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Knights’ fan favourite eyes off Super League glory

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One of the Newcastle Knights’ fan favourites, Sione Mata’utia, is eyeing off glory on the other side of the world.

The 25-year-old will line-up for St Helens in the Super League decider after his team secured an emphatic 36-8 semi-final victory over Leeds.

Mata’utia made his NRL debut for the Knights in 2014 and later that season became the youngest player to ever represent Australia, at just 18 and 129 days.

The South Newcastle Lions junior captained Newcastle at the age of 20, on his way to amassing 124 appearances for his hometown club.

He was granted a release from the Knights in 2020 to take up a three-year deal with St Helens.

And, the Saints turned on the style in their recent play-off to book a berth in a record-extending 13th grand final.

Australian coach Kristian Woolf’s reigning champions ran in six tries to two on Friday night to earn a trip to Old Trafford next Saturday, where they will meet James Maloney’s Catalans Dragons.

They’ll be out for revenge with a 31-30 golden-point defeat at the Magic Weekend in Newcastle by the French outfit still fresh in their minds.

Mark Percival and winger Regan Grace scored two tries apiece and Kevin Naiqama was also among the scorers on his final home appearance as he prepares to return to Australia.

It looked a game too far for Leeds, whose defeat brought the Rhinos career of stand-off Rob Lui and centre Konrad Hurrell to an end.

But, Saints actually made the worst possible start as their Australian fullback Lachlan Coote fumbled the first high ball inside the opening minute.

Yet they were good enough to keep their opponents out and Coote, the Hull KR-bound player who now competes internationally for Scotland, very quickly more than made amends.

His cut-out pass enabled Grace to open the scoring with his 20th try of the season and, after leaping into the air to prevent Leeds finding touch with a penalty, Coote extended his side’s lead to 8-0 with two penalty goals.

The second was awarded for a high tackle by Tom Briscoe on Coote as the Rhinos centre became the first of four players to be sent to the sin bin.

The Saints took advantage of the extra man as James Roby scored his first Super League try of 2021.

Coote’s third goal made it 14-0 but Leeds grabbed a lifeline three minutes before half-time when fullback Richie Myler squeezed over for a try.

That came while Saints were down to 12 men with second-rower Mata’utia shown a yellow card for a high tackle on Briscoe’s brother Luke, the Leeds right winger.

Rhinos’ second-rower James Donaldson became the third player to be sin-binned for a high tackle four minutes into the second half.

And, the Saints once more made the most of it as centre Percival took a pass from Mata’utia to force his way over for the 100th touchdown of his career.

The game was up for the visitors when Coote put Naiqama over for his side’s fourth try on 59 minutes.

Saints loose forward Morgan Knowles became the fourth recipient of a yellow card for a shoulder charge on Kruise Leeming and Leeds took advantage to score their second try through Luke Briscoe.

It was only a minor blemish for the well-drilled St Helens defence and Percival finished off a break by Lewis Dodd to score his second try and Grace quickly followed suit, with Coote taking his goal tally to six from eight attempts.

  • with AAP

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