[2] The visit by the New Zealanders boosted the profile of rugby league in Newcastle as the Newcastle Rebels, the only non-Sydney club in the newly-formed New South Wales Rugby Football League, were playing all their matches away in Sydney.
[2] In 1911 Newcastle played against the touring New Zealand team in a tight match almost pulling off an upset before going down 21-20.
[3] During the 1913 New Zealand rugby league tour of Australia Newcastle played a match against the Kiwis and won.
Ten of the 1914 Newcastle rugby league team went to serve in World War I, including their captain Stan Carpenter.
He was joined by Horace Brown, secretary of the Newcastle and Northern District rugby leagues, within 10 days of the declaration of war.
Both fought at Gallipoli, with Carpenter said to have been the first member of the Australian Imperial Force to be recommended for a Victoria Cross.
The Newcastle Sports Ground (No1) was officially opened 16 Sept 1922 on land donated by the Australian Agricultural Company.
[7] International rugby league resumed in 1946 after World War II and that year Newcastle defeated Great Britain 18-13.
During the 1951 French rugby league tour of Australia and New Zealand, a Newcastle side was again formed to play against France, losing 12-8.
During the 1953 American All Stars tour of Australia and New Zealand Newcastle played a visiting United States national rugby league team.
Later that year on August 18 the 1956 New Zealand Māori rugby league tour of Australia saw the Newcastle team host the touring Māori side, defeating them 19–15 at the Newcastle Sports Ground before a crowd of 9,918.
In 1962 Newcastle, captained by Don Schofield, played the undefeated Great Britain Lions and won 23-18.
Newcastle failed to advance past the preliminary round of the 1977 Amco Cup.
[12] The Newcastle Knights were formed to enter the New South Wales Rugby League premiership in 1988, along with the Brisbane Broncos and Gold Coast-Tweed Giants.
In 2008, the centenary year of rugby league in Australia, a Newcastle team of the code's first century was announced:[13] 1.