An emotional Kalyn Ponga said he “felt like crying” after the Newcastle Knights defied all the odds by upsetting the Warriors to seal an unlikely preliminary final berth.

A frustrated Warriors coach Andrew Webster was left stunned after watching some of the calls his team was on the end of in the final 10 minutes of their semi-final loss to Newcastle.

The semi-final match between the Newcastle Knights and New Zealand Warriors may have ended in controversy but Justin Holbrook was adamant he had no issue with the officiating.

Andrew Webster said the bunker was “trying to find ways” to take decisions away from them in their loss to the Knights that ended their season. Joseph Pearson

The Newcastle Knights’ fairytale finals run continued as they upset the Warriors on Sunday afternoon.

The Knights have won a semi-final laced in controversy after the Warriors were on the receiving end of three tough calls late in the 12-10 loss at Eden Park.

The Warriors’ 2026 season came to a dramatic end on Sunday after they were shocked by the Knights in a thriller at Eden Park.

We want your take on how each of the Warriors performed against the Knights using our new rating tool. Stuff sports reporters

A Warriors season that promised so much has come to a disappointing end. Andrew Voerman

Ali Leiataua is lucky to still be on the field in the sudden-death semi-final between the Warriors and Knights at a packed Eden Park in Auckland.