Know your Knights !!

Happy birthday to the following players who celebrate a Birthday this week !!

Travis Waddell (Knights Player #240)



- Born 11/7/89 in Proserpine, QLD
- Hooker
- Played 20 games for the Knights from 2013-2014
- Also played for the Canberra Raiders and Brisbane Broncos
- Made his first grade debut in 2009
- Members of his extended family include Dane Gagai & Broncos player Josh Hoffman
- Most remembered for his 1 on 1 steal against Billy Slater in the Knight's miracle win over the Storm in Round 22, 2014
- Currently playing for the Souths Logan Magpies in the ISC (2018)

Brad Godden (Knights Player #66)



- Born 13/7/69 in Newcastle, NSW
- Played 89 games for the Knights 1991-1996
- Fullback / Wing / Centre
- Represented Australia once in 1992
- Also played for the Hunter Mariners and Leeds Rhinos
- Retired in 1999

Justin Ryder (Knights Player #133)



- Born 14/7/80 in Nepean, NSW
- Winger
- Played 27 games for the Knights 2000-2002

Todd Lowrie (Knights Player #158)



- Born 14/7/83 in Scone, NSW
- Second Rower / Lock
- Played 57 games for the Knights 2003-2006
- He has played for the Broncos, Warriors, Eels and Storm as well
- 2012 Premiership winner with the Storm
- Retired in 2016
- Current Head Coach of our Jersey Flegg Team (2018)

Cory Paterson (Knights Player #189)



- "Pato"
- Born 14/7/87 Perth, Western Australia
- Second Rower
- Back up Goal Kicker
- Infamously converted to Islam in 2011
- Took a playing break while battling depression
- Played 77 games for the Knights 2007-2011
- Australian Schoolboy Player
- Also played for the Cowboys, Salford and Leigh
- Announced he was quitting the NRL at the end of 2014 to take up boxing
- Currently playing for the Toronto Wolfpack (2018)
 
Happy birthday to the following players who celebrate a Birthday this week !!

Darius Boyd (Knights Player #230)



- "Darbs"
- Born 17/7/87 in Brisbane, QLD
- Fullback
- Raised by his grandmother after the loss of his parents
- Played 62 games for the Knights 2012-2014
- Represented QLD 28 times 2008-2017
- Represented Australia 23 times 2008-2017
- 2x Premiership winner in 2006 and 2010
- Clive Churchill Medal 2010
- Dally M Fullback of the year 2010
- RLIF Fullback of the year 2010
- Checked into a clinic to treat depression in July 2014
- Currently playing for the Brisbane Broncos

Joel Edwards (Knights Player #218)



- Born 17/7/88 in Cessnock, NSW
- Second Rower / Lock
- Played 45 games for the Knights 2010-2012
- Also played for the Canberra Raiders and Wests Tigers
- Currently playing RL in France

Brendan Worth (Knights Player #175)




- "Truck"
- Born 18/7/84 in Darwin, NT
- Prop
- Played 6 games for the Knights in 2005
- Played 15 games for the Penrith Panthers
- Also played and coached in France
- Currently playing for the Macquarie Scorpions in the Real NRL (2017)

Sione Tovo (Knights Player #216)



- Born 19/7/88 in Mascot, NSW
- Prop
- Played one game for the Knights in 2009
- Represented Tonga for one game in 2009

Jamie Ainscough (Knights Player #69)

- Born 20/7/72 in Sydney, NSW
- Winger / Centre
- Played 87 games for the Knights 1992-1996
- Also played for the Dragons and Western Suburbs
- Finished his career in the ESL playing for Wigan
- Represented NSW 12 times 1996-2001
- Represented Australia once in 1995
- Represented Australian Schoolboys 1989
- Scored 47 tries in just 87 games for the Knights

Luke Quigley (Knights Player #147)



- Born 20/7/81 in Dubbo, NSW
- Hooker
- Played 41 games for the Knights 2002-2006

Nathan Barnes (Knights Player #80)

- Born 22/7/75
- Winger / Centre
- Played 41 games for the Knights 1994-1995
- Also played for the Panthers, Parramatta and the Raiders
 
Happy birthday to the following players who celebrate a Birthday this week !!

