The Roosters have won the 2026 premiership after defeating the Knights 19-18 at Accor Stadium.

Newcastle tried, but despite a late try for winger Greg Marzhew, they couldn’t quite get there.

It means veteran halfback Daly Cherry-Evans has begun and ended his NRL career with premierships. He did it in his first season with the Manly Sea Eagles in 2011, and now, 15 years later, he’s done it with the Roosters.

And it was Cherry-Evans who slotted the match-winning field goal with 11 minutes left in the match. What a fitting end to his career.

It’s also a sensational comeback for Sam Walker, who had surgery on a syndesmosis injury only weeks ago and somehow made it back on the field to play in the preliminary final last weekend and the final dance today.

It also means second-rower Angus Crichton will end his rugby league career with a premiership ring before moving to rugby next year.

The stadium of mostly Knights fans have gone quiet as James Tedesco and his Roosters celebrate their first premiership victory since 2019.

That’ll do us for our coverage of the 2026 grand final day. It’s been a big one! Congratulations to Roosters fans everywhere, and be sure to come back for our coverage of the Rugby League World Cup and the 2027 season. Thanks for being with us.

Roosters coach Trent Robinson, who gave his premiership ring to injured utility Connor Watson, is full of praise for captain James Tedesco – who earned his Clive Churchill Medal with a huge 385 run metres.

“Teddy’s played many different forms in his career. And I’ve seen him play grand finals when it’s opened up and all of that,” Robinson says.

“But [tonight] Teddy had to grind, and grind and grind.”

Tedesco said winning a premiership as captain had been the final frontier for his decorated career.

Knights coach Justin Holbrook and captain Kalyn Ponga are speaking to the media, with Holbrook proud of his side’s performance despite the defeat.

“The players, we never cared who wasn’t playing, we just focused on who was. Thomas Cant was terrific tonight [replacing Phoenix Crossland at hooker],” Holbrook says.

“It doesn’t matter to our group, we’re confident we can go out and get the win.

“We needed a bit of luck in that second half, but unfortunately they got it. We needed the footy gods on our side.

It’s a fitting end to an era for the Tricolours. Angus Crichton and Mark Nawaqanitawase are off to rugby union. Daly Cherry-Evans is bound for Hull FC in the English Super League, having done the job the Roosters asked of him when they signed him for one last season in the NRL. Connor Watson, a key utility man for them in recent years who missed this game through concussion, will join the Dragons.

But they’ll still have the quality to be a title contender again. James Tedesco is 33 years young but still playing as well as ever. Sam Walker is probably the most creative playmaker in the league. Naufahu Whyte is the game’s premier prop and is signed on for another three seasons, as is their other member of the Dally M team of the year, centre Robert Toia.

With the Panthers facing the possibility of a player exodus in the next couple of seasons, are the Roosters ready to build their own dynasty?

It wasn’t the fairytale finish Newcastle fans and most neutrals were hoping for, but there’s still a lot to like about the Knights’ future under Justin Holbrook. Dane Gagai aside, most of this squad will remain intact next season, and they’ll be bolstered by the returns of Dylan Brown, Trey Mooney, Jacob Saifiti and Phoenix Crossland. The young players who took to the game’s biggest stage tonight will only be better for the experience.

And the wave of support the team has enjoyed from Newcastle throughout this finals series isn’t going away any time soon. Expect to see packed crowds at McDonald Jones Stadium on a regular basis next year. The team’s premiership window is wide open.

All the smarties, and all the rest of us besides, knew that however much popular sentiment was behind the Knights in this NRL grand final, last year’s wooden-spooner workers beating the uppity glory boys of the eastern suburbs would be wonderful – but elite sport just doesn’t work like that.

The Knights, we knew, had left their best on the field by beating Penrith last week, and would have nothing left to give. The Roosters, obviously, had too much firepower, too much big-match experience, too much sheer talent, to lose against – what’s that smell? – the sweaty proletariat from the north. No-one would be surprised by a 20-point victory, if not 30 points.

And yet?

And yet all through the first half it was obvious we had a real contest on our hands. Despite the Roosters dominating possession and territory, the Knights were still in this game.

Grand final hero. That’s the latest label that can be attached to Mark Nawaqanitawase. Apparently, being a dual-code international, State of Origin star and Olympic representative wasn’t quite enough.

As speculation surrounds whether the Roosters winger will return to the NRL after switching back to rugby union, let us take a moment to appreciate his ability to deliver the biggest plays on the biggest days.

“Marky Mark” was at it again in Sunday’s NRL decider. The Roosters had enough possession to win not only this game, but half a dozen others. Yet it took a couple of moments of brilliance from Nawaqanitawase to sink the valiant Knights 19-18 in a thriller.

Read the match report from Adrian Proszenko