NRL finals: Newcastle Knights' Tyson Gamble accuses Canberra Raiders Jack Wighton of biting

Wighton will come under the scrutiny of the NRL match review committee due to allegations of biting.

Newcastle five-eighth Tyson Gamble levelled the accusation at Wighton in the second-half of the epic elimination final, which the Knights on 30-28 in extra-time.

It came when Gamble tackled Wighton, with his arm wrapping around the Raider's mouth.

Gamble instantly called to referee Ashley Klein and pointed to marks on his arm.

Gold Coast Titan Kevin Proctor was suspended for four weeks for biting Shaun Johnson back in 2020, while James Graham got a 12-week ban for biting Billy Slater in the 2012 grand final.

Wighton was also put on report for a high shot on Knights fullback Kalyn Ponga - which resulted in the match-winning penalty

Raiders fans' attention will now be on one thing: is there a five-eighth for 2024?

As it stands, NRL rookie Ethan Strange is in the No.6 jersey alongside halfback Jamal Fogarty.

Wighton is off to Souths, Brad Schneider has joined Penrith and Matt Frawley is heading to Leeds in the English Super League.

And there ain't a lot of off-contract halves on the market at the moment.

The Raiders are biding their time hoping something will shake loose in the off-season - either before or after the November 1 deadline as the NRL circus kicks into gear.

Strange made his debut this season playing in the centres, but has impressed playing in the halves in a NSW Cup side that made the finals.

Whether he's ready yet is another matter.

There was a strong breeze favouring the Raiders in the first half as the visitors dominated.

It led to the Knights halves Gamble and Jackson Hastings looking to keep their kicks low into the wind.

But it couldn't stop the Green Machine taking a 16-6 lead into half-time.

Then the momentum swung Newcastle's way in the second stanza, finishing 28-all at full-time.

That meant 38 points were scored towards the northern end, with 18 heading south.

Even Ponga's match-winning penalty conversion was towards the northern end, the Green Machine unable to score in their five extra minutes with the wind at their back.

The loss of Josh Papali'i (biceps) and Corey Horsburgh (suspension) meant the Raiders had a young, inexperienced forward pack in the elimination final.

Raiders coach Ricky Stuart said during the week it would be great experience for the likes of Trey Mooney, Ata Mariota and Hohepa Puru going forward.

Mariota was immense in his first NRL final - he ran for 193 metres and made 33 tackles in his 57 minutes of work.

While Puru's night ended early due to concussion, he showed he's an NRL player of the future with his efforts against Cronulla last week.

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