Brian Carney (Knights Player #182)



- Born 23/7/76
- Represented Ireland and Great Britain 18 times 2000-2006
- Played just the 1 season with the Knights in 2006
- In that one season he scored 16 tries in 26 games
- Dally M Winger of the Year 2006

Daniel Quinn (Knights Player #148)



- Born in 24/7/78 in Maitland, NSW
- Prop
- Has played 4 games in the NRL total
- 1 with the Knights in 2002
- 3 with the Northern Eagles in 2000
- Last known whereabouts Captain/Coach Western Suburbs in the real NRL 2010

Tim Maddison (Knights Player #78)



- Born 26/7/73
- Prop / Second Rower
- Played 14 games for the Knights - 12 games from 1993-1995 returning for another 2 games in 2003
- Also played for Sydney City Roosters, Hunter Mariners, Cronulla Sharks & North Queensland Cowboys
- Last known working as Sales Manager for Maddison Safety (Mining Safety Management) in the Newcastle area (2017)

Matthew Johns (Knights Player #73)



- "Matty" "Reg Reagan" "Trent the Flight Steward"
- Brother of Andrew Johns
- Born 27/7/71 in Cessnock, NSW
- Five-Eighth
- Formed a great partnership with brother Andrew in the halves for the Knights
- Played 176 games for the Knights 1992-2000
- Captained the Knights for 21 games from 1995-1999
- Part of our premiership winning team in 1997
- Represented Country once in 1996
- Represented NSW 4 times 1995-1998
- Represented Australia 9 times 1995-1999
- Also played for the Cronulla Sharks
- Embroiled in a few controversies during and after his career
- Has had many different positions in the media including The Footy Show and now the Matty Johns Show on Fox

John Morris (Knights Player #141)

- Born 29/7/80 in Scone, NSW
- Hooker
- Played 31 games for the Knights 2001-2002
- Played 300 NRL games
- Has also played for Parramatta, Cronulla and the Wests Tigers
- Retired at the end of 2014

Scott Dureau (Knights Player #199)



- Born 29/7/86 in Taree, NSW
- Halfback
- Played 42 games for the Knights 2007-2010
- Played 97 games for Catalans Dragons 2011-2015
- Missed a lot of 2013/2014 as he had a tumour removed from behind his eye
- Was married to Libby in 2015 and welcomed his first child in 2016
- Current Coach of our SG Ball Team (2018)
 
Happy birthday to the following players and our coach who celebrate a Birthday this week !!

Marvin Karawana (Knights Player #193)



- Born 30/7/86 in Wellington, NZ
- Utility
- Has one son, Ziah, born 2010
- Played 34 games for the Knights 2007-2011
- Missed the entire 2010 season after tearing his ACL in pre season
- Last known whereabouts: 2014 living, working, and playing rugby in Wellington
- Follow Marvin on Twitter

George Mann (Knights Player #16)



- Born 31/7/65
- Prop / Second Rower
- Played 8 games in the NRL total - for the Knights in 1988
- Also played 141 games for St Helens & 77 games for Leeds Rhinos in the UK Superleague 1989-1996
- Played 9 Tests for New Zealand 1989-1991
- Played 2 Tests for Tonga in 1995
- His career ended in 2000 following severe facial injuries

Wayne Richards (Knights Player #62)

- Born 2/8/1970
- Second Rower / Lock
- Represented Country once in 1997
- Premiership winner with the Knights in 1997
- Played 51 games for the Knights
- Also played for Illawarra and South Sydney

Grant Stuart (Knights Player #118)



- Born 2/8/75 in Canberra, ACT
- Centre
- Played 2 games for the Knights in 1998-1999
- Also played for Balmain

