Knights' Johns in Tears Praising 'Unbelievable' Fans After Preliminary Final Win

Matty Johns was overcome with emotion as he paid tribute to the Newcastle Knights fans and team after their thrilling NRL preliminary final win over Penrith.

The Knights played with 12 men on the field for more than half the game after Phoenix Crossland was sent off for a hip drop that broke Nathan Cleary's leg. Penrith took a 14-6 lead into half-time, but the Knights defended resolutely and scored three second-half tries to progress to the grand final against the Roosters.

Johns Praises Fans

"To be honest, I don't know what to say," Johns said. "It was unbelievable. Incredible effort in that second half. I just feel so happy for all the fans."

As he continued to speak, Johns became increasingly emotional, struggling to find the words as tears started to flow.

"They've had to put up with a lot of shit for a lot of years to get back to where they are now," Johns said.

Johns also acknowledged the challenges faced by fans attending the game, including delays and cancellations on the Central Coast and Newcastle train line.

"But it just didn't stop them in the wet," Johns said of the crowd at Homebush, which was heavily in favour of the visiting Novocastrians.

Holbrook and Ponga Praise Supporters

Coach Justin Holbrook and captain Kalyn Ponga also hailed the fans who travelled to the game. Holbrook sprinted around the field to pay tribute to the fans, saying "We want to make our community proud, our Hunter region, and for the boys to deliver that performance, it was so good to see them all hang around."

"We went down to 12 [when Crossland was sent off] and then 30,000 make you feel like you've got 14 out there," Holbrook said.

Ponga agreed the supporters played a crucial role in the team's win. "They're a big reason why we won today," he said. "They're loud, they're passionate, they're vocal and we're gonna need them next week."