Justin Holbrook may not have won the Dally M Coach of the Year award on Wednesday night, but Newcastle Knights forward Francis Manuleleua has revealed an incredible early-season decision that could ultimately define the coach's remarkable turnaround.
The Knights went from wooden spooners in 2025 to now just 80 minutes away from a premiership, with Holbrook transforming a team that, on paper, remained relatively similar to the one that struggled so badly the year before under Adam O'Brien.
For Manuleleua, who will make his 15th NRL appearance when he starts in Sunday's Grand Final against the Sydney Roosters, the foundations for that turnaround were laid before the Knights had even played a game.
Holbrook, a former Knights player himself, took his squad back to the club's most successful eras.
They watched footage of the 1997 and 2001 premiership-winning sides during pre-season, using the history of the club to establish exactly what the new-look Knights wanted to become.
“We watched heaps of the 1997 and 2001 at the start of our preseason, we went on a camp and we rewatched all of those clips. You know, we wanted to find out who we are, who we wanted to be,” Manuleleua told Zero Tackle.
“Like when we go out on the field, we ask ourselves how do you want the crowds to think of us? And then it brought us back to that, we wanted to be a team like the 97 and 01. And we just wanted to bring our premiership back into the town.”
At the time, it could have easily been dismissed as nothing more than a cultural exercise.
Instead, it has become one of the defining features of Newcastle's season.
Holbrook understood something that perhaps only someone who has been part of the Knights and their community could fully appreciate, the town of Newcastle itself can be an extra player.
The Knights' home crowds have become an undeniable part of their resurgence, with the town on Thursday showing that dedication after snapping up 22,000 tickets in just three minutes to view the Grand Final from their very own McDonald Jones Stadium screen.
And that connection has extended beyond the players who grew up in the Hunter.
Manuleleua is one of several young players who have found a home in Newcastle after coming through systems elsewhere, with his move from the Penrith Panthers system allowing him to establish himself in the Knights' forward pack.
His relationship with fellow second-rower Jermaine McEwen has become one of the more entertaining examples of the brotherhood that has developed inside the squad.
“Sometimes I wish for a new roommate. One thing about Mainey... He doesn't... he doesn't just go to sleep. He has to sing his heart out before he can go to sleep, so. I'll be trying to sleep and then I'll just hear some ugly ass voice. I look over to my right or left, and it just got headphones in, like, just belting, like some... It's a bad song too. At least make it a good R&B song,” Manuleleua laughed.
But beneath the jokes is a relationship that Manuleleua believes has helped establish the culture Holbrook has been trying to create.
“I think that's just how that's a relationship that me and Mainey have, like, off the field we love getting around the boys. You know, joking around and stirring them up a bit, but once it comes to game time, the boys know that me and Mainey will lock in, and flick that switch and just do a job for the boys,” he shared.
That combination of friendship and competitiveness is something that has long been associated with Newcastle's greatest teams.
The 1997 premiership side was built around a similar sense of mateship, with brothers Andrew and Matty Johns becoming synonymous with the Knights' first premiership and their larger-than-life personalities.
Their infamous television interview the morning after the 1997 Grand Final became part of Newcastle folklore.
Manuleleua and McEwen could have their own iconic moment if they can emulate the achievement of that Knights generation on Sunday.
“Better than Lego, that's me and Mainey, right there if we do win the grand final. That's gonna be crazy. Just keep the cameras off us a bit maybe,” he laughed.
For a club that has spent years searching for that nostalgia, those relationships have become more than just off-field entertainment.
They have translated into performances on the field, with a young Knights squad seemingly embracing the responsibility of representing the town and each other.
For Manuleleua, that makes Sunday's Grand Final even more significant.
The 22-year-old spent part of his development at Penrith, meaning he knows exactly what the Panthers represent within the modern game.
Newcastle's preliminary final victory over the reigning benchmark therefore carried an added significance.
“I think the win felt so good because they're like the benchmark of the finest footy. You know, that was their 7th prelim in a row. And to knock them off is a whole testament to our team, our coaches, and staff, and just how hard we've been working for each other, and, you know, it's been a really good season for us,” he told Zero Tackle.
“It was a crazy game. Doesn't even feel like we're gonna go into a grand final. Especially being so young, I never expected to be playing in the grand final this early. I just gotta take this opportunity with two hands.”
There was never any question of the Knights taking their opportunity for granted.
Manuleleua admitted the bus ride home initially felt surreal.
“Honestly, there was a bit of silence there at first. I feel it was just how shocked everyone was. Well I don't know if they were shocked, but I was shocked. I still couldn't believe it. Like, we were down a man and we still won. And they were on the line and then Sandon intercepted. Like, that's a crazy achievement,” he recalled.
“But then the bus chucked on some music and then, yeah, everyone started to open up a bit more.
“And then we were driving, we were going to Newcastle, we seen everybody parked up on the side of the road, with their flags waving, and then lights, and it was just the best feeling. We just have one more to go, and we're all right.”
That final line perhaps best sums up the extraordinary turnaround.
The Knights have gone from the bottom of the NRL to the brink of a premiership, while players such as Manuleleua have gone from promising youngsters to Grand Final starters.
And according to the Knights forward, it all stems back to a coach who understood that rebuilding Newcastle was about more than changing a game plan.
Holbrook changed the way his players viewed themselves.
He reminded them of what the Knights had once been, showed them what the town expected them to be and gave a young squad a reason to believe it could recreate the glory of 1997 and 2001.
He may have lost out to Andrew Webster for this years coaching award, but with Newcastle now just one win away from their first premiership in 25 years, Holbrook's impact is already being written into Knights history.
