NRL grand final 2026 LIVE updates: Newcastle Knights look to claim first premiership in 25 years against the Sydney Roosters; Broncos face off against Roosters in NRLW final

One of the victims of the out-of-control car that ploughed into Knights fans, Chris Clancy, has spoken from his hospital bed about how the BMW car came at him so fast, he had no time to jump aside and thought he was going to die.

Clancy, a 48-year-old assistant manager at Kennards Hire at Heatherbrae and a foundation Knights supporter, is at John Hunter Hospital nursing a broken left collarbone, a fracture in his right foot, some broken ribs and some small spinal fractures.

He was due to undergo surgery on Saturday night or Sunday, although he has asked doctors to finish their work before the grand final kick-off at 7.30pm on Sunday.

He was among tens of thousands of Knights supporters lining the streets to farewell the team as it drove to Sydney on Saturday morning. He and his two nephews were waiting on Newcastle Link Road near the Transfield Drive roundabout in Wallsend.

Suddenly, he saw a car driven by a P-plater speed up as it drove through a roundabout. “The guy that was driving the car put his foot down when he got to the roundabout,” he told this masthead. “He put his foot down to show off.”

Read the full story here.

The sun is shining in Newcastle, and there are good vibes already.

A few game fans have already entered the pubs… That is a long drinking session coming up.

Cafés are bustling, and the city is ready for the big day. Obviously, yesterday’s events have changed the feeling about today’s grand final, but there is plenty of Novocastrian spirit. No shortage of red and blue.

Sydney Morning Herald photographer Sitthixay Ditthavong is on the ground in Newcastle this morning, where he spotted this message board from a local church.

As my colleague Frances Howe said: “It’s divine”.

The excitement was building, and everyone seemed swept up in NRL grand final fever.

For kilometre after kilometre, Knights fans were everywhere.

Families stood on nature strips. Kids wore red, white and blue jerseys and waved hand-made signs. Car horns blared. Chairs were lined up along the road, waiting for a glimpse of the Knights’ coach as it made its way to Sydney with the players and the hopes of an entire city on board.

In case you missed the tragic incident in Newcastle yesterday, here’s what happened.

A five-year-old girl was left fighting for her life and nine others were injured when a teenage P-plate driver allegedly lost control of his car and careered into jubilant crowds lining a Newcastle street to wave the Knights off to the NRL grand final.

One of the injured, Chris Clancy, said the car appeared to speed up as it went through a roundabout, and then lost control on the wet road. “No-one had time to move,” he said. “I thought I was going to die, it happened so fast.”

Fans at the crash site rushed to provide first aid as emergency crews rushed to the scene and word of the collision spread through the tens of thousands of excited fans waiting for a glimpse of their team. The team’s bus, which had not yet departed when the crash occurred, was rerouted, and players were informed.

1pm: Gates open

1.20pm: NRL State Championships (Penrith v Redcliff)

3.20pm: NRLW grand final pre-game show

4pm: NRLW grand final

6.30pm: NRL grand final pre-game show

7.30pm: NRL grand final

Good morning rugby league fans.

It’s been 31 long weeks (not including pre-season), but by 10pm tonight the 2026 NRL season will have finally come to an end.

Billie Eder here to take you through the day, which includes the state championships, NRLW and NRL grand final.

We will be bringing you timings on those, updates on traffic and public transport, live coverage of all three matches, along with updates from the tragedy in Newcastle yesterday.