Sydney Roosters wins NRL Grand Final with 19-18 win against Newcastle Knights

SYDNEY -- The Sydney Roosters rallied from 12-0 down to win the NRL Grand Final, beating the Newcastle Knights 19-18 on Sunday.

In front of a crowd of 80,814 at Sydney's Accor Stadium, the Roosters sealed victory by the finest of margins with Daly Cherry-Evans' 70th-minute field goal proving decisive.

The Knights had raced to an early lead with tries from Francis Manuleleua and Kalyn Ponga and conversions by Sandon Smith.

But the Roosters powered back with tries from Mark Nawaqanitawase either side of another from Billy Smith and two conversions by Sam Walker.

Cherry-Evans' crucial kick was followed by a try from Greg Marzhew for the Knights in the closing stages to set up a tense finish.

“I'm so proud of this team. What a game,” Roosters captain James Tedesco said. “It felt like we had them on the ropes, but they kept coming back. They've got so many great attacking players, the game could have gone either way.”

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On Saturday, a vehicle drove into a crowd standing on a road to cheer on the Knights team as it left Newcastle on its way to Sydney, injuring 10 people, including several children.

Earlier Sunday, the Sydney Roosters won the women’s competition with a 30-6 victory over the defending champion Brisbane Broncos to complete a perfect season of 13 consecutive wins.

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