# 2013 Newcastle Knights season

The 2013 Newcastle Knights season was the 26th in the club's history. Coached by Wayne Bennett and captained by Kurt Gidley, they competed in the NRL's 2013 Telstra Premiership, finishing the regular season in 7th place (out of 16), thus reaching the finals. The Knights then came within one match of the grand final but were knocked out by eventual premiers, the Sydney Roosters.

## Milestones

* Round 1: Beau Scott made his debut for the club, after previously playing for the St. George Illawarra Dragons.
* Round 1: Jeremy Smith made his debut for the club, after previously playing for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks.
* Round 1: Travis Waddell made his debut for the club, after previously playing for the Canberra Raiders.
* Round 3: David Fa'alogo made his debut for the club, after previously playing for the Huddersfield Giants.
* Round 3: Korbin Sims made his NRL debut for the club.
* Round 4: Adam Cuthbertson scored his 1st try for the club.
* Round 4: Chris Houston played his 100th game for the club.
* Round 5: Jarrod Mullen played his 150th game for the club, which was also his 150th career game.
* Round 6: Joseph Leilua made his debut for the club, after previously playing for the Sydney Roosters.
* Round 7: David Fa'alogo scored his 1st try for the club.
* Round 7: James McManus scored his 50th try for the club, which was also his 50th career try.
* Round 9: Adam Clydsdale made his NRL debut for the club.
* Round 9: Kurt Gidley played his 200th game for the club, which was also his 200th career game.
* Round 10: David Fa'alogo played his 150th career game.
* Round 10: Joseph Leilua scored his 1st try for the club.
* Round 11: Akuila Uate played his 100th game for the club, which was also his 100th career game.
* Round 12: Josh Mantellato made his NRL debut for the club, scored his 1st career try and kicked his 1st career goal.
* Round 13: Wayne Bennett coached his 670th career game, becoming the most experienced coach ever in the NRL.
* Round 14: Craig Gower made his debut for the club, after previously playing for the London Broncos.
* Round 16: James McManus scored 4 tries, equalling Darren Albert, Adam MacDougall, Andrew Johns, Cooper Vuna and Akuila Uate's record of most tries scored in a match by 1 player for the Knights.
* Round 17: Jeremy Smith played his 150th career game.
* Round 19: Craig Gower scored his 1st try for the club.
* Round 19: Kade Snowden played his 50th game for the club and scored his 1st try for the club.
* Round 21: Neville Costigan played his 50th game for the club.
* Round 21: Beau Scott scored his 1st try for the club.
* Round 22: Danny Buderus played his 250th game for the club, which was also his 250th career game, breaking Andrew Johns' record of 249 games for most appearances for the Knights.
* Round 25: Kurt Gidley kicked his 400th try for the club, which was also his 400th career goal.
* Round 26: Danny Buderus kicked his 1st career goal.
* Round 26: Jeremy Smith scored his 1st try for the club.
* Finals Week 1: Tyrone Roberts played his 50th game for the club, which was also his 50th career game.
* Finals Week 2: Matt Hilder played his 200th career game and 100th game for the club.
* Finals Week 2: Willie Mason played his 250th career game.

## Transfers and Re-signings
### Gains

| Player/Coach | Previous Club | Length |
| David Fa'alogo | Huddersfield Giants | 2013 |
| Mitchell Frei | Brisbane Broncos | 2013 |
| Craig Gower | London Broncos | 2013 |
| Joseph Leilua | Sydney Roosters | 2014 |
| Toka Likiliki | New Zealand Warriors | 2014 |
| Anthony Quinn | Melbourne Storm | 2013 |
| Beau Scott | St. George Illawarra Dragons | 2016 |
| Jeremy Smith | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 2015 |
| Travis Waddell | Canberra Raiders | 2014 |

### Losses

| Player/Coach | Club |
| Sam Anderson | Penrith Panthers |
| Ethan Cook | Penrith Panthers |
| Joel Edwards | Canberra Raiders |
| Richard Fa'aoso | Melbourne Storm |
| Albert Kelly | Contract terminated |
| Daine Laurie | Wyong Roos |
| Lorenzo Ma'afu | Parramatta Eels |
| Kurt Mann | Melbourne Storm |
| Maipele Morseau | Released |
| Wes Naiqama | Penrith Panthers |
| Kyle O'Donnell | Penrith Panthers |
| Api Pewhairangi | Parramatta Eels |
| Junior Sa'u | Melbourne Storm |
| Simione Sawene | Released |
| Warren Schillings | Western Suburbs Rosellas |
| Zeb Taia | Catalans Dragons |
| Rip Taylor (NSW Cup coach) | Wyong Roos |
| Evarn Tuimavave | Hull Kingston Rovers |
| Watisoni Votu | Fiji Rugby Union |
| Mark Wade | Merewether Carlton Rugby Club |

