![\"Nick](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792659854_956_441fcc43b663461ee537a1fa43bde38dbfcd68a8.png\")
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October 22, 2026 \u2014 5:08pm<\/p>\n
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n No gift articles left<\/p>\n You’ve used all of your gift articles. 3 more will become available on the 1st of every month.<\/p>\n Close<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n Newcastle Knights star Bradman Best has delivered a broadside to a departing club official as contract extension negotiations drag on ahead of his Kangaroos debut.<\/p>\n The soon-to-be Test debutant, who will make his maiden appearance for Australia on Sunday night at Suncorp Stadium against Fiji, is expected to command lucrative interest from rival clubs should he not ink an extension before November 1.<\/p>\n The New South Wales centre reportedly knocked back the Knights\u2019 first<\/a> offer before his side\u2019s one-point grand final defeat, with circling sides including Parramatta tipped to vie hard for his signature. Since that offer, Newcastle\u2019s head of recruitment Peter O\u2019Sullivan has left to take up a role with the Brisbane Broncos, and has been replaced by Anthony Field.<\/p>\n While not directly referencing O\u2019Sullivan, Best quipped tongue-in-cheek: \u201cI know the person who was handling the contracts, a few people were upset, but now he\u2019s gone so hopefully we can get something there done\u201d.<\/p>\n But he insists he is in no rush to cement his future while in camp for the World Cup. The 25-year-old has a young child with partner Kayla Fenech \u2013 the daughter of Australian boxing legend Jeff Fenech \u2013 and said their future would be at the centre of his decision.<\/p>\n Related Article \u201cObviously, I\u2019m a Newcastle junior, I love it there and have been there since I was a young kid, but I\u2019m a father now, and I\u2019ve got to do what\u2019s best for me,\u201d Best said after training at Brisbane\u2019s Anglican Church Grammar School on Thursday.<\/p>\n \u201cI know November is around the corner, but I\u2019ll just put all talk on hold. I\u2019ll let all the media talk, all the contract stuff will sort itself out, but I\u2019m in no rush.<\/p>\n \u201cMy family, making sure we\u2019re settled and happy [will be a priority] \u2026 and, obviously, I want to win games. Money isn\u2019t the be all and end all, it goes a long way, but I want to make sure I\u2019m winning.<\/p>\n \u201cI just came off a grand final loss and I want to chase that premiership. Walking away would be hard, I\u2019ve been through the struggles for a long time, and to see where we\u2019ve come now and what we\u2019re able to achieve is special.\u201d<\/p>\n Best paid tribute to his father-in-law Fenech, revealing the four-time boxing world champion was in hospital battling heart problems. The 62-year-old underwent open-heart surgery in March 2024.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s actually in hospital at the moment, so I\u2019m thinking of him, but he\u2019s tough and he\u2019s always a fight. He\u2019s done a lot for me in my career, I was visiting last week, and he\u2019s always given me tips on what to do and how to be better,\u201d Best said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s special having a father-in-law like that \u2026 he\u2019s an icon in Australia, and it\u2019s special having a bond like that. He\u2019ll be all right, he\u2019s been in there with a few heart problems, but he\u2019ll be good.\u201d<\/p>\n Best\u2019s first appearance in the green and gold will mark the end of a dream he inscribed two decades ago, when his teacher asked him to consider where he saw himself in the future.<\/p>\n Related Article The fact he will achieve the feat on the same Suncorp Stadium turf in which he has starred in two State of Origin deciders, only this time running out with fans at his back rather than a parochial Queensland Maroons audience, will make the occasion all the sweeter.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s actually a photo going around at the moment when I was in year six. The teacher asked me what I wanted to do, what I wanted to be and to write down your dream, and it was to play rugby league for Australia,\u201d Best said.<\/p>\n \u201cAs I got older, I kept working towards it. I hated school and put all my eggs into one basket, and that was rugby league. For the young kids coming through, I\u2019ll always tell them to dream big and aspire to whatever you want to do and whoever you want to be.\u201d<\/p>\n Start the day with a summary of the day\u2019s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"Bradman](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/0b1bbec857cb6a46fd50ac97d97161c5fff25b71.jpeg\")
Bradman Best pictured training with the Kangaroos.Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Fifita](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/0ea743d1b2ecb7387a2196133100522d824b64f4.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Sam](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792659856_421_b73b391482919fc267c76564fdb6a463977b0e8a.jpeg\")
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