. Mitchell fails to convert. Knights 28-10
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Dylan Lucas 2nd Try
30 min: Kalyn Ponga continues to torment the Rabbitohs as he skips through Jamie Humphreys on the left edge and sets up Dylan Lucas for the Knights’ fifth try of the day. Ponga converts. Knights 28-6
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Sean Keppie Try
27 min: Sean Keppie runs hard and straight from close range and gets the ball down for his first try of the season to put Souths on the board. Latrell Mitchell converts. Knights 22-6
26 min: A strong shot by Lachlan Hubner forces an error from Phoenix Crossland and the Rabbitohs get a rare chance to attack.
24 min: The procession continues as Greg Marzhew makes it a double thanks to a perfect pass from Bradman Best. The conversion is pushed wide by Kalyn Ponga. Knights 22-0
23 min: Late contact by Cody Walker on Kalyn Ponga draws a penalty and the home side are inside the red zone again.
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Greg Marzhew Try
21 min: Dylan Brown, Dylan Lucas and Bradman Best combine to send Greg Marzhew as the Knights continue to run rings around the Bunnies who have lost Jack Wighton to an arm injury. Kalyn Ponga again adds the extras. Knights 18-0
20 min: Another Souths error as Bronson Garlick’s pass out of dummy half is a shocker and Tevita Tatola can’t handle.
19 min: Kalyn Ponga goes with a grubber on the last tackle and Cameron Murray is forced to clean up just out from his own line. An offside penalty then piggybacks the Rabbitohs out of their own end.
17 min: Bronson Garlick knocks the ball on at dummy half and the Rabbitohs have squandered another opportunity to mount pressure.
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Great work Dufty
16 min: Great attack by the Knights down the left edge as Greg Marzhew gets clear and finds Flecther Sharpe who comes up with a dropped ball in Matt Dufty’s cover tackle.
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Dylan Lucas Try
10 min: Dylan Lucas celebrates his return from a throat injury with a try as he takes a short ball from Fletcher Sharpe and powers into a hole on the left edge. Kalyn Ponga converts. Knights 12-0
9 min: The Rabbitohs create space on the right edge but Jamie Humphreys’ pass for Jack Wighton is too high and the centre puts it down. The Knights take over 40 metres out.
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Trey Mooney Try
6 min: The Knights strike first through Trey Mooney who surges onto a Phoenix Crossland pass and defies three defenders to get the ball down. Kalyn Ponga converts. Knights 6-0
4 min: The Rabbitohs come up with an error after a poor pass by Cody Walker and they compound the mistake by giving away an offside penalty.
3 min: Kalyn Ponga puts up a high ball 40 metres out from his own line but it sails out on the full and the Rabbitohs go on the attack.
Late Mail
Knights: No late changes on game day for the Knights who welcome back Kalyn Ponga (hamstring) and Bradman Best (groin) as they look to snap a three-match losing streak. Ponga will line up at fullback, with Best at centre. Fletcher Sharpe moves to five-eighth as a result, with Fletcher Hunt and Sandon Smith both shifting to the interchange. Greg Marzhew returns from a concussion on the wing.
Rabbitohs: No further changes on game day after Brandon Smith (calf) dropped out of the squad on Saturday along with Liam Le Blanc while Adam Elliott remains on the six-man bench as he looks to return from a long-term calf injury. Halfback Jamie Humphreys, who left the field last week with a rib complaint, will take his place in the side.
Numbers Game
The Knights have won their last three games against the Rabbitohs.
Rabbitohs centre Latrell Mitchell has scored 66 points in his last four games.
The Knights have won only one of their last nine games at McDonald Jones Stadium.
Rabbitohs winger Alex Johnston has scored 15 tries in 10 games against the Knights.
The Knights have conceded 124 points in their last three games.
Sharks v Wests Tigers at Ocean Protect Stadium
Late Mail
Sharks: No late changes for the Sharks on game day. Cam McInnes is set to play a greater role on Sunday after making a successful return from an ACL injury last weekend. The co-captain will start at lock, with Jesse Colquhoun moving to the interchange. Billy Burns also shifts to the bench as Briton Nikora returns to the starting side.
Wests Tigers: One late change with Jeral Skelton moving to the bench on game day with Faaletino Tavana coming into the starting side on his return from a hamstring injury. Jarome Luai will take his place at five-eighth after an eventful week that saw him unveiled as the PNG Chiefs inaugural signing. Luai will partner Adam Doueihi in the halves, while Suni Turuva moves to fullback after Jahream Bula suffered a shoulder injury.
Numbers Game
The Sharks have won their last five games against Wests Tigers at Ocean Protect Stadium.
Wests Tigers have the second-best defensive record in the competition.
The Sharks have won nine of their last 10 games on home soil.
Wests Tigers have made the best start to a season in their history after eight rounds.
Sharks fullback William Kennedy has scored five tries in seven games against Wests Tigers.
Panthers v Sea Eagles at CommBank Stadium