Departing Newcastle Knights forward Jack Hetherington has been linked with a surprise move to the Melbourne Storm for the 2026 NRL season.
The forward, able to play on the edge or in the middle, has not been offered a new deal by the Newcastle Knights after three interrupted seasons with the club.
The 29-year-old, noted for his on-field aggression, moved from the Canterbury Bulldogs at the end of 2022, but between injuries and form, has only managed 53 games for the Newcastle-based outfit out of a possible 72.
Before that, he played 20 games for the Bulldogs in 2021 and 2022, 17 for the Panthers between 2018 and 2020, and 6 on loan for the New Zealand Warriors in 2020.
Approaching 100 NRL games, the Canberra-born 29-year-old had his worst season of the three for Newcastle in 2025, but has now appeared on the Storm’s radar per a News Corp report.
Until recently, the Storm had Nelson Asofa-Solomona on their books and very little room to move on the salary cap front, but with the New Zealand international departing, there is suddenly a need for a forward reinforcement, and money to get the job done.
Hetherington won’t take up nearly the salary Asofa-Solomona did, although some of that money could yet be redirected to other parts of the club.
Tui Kamikamica is considering his options after being offered a minimum offer deal by Melbourne, but could now receive an upgraded offer to sweeten the deal for the Fijian international to remain in Victoria, while Ativalu Lisati and Lazarus Vaalepu are also reportedly both on the brink of re-signing.
Hetherington would be unlikely to claim a major role in the Melbourne system as Craig Bellamy prepares for what could be his final season in charge of the outfit, but he would add depth and versatility given his ability to play across the forward pack.
There are no other clubs that have been publicly linked to the out-of-contract forward.