2009 Newcastle Knights season
Season 2009 was the Newcastle Knights 22nd season since beginning in 1988 and 12th season competing in the National Rugby League. The season began well for the Knights with the side winning 7 of their opening 10 games and where sitting equal first with the Bulldogs, St. George Illawarra and the Gold Coast with 14 points. The Knights also won 9 consecutive games at EnergyAustralia Stadium, breaking the previous home record of 8. Season 2009 also saw coach Brian Smith sacked after announcing on July 19th that he had signed a four year deal with the Sydney Roosters, and subsequently the team faltered as they lost three consecutive games until Newcastle officials sacked Smith and appointed assistant coach Rick Stone.
| Round | Opponent | Result | Score | Venue | Date | Crowd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gold Coast Titans | Lost | 20-34 | Skilled Park | Sunday, March 15 | 16,203 |
| 2 | Cronulla Sharks | Won | 24-12 | Toyota Stadium | Monday, March 23 | 11,148 |
| 3 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Lost | 12-22 | Bluetongue Stadium | Sunday, March 29 | 15,227 |
| 4 | Manly Sea Eagles | Won | 26-12 | EnergyAustralia Stadium | Sunday, April 5 | 15,324 |
| 5 | New Zealand Warriors | Won | 24-22 | EnergyAustralia Stadium | Sunday, April 12 | 13,626 |
| 6 | St. George Illawarra Dragons | Won | 24-18 | WIN Jubilee Stadium | Saturday, April 18 | 14,477 |
| 7 | Wests Tigers | Lost | 24-26 | Campbelltown Stadium | Sunday, April 26 | 17,898 |
| 8 | Brisbane Broncos | Won | 28-12 | EnergyAustralia Stadium | Saturday, May 2 | 18,154 |
| 9 | Gold Coast Titans | Won | 23-18 | EnergyAustralia Stadium | Sunday, May 10 | 11,258 |
| 10 | Sydney Roosters | Won | 38-6 | Sydney Football Stadium | Saturday, May 16 | 8,611 |
| 11 | North Queensland Cowboys | Lost | 10-36 | Dairy Farmers Stadium | Monday, May 25 | 11,892 |
| 12 | Bulldogs | Won | 22-14 | EnergyAustralia Stadium | Sunday, May 31 | 18,322 |
| 13 | Parramatta Eels | Lost | 18-20 | EnergyAustralia Stadium | Sunday, June 7 | 18,085 |
| 14 | New Zealand Warriors | Lost | 0-13 | Mt. Smart Stadium | Friday, June 12 | 14,255 |
| 15 | BYE | |||||
| 16 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Won | 25-20 | EnergyAustralia Stadium | Monday, June 29 | 14,204 |
| 17 | Melbourne Storm | Lost | 14-18 | Olympic Park | Saturday, July 4 | 9,041 |
| 18 | Canberra Raiders | Won | 23-4 | EnergyAustralia Stadium | Saturday, July 11 | 15,355 |
| 19 | BYE | |||||
| 20 | Manly Sea Eagles | Lost | 20-44 | Bluetongue Stadium | Friday, July 24 | 15,857 |
| 21 | Sydney Roosters | Lost | 18-30 | EnergyAustralia Stadium | Saturday, August 1 | 15,112 |
| 22 | Parramatta Eels | Lost | 8-40 | Parramatta Stadium | Sunday, August 9 | 17,669 |
| 23 | Melbourne Storm | Won | 26-14 | EnergyAustralia Stadium | Monday, August 17 | 13,580 |
| 24 | North Queensland Cowboys | Won | 32-26 | EnergyAustralia Stadium | Saturday, August 22 | 15,408 |
| 25 | Canberra Raiders | Canberra Stadium | Monday, August 31 | |||
| 26 | Penrith Panthers | EnergyAustralia Stadium | Sunday, September 6 |
NRL Standings
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Bulldogs
|
23 | 18 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 563 | 394 | +169 | 38* |
| 2 |  St. George Illawarra
|
23 | 16 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 511 | 329 | +182 | 36 |
| 3 |  Gold Coast
|
23 | 16 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 510 | 429 | +81 | 36 |
| 4 |  Melbourne
|
23 | 13 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 475 | 348 | +127 | 31 |
| 5 |  Manly
|
23 | 13 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 511 | 435 | +56 | 30 |
| 6 |  Brisbane
|
23 | 13 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 489 | 556 | -67 | 30 |
| 7 |  Parramatta
|
23 | 12 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 476 | 436 | +40 | 29 |
| 8 |  Newcastle
|
22 | 12 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 459 | 461 | -2 | 28 |
| 9 |  Penrith
|
23 | 11 | 1 | 11 | 2 | 515 | 554 | -39 | 27 |
| 10 |  Wests Tigers
|
23 | 11 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 524 | 471 | +53 | 26 |
| 11 |  South Sydney
|
23 | 10 | 1 | 12 | 2 | 540 | 525 | +15 | 25 |
| 12 |  North Queensland
|
23 | 10 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 526 | 458 | +68 | 24 |
| 13 |  Canberra
|
22 | 8 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 449 | 484 | -35 | 20 |
| 14 |  New Zealand
|
23 | 7 | 2 | 14 | 2 | 377 | 515 | -158 | 20 |
| 15 |  Cronulla
|
23 | 5 | 0 | 18 | 2 | 335 | 542 | -207 | 14 |
| 16 |  Sydney
|
23 | 5 | 0 | 18 | 2 | 366 | 649 | -249 | 14 |
Teams qualified for finals
Teams out of contention for finals
* Bulldogs stripped of 2 competition points after an interchange breach in round 2
Teams qualified for finals
After 24 of 26 Rounds
- St George Illawarra - 4.5 wins ahead of 9th placed team with 2 rounds to go
- Bulldogs - 4.5 wins ahead of 9th placed team with 2 rounds to go
- Gold Coast - 3.5 wins ahead of 9th placed team with 2 rounds to go
Teams out of contention for finals
After 24 of 26 Rounds
- Canberra - 3.5 wins behind 8th placed team with 2 rounds to go
- New Zealand - 3.5 wins behind 8th placed team with 2 rounds to go
- Cronulla - 6.5 wins behind 8th placed team with 2 rounds to go
- Sydney - 6.5 wins behind 8th placed team with 2 rounds to go