Newcastle head into Round 16 buoyed by a finals push that has them firmly entrenched inside the top eight, even after a Round 14 heartbreaker in Melbourne snapped a four-game winning run just before the bye.

The Dragons arrive at McDonald Jones Stadium still riding the high of finally breaking their 15-game losing streak last month, though a daunting trip to the Hunter threatens to bring them straight back to earth.

Kalyn Ponga adds extra intrigue to Friday night’s clash, backing up from State of Origin duty for the second time in a month as he looks to inflict more pain on a Dragons outfit he has already tormented this season.

With Justin Holbrook’s men eyeing a season sweep of the Red V and Dean Young still searching for consistency from his side, this fixture looks set to extend the gulf between the two clubs.

For the latest news, odds and analysis ahead of the latest installment of this recent matchup, check out our Knights vs Dragons tips and predictions below.

Knights vs Dragons Prediction and Betting Tips 

Head-to-Head Prediction 

Coming off the bye, the Knights have made four changes, with the biggest recalling Bradman Best to the centres.

St. George Illawarra have been hit with even more disruption, welcoming back key veterans into their side.

These two sides have already crossed paths once in 2026, with the Knights running away with the victory.

For the Dragons, the storyline remains the same week to week as they avoid being dragged back into the kind of form slump that produced a club record losing streak earlier this season.

Expect the Knights to continue their winning ways and make it five victories out of their last six games.

Betting tip: Newcastle Knights. 

First Try Scorer Prediction 

Dylan Lucas has scored the first try of a game once this season already and with the Dragons lacking a good defensive strategy on their edges, expect Kalyn Ponga and the halves to give plenty of ball to Dylan Lucas.

Betting tip: Dylan Lucas.

Over/Under Prediction 

The Knights defeated the Dragons 44-10 back in Round 10, and with the Red V still struggling this season, we expect the Knights to score a lot of points.

Betting tip: Over (49.5) total match points. 

Line Prediction

The away team has covered the line in each of Newcastle’s last four matches.

Betting tip: Dragons (+12.5) line. 

Knights vs Dragons Anytime Try Scorer Betting Tips 

Greg Marzhew

Greg Marzhew has scored 10 tries in his last five matches.

Kalyn Ponga

Kalyn Ponga has scored at least one try in four of his last five appearances against St. George Illawarra. 

Dylan Lucas

Dylan Lucas has scored six tries in his last five matches.

Valentine Holmes

Valentine Holmes has scored three in his last two matches.

Mathew Feagai

Mathew Feagai has scored in each of his last two matches.

Knights vs Dragons Teams 

Newcastle Knights Team List 

1. Kalyn Ponga

2. Dominic Young

3. Dane Gagai 

4. Bradman Best

5. Greg Marzhew

6. Fletcher Sharpe

7. Dylan Brown

8. Jacob Saifiti

9. Phoenix Crossland

10. Trey Mooney

11. Dylan Lucas

12. Thomas Cant

13. Mat Croker

14. Harrison Graham

15. Tyson Frizell 

16. Pasami Saulo

17. Cody Hopwood

18. Fletcher Hunt

St. George Illawarra Dragons Team List 

1. Clint Gutherson

2. Setu Tu

3. Moses Suli

4. Valentine Holmes 

5. Mathew Feagai 

6. Daniel Atkinson

7. Kyle Flanagan

8. Loko Jnr Pasifiki Tonga 

9. Damien Cook

10. Toby Couchman 

11. Dylan Egan

12. Hamish Stewart

13. Ryan Couchman 

14. Jacob Liddle 

15. Luciano Leilua

16. Josh Kerr

17. Blake Lawrie

18. Emre Guler

Knights vs Dragons Match Details 

Date: Friday, June 19, 2026. 

Kick-off: 8:00pm AEST. 

Location: McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle.