1997 Finals Week 3 vs North Sydney Bears:
First Preliminary Final
Newcastle 17 (R. O'Davis, B. Peden, O. Craigie tries; A. Johns 2 goals; M. Johns field goal) defeated
North Sydney 12 (M. Buettner, N. Roy tries; J. Taylor 2 goals) at Sydney Football Stadium, Saturday, September 20.
Scrums: North Sydney 8-4. Penalties: North Sydney 10-5.
Crowd: 22,540. Referee: Kelvin Jeffes. Halftime: Newcastle 12-4.
Goalkickers: A. Johns (Newcastle) 2/2, Dynevor (Newcastle) 0/1, Taylor (North Sydney) 2/5.
| Newcastle Knights: | North Sydney Bears: |
|---|---|
| 1. Robbie O'Davis | 1. Matt Seers |
| 2. Darren Albert | 2. Brett Dallas |
| 3. Adam MacDougall | 3. Ben Ikin |
| 4. Owen Craigie | 4. Michael Buettner |
| 5. Mark Hughes | 5. Nigel Roy |
| 6. Matthew Johns | 6. Greg Florimo |
| 7. Andrew Johns | 7. Jason Taylor (c) |
| 8. Tony Butterfield | 8. Josh Stuart |
| 9. Bill Peden | 9. Mark Reber |
| 10. Paul Harragon (c) | 10. Steve Trindall |
| 11. Wayne Richards | 11. Gary Larson |
| 12. Adam Muir | 12. Danny Williams |
| 13. Marc Glanville | 13. Billy Moore |
| Interchange: | Interchange: |
| Troy Fletcher | David Fairleigh |
| Stephen Crowe | David Hall |
| Leo Dynevor | Chris Caruana |
| Scott Conley | Brenton Pomery |