Accor Stadium, SYDNEY -- From wooden spooners to Grand Finalists.
The Newcastle Knights have completed one of the most remarkable turnarounds in NRL history, stunning minor premiers Penrith 20-14 despite playing the final 44 minutes with 12 men.
Phoenix Crossland was sent off for the hip-drop tackle which left Nathan Cleary with a serious leg injury, but the Knights overturned an eight-point half-time deficit to reach their first Grand Final since 2001.
They will now face the Sydney Roosters, setting up an extraordinary reunion for former Tricolours halfback Sandon Smith.
Here are three things we learned from Sunday's preliminary final.
NEWCASTLE'S FAIRYTALE IS NOW SO MUCH MORE
This is no longer a fairytale.
Newcastle's place in the Grand Final was earned through courage, resilience and sheer defiance.
The Knights had every reason to fall apart after Crossland's dismissal in the 36th minute. Their hooker was gone, Penrith had an extra man and Blaize Talagi's ensuing penalty goal handed the Panthers the lead.
When Lindsay Smith crashed over shortly before halftime, Penrith led 14-6 and appeared ready to clinically dismantle another challenger.
Instead, the Knights produced a second half that will live permanently in the club's history.
Dominic Young finished one of the tries of the season just three minutes after the restart, handling twice in a sweeping movement that began inside Newcastle's half and also involved Sandon Smith, Dane Gagai and Francis Manuleleua.
It was a statement of intent. The Knights were not going to spend the remainder of the contest desperately protecting their line and waiting for Penrith to finish them.
Even when they were forced into survival mode, their scramble was extraordinary.
Kalyn Ponga and Manuleleua held Casey McLean up by millimetres. Greg Marzhew rushed in to pressure a pass intended for an unmarked Brian To'o. Dylan Lucas followed an error with a shot that forced Lindsay Smith to spill the ball, while Ponga folded Moses Leota with one of the defining tackles of the afternoon.
Newcastle defended their two-point advantage for more than 20 minutes despite playing a man down, then sealed the result through Smith at the death.
This was not a fortunate side falling into a Grand Final.
The Knights eliminated South Sydney, survived a sold-out Eden Park and then conquered the minor premiers with 12 men.
Justin Holbrook inherited the wooden spooners less than 12 months ago. He now has Newcastle 80 minutes from a premiership.
SANDON SMITH HAS EARNED THE ULTIMATE REUNION
Of all the possible Grand Final storylines, Sandon Smith facing his former club might be the most compelling.
Smith left the Roosters at the end of last season in search of the opportunity to control his own side. On Sunday, he proved he is capable of controlling the biggest games.
With Newcastle trailing 14-10 after an hour, Penrith conceded a penalty for high contact on Fletcher Sharpe.
As Billy Phillips and Moses Leota turned their backs and waited for the kick to touch, Smith saw something nobody else did.
He tapped the ball, accelerated through a vacant defensive line and raced 50 metres untouched to score beneath the posts.
Penrith were furious. Newcastle were level. Smith calmly converted his own try to put the Knights ahead.
It was a moment of audacity from a halfback who refused to allow the occasion, or his side's numerical disadvantage, to make him conservative.
Smith then produced the decisive play in the dying moments, securing possession and racing away for the try which finally ended Penrith's resistance.
His impact extended beyond the scoreboard.
With Crossland dismissed and Fletcher Sharpe enduring some untidy moments, Smith became Newcastle's organiser, primary kicker and calming presence. He repeatedly drove Penrith into their own corners and trusted his depleted defensive line to keep turning the Panthers away.
The 23-year-old will now enter a grand final against the club where his NRL career began.
The Roosters know better than anyone what Smith can do.
They will now have to stop him from completing one of rugby league's great revenge stories.
PENRITH'S LOSS FEELS SECONDARY TO CLEARY'S INJURY
Nathan Cleary entered the contest under an injury cloud and began the match on the bench as Penrith attempted to manage a stress-related issue in his foot.
He entered after 26 minutes.
Ten minutes later, Penrith's season, and potentially the immediate future of their champion halfback, was turned upside down.
Cleary became trapped in a tackle involving Crossland and Manuleleua, with Crossland's weight falling across the playmaker's lower leg.
The reaction was immediate. Cleary remained on the turf in severe distress as medical staff rushed onto the field, before he was taken from Accor Stadium on a medicab and transported to hospital.
Early reports indicated a suspected compound fracture, while Crossland was sent off for the hip-drop tackle.
The confronting incident left players from both teams visibly shaken and stripped the preliminary final of much of its celebratory atmosphere.
Penrith's injury toll worsened in the 67th minute when Talagi went down without contact and was assisted from the field with a suspected Achilles injury.
The Panthers still had enough opportunities to win.
McLean was held up centimetres short. Jack Cogger dropped the ball at second receiver with Penrith attacking. Luke Garner's pass to an unmarked To'o was called forward, and several other promising sets ended with basic errors.
Those moments will frustrate Ivan Cleary. Penrith played more than half the match with an extra man and failed to score a single point after the break.
For so long, their defining quality has been an ability to remain composed while opponents unravel around them. On Sunday, confronted by injuries, a desperate defensive line and a Knights side with nothing to lose, Penrith became the frantic team.
Their second consecutive preliminary-final defeat confirms that the seemingly automatic march to grand final day is over.
For now, however, the end of Penrith's season is not the greatest concern.
The health of their champion halfback is.