Incoming Knights coach Justin Holbrook fronted media for the first time on Friday, opening up about his plans for star recruit Dylan Brown along with what he called the “most talked about topic” in Newcastle during the week.

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Holbrook took over from Adam O’Brien after agreeing to a three-year deal with the club earlier in the week and was in the Hunter for his first day on the job on Friday.

One of his first tasks was to speak at an introductory press conference, where Holbrook fielded questions about Brown’s role at the club, his expectations for the side in 2026 and Newcastle’s junior development among other topics.

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Of course, Holbrook wasn’t in charge when Brown was given a 10-year deal worth more than $13 million so naturally that was one of the bigger talking points on Friday.

The former Titans and St Helens coach told reporters he thought Brown was an “excellent” signing and one that would allow the Knights to have some much-needed continuity in the spine.

“As we know up here over the last few years, unfortunately they’ve had to chop and change in that area,” Holbrook said.

“So I think it was a good strategic decision by the club to lock someone (in).”

As for the length of the deal specifically, Holbrook said a player of Brown’s calibre is hard to sign in the first place so getting him on a long-term contract was an added bonus.

“There’s not many strike players in the game, and when they are, they’re generally locked up, so they’re hard to get out of their current clubs,” he said.

“The fact that it is such a long-term deal, for myself as coach now, is great knowing you don’t have to worry about that area.”

Matty backs Holbrook to fix Newcastle | 00:52

Holbrook called Brown a “classy player” with his “best years ahead of him”, but as for where exactly he will play, Newcastle’s new coach was leaving the door open to his latest recruit starting at either halfback or five-eighth.

“I haven’t worked out exactly how we’re playing yet, that’s going to happen over the pre-season,” Holbrook said.

“But to have him at seven or six, I’ve obviously come from the Roosters where you’ve got Sammy Walker playing with Sandon Smith or Hugo Savala who’s seven or six.

“It depends on your style of play.

“It doesn’t matter whether he is wearing number seven on his back or six, but he could easily be halfback and steer the side, I have no issue with that at all. I love the way he plays.

“It’s just a matter of us working out how they’re going to compliment each other.”

Holbrook did concede though that given the uncertainty surrounding the halves over the past few seasons at the Knights, it would be important to lock down a permanent position for Brown as soon as possible.

But with Brown set to represent New Zealand at the end of the year, it will be a shortened pre-season for the now former Eels playmaker, which will only make settling on a halves combination more challenging for Holbrook.

“I might not get him until January but that’s fine, there’s a lot of elite players in our game,” the new Knights coach added.

“… He is going to be playing one of the two, and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Holbrook confirmed as Knights coach | 01:45

Another option in the halves for Holbrook is the versatile Sandon Smith, although the former Rooster is likely to instead start at hooker for the Knights.

“Whether he plays nine or seven, he is tough enough to play nine and skilful enough to play seven,” Holbrook said.

“If we need some juggling, or one of those players are out, I’m really confident we’re not going to miss a beat there.”

Holbrook said he hopes the Knights will be challenging for a return to the finals immediately, but just as important is strengthening the club’s junior development pathways.

That is particularly true given the criticism Newcastle has come under for the local talent that has walked out the door in recent years, with club legend Matty Johns among those to tee off.

‘World of pain’ Knights look to 2026 | 00:34

“They’ve got to coach the coaches in the lower grades,” Johns said on SEN Radio earlier in the week.

“They’ve got to get a red-hot recruitment guy because honestly, you see kids and you go, ‘I haven’t heard of this bloke coming through’ like a Kurt Donoghoe and then someone will say, ‘He was in the Knights system and they let him go’ and you go, ‘How do you let this kid go?’.

“Tom Starling, Zac Hosking, Hudson Young, Joe Tapine. Honestly, it keeps going on… I don’t know what dopes are in charge there.”

Holbrook, a former Knights player himself, said junior retention has been “probably the most talked about topic I’ve discussed this week”.

“Every club knows that if you can develop your own, you don’t have to buy players in,” he added.

“It helps in every facet — salary cap, the connection to the club. If you’ve got them in your own nursery then it’s family, it’s community.

“The good thing is that’s already improving, that’s already getting addressed and it’s probably the most talked about topic I’ve discussed this week.

“But once I spoke to the staff here and the investment they’re putting into that area, I’m the lucky one who hopefully reaps the reward of that.

“It always takes time. Things that need fixing, you can’t fix them instantly in a lot of those cases.

“But I am excited by what the club has already let them know about what is already happening in that area and it’s obvious it’s what we’ve got to get right.”