The Newcastle Knights season has come to an end after they failed to get the job done in the first NRL elimination final against the North Queensland Cowboys on Saturday evening.

The win for the Cowboys means they are through to take on the Cronulla Sharks next Friday evening, while the Knights are left to lick their wounds and start again for 2025.

Here are all the big talking points from the clash.

The Knights need more than Ponga
For the Knights, their entire performance was the Kalyn Ponga show. He is just head and shoulders ahead of everyone else wearing a Newcastle jumper.

It's obviously imperative to have stars in a team if you want to go anywhere in this competition, but by the same token, if you look at all the good teams floating around the NRL, there is no doubt that there is no one standout so far ahead of everyone else.

The Knights' main attacking play - and it was the case when they qualified for the finals by beating the Dolphins in the last round of the regular season too - seems to be to throw the ball to Ponga and hope.

That is never going to get the job done against the top sides, no matter how good the Queensland State of Origin representative is.

The Knights must spend the off-season getting other players on Ponga's level. It's so obvious when he is injured that they aren't the same team, and they will be entrenched at the bottom of the top eight in a best-case scenario if they can't work it out.

How far can the Cowboys go?
The Cowboys are now looking ahead to their game with the Sharks on Friday evening.

Given Cronulla have lost seven straight finals, there is a very real chance there for the Cowboys to win.

The biggest issue facing Payten's side from here on out though is that they don't play another game at home. They have been better on the road this year, but that is a relative term. Travelling has always been a problem for the Cowboys.

Still, if they can beat the Sharks - and they may well enter that game equal in betting markets - then they will have won four straight ahead of a clash with the Penrith Panthers in a preliminary final.

That is as tough as it gets, but weirder things have happened.

Who plays halves for Newcastle in 2025?
Maybe one of the big questions that will determine exactly how Newcastle take some of the weight of responsibility off the shoulders of Kalyn Ponga.

The Knights' halves have been something of a revolving door this year.

What is clear is that they need to move on Jackson Hastings, no matter how it happens. The halfback missed most of the positive run to the finals last year through injury, and was dropped for the run in this year.

He can not be an option.

Jack Cogger and Phoenix Crossland did a solid job last night and are probably the duo to stick with heading into next year, at least first up, but there will be plenty of temptation for O'Brien to parachute Will Pryce into first grade.

How can the Cowboys cover Jeremiah Nanai's defence?
One of the eyesores for the Cowboys last night was again the defence of Jeremiah Nanai.

There is no doubt the second-rower, a walk-up Queensland Maroons' State of Origin player, is one of the best attacking threats in the NRL.

He is fantastic under kicks, reads the game well and has a knack for bending the defensive line with a majority of his runs.

But that doesn't mean he is a well-rounded player. His defence has come under fire more than once before, and was again last night when he rushed out of the line to allow the try that let Newcastle level the game.

He needs to be better if the Cowboys are going to go any further.

Is Adam O'Brien under pressure in 2025?
There was plenty of talk just a couple of weeks ago that Adam O'Brien was under the pump for his job yet again with performance clauses in his contract relating to the last three weeks of this season.

The Knights ultimately made the finals and so those clauses, and pressure for his future, should be kicked down the road a little bit. He re-signed with the club at the end of last season in a long show of faith by the Knights' board on the back of a single ten-week run, but two finals series in a row certainly means he will be out of the headlines compared to some other coaches around the competition over the next few months.

But there is also no doubt the Knights, who have enough talent in their squad, need to rapidly improve again at the start of next season, otherwise, those conversations are going to start kicking off again.

Cotter and Dearden key men for Cowboys' finals run
While it has typically been the opinion of the majority that Scott Drinkwater is the key man for the Cowboys, it became clear last night they have more than just a champion fullback.

Reuben Cotter, who scored the match-winning try in a desperation play, and Tom Dearden, who continues to stand up in big games, were both phenomenal.

Cotter in particular leads the Cowboys in the middle third. His defensive work rate is off the charts, he runs the ball hard, and it's little surprise he is one of the first players picked come Origin time for Queensland.

Dearden, who played this year's Origin series in place of Cameron Munster, was also fantastic, but that's hardly a surprise given he has churned out performances on that level all year.

Add that to Drinkwater and the other experienced parts of this Cowboys' side, and it's clear why the duo have become the co-captains of Payten's side this year.