# 2012 Newcastle Knights season

The 2012 Newcastle Knights season was the 25th in the club's history. Coached by Wayne Bennett and captained by Kurt Gidley, they competed in the NRL's 2012 Telstra Premiership, finishing the regular season 12th (out of 16).

## Milestones

* Round 1: Darius Boyd made his debut for the club, after previously playing for the St. George Illawarra Dragons.
* Round 1: Adam Cuthbertson made his debut for the club, after previously playing for the St. George Illawarra Dragons.
* Round 1: Alex McKinnon made his debut for the club, after previously playing for the St. George Illawarra Dragons.
* Round 3: Matt Hilder kicked his 1st goal for the club.
* Round 4: Alex McKinnon scored his 1st try for the club.
* Round 4: Timana Tahu played his 100th game for the club.
* Round 6: Tyrone Roberts kicked his 1st career goal.
* Round 8: Kurt Gidley scored his 1000th point for the club, which was also his 1000th career point.
* Round 8: Willie Mason made his debut for the club, after previously playing for RC Toulonnais.
* Round 10: Chris Adams made his NRL debut for the club.
* Round 10: James McManus played his 100th game for the club, which was also his 100th career game.
* Round 12: Tyrone Roberts scored his 1st career try.
* Round 13: Chris Houston played his 100th career game.
* Round 14: Dane Gagai made his debut for the club, after previously playing for the Brisbane Broncos and scored his 1st try for the club.
* Round 14: Willie Mason scored his 1st try for the club.
* Round 17: Kevin Naiqama scored his 1st career try.
* Round 18: Kyle O'Donnell made his NRL debut for the club.
* Round 19: Robbie Rochow made his debut for the club, after previously playing for the Melbourne Storm.
* Round 19: Zeb Taia played his 100th career game.
* Round 21: Darius Boyd scored his 1st try for the club.
* Round 21: Robbie Rochow scored his 1st career try.
* Round 25: Timana Tahu scored his 88th try for the club, breaking Adam MacDougall's record of 87 tries as the highest ever try-scorer for the Knights.
* Round 25: Zeb Taia played his 100th game for the club.
* Round 26: Neville Costigan played his 150th career game.

## Transfers and Re-signings
### Gains

| Player/Coach | Previous Club | Length |
| Wayne Bennett (head coach) | St. George Illawarra Dragons | 2015 |
| Darius Boyd | St. George Illawarra Dragons | 2015 |
| Danny Buderus | Leeds Rhinos | 2012 |
| Mick Crawley (assistant coach & NYC coach) | North Queensland Cowboys | 2014 |
| Adam Cuthbertson | St. George Illawarra Dragons | 2014 |
| Dane Gagai | Brisbane Broncos | 2014 |
| Albert Kelly | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 2012 |
| Daine Laurie | Macquarie Scorpions | 2012 |
| Lorenzo Ma'afu | Ipswich Jets | Train and trial |
| Willie Mason | RC Toulonnais | 2012 |
| Alex McKinnon | St. George Illawarra Dragons | 2014 |
| Robbie Rochow | Melbourne Storm | 2012 |
| Simione Sawene | Fiji under-20s Rugby Union team | 2012 |
| Kade Snowden | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 2015 |
| Timana Tahu | Penrith Panthers | 2013 |
| Watisoni Votu | Vuda Blues | Train and trial |
| Mark Wade | Merewether Carlton Rugby Club | 2012 |

### Losses

| Player/Coach | Club |
| Josh Ailaomai | Sydney Roosters |
| Garth Brennan (NYC coach) | Penrith Panthers |
| Cameron Ciraldo | Penrith Panthers |
| Isaac De Gois | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks |
| Andrew Dunemann (assistant coach) | Canberra Raiders |
| Beau Henry | Gold Coast Titans |
| Marvin Karawana | Hawke's Bay Rugby Union |
| Antonio Kaufusi | London Broncos |
| Keith Lulia | Bradford Bulls |
| Adam MacDougall | Retirement |
| Shannon McDonnell | Hull Kingston Rovers |
| Constantine Mika | Hull Kingston Rovers |
| Cory Paterson | North Queensland Cowboys |
| Ben Rogers | Retirement |
| Craig Sandercock (assistant coach) | Hull Kingston Rovers |
| Steve Southern | Wakefield Trinity Wildcats |
| Mark Taufua | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks |
| Daniel Tolar | Retirement |
| Mitch Williams | Released |
| Simon Williams | Western Suburbs Rosellas |