Pauli Pauli (Knights Player #267)

- Born 4/8/94 in Bankstown, NSW
- Prop / Second Rower
- Australian Schoolboys Team (2012)
- Was involved in a seven-car pileup on the M1 Pacific Motorway on 18 January 2017 suffering a dislocated hip
- Played 15 games for the Knights
- Also played for the Parramatta Eels
- Released by the Knights in 2017
- Currently playing for Wakefield in the ESL

Sam Stone (Knights Player #282)

- Born 4/8/97 in Gold Coast, QLD
- Son of former coach Rick Stone
- Lakes United Junior
- Second Rower
- Junior Kangaroo (2017)
- Has played 18 games for the Knights so far
- Contracted until the end of 2020

Shannon McDonnell (Knights Player #214)



- Born 5/8/87 in Camden, NSW
- Fullback
- Played 29 games for the Knights 2009-2011
- Also played for the Wests Tigers, Hull KR, Hull FC and St Helens

Jack Cogger (Knights Player #275)



- Born 5/8/97 in Greenacre, NSW
- Toukley Hawks Junior
- Australian Schoolboys Representative
- Halfback
- Son of former Western Suburbs Magpies player Trevor Cogger
- Debuted Round 10, 2016
- Has played 17 games so far for the Knights
- Contracted until the end of 2018
- Will leave the Knights after his current contract expires to take up a 2 year deal with the Bulldogs

Nathan Brown (Coach)

- Born 31/7/73
- Hooker
- Played 172 NRL Games for the Dragons
- Forced to retire at 27 due to a neck injury
- Former coach of the Dragons, Huddersfield and St Helens
- Coached St Helens to a Premiership in 2014
- Has coached over 400 games with a win rate of 51%
- Re-signed with the club in 2018 on a performance based contract
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the info Billy
I just had a look at his linkedin account and it says he has a degree in physical education from the university of Newcastle and a Masters in coaching from Sydney University, and also he started as an assistant coach at Cronulla while still a player. He also has the title of elite pathways coach, which I assume means he has a role with Cronullas juniors, and the Cronulla junior system has massively improved in recent years to be just about as good as ours.
It sounds like he is an up and coming coach who will coach firstgrade in the not too distant future.
 
Rhugh, wasn’t Stone re-signed until 2020? I don’t know if it was confirmed of not, could be wrong.
 
The toll that footy takes on a bloke is best exemplified by Brown’s physical transformation over the past 25 years. He’s gone from Chris Hemsworth to Elmer Fudd
 
Happy birthday to the following players who celebrate a Birthday this week !!

It would've been Allan McMahon's 64th Birthday this week as well, RIP

Michael Hagan (Knights Player #37)



- Born 12/8/64
- Played 111 games for the Knights
- Captained the Knights 91 times 1989-1993
- Coached the Knights in 154 games from 2001-2006
- Won a premiership as coach of the Knights in 2001
- Coached Parramatta 2007 & 2008
- Coached Queensland Maroons in 2004 & 2005
- Announced late in 2014 that he would be returning to the Knights as Director of Football
- Currently Team Manager of the Kangaroos (2017)

Chris Adams (Knights Player #234)



- Born 12/8/86 in Nambour, QLD
- Hooker
- Played 3 games for the Knights in 2012 and then played 5 more games in 2016
- Currently plays for Lakes united in the Real NRL (2018)
 
Happy birthday to the following players who celebrate a Birthday this week !!

