![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1791125774_7_poster-fallback.png\"\/)
<\/p>\n
WHAT’S GAMBLING REALLY COSTING YOU? Set a deposit limit. For Free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au.<\/p>\n
Others had to take a far more unlikely path to the NRL.<\/p>\n
Foxsports.com.au examines how every member of Justin Holbrook\u2019s 19-man squad found their way to the Knights.<\/p>\n
1. KALYN PONGA<\/p>\n
The most important signing in the club\u2019s history, Ponga found himself convinced to join the Knights after a range of different things.<\/p>\n
Not only did then-Knights coach and former football manager Darren Mooney – now with the Sharks – travel to Townsville to pitch him the club\u2019s long-term vision but they also flew him and his family to Newcastle to convince him to join.<\/p>\n
This included his mother, father and sister.<\/p>\n
While he was initially reluctant to move away from the North Queensland Cowboys, he ended up signing with the club on a lucrative four-year contract.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t want to sign with the Knights,\u201d Ponga told NRL.com in 2018.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWhen Dad put down the Knights contract in front of me, I just looked at where they were then. They were at the bottom of the ladder. That\u2019s all I really saw.\u201d<\/p>\n Kalyn Ponga in action for the CQ NRL Bid under-13 development team.Source: News Regional Media<\/p>\n 2. DOMINIC YOUNG<\/p>\n After two incredible seasons for the Huddersfield Giants in the Super League, Young decided to make the move to the NRL and sign a three-year contract with the Knights ahead of the 2021 season.<\/p>\n Speaking to News Corp<\/a>, Alex McKinnon, the man who recruited the English international spoke about how it came to fruition.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d never seen Dom play live, only on TV,\u2019\u2019 McKinnon explained.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t have a contact number for him and I didn\u2019t know his manager. I remember initially I approached him through Twitter.<\/p>\n \u201cOne thing I liked about him in watching his videos was that in one game, someone gave it to him and he was aggressive back towards them.\u201d<\/p>\n Surprisingly, Young revealed to foxsports.com.au this week that the Melbourne Storm had also shown a keen interest in his services before he moved to the NRL.<\/p>\n Dominic Young during his first stint with the Knights.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n 3. DANE GAGAI<\/p>\n Originally with the Knights for six seasons (2012-17) during his first stint with the club, Gagai returned to his old stomping ground in 2022.<\/p>\n With the South Sydney Rabbitohs before rejoining the club, the veteran was tabled a one-year extension by the Rabbitohs but opted not to take it.<\/p>\n Subsequently, he linked back up with the Knights on a three-year deal and is looking for a fairytale finish to his time at the club before joining the Brisbane Broncos for the 2027 season.<\/p>\n Brisbane Boys College student Dane Gagai.Source: News Limited<\/p>\n 4. BRADMAN BEST<\/p>\n A Central Coast junior, Bradman Best was always going to play in the NRL.<\/p>\n The son of former Sea Eagles back-rower Roger Best, Bradman was one of the best players in his age group and went on to represent the Under-16s and Under-18s NSW Blues sides before making the Australian Schoolboys team in 2018.<\/p>\n Invited to train with Newcastle\u2019s first grade squad at the age of 17, he was originally signed by the club two years earlier by Troy Pezet.<\/p>\n Bradman Best was earmarked early for big things at the Newcastle Knights.Source: Supplied<\/p>\n 5. GREG MARZHEW<\/p>\n Handed his NRL debut from Justin Holbrook at the Gold Coast Titans, Marzhew eventually found himself in Newcastle as part of a swap deal involving Chris Randall.<\/p>\n An injury to Sam Verrills had the Titans looking for depth in the dummy-half role, so it was a win-win for all parties involved.<\/p>\n \u201cNewcastle approached the Titans and asked about my situation and the Titans pushed it back,\u201d he told foxsports.com.au.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThen Sam Verills at the time broke his collarbone, so they needed a hooker and they got Chris Randall and I got to come here.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a blessing for both of us.\u201d<\/p>\n Greg Marzhew came from the Titans.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n 6. FLETCHER SHARPE<\/p>\n Born in Maitland, Sharpe attended All Saints College and played for the Cessnock Goannas which put him on a collision course with the Newcastle Knights.<\/p>\n His time with Cessnock saw him catch the attention of junior recruitment officer Alex McKinnon who brought him in as a halfback to play in the Under-17s Harold Matthews Cup competition.<\/p>\n Since then, he has been used in a variety of roles including on the wing and at fullback, but he will line-up in the halves for this year\u2019s grand final.<\/p>\n Fletcher Sharpe of the Knights.