### Promoted juniors

| Player | Junior side |
| Adam Clydsdale | Knights National Youth Competition |
| Josh Mantellato | Knights New South Wales Cup |
| Pat Mata'utia | Knights National Youth Competition |
| Ben Roose | Knights National Youth Competition |
| Nathan Ross | Knights New South Wales Cup |
| Paterika Vaivai | Knights National Youth Competition |

### Change of role

| Player/Coach | New role |
| Rick Stone (assistant coach) | Knights assistant coach & New South Wales Cup coach |

### Re-signings

| Player/Coach | Re-signed to |
| Adam Clydsdale | 2016 |
| David Fa'alogo | 2014 |
| Dane Gagai | 2015 |
| Matt Hilder | 2014 |
| Josh Mantellato | 2014 |
| Chanel Mata'utia | 2014 |
| Pat Mata'utia | 2015 |
| Sione Mata'utia | 2015 |
| James McManus | 2016 |
| Anthony Quinn | 2014 |
| Chad Redman | 2014 |
| Robbie Rochow | 2016 |
| Korbin Sims | 2015 |
| Timana Tahu | 2014 |
| Zane Tetevano | 2015 |
| Akuila Uate | 2017 |
| Paterika Vaivai | 2014 |

### Player contract situations

| 2013 (left) | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 |
| Chris Adams | Adam Cuthbertson | Darius Boyd | Adam Clydsdale | Akuila Uate |
| Danny Buderus | David Fa'alogo | Dane Gagai | James McManus | |
| Neville Costigan | Matt Hilder | Kurt Gidley | Robbie Rochow | |
| Adrian Davis | Chris Houston | Pat Mata'utia | Beau Scott | |
| Marvin Filipo | Joseph Leilua | Tyler Randell | | |
| Mitchell Frei | Toka Likiliki | Korbin Sims | | |
| Craig Gower | Josh Mantellato | Jeremy Smith | | |
| Siuatonga Likiliki | Willie Mason | Kade Snowden | | |
| Rodney Mason | Chanel Mata'utia | Zane Tetevano | | |
| Peter Mata'utia | Alex McKinnon | | | |
| Kevin Naiqama | Jarrod Mullen | | | |
| Ben Roose | Anthony Quinn | | | |
| Nathan Ross | Chad Redman | | | |
| Will Smith | Tyrone Roberts | | | |
| Ryan Stig | Timana Tahu | | | |
| | Travis Waddell | | | |
| | Paterika Vaivai | | | |

## Ladder

2013 NRL seasonvte :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
| 1 | Sydney Roosters (P) | 24 | 18 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 640 | 325 | +315 | 40 |
| 2 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 24 | 18 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 588 | 384 | +204 | 40 |
| 3 | Melbourne Storm | 24 | 16 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 589 | 373 | +216 | 37 |
| 4 | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | 24 | 15 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 588 | 366 | +222 | 35 |
| 5 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 468 | 460 | +8 | 32 |
| 6 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 24 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 529 | 463 | +66 | 30 |
| 7 | Newcastle Knights | 24 | 12 | 1 | 11 | 2 | 528 | 422 | +106 | 29 |
| 8 | North Queensland Cowboys | 24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 507 | 431 | +76 | 28 |
| 9 | Gold Coast Titans | 24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 500 | 518 | −18 | 26 |
| 10 | Penrith Panthers | 24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 495 | 532 | −37 | 26 |
| 11 | New Zealand Warriors | 24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 495 | 554 | −59 | 26 |
| 12 | Brisbane Broncos | 24 | 10 | 1 | 13 | 2 | 434 | 477 | −43 | 25 |
| 13 | Canberra Raiders | 24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 434 | 624 | −190 | 24 |
| 14 | St. George Illawarra Dragons | 24 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 2 | 379 | 530 | −151 | 18 |
| 15 | Wests Tigers | 24 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 2 | 386 | 687 | −301 | 18 |
| 16 | Parramatta Eels | 24 | 5 | 0 | 19 | 2 | 326 | 740 | −414 | 14 |

## Jerseys and sponsors

In 2013, the Knights' jerseys were made by ISC and their major sponsor was Hunter Ports.
| 2013 Home Jersey | 2013 Away Jersey |

