‘See you next week’: Knights coach’s cheeky message to former boss

Justin Holbrook has revealed just how confident he was heading into Newcastle’s preliminary final, sending an ominous text to his former boss Trent Robinson.

After the Sydney Roosters booked their spot in the grand final with a win over the Dolphins on Friday night, Holbrook was in contact with Robinson, who he had worked with as an assistant for two seasons before joining the Knights.

“I congratulated him the other night and I said ‘see you next Sunday’,” a jubilant Holbrook told media after defeating Penrith.

Holbrook worked with the Bondi glamour club and earned plenty of praise during his time there, bouncing back from a difficult Gold Coast exit.

The 50-year-old’s stocks have risen even higher this season considering Newcastle finished with the wooden spoon last year under Adam O’Brien.

After the win, Holbrook ran around Accor Stadium clapping the travelling fans.

“Most popular man in Newy right now,” Jacob Saifiti captioned his video on Instagram of Holbrook.

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The coach’s achievement puts egg on the face of Titans powerbrokers after he was sacked in 2023 following his arrival three years earlier.

The former St Helens coach had arrived off the back of a successful stint in the Super League with the Titans struggling.

In 2019 they claimed the wooden spoon before Holbrook took them to ninth. He delivered a finals appearance the next season before coming 13th.

His sacking then came following round 16 in the 2023 season when the Titans were sitting ninth on the ladder. This decision came despite David Fifita and Tino Fa’asuamaleaui having clauses in their contracts associated with the coach.

Gold Coast then fell away and finished 14th.

Following his sacking, Holbrook delivered a revealing News Corp interview.

“I just can’t believe it, I feel awful. Totally gutted,” he said.

“I did not see this coming at all, that’s what I am pissed off about.

“I could understand if they said, ‘Look you have three games or whatever time period’ ... but to be moved on like this, I’m still coming to terms with it.

“If they were a bit more open about the way things were heading, I would have been able to digest this, but it’s hit me out of the blue.”

At the time, the Titans were dealing with an injury crisis having slipped out of the top eight. He was also sacked on a bye round after beating the Tigers 28-12 the previous match. There was extra context to the ninth spot the Titans were in at the time, having been assisted by three byes.

“We’re at a point in time where we need to make that change, arguably we’re not improving, arguably we’re actually sliding,” CEO Steve Mitchell said at the time.

Part of the knock on the Titans at the time was the club’s defence, having conceded 583 points in the finals year and 660 the next season.

Des Hasler was brought in to fix that area, and it did the opposite. His team conceded 656 in 2024 and 719 in 2025.

Barely anything has changed under Josh Hannay with 663 points conceded this season, although green shoots have appeared for the club.

Long-time Titans ambassador and now part-owner, Gorden Tallis, was challenged on the sacking of Holbrook on Fox League’s NRL 360 last week.

“At St Helens he was at 80 per cent ... at the Titans he finished at 38 per cent. Now he’s at the Knights he’s at 62 per cent. I’d love Justin Holbrook’s Knights (percentage) at our club ... I’m so happy for Justin and what he’s building at the Knights – but at our club, 38 per cent wasn’t good enough,” Tallis said.

Holbrook’s performance since has suggested there may have been other factors at play behind that percentage, especially since there’s been no rise in wins after his departure from the Gold Coast.

When asked about the Titans exit and what has followed, Holbrook wasn’t going to air any dirty laundry when asked about his journey to the grand final.

“It’s just part of life, once I got the head coach role here I was so grateful. I love Newcastle as an area, a region. I came in that excited ... it’s been great,” he said.