2 days Ago By Max McKinney
The Newcastle Knights will take on former coach Wayne Bennett's new side at the NRL's Magic Round in 2025. Login or signup to continue reading The Knights and Bennett's South Sydney Rabbitohs will meet at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday, May 3. The match is the third of next year's Magic Round, when all eight games are held at the Brisbane venue over three days, and in the fan-friendly 3pm time slot.
Newcastle had a bye during Magic Round in 2023 but returned this year to defeat Gold Coast Titans 28-24 in a game that went down to the wire . It was their their second win in four Magic Round appearances since the its launch in 2019, after a win over the Bulldogs (16-6) in 2022 and losses to the Tigers (36-18) in 2021 and Bulldogs (26-18) in 2019. Bennett has taken over as head coach of the Rabbitohs for a second time , after coaching the Sydney club across 2019-21.
The veteran mentor, at the helm of the Knights through 2012-14, finished a two-season stint at the Dolphins this year. South Sydney ran second last, or 16 th , in 2024 and will be aiming to return to the heights they reached during Bennett's first stint at the club, which culminated a grand final appearance in 2021. Newcastle, who finished eighth in 2024, have won their past two games against South Sydney, including a 36-16 victory in round 25 last season .
The NRL will release the full 2025 draw on Thursday. As reported on Monday, the Knights are set to travel to Sydney for their season-opener against Wests Tigers . The match is yet to be allocated to a certain venue, but will be at either Leichhardt Oval, Campbelltown Sports Stadium of CommBank Stadium in Parramatta, where the Tigers have committed to playing their home games in 2025.
FRIDAY, MAY 2 : Sharks v Eels, 6pm; Roosters v Dolphins, 8pm SATURDAY, MAY 3 : Rabbitohs v Knights, 3pm; Warriors v Cowboys, 5.30pm; Tigers v Dragons, 7.45pm SUNDAY, MAY 4 : Titans v Bulldogs, 1.
50pm; Panthers v Broncos, 4.05pm; Storm v Raiders, 6.25pm Bye : Sea Eagles Max McKinney is a sports reporter with the Newcastle Herald.
He previously worked in news, covering mainly local government and transport. Max mostly reports on the Newcastle Knights, but also covers a mix of local sport. Max McKinney is a sports reporter with the Newcastle Herald.
He previously worked in news, covering mainly local government and transport. Max mostly reports on the Newcastle Knights, but also covers a mix of local sport. DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team.
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