Newcastle Knights and Sunshine Coast Falcons advance in lower grade finals

The first week of the NSW Cup and QLD Cup finals concluded with several notable results. In the NSW Cup, the Newcastle Knights upset the North Sydney Bears in a spiteful contest at Kogarah that saw multiple players sin-binned. The Newtown Jets also secured a spot in the next round by defeating the New Zealand Warriors 24-18, despite being shorthanded due to first-grade call-ups. In the QLD Cup, the Sunshine Coast Falcons maintained their strong form by defeating Burleigh at Sunshine Coast Stadium to earn a week off. Additionally, the Townsville Blackhawks advanced after a 58-34 victory over the Brisbane Tigers. These results set the field for the second week of the respective competition finals, with winners moving closer to the grand final. Players including Kyle McCarthy, Toby Winter, Josh Lynn, and Taj Ford played central roles in their respective teams' performances over the weekend.

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