Houston a chance to return to Knights fold but Wicks remains on outer
Robert Dillon
September 11, 2010
ALLEGED drug dealer Chris Houston is a chance of returning to the Newcastle Knights if he can beat his charges but the club appears unlikely to offer fellow accused Danny Wicks a similar lifeline.
Houston and Wicks resigned from the Knights in the pre-season after they were arrested and charged with multiple counts of drug possession and supply.
Both are yet to enter pleas and Knights management is waiting for the legal process to run its course.
But Newcastle chairman Rob Tew raised the possibility of re-employing