Newcastle defeated Cronulla at the preliminary final stage on the way to winning the 2001 premiership.
Competition between the clubs ramped up the following season after the Sharks’ recruitment of Knights champion Andrew Johns’ older brother, Matthew, from Wigan, and his rival for the NSW and Australian No.7 jerseys, Brett Kimmorley, from Northern Eagles.
The initial sibling duel was a fizzer: ‘Joey’ steered the Knights to an emphatic 52-8 victory in Newcastle in Round 6, reducing Matthew Johns and Kimmorley to the role of helpless spectators.
The heavy defeat sparked a seven-match Sharks losing streak, with fans’ frustrations aimed at Kimmorley (who had effectively shunted 2001 Dally M Medal winner Preston Campbell out of his preferred halfback spot) and incoming coach Chris Anderson.
But the new regime at Cronulla found its groove and was riding an eight-game winning run by the time the August rematch with Newcastle in the Shire rolled around.
Matthew was ruled out with injury – but the gunfight between NSW captain Andrew Johns and Kimmorley, dropped from the Blues in 2002 after two series at halfback, provided ample storyline fodder.
The crucial clash between third and fifth resulted in one of the most staggeringly one-sided contests of the season…and one of the finest days in ‘Noddy’s’ career.
Kimmorley laid on four tries and scored two himself – as well as slotting seven goals – as the Sharks thundered to an outrageous 42-0 halftime lead.
“We nearly sung the team song then,” Kimmorley, who debuted for the Knights in 1995 before leaving to escape Johns’ shadow, quipped post-match.
The relentless beatdown assuaged somewhat after the break, but the Sharks added another four tries in a 64-14 rout.
Lightning-quick Matthew Rieck finished with a hat-trick, and fellow winger Paul Mellor and brilliant fullback and captain David Peachey both grabbed doubles. There was little question over who the hero of the hour was after Kimmorley had broken Cronulla’s club record with a 28-point haul, however.
“I said to him before the game, just settle down a bit ‘Noddy’ and don’t try to do everything,” Anderson revealed afterwards.
Kimmorley somewhat modestly said he “felt he had control” in a match where virtually everything he touched turned to points. Meanwhile, he became the first player in five years (and only the 14th ever) to receive a perfect ‘10’ rating from Rugby League Week magazine.
The stunning scoreline had record keepers at both clubs working overtime. It was Cronulla’s biggest winning margin and highest score, as well as Newcastle’s worst loss and most points conceded.
Kimmorley’s tally stood as a Sharks record until last weekend, when fellow No.7 Nicho Hynes racked up 30 points against the Dolphins.
In a 2002 finals series thrown wide open by runaway leaders the Bulldogs’ salary cap penalty, the second-placed Knights made a straight-sets exit via losses to St George Illawarra and eventual champs Sydney Roosters, after losing Johns to injury against the Dragons. The fifth-placed Sharks were again halted on preliminary finals weekend by the Warriors.
