For all the stats fanatics out there, this one is for you!
The nib Newcastle Knights are preparing for a massive do-or-die showdown against the Parramatta Eels this Sunday.
The two teams finished in sixth and seventh respectively, and have met in the finals three times in their past history.
Newcastle have come away winners twice against the blue and gold, while the Eels have one win against the Knights in September.
It's finals time, and we've crunched the numbers ahead of the massive do-or-die elimination game.
SEASON COMPARISON
The Eels finished with a 15-9 record while the Knights finished with a 12-12 record.
Eels come into the finals having won three of their last eight compared to the Knights who won five of their past eight.
Both sides boast strong kicking games with Newcastle sitting third for the most amount of kicks this season with 502 while the Eels sit first with 516.
Newcastle has conceded the least amount of penalties in the competition with 84 while the Eels sit just above with 88 for the season.
Parramatta have made 229 handling errors (third most) compared to Newcastle's 198 (fourth least).
FINALS RECORD
Since 1995, the Knights have qualified for 14 finals series while the Eels have also made 14 finals appearances.
In the first game of the finals series during that time, Parramatta have won eight of their opening games while Newcastle has won six.
In that time, the two Clubs have featured in two Grand Finals each with Newcastle (1997, 2001) and Parramatta (2001, 2009).
The current Knights team will be chasing an eight-year first, aiming to win a finals game for the first time since 2013.
The last time the Knights and Parramatta met in the finals was the 2001 Grand Final which Newcastle won 30-24.
PLAYER STATS
Jayden Brailey made the most tackles in the NRL for the 2021 regular season with 1,036 tackles.
David Klemmer sits fifth in the NRL for post-contact metres with an average of 66 PC metres per game.
The Knights will need to minimise Clint Gutherson's impact from the back with the Eels fullback leading the NRL for kick return metres with just over 1,500 this season.
Newcastle will also need to contain Eels second-row forward Isaiah Papali'i, who has made 106 tackle breaks this season - the fifth best in the NRL.
Enari Tuala has scored a try in five of his last six games and is the Knights leading try-scorer with 10 while Maika Sivo leads the try-scoring department for the Eels with 17.
