As the Newcastle Knights powered into an historic first NRLW finals series with a convincing 22-point win over the Dragons, a number of local teams clinched championship glory in an action-packed weekend of sport in Newcastle.
Teenage halfback Jesse Southwell continued to impress in her maiden season of NRLW while multi-sport talent Jess Gentle also turned heads with a try-scoring effort on debut.
Last-minute heartbreak
Gentle was a noticeable absence from the Charlestown side whose NPLW Northern NSW season ended in painful circumstances on Sunday.
Azzurri conceded two stoppage time goals to lose their elimination semi-final with Newcastle Olympic on at John Street Oval.
Magic did not play poorly despite a five-goal loss to a clinical Warners Bay, who progress directly to the October 2 grand final.
The Panthers continued to show their range of goalscoring capabilities in the 6-1 win at John Street Oval.
Magpies soar into grand final
Flynn Goodman proved the star of the show, stepping in for an injured James Thompson and scoring a hat-trick.
Magic now face Lambton in the preliminary final after the Jaffas ended Olympic's season on Saturday.
City prevail again in arm wrestle
They were virtually untouched on the way to a seventh grand final appearance in Black Diamond Cup Women's, but Newcastle City were made to fight tooth and nail for a sixth flag against an energetic and defensively resolute Killarney Vale on Saturday.
The Bombers took a narrow lead into the final break but City's experience came to the fore in the fourth quarter to seal a three-point win.
In the men's title decider, Killarney Vale broke a 15-year premiership drought in beating competition heavyweights Terrigal-Avoca. The Panthers were playing in an astonishing 10th straight grand final.
Drought over in epic battle
Coach David Willott described it as "one for the ages" as Norths came from two goals down to force extra-time then win the Hunter Coast Premier Hockey League grand final at Newcastle International Hockey Centre on Saturday.
Eighteen-year-old Ryan Woolnough scored the winner just when the 2022 title showdown looked destined for a shootout.
It was Norths' first grand final victory since 2016.
In the women's grand final, Gosford made history by clinching their maiden Newcastle District Women's Hockey Association championship with victory over a fast-finishing Tigers on Saturday.
What else happened
Speaking after the horror showing, outgoing Two Blues coach Dan Beckett urged the team's senior men to play on next season.