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n 7. SANDON SMITH<\/p>\n Although he rose through the ranks of the Central Coast Roosters pathways system, Smith could have easily found himself at the Knights much sooner than expected.<\/p>\n One of the most talented playmakers for his age, the Knights decided to sign Jonah Pezet at the time which meant Smith moved to the Roosters where he came through their ranks and made 46 appearances for them.<\/p>\n However, the arrival of Daly Cherry-Evans and emergence of Hugo Savala saw him pushed down the pecking order and he decided to look elsewhere for a new opportunity.<\/p>\n This saw the Knights swoop in by signing him to a long-term four year contract.<\/p>\n SG Ball + Tarsha Gale rising stars, Sandon Smith, Tayla Montgomery, Keilee Joseph and Jordan Swann.Source: News Corp Australia<\/p>\n 8. TYSON FRIZELL<\/p>\n A veteran of the side, Frizell spent ten seasons and 177 matches with the Cronulla Sharks and St George Illawarra Dragons before finding himself joining the Knights ahead of the 2021 season.<\/p>\n Already a NSW Blues and Australian international before he arrived in Newcastle, he was recruited to bring star power and experience to the back-row – an area the club lacked at that point in time.<\/p>\n It came after he turned down an extension to remain at the Red V.<\/p>\n \u201cIt wasn\u2019t a big wine and dine,\u201d former Knights coach Adam O\u2019Brien told News Corp at the time. <\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIt was a blue-collar meeting. He just wanted a meeting at the club. We looked at some stats and vision of his game.<\/p>\n \u201cI presented some stats to him with areas we liked and some stuff we could do for him. He liked that it wasn\u2019t just about patting him on the back.<\/p>\n \u201cThe focus was around some defensive stuff. The people we could put around him and help him. How we could use him in more areas in attack.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is no doubt the change of scenery was part of his process.\u201d<\/p>\n Tyson Frizell as a young Dragon.Source: News Limited<\/p>\n 14. HARRISON GRAHAM<\/p>\n The first Dolphins signing in the club\u2019s history, Graham only lasted two seasons at the club before he was looking for a new opportunity.<\/p>\n Failing to secure a Top 30 contract with another club, the livewire dummy-half was offered a developmental contract by Peter O\u2019Sullivan to join the Knights.<\/p>\n Yet to hit the prime of his career, there is no doubting the Under-19s Queensland Maroons representative will have a long and successful tenure in the NRL, he just failed to regular game time beforehand.<\/p>\n Harrison Graham (centre) hugs a couple of teammates back in his junior days with the Ballina Seagulls.Source: News Corp Australia<\/p>\n 10. CODY HOPWOOD<\/p>\n Signed by Alex McKinnon at the age of 15, Hopwood has had a remarkable past couple of seasons which saw him make his debut and play for the Australian Schoolboys last year to starting in the 2026 NRL Grand Final.<\/p>\n One of the best young forward, his development was accelerated after showing his maturity in NSW Cup and has taken his opportunity with both hands.<\/p>\n All Saints Maitland forward Cody Hopwood in action for the schools’ senior rugby league side in 2023 Peter Mulholland Cup.Source: News Corp Australia<\/p>\n 11. JERMAINE MCEWEN<\/p>\n Regarded as the next crop of young stars coming through the ranks at the Penrith Panthers, McEwen opted to leave the club for a change of scenery.<\/p>\n This saw him and his family leave Western Sydney to land in Newcastle.<\/p>\n Contracted until the end of 2028, the back-rower has taken his game to new heights this season and will look to end 2026 with a premiership ring and international minutes for Samoa during the World Cup.<\/p>\n Jermaine McEwen at 16 with Elijah Pettit-Young at The Kingsway Rugby Fields in Werrington. Picture: Jonathan NgSource: News Corp Australia<\/p>\n 12. FRANCIS MANULELEUA<\/p>\n Before arriving at the Knights, Manuleleua was another product to come through the Penrith Panthers system having joined the club to learn off superstar halfback Nathan Cleary.<\/p>\n Before then, he was a member of the New Zealand Warriors and was also a talented rugby union player which saw him attend the famed King\u2019s College in Auckland.<\/p>\n A main reason behind his arrival to the club was Head of Recruitment Peter O\u2019Sullivan.<\/p>\n \u201cHe thought Penrith was going to make him a better player,\u201d Francis\u2019 older brother Sam Manuleleua told <\/a>foxsports.com.au.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWe had a great relationship with Peter O\u2019Sullivan because he was at the Warriors.<\/p>\n \u201cHe kind of knew Francis and what kind of player he was as a young kid. He knew he was a half and what kinds of skills he had and where he would fit in the club and what he needed to do.\u201d<\/p>\n Francis Manuleleua in action for Newcastle in NSW Cup.Source: The Daily Telegraph<\/p>\n 13. MAT CROKER<\/p>\n An unheralded member of the Knights side, Croker has emerged as a leader this year after cementing a regular spot in the forward pack.