## Fixtures
### Pre-season trials

| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Goals |
| Saturday, 16 February | Trial 1 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | BCU International Stadium | 18 – 6 | T.Roberts (2), M.Hilder | K.Gidley (1/1), T.Roberts (1/1), P.Mata'utia (1/1) |
| Saturday, 23 February | Trial 2 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Scully Park | 16 – 22 | K.Naiqama, A.Uate, P.Mata'utia | K.Gidley (1/2), T.Roberts (1/1) |
| Legend: Win Loss Draw ||||||||

### Regular season

2013 Regular season fixtures

## Statistics

| Name | Appearances | Tries | Goals | Field Goals | Points | Captain | Age |
| Darius Boyd | 26 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 0 | 26 |
| Danny Buderus | 15 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 35 |
| Adam Clydsdale | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| Neville Costigan | 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 28 |
| Adam Cuthbertson | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 28 |
| David Fa'alogo | 22 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 33 |
| Dane Gagai | 23 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 22 |
| Kurt Gidley | 14 | 2 | 38 | 0 | 84 | 11 | 31 |
| Craig Gower | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 35 |
| Matt Hilder | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 31 |
| Chris Houston | 24 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 28 |
| Joseph Leilua | 19 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 52 | 0 | 22 |
| Josh Mantellato | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 26 |
| Willie Mason | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 |
| Alex McKinnon | 19 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 21 |
| James McManus | 24 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 76 | 0 | 27 |
| Jarrod Mullen | 26 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 15 | 26 |
| Kevin Naiqama | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 24 |
| Anthony Quinn | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 30 |
| Tyrone Roberts | 27 | 6 | 48 | 0 | 120 | 0 | 22 |
| Robbie Rochow | 27 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 23 |
| Beau Scott | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 29 |
| Korbin Sims | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
| Jeremy Smith | 19 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 33 |
| Kade Snowden | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 27 |
| Timana Tahu | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 33 |
| Zane Tetevano | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 23 |
| Akuila Uate | 24 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 0 | 26 |
| Travis Waddell | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
| Totals | 27 | 100 | 91 | 0 | 582 | - | Average: 27 |
29 players used.
Source:

## Representative honours

The following players appeared in a representative match in 2013.
Australia
* Darius Boyd
* Kurt Gidley
Australian Schoolboys
* Sione Mata'utia
Cook Islands
* Zane Tetevano
Fiji
* Kevin Naiqama
* Korbin Sims
* Rick Stone (coach)
* Akuila Uate
Indigenous All Stars
* Timana Tahu
* Travis Waddell
Italy
* Josh Mantellato
* Kade Snowden
Junior Kiwis
* Joseph Tapine
New South Wales
* James McManus
New South Wales City
* Adam Cuthbertson
New South Wales Country
* Willie Mason
* Alex McKinnon
* James McManus
* Akuila Uate
New South Wales Residents
* Adrian Davis
* Matt Hilder
* Josh Mantellato
* Peter Mata'utia
* Kevin Naiqama
New South Wales under-16s
* Jack Cogger
* Brock Lamb
New South Wales under-18s
* Sione Mata'utia
NRL All Stars
* Wayne Bennett (coach)
* Willie Mason
* Akuila Uate
Papua New Guinea
* Neville Costigan (captain)
Queensland
* Darius Boyd
Samoa
* David Fa'alogo
* Joseph Leilua
Tonga
* Siuatonga Likiliki

## Individual honours
### Teams and squads

New South Wales Cup Team of the Year
* Josh Mantellato
* Peter Mata'utia

### Dally M awards

Top Try-scorer
* James McManus (19 tries)

### Newcastle Knights awards
#### Player of the Year

* National Rugby League (NRL) Player of the Year: Darius Boyd
* New South Wales Cup Player of the Year: Kevin Naiqama
* National Youth Competition (NYC) Player of the Year: Adam Clydsdale

#### Players' Player

* National Rugby League (NRL) Players' Player: Danny Buderus
* New South Wales Cup Players' Player: Matt Hilder
* National Youth Competition (NYC) Players' Player: Jake Mamo

#### Coach's Award

* National Rugby League (NRL) Coach's Award: Robbie Rochow
* New South Wales Cup Coach's Award: Mitchell Frei
* National Youth Competition (NYC) Coach's Award: Joseph Tapine

#### Brian Carlson Club-Andrew Johns Medal

* Sione Mata'utia