Warriors-taming Newcastle Knights continue miracle playoff run to NRL grand final

Seven days after eliminating NZ Warriors from NRL championship contention, Newcastle Knights have booked a spot in the grand final, with a chance to create history against Sydney Roosters next week.The underdogs - who finished with the competition wooden spoon last season - have overcome regular season premiers Penrith Panthers 22-14 at Sydney's Accor Stadium.They had to play most of the game shorthanded, after Penrith superstar Nathan Cleary suffered a horror leg injury just before halftime and Knights hooker Phoenix Crossland was sent off for his hipdrop challenge.Cleary spent the entire week battling a rumoured broken foot and started the contest on the bench, as coach and dad Ivan Cleary adopted a conservative approach to his involvement.After 25 minutes, Cleary junior entered the game, but lasted just 10 minutes, before he was lowered in Crossland's crude tackle.Cleary was stretchered from the field with a suspected compound ankle fracture and Crossland was banished, leaving his team shorthanded for the remainder of the game and jeopardising his NZ Kiwis involvement at the upcoming Rugby League World Cup.The injury will likely rule Cleary out of World Cup contention too.Penrith started the game with Jack Cogger and Jack Cole in the halves, and Cogger was tackled heavily putting up his first two kicks of the game. The first was cleared of any offence, but the second drew a penalty near the posts, which makeshift goalkicker Dylan Edwards hooked wide.Newcastle scored first, when centre Bradman Best - as he did against the Warriors last week - broke from deep inside his own half and found second-rower Francis Manuleleua backing up for the try.The Panthers answered, when centre Blaize Talagi chased a pinpoint kick from Cogger behind the tryline to touch down and level the scores.Edwards had a try rubbed out for obstruction in the build-up and soon afterwards, Cleary was brought down in the fateful tackle and carried off the pitch, straight into a waiting ambulance.Talagi kicked the resulting penalty to put the Panthers ahead and ponlookers were still in shock, when forward Lindsay Smith capitalised on the numerical advantage to score and put his team ahead 14-6 at the break.Newcastle were no strangers to playing with just 12 men. Last month, they lost prop Jacob Saifiti early for a dangerous tackle against the Warriors in a 46-32 defeat at Mt Smart.They struck first after the break, when centre Dane Gagai and wing Dom Young broke down the right sideline, with Young grounding inside the corner flag.Penrith endured a couple of brain explosions from wing Thomas Jenkins - a miscued attacking kick on the first tackle and a dropped kick return near his own goal-line - but Knights half Sandon Smith took a quick tap from a penalty in his half and, with Panthers backs turned, raced 60 metres through the defence to score untouched for the lead.Talagi was also helped to the sideline with an Achilles tendon injury, causing a reshuffled of the Penrith backline.Kiwis centre Casey McLean was held up centimetres short of the tryline for the Panthers, but as they piled on pressure, Cogger spilt the ball and Newcastle survived.In the dying seconds, they had another shot at victory, throwing the ball around on the last tackle, but Smith popped up for the intercept and ran the length of the field to seal an improbable Knights win.No team have ever improved from last on the table to NRL champions in one season, but under new coach Justin Holbrook, Newcastle have now matched the 2010 Roosters, who traded their wooden spoon for a spot in the grand final, where they lost to St George Illawarra Dragons.Recap the action below:Embedded content removed for printing