The pre-season 2026 thread

Billy said:
Fletcher Hunt - the forgotten man.

19 years old - younger than Matt Arthur, Jermaine McEwen and Wilson DeCourcey - although born in the same year (turns 20 0n boxing day)

Has played 12 games of firstgrade and scored 5 tries in 2025. He played all over the backline. I don't think he'd played wing or centre before last year - he was a 5/8 and fullback before that.

Has played for the PMs 13 and went OK.

2025 was his second year at the Knights.

In 2024 he played 5/8 in SG Ball and fullback in Flegg.

I don't think he got a full NRL pre-season in 2025. He was in none of the early photos, and he is hard to miss in photos. I believe he was brought in when Jye Linnane and Tyson Gamble were both injured, and he missed a lot of the fitness work in the early sessions.

During firstgrade games last year he often wasn't keeping up when breaks were made and he gave the impression he was slow, but other times he showed the pace to get into position to contest kicks and score tries. My theory is he wasn't as fit as he should have been, due to his young age and short pre-season.

His contract was extended till the end of 2027, but he is only on a development contract.

He has been at training from very early this year, and he got to play and train with the PMs 13.

In 2026 he'll be an experienced firstgrader, a rep player, no longer a teenager, and will have a full pre-season behind him.
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People were definitely too quick to write him off as a prospect towards the end of his stint in FG, after debuting strongly, despite having next to no FG training and maybe a dozen games of NSW Cup to his name as a teenager.

I still expect him to continue to grow. He'll offer us plenty over the next year or two
 
Billy said:
I don't think he got a full NRL pre-season in 2025. He was in none of the early photos, and he is hard to miss in photos. I believe he was brought in when Jye Linnane and Tyson Gamble were both injured, and he missed a lot of the fitness work in the early sessions.
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Made me laugh his first couple of games he obviously hadn’t even be fit for his club suit so he looked like a ball boy when they all arrived at the game.
 
mullenmagic said:
Back row:
Tyson Frizell
Tom Cant
Wil Sullivan
Harrison Graham
James Schiller
??? (not certain but looks like it could be Mel Nonu, new Flegg signing from QLD)
Jacob Saifiti
Diesel Hagan
Toby Winter
Cody Hopwood
???
???
???
Sosaia Latu
Roy Simpson
Connor Votano
Fletcher Sharpe
Tyson Gamble
Sandon Smith
Matt Arthur

Front row:
Mat Croker
Dane Gagai
Kalyn Ponga
Jermaine McEwen
Francis Manuleleua
Logan Aoake
??? (looks familiar, definitely from within the Knights pathways)
???
Chase Butler
Greg Marzhew
Wilson De Courcey
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I think the giant guy next to Latu might be the 18 year old Union convert Tom Perkins POS signed for 4 years from the All Blacks pathways.

He is also in the photo of the young players doing a life skills tech course and that massive Qld forward we had flying down to play Matts last year is in the photo too I think. They are a couple of very big guys - Perkins looks 200cm and the other guy moved pretty good for 120kg in Matts.
 
Tom Perkins
196cm and 107kg at 17
1764654786848.png
 
Looks like it could be a match. The one on the other side of him looks familiar as well but they've gotten rid of the page with all the junior profiles in one place so difficult to put a name to the face.

Bit surprising Kingston Seve wasn't amongst it, there's at least a couple of kids from Harold Matts last year who'd be the same age or younger.
 
Article on Perkins from early November. He had offers from 4 Super Rugby teams and the NZ national system but picked league because he thinks it’s more entertaining and a better fit for his skill set. O’Sullivan is interviewed and says he was in NZ for the Warriors vs Knights game and decided to drive 2 hours to watch a junior rugby game on a whim where he saw Perkins. The article compares his build to Kai Pearce-Paul but O’Sullivan says he’s more athletic than KPP, and could be either an edge or middle forward.

www.nzherald.co.nz

Why promising young rugby players are choosing league over the sport they grew up playing