### Promoted juniors

| Player | Junior side |
| Sam Anderson | Knights National Youth Competition |
| Adrian Davis | Knights New South Wales Cup |
| Rodney Mason | Knights National Youth Competition |
| Chanel Mata'utia | Knights National Youth Competition |
| Maipele Morseau | Knights National Youth Competition |
| Tyler Randell | Knights National Youth Competition |
| Warren Schillings | Central Coast Centurions |
| Korbin Sims | Knights National Youth Competition |
| Will Smith | Knights National Youth Competition |

### Change of role

| Player/Coach | New role |
| Api Pewhairangi | Knights second-tier squad |
| Rick Stone (head coach) | Knights assistant coach |

### Re-signings

| Player/Coach | Re-signed to |
| Chris Adams | 2013 |
| Danny Buderus | 2013 |
| Adrian Davis | 2013 |
| Marvin Filipo | 2013 |
| Chris Houston | 2014 |
| Siuatonga Likiliki | 2013 |
| Rodney Mason | 2013 |
| Willie Mason | 2014 |
| Chanel Mata'utia | 2013 |
| Kevin Naiqama | 2013 |
| Tyler Randell | 2015 |
| Chad Redman | 2013 |
| Tyrone Roberts | 2014 |
| Robbie Rochow | 2014 |
| Korbin Sims | 2013 |
| Will Smith | 2013 |

### Player contract situations

| 2012 (left) | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
| Sam Anderson | Chris Adams | Adam Cuthbertson | Darius Boyd |
| Ethan Cook | Danny Buderus | Dane Gagai | Kurt Gidley |
| Joel Edwards | Neville Costigan | Chris Houston | Tyler Randell |
| Richard Fa'aoso | Adrian Davis | Willie Mason | Kade Snowden |
| Albert Kelly | Marvin Filipo | Alex McKinnon | |
| Daine Laurie | Matt Hilder | Jarrod Mullen | |
| Lorenzo Ma'afu | Siuatonga Likiliki | Tyrone Roberts | |
| Maipele Morseau | Rodney Mason | Robbie Rochow | |
| Wes Naiqama | Chanel Mata'utia | | |
| Kyle O'Donnell | Peter Mata'utia | | |
| Junior Sa'u | James McManus | | |
| Simione Sawene | Kevin Naiqama | | |
| Warren Schillings | Chad Redman | | |
| Zeb Taia | Korbin Sims | | |
| Evarn Tuimavave | Will Smith | | |
| Watisoni Votu | Ryan Stig | | |
| Mark Wade | Timana Tahu | | |
| | Zane Tetevano | | |
| | Akuila Uate | | |

## Ladder

2012 NRL seasonvte :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
| 1 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 24 | 18 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 568 | 369 | +199 | 40 |
| 2 | Melbourne Storm (P) | 24 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 579 | 361 | +218 | 38 |
| 3 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 24 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 559 | 438 | +121 | 36 |
| 4 | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | 24 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 497 | 403 | +94 | 36 |
| 5 | North Queensland Cowboys | 24 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 597 | 445 | +152 | 34 |
| 6 | Canberra Raiders | 24 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 545 | 536 | +9 | 30 |
| 7 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 24 | 12 | 1 | 11 | 2 | 445 | 441 | +4 | 29 |
| 8 | Brisbane Broncos | 24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 481 | 447 | +34 | 28 |
| 9 | St. George Illawarra Dragons | 24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 405 | 438 | -33 | 26 |
| 10 | Wests Tigers | 24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 506 | 551 | -45 | 26 |
| 11 | Gold Coast Titans | 24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 449 | 477 | -28 | 24 |
| 12 | Newcastle Knights | 24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 448 | 488 | -40 | 24 |
| 13 | Sydney Roosters | 24 | 8 | 1 | 15 | 2 | 462 | 626 | -164 | 21 |
| 14 | New Zealand Warriors | 24 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 497 | 609 | -112 | 20 |
| 15 | Penrith Panthers | 24 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 409 | 575 | -166 | 20 |
| 16 | Parramatta Eels | 24 | 6 | 0 | 18 | 2 | 431 | 674 | -243 | 16 |

