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🇦🇺 Australia /Sports

Crooked Elbows and Big Dreams Drive Unheralded Knights Toward NRL Finals

From ABC Australia · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • Newcastle forward Francis Manuleleua is pushing to play less than two weeks after dislocating his right elbow.
  • The Knights will rely on a young, relatively inexperienced pack against a South Sydney starting group packed with Test, State of Origin and finals experience.
  • Injuries and suspensions have left Newcastle depending on emerging players alongside veteran Tyson Frizell and lock Matt Croker.

Francis Manuleleua’s right elbow bent in a way no right arm should, but the Newcastle forward still wants to shake hands hard. Less than two weeks after dislocating it against the Warriors, he is pushing to make his NRL finals debut.

“‘Nah, let’s go for it G,’ Manuleleua said when offered the chance to forgo a handshake, just in case. ‘It’s gotta be strong.’”

The 22-year-old went straight on the green whistle after the injury, and video analysis described a “bony deformity.” After doctors cleared him of a fracture, Newcastle named him on Tuesday for Friday’s sudden-death semifinal against South Sydney.

The Knights are short of key players, with Dylan Lucas, Trey Mooney and Jacob Saifiti unavailable through injury and suspension. That leaves a largely unheralded group of young players and journeymen to face a Rabbitohs pack in which every starter has played Test or State of Origin football except Tallis Duncan.

Nah, let’s go for it G. It’s gotta be strong.

· Francis ManuleleuaHe insisted on shaking hands despite his recent elbow dislocation.

Manuleleua has 11 NRL matches. Second rower Jermaine McEwen is completing his first full season as a regular, while starting prop Cody Hopwood is only 20. Hopwood is 196 centimeters tall and weighs 105 kilograms. He is close friends with Lachlan Crouch, an eight-game player who received his first Knights cap from Paul Harragon on his NRL debut.

Thomas Cant and Pasami Saulo also came through the juniors in Maitland. Cant has nearly 40 NRL matches but no tries since his 2023 debut. Saulo is about to finish his ninth league season without scoring a four-pointer.

Newcastle will lean on 300-game veteran Tyson Frizell and the underrated Matt Croker at lock. South Sydney’s pack includes Cameron Murray, Junior Tatola, David Fifita and Keaon Koloamatangi, all with at least 150 NRL games. Manuleleua could face the biggest challenge against the revived Fifita, but he said he was eager for it: “He’s a big, powerful boy and there’s a job to do. But I’m keen ...”

He’s a big, powerful boy and there’s a job to do. But I’m keen ...

· Francis ManuleleuaManuleleua discussed facing South Sydney forward David Fifita in the semifinal.
About this summary

Originally published by ABC Australia in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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