Michael Eagar (Knights Player #84)

- Born 15/8/73 in Newcastle, NSW
- Centre / Five Eighth
- Played 11 games for the Knights in 1994-1995
- Also played for Warrington Wolves, Castleford Tigers & Hull during his time in the ESL from 1998-2005

Glenn Grief (Knights Player #95)



- Born 15/8/73 in Fairfield, NSW
- Prop
- Played 96 games for the Knights 1996-2001
- Part of our 2001 Premiership winning team
- Represented Country once in 1995
- Also played for South Sydney and Western Suburbs
- Retired in 2002 after just one game for the South Sydney Rabbitohs

Chanel Mata'utia (Knights Player #252)



- Born 17/8/92 in Liverpool, NSW
- Wing / Centre
- Debuted in Round 20, 2014 alongside his brother Sione
- Brother of Sione, Peter & Pat Mata'utia
- Has played 14 games for the Knights so far and has scored 6 tries
- South Newcastle and Bankstown Cougars Junior
- In 2015 after signing a letter of intent for the Bulldogs, He along with his brothers re-signed with the Knights until 2018
- Currently playing for the Cessnock Goannas

Mark Sargent (Knights Player #39)



-"Sarge"
- Born 18/8/64
- Prop
- Played 126 games for the Knights 1989-1995
- Captained the Knights for 26 games 1994-1995
- Represented Country 3 times 1989-1994
- Represented NSW once in 1990
- Represented Australia 4 times 1990-1992
- Rothman's Medal winner 1989
- Served on the NRL Judiciary 1999-2000
- Former Knights Team Manager
- Also played for the Bulldogs
- Retired in 1995

Tony Herman (Knights Player #47)

- Born 18/8/67
- Winger
- Played 48 games for the Knights 1989-1995
- Married to Lisa, has two children Matthew & Montana

Dylan Phythian (Knights Player #278)

- Born 19/8/95 in Newcastle, NSW
- Junior Clubs include Lakes United, Belmont and West Rosellas
- Fullback / Halfback / Five-Eighth
- Has played 3 games for the Knights so far
- Tore his ACL in the opening game of the 2017 season
- Sacked after a positive drug test in 2018
 
Happy birthday to the following players who celebrate a Birthday this week !!

Trent Salkeld (Knights Player #177)



- Born 20/8/81
- Winger
- Played 17 games for the Knights in 2005

Robbie Rochow (Knights Player #237)



- Born 22/8/90 in Maitland, NSW
- Plays Second Rower / Prop
- Junior clubs include East Maitland Griffins and Kurri Kurri Bulldogs
- Named in the Toyota Cup Team of the Year in 2009 and 2010
- Played 72 games for the Knights 2012-2016
- Previously played for the Melbourne Storm
- Represented Country in 2014
- Missed most of the 2015 season after suffering back spasms, returning for a few weeks before breaking his arm
- Missed most of 2016 season with injury
- Also played for the Rabbitohs and Storm
- Currently playing at the Wests Tigers (2018)

Glen Frendo (Knights Player #3)



- Born 24/8/64
- Fullback / Winger
- Played 47 games for the Knights 1988-1990
- Also played for the Bulldogs
 
Happy birthday to the following players who celebrate a Birthday this week !!

Steve Walters (Knights Player #120)



- Born 28/8/65 in Ipswich, QLD
- "Boxhead"
- Hooker
- One of 3 Walters brothers to play NRL
- One of Two Steve Walters who played for the Knights
- Dally M Hooker of the Year 1991, 1993 and 1995
- Played 7 games for the Knights in 1999
- Represented QLD 17 times from 1990-1997
- Represented Australia 19 times from 1991-1997
- Played 272 first grade games total
- Forced to retire halfway through the 1999 season due to a recurring knee injury

Brett Grogan (Knights Player #88)

- Born 30/8/73
- Winger / Centre
- Played 62 games for the Knights 1994-1998
- Also played for the Northern Eagles

Trent Hodkinson (Knights Player #265)

- Born 31/8/88 in Campbelltown, NSW
- Halfback
- Junior Kangaroo in 2007
- NSW Residents Team in 2009
- Has played 40 games for the Knights so far
- Has captained the Knights on 30 occasions 2016-2017
- Also played for Manly and the Bulldogs
- Has represented NSW 6 times 2014-2015
- Released by the Knights in 2018 to take up a 1 year deal with the Sharks
- Currently playing for the Manly Sea Eagles (2018)

