After sitting out the entire 2021 season recovering from a broken foot, Edrick Lee now stands alone holding Newcastle’s single-game try-scoring record after crossing for five in the Knights’ morale-boosting 38-12 victory over Gold Coast at McDonald Jones Stadium.
The Dolphins-bound winger and fellow flanker Dominic Young, who posted a treble, combined to score all eight Newcastle tries as the Knights won just their second home game this season and end a disastrous run of five straight blow-out losses in front of their own fans.
“He’s always got a smile on his face, and he’s got a big one down there now, so I’m really pleased for him,” Newcastle coach Adam O’Brien said.
“He’s battled away with pretty big injuries and a long absence from the game, but he’s come good.”
Lee touched down in the 19th, 23rd and 40th minutes to have a hat-trick in the bag by half-time, helping Newcastle establish a 22-0 lead against the out-of-sorts Titans.
Match Highlights: Knights v Titans
He needed approval from the bunker for his fourth try in the 64th minute, extending Newcastle’s advantage to 26-12 after Gold Coast had cut the deficit to 10 points with two tries in five minutes.
That put the 2020 Queensland Origin representative on the same pedestal as six former Knights – Darren Albert, Adam MacDougall, Andrew Johns, Cooper Vuna, Aku Uate and James McManus – but he only had to share the honour for nine minutes.
Lee had the club record all to himself by the 73rd when he ran on to Tex Hoy’s floating cut-out pass and planted the ball down in the south-eastern corner before being mobbed by his teammates.
“Any time you can cross the stripe one time that’s a special moment, but to get five here at Newcastle, with the rich history here, it’s pretty special,” Lee told reporters after the game.
“I wasn’t too sure about the record. I was in the moment of the game and more focused on the result of the game, not worried about individual accolades, so to hear that at the end of the game was definitely a special moment.”
The bunker used several replays of Lee’s fourth try before finally giving the green light, ruling his right hand was above the touchline as he grounded the ball with his left.
“For it to happen in the Mark Hughes Foundation round as well, it’s pretty special," Lee said. "To have that moment and share it with my teammates, and the win as well at a crucial part of the season, it makes it even more special.”
After a broken arm restricted Lee to just 11 appearances for Newcastle in 2020, he broke the second metatarsal bone in his left foot during pre-season training leading into 2021 and did not play a game.
That left him stranded home alone while his teammates went into camp on the Sunshine Coast during the COVID lockdown, but he worked hard on his rehab and recovery with an eye on 2022.
Edrick makes history
“I guess everyone knows it’s been a tough journey for Edrick, especially the past two years, especially through COVID and not being able to be a part of the squad when we were away on the Sunny Coast,” stand-in captain Tyson Frizell said.
“Then for him to get through a pre-season, and I think it was still up and down whether he was going to be able to get through this year, but he was able to and he’s kept himself in the team and rightly so, and he was a big part of our success today.”
"I was pretty confident I’d be able to get back to my best,” Lee said.
“I felt like I still owed a lot to the club, given the injury run that I’d had, and I just wanted to get back out there and buy into the team … and my teammates stayed in touch with me all the way through.”
The Brisbane-born 29-year-old will leave Newcastle at the end of the season and return to his home state after signing a two-year deal with the new Dolphins franchise, but before then he wants to help the Knights reach the finals for a third straight season.
“The whole club, the whole community, have been pretty supportive of me through the injury run that I’ve had … so it’s nice to give the fans something to cheer about and for everyone in the community, it’s a nice way to bounce back,” he said.
“But in saying that, we’ve still got a long way to go.”