High-scoring fixtures have been an overwhelming NRL trend in 2026, but as Newcastle and St George Illawarra prepare to square off this weekend Big League is reliving a try-less Dragons-Knights semi from 34 years ago.
A ‘horses for courses’ selection strategy would become something of a trademark during Brian Smith long coaching career – and it was initially thrust into the spotlight during St George’s 1992 finals campaign.
Smith recalled young halfback Noel Goldthorpe at the expense of the experienced Ivan Henjak and benched representative lock Brad Mackay in favour of Jeff Hardy for the Dragons’ sudden-death minor semi against Newcastle. Goldthorpe and Hardy played key roles in the Saints’ epic 3-2 eclipse.
“If someone at St George doesn’t agree with the job I’m doing, I’ll get the sack,” Smith fired after the gripping, season-saving victory.
“I understand [the selections are] seen as unorthodox and may also have an unsettling effect on some of the players … The bottom line for me, though, is getting the most out of what I have at my disposal.”
David Waite’s fourth-placed Knights had eliminated Western Suburbs 21-2 in the club’s maiden finals match a week earlier, while fellow post-season debutants Illawarra upset the second-placed Dragons in an 18-16 thriller.
The Mick Beattie-led Dragons landed on the scoreboard after just two minutes at the Sydney Football Stadium through a goal to winger Ian Herron (who would miss two subsequent penalty attempts). The Knights levelled through their former All Black centre John Schuster in the 30th minute. A nerve-jangling deadlock ensued for more than half an hour.
Newcastle appeared to snare a try early in the second half, but Tony Herman was ruled to have made a double movement in lunging for the line after being desperately cut down by opposing winger Ricky Walford, who atoned for an unhappy match in the loss to the Steelers.
“I thought my momentum got me there,” Herman lamented post-match.
“Because I was still going forward, I reached out. I thought it was a try – I just wish it was.”
The fate of two teams’ campaigns hinged on a clutch play from Peter Coyne with 15 minutes on the clock. The St George five-eighth evaded the rushing Knights defence and coolly snapped a field goal in gusty conditions.
The older brother of Dragons and Queensland Origin centre Mark Coyne had slotted the match-winning one-pointer for Valleys in the dying stages of the 1990 BRL grand final against Norths.
The Saints grimly defended their slender lead in the face of the Knights’ frantic attacking raids.
“It is the mark of a very good side to fight back the way we did,” Smith said.
The Knights’ reluctance to look for a score-levelling field goal during the latter stages was widely questioned, but the vanquished outfit had no qualms about their tactics.
“We wanted a win, not a draw,” Newcastle’s Test prop Mark Sargent defended.
“We were positive about scoring [a try] and had to have a go. There are no regrets.”
Veteran St George fullback Michael Potter earned praise for a classy and courageous display as he continued an ultimately unsuccessful push for inclusion in Australia’s World Cup final tour squad. Meanwhile, Sargent effectively booked his ticket with an outstanding display, and hooker Robbie McCormack and Dally M Rookie of the Year-winning halfback Matt Rodwell were superb in a beaten team.
The result represented the lowest-scoring finals match in premiership history – a record that incredibly was broken just a week later as the Saints edged the Steelers 4-0 in an equally dramatic preliminary final.
After scaling the tightrope, the Dragons were overrun 28-8 by Brisbane Broncos in the grand final.