## Jerseys and sponsors

In 2012, the Knights' jerseys were made by ISC and their major sponsor was Hunter Ports.
| 2012 Home Jersey | 2012 Away Jersey | 2012 Heritage Jersey |

## Fixtures
### Pre-season trials

| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance |
| Saturday, 11 February | Trial 1 | Penrith Panthers | Regional Sports Centre, Port Macquarie | 18 – 18 | J.McManus, K.Naiqama, M.Hilder | K.Gidley (2/2), T.Roberts (1/1) | 6,383 |
| Saturday, 18 February | Trial 2 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Olympic Park, Muswellbrook | 22 – 18 | A.Uate, J.McManus, K.Snowden, T.Tahu | K.Gidley (3/4) | |
| Legend: Win Loss Draw ||||||||

### Regular season

2012 Regular season fixtures

## Statistics

| Name | Appearances | Tries | Goals | Field Goals | Points | Captain | Age |
| Chris Adams | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 |
| Darius Boyd | 22 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 25 |
| Danny Buderus | 22 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 17 | 34 |
| Neville Costigan | 23 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 27 |
| Adam Cuthbertson | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 |
| Joel Edwards | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
| Richard Fa'aoso | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 28 |
| Marvin Filipo | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 |
| Dane Gagai | 12 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 21 |
| Kurt Gidley | 5 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 32 | 5 | 30 |
| Matt Hilder | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 30 |
| Chris Houston | 24 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 27 |
| Willie Mason | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 32 |
| Peter Mata'utia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 |
| Alex McKinnon | 24 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 20 |
| James McManus | 19 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 0 | 26 |
| Jarrod Mullen | 24 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 0 | 25 |
| Kevin Naiqama | 8 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 23 |
| Wes Naiqama | 6 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 30 |
| Kyle O'Donnell | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 |
| Tyrone Roberts | 18 | 3 | 40 | 0 | 92 | 0 | 21 |
| Robbie Rochow | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 22 |
| Junior Sa'u | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 25 |
| Kade Snowden | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 |
| Timana Tahu | 22 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 32 |
| Zeb Taia | 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 28 |
| Zane Tetevano | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 |
| Evarn Tuimavave | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 |
| Akuila Uate | 22 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 72 | 0 | 25 |
| Totals | 24 | 80 | 64 | 0 | 448 | - | Average: 26 |
29 players used.
Source:

## Representative honours

The following players appeared in a representative match in 2012.
Australia
* Darius Boyd
* Akuila Uate
Junior Kangaroos
* Alex McKinnon (captain)
* Korbin Sims
Junior Kiwis
* Api Pewhairangi
New South Wales
* Akuila Uate
New South Wales Country
* James McManus
* Jarrod Mullen
New South Wales Residents
* Marvin Filipo
* Kyle O'Donnell
New South Wales under-16s
* Travis Edwards
* Sione Mata'utia
* Tevita Pangai Junior
New South Wales under-20s
* Chanel Mata'utia
* Alex McKinnon
NRL All Stars
* Wayne Bennett (coach)
* Kade Snowden
Prime Minister's XIII
* Darius Boyd
* Akuila Uate
Queensland
* Darius Boyd
Queensland under-20s
* Kurt Mann

## Individual honours
### Teams and squads

National Youth Competition (NYC) Team of the Year
* Korbin Sims
New South Wales Cup Team of the Year
* Marvin Filipo
* Siuatonga Likiliki
* Josh Mantellato
* Rip Taylor (coach)

### Dally M awards

Dally M Winger of the Year
* Akuila Uate

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

* National Rugby League (NRL) Player of the Year: Chris Houston
* National Youth Competition (NYC) Player of the Year: Adam Clydsdale

#### Players' Player

* National Rugby League (NRL) Players' Player: Danny Buderus
* National Youth Competition (NYC) Players' Player: Adam Clydsdale