<\/p>\n Debuting in the NRL in 2021, the 27-year-old has been with the club since 2015 when he was signed at the age of 15 by Troy Pezet.<\/p>\n Since then, he has progressed through every level of the Knights side and even earned representative honours as a junior for the Under-16s and Under-18s NSW Blues teams.<\/p>\n Mat Croker of the Knights back in 2023.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n 15. LACHLAN CROUCH<\/p>\n Debuting in Round 18 of the 2026 NRL season, Crouch returned to the Knights ahead of the year after being a part of the Cronulla Sharks system for the past four years.<\/p>\n While he never played a single first grade match for them, the 23-year-old was a regular for the Newtown Jets in the NSW Cup competition and their Under-21s Jersey Flegg side.<\/p>\n Surprisingly, Crouch is an East Maitland Griffins junior and got his first start with the Knights by coming through their junior ranks.<\/p>\n Lachlan Crouch of the Knights.Source: News Corp Australia<\/p>\n 16. PASAMI SAULO<\/p>\n A Newcastle Knights junior, for whom he made his debut for in 2018, Saulo decided to return to the club ahead of this season after a three-year stint with the Canberra Raiders.<\/p>\n Returning to the Hunter-region to bolster the club\u2019s middle forward rotation, he has provided a wealth of experience to the next generation coming through the ranks.<\/p>\n Pasami Saulo during a Newcastle Knights training session back in 2018.Source: AAP<\/p>\n 17. DYLAN LUCAS<\/p>\n Starting out in the St George Illawarra Dragons pathways system as part of the Illawarra Steelers junior program, Lucas eventually departed the club a few weeks after finishing high school.<\/p>\n It came after he felt himself being unwanted by the club.<\/p>\n It turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as he signed with the Knights to play under Scott Dureau in the Under-21s Jersey Flegg Cup and hasn\u2019t looked back.<\/p>\n \u201cI was down there in the Steelers for my junior reps and then just got an opportunity to move up to Newcastle and have a crack there to get out of my comfort zone. I\u2019m glad I did that now,\u201d Lucas told <\/a>foxsports.com.au.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m in debt to that club [Newcastle]. They gave me my opportunity and to be able to repay that now by sticking around for a little while and trying to build something special there.\u201d<\/p>\n Dylan Lucas as a rising Knight in 2023, against his old club.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n 18. FLETCHER HUNT<\/p>\n Scouted as a teenage, Hunt was born and raised in Warren, New South Wales and spent some time with the Western Rams before finding himself on the fast-track through the Knights pathways system.<\/p>\n In an interview last year, Hunt revealed he was so homesick when he first arrived in Newcastle that he couldn\u2019t bring himself to attend his own high school formal.<\/p>\n \u201cI was definitely missing home a lot,\u201d Hunt told <\/a>CODE Sports.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI couldn\u2019t even go back for my formal because I knew if I went back home, I wouldn\u2019t have come back to Newcastle.<\/p>\n \u201cBut luckily at the time I didn\u2019t have a car, so mum and dad didn\u2019t have to worry about me just packing up and driving home.<\/p>\n \u201cI think I always knew if I wanted to play footy, moving away was the sacrifice I\u2019d have to make. In the back of my head I knew it was the right decision to move away from home.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was not much for me back home and I needed to get out of my comfort zone.\u201d<\/p>\n Fletcher Hunt this season.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n 19. THOMAS CANT<\/p>\n Another homegrown Novocastrian in the side\u2019s 19-man squad, Cant began his rugby league career for the East Maitland Griffins before entering the Knights pathways system as a young teenager.<\/p>\n Since that moment, he has worked through the ranks and even found himself captaining the Under-21s Jersey Flegg Cup side before making his NRL debut in 2023.<\/p>\n Thomas Cant in action this season.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Newcastle Knights\u2019 2026 Grand Final team was built from all corners of the rugby league world. There…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":915922,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[568],"tags":[64,63,761,762,158,85],"class_list":["post-915921","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nrl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-national-rugby-league","tag-nationalrugbyleague","tag-nrl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/915921","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=915921"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/915921\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/915922"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=915921"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=915921"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=915921"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}