Knights coach apologises 'unreservedly' to fans after 'don't know anything' sledge following win

Knights coach Adam O'Brien has apologised to the team's fans for claiming they "don't know anything about rugby league".

O'Brien responded to a question following Thursday's epic comeback win against Manly, when a journalist pointed out fans had booed the team off Hunter Stadium at half-time when they were 16-0 down.

"Do you want me to answer the booing part? It's really disappointing," he said after clinching a shock 26-22 win.

READ MORE: Key signings and roster traps Meninga's Bears must avoid

READ MORE: Socceroos 'fairytale' all but secured after dramatic late winner

READ MORE: Controversial Roosters star 'hasn't lived up to the hype'

"I know the scoreline is not what they want, but to boo the effort that went into that first half from a really young team, the people that booed don't know anything about rugby league ... and they are probably the ones that cheered at the end too.

"It disappoints me that they'd do that. I thought the first half, we defended our hearts out and you've got to remember it's a really young footy team there.

"I thought we were excellent in the first half, we made a few errors leading into half time that gassed us a little bit. We could have been going into the sheds at 12-0 down, but it was a tremendous effort in the second half.

"With the first half, I know with the booing and that, I know people are disappointed with us - but they are trying their backsides off."

O'Brien called a press conference on Friday and looked contrite as he made a public statement.

Watch the 2025 NRL premiership live and free on Nine and 9Now.

"I apologise unreservedly to our members and fans that I offended, and I can understand why they would be offended," he told media.

"I was not prepared for that question, I was unaware that there had been some booing.

"I went straight into protection mode for our playing group. That's not an excuse.

"That's not how I feel about our members, I understand that we're here because of those people.

"They are an educated fanbase, they are an educated crowd. They sit through all types of weather and all sorts of scorelines with unwavering loyalty, and I'm disappointed that I let them down with an emotional response.

"I hope by owning this I can earn back a bit of their respect, because that's not how I feel about them."

The Knights typically have one of the biggest and most loyal fan bases in the NRL, with thousands regularly turning up to Hunter Stadium even through two decades of mediocrity.

During his post-game press conference O'Brien pointed out the Knights are severely lacking in the middle of the field, with both Jacob Saifiti and Leo Thompson unavailable and Tyson Frizell forced off with a head knock just minutes into the game in another major blow.

The second half will give Newcastle's fans plenty to be happy about, with Fletcher Hunt producing a miracle play in extra time to set up Kalyn Ponga's match-winning try.

"It's up there with one of the best wins I've been involved in here," O'Brien said.

"I reckon this is the hardest time that I've been involved in at the club in terms of injuries and suspensions - it's hard. I know there's only one debutant out there tonight but there's guys with less than five or six games, there's a heap of them.

"I'm a bit hurt by the booing. We don't want to let anyone down, but I don't think I'd see that. I've seen bigger losses here over the years and I'm not sure they've booed."

Newcastle's win sees them move away from the bottom of the NRL ladder for at least a week, while Manly's inconsistency continues to remain an issue.