It's Newcastle Herald sport reporter Renee Valentine here with this week's footy newsletter.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
My colleague Max McKinney has been crunching the numbers to see how many games the Newcastle Knights must win to feature in another finals series this year. A win over the Parramatta Eels at McDonald Jones Stadium on Saturday will help their cause. In other Knights news this week, the club have parted ways with flying fullback David Armstrong.
Knights trio Yasmin Clydsdale, Caitlan Johnston and Olivia Higgins have been left to lick their wounds after NSW lost the women's State of Origin decider to their Newcastle teammate Tamika Upton's Maroons on Thursday night. All four will be back in Knights camp next week with a focus on the upcoming NRLW campaign.
Rain continues to cause havoc on community sport with some codes exploring ways to ensure all of their mounting fixtures get played.
Newcastle Jets coach Rob Stanton added a crucial piece to his puzzle, signing experienced defender Aleks Susnjar on a two-year deal. Meanwhile, long-serving Jets left-back Gema Simon, who has retired from elite-level football, is excited for a proud moment the 11-times-capped Matilda has coming up at the Northern NSW Football Women's State Cup in two weeks.