Newcastle Knights are the new kings of Aussie football

Newcastle is the toast of Australian Rugby League after a stunning victory over hot favourites Parramatta in last Sunday's grand final.

An inspirational performance by halfback Andrew Johns, rated the best league player in the world, spurred the Knights to their epic win in Aussie football's equivalent of the Super Bowl.

The victory sparked wild scenes of celebration in Newcastle, a coal mining town three hours drive north of Sydney.

Over 90,000 people watched the premiership decider at Sydney's Olympic Stadium, played a year to the day after the Olympic closing ceremony.

And they were treated to a rare display of Johns magic as the star halfback led the Knights on an early tryscoring rampage.

While the final score of 30-24 made it appear a hard-fought Knights victory, it was anything but that.

The Knights staged a first-half blitzkrieg to shatter Parramatta's premiership hopes, charging to a 24-0 lead at halftime.

Parramatta staged a late rally but were never going to win the game as the Knights, although tired, stood up to take the title.

Newcastle blew away a nervous young Eels outfit in the first 40 minutes, scoring four tries, with Johns and tall second-rower Ben Kennedy outstanding.

The Eels clawed their way back into the game in the second half and finally got within six points of tieing the game when time ran out.

A delighted Johns said the Knights had been lifted to victory by incredible hometown support.

"When you see 50,000 people farewell you from Newcastle you realise this is more than a game for the people of Newcastle," he said.

"We wanted to win tonight for ourselves -- but even more for the people back home."

A sea of red and blue cheered Johns and his teammates as they collected their premiership medals and headed back up the highway to a tremendous reception in the early hours of the morning.

Parramatta coach Brian Smith was generous in defeat, praising the Knights' stunning start to the game.

"I think it was more that the other team started so well (than us starting badly). The Knights played an almost faultless first half," Smith said.

"I think they played a very basic, simple sort of game based on possession.

"I thought our boys battled back really well. The game, from our point of view, was won and lost in the last 10 minutes before halftime.

"I'm rapt in the way my boys fought back."

Parramatta were the best team in the league all year, but faltered when it mattered most in a major disappointment to their legion of fans.

Powerful Knights second-rower Ben Kennedy secured a Kangaroo tour spot with his performance and he was near tears at fulltime.

"This is a dream come true for me," he said.

Newcastle coach Michael Hagan became only the fourth coach in history to win a competition in his first season and agreed few people gave his team a chance before the game.

"But we have worked well as a team all season. We are a close-knit group. We knew we were good enough to win," Hagan said.

The day after the match, five Newcastle players including Johns and Kennedy were rewarded for their efforts with spots in the Australian Kangaroo team to tour Britain later this month.

Four Parramatta players also won selection, erasing some of the pain the Eels felt after letting the decider slip through their fingers.

Newcastle: 30 (B Peden 2, S Simpson, B Kennedy, T Tahu tries; A Johns 5 goals) Parramatta: 24 (J Lyon 2, B Hodgson 2 tries; L Burt 4 goals). Referee: Bill Harrigan. Crowd: 90,414.