Tyler Randell (Knights Player #254)

- Born 31/8/92 in Scone, NSW
- Hooker / Utility
- Has played 44 games for the Knights so far
- Debuted in Round 25, 2014
- Aberdeen Tigers Junior
- Resigned for 2 years in 2015
- Released by the Knights in 2017

David Fairleigh (Knights Player #132)



- Born 1/9/70 in Wyoming, NSW
- Prop / Second Rower
- Debuted in the NRL in 1989
- Played 193 games for the North Sydney Bears
- Played 26 games for the Knights in 2000
- Rothmans Medal winner 1994
- Dally M Second Rower of the Year 1996
- Represented Australia in 15 games 1994-1996
- Represented NSW 10 times 1991-1997
- Represented City 5 times 1992-1996
- Knights player of the year 2000
- Also played for St Helens in the UK Superleague
- Named in the North Sydney team of the Century
- Retired at the end of 2001
- Coached the Cook Islands team 7 times from 2009
- Former Assistant Coach at the Warriors (2010-2011) and Panthers (2012-2015)
- Currently an Assistant Coach at the Cowboys (2017)

Troy Fletcher (Knights Player #100)



- Born 1/9/73 in Waratah, NSW
- Second Rower
- Part of our 1997 and 2001 Premiership winning squads
- Played 88 games for the Knights 1996-2001
- Captain/Coach Western Suburbs in the real NRL 2002-2004
- Has a Masters Degree in Business Administration - 2011
- Member of the Knights advisory board (2014)
- President of the Knights Old Boys Club
 
Happy birthday to the following players who celebrate a Birthday this week !!

Robbie O'Davis (Knights Player #68)



- "Robbie O"
- Born 3/9/72 in Kurrajong, NSW
- Fullback
- One of only 7 players to play 200+ games for the Knights
- Played 223 games for the Knights 1992-2004
- Captained the Knights for 1 game in 2004
- Part of our premiership winning teams of 1997 and 2001
- Clive Churchill Medal winner 1997
- Represented QLD 12 times 1995-2002
- Represented Australia 8 times 1995-1998
- Was once embroiled in a steroids scandal with then team mate Wayne Richards
- Retired in 2004

Neil Sweeney (Knights Player #149)



- Born 3/9/77 in Newcastle, NSW
- Wing / Centre
- Played 4 games for the Knights in 2002
- Played 49 games for the NQ Cowboys from 2003-2007

Peter Shiels (Knights Player #111)

- Born 4/9/73 in Bankstown, NSW
- Is married to Linda Alexander (Sister of former Panthers halfback Greg)
- Prop / Second Rower
- Played 61 Games for the Knights 1998-2000
- Also played for the Panthers, Western Suburbs and Western Reds
- Finshed his career at St Helens in 2002

Tea Ropati (Knights Player #17)



- Born in 7/9/64 in Auckland, New Zealand
- Centre
- Has 5 children
- Related to League Players Joe, John and Iva Ropati and Commentator Peter Ropati
- Played 2 games for the Knights in 1988
- Played Super League from 1989 - 1991
- Played for the Warriors from 1995 - 1998
- Represented New Zealand 9 times 1986-1997
- Represented Western Samoa twice
- Current coach of Mangere East Hawks in the Auckland Rugby League Competition

Herman Ese'ese (Knights Player #289)

- Born 7/9/94 in Auckland, NZ
- Prop / Lock
- Has played 23 games for the Knights so far
- Mangere East Hawks and Wests Panthers Junior
- Previously played for the Bulldogs and Broncos
- Has represented Samoa 5 times
- Contracted until the end of 2020

David Fa'alogo (Knights Player # 241)



- Born 9/9/80 in Auckland, New Zealand
- Prop / Second Rower
- Played 56 games for the Knights 2013-2015
- Played 142 games for Souths 2003-2009
- Famously sacked from Souths for knocking then coach Jason Taylor out
- Announced his retirement due to injury in August, 2015
 
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