One top sports agent says rugby league offers clearer pathways and far better pay.
www.nzherald.co.nz www.nzherald.co.nz
 
mullenmagic said:
Article on Perkins from early November. He had offers from 4 Super Rugby teams and the NZ national system but picked league because he thinks it’s more entertaining and a better fit for his skill set. O’Sullivan is interviewed and says he was in NZ for the Warriors vs Knights game and decided to drive 2 hours to watch a junior rugby game on a whim where he saw Perkins. The article compares his build to Kai Pearce-Paul but O’Sullivan says he’s more athletic than KPP, and could be either an edge or middle forward.

www.nzherald.co.nz

Why promising young rugby players are choosing league over the sport they grew up playing

One top sports agent says rugby league offers clearer pathways and far better pay.
www.nzherald.co.nz www.nzherald.co.nz
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Dayum.

These are the makings of a premiership window. If we can spawn 2-3 rep forwards simultaneously we could wind up with one of the best packs in the comp without recruiting any big names.

Realistically we're aiming for 2028/29. Some potential for us to do damage in 2027 if things go our way. But based on our renewed reliance on juniors (and junior signings) our roster is being primed for circa 2028.
 
www.newcastleherald.com.au

Meet the Kiwi teen prodigy the Knights hope will be an NRL damaging force

The Knights are teaching their young players more than rugby league
www.newcastleherald.com.au www.newcastleherald.com.au

Article on Tom Perkins in the Herald today.
I don't know where they get their leads from?

Says he is settling in well and intends doing a commerce degree at Newcastle Uni. He is 18 years old and says firstgrade is the dream, but has to learn the game first.

Shades of Hanan Laban - He was a very good Kiwi prop who came over and did a commerce degree while playing Flegg for us. He could have been a pretty good NRL player I thought, but chose to follow a career in business, and is now General Manager of football at the Dolphins.
 
The training photos today are a bit odd.
If I had to guess what was happening, I'd say the firstgrade players were acting as coaches and putting pathways players through drills.
There are only half a dozen photos - not one of them is smiling in any photo.
 
Billy said:
The training photos today are a bit odd.
If I had to guess what was happening, I'd say the firstgrade players were acting as coaches and putting pathways players through drills.
There are only half a dozen photos - not one of them is smiling in any photo.
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Leadership training for the NRL players i would say
 
I know it’s already been mentioned but Marzew, at his best is big and strong, quick off the mark, breaks the line, has a fast play the ball, and can find the line. If we have him coming off the bench through the middle I think he could reach his potential. Also, if there is an injury out wide he could slip onto a wing without the need to reshuffle and disrupt the back line. Him coming off the bench would mean Sharpe would be starting on the wing while being a backup for the halves and fullback, I think we all want him out there. Marzew seems like a great guy that is easy to be around outside of the game and he can sing and dance like Elvis. What do you think about him coming off the bench through the middle?
 
mullenmagic said:
www.newcastleherald.com.au

Why the next six months are crucial to keep Ponga at the Knights

'He won't want to leave. He will want to be part of this.'
www.newcastleherald.com.au www.newcastleherald.com.au

Chris James says they're being ultraconservative with Ponga's recovery but the plan is for him to play at least one of the trials. Also says Brown starts training next week (assume the other internationals do, too).
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Exciting and yeah give Ponga half a game in the allstars and our full strength trial.

Are we only doing the 2 trials this year?
 
scott said:
I know it’s already been mentioned but Marzew, at his best is big and strong, quick off the mark, breaks the line, has a fast play the ball, and can find the line. If we have him coming off the bench through the middle I think he could reach his potential. Also, if there is an injury out wide he could slip onto a wing without the need to reshuffle and disrupt the back line. Him coming off the bench would mean Sharpe would be starting on the wing while being a backup for the halves and fullback, I think we all want him out there. Marzew seems like a great guy that is easy to be around outside of the game and he can sing and dance like Elvis. What do you think about him coming off the bench through the middle?
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He'd be devestating with the ball. Particularly with tired defence around the 65 min mark. No doubt. But I doubt he can tackle proficiently in the middle. Particularly if we're defending our line.

He'd probably take just as much as he'd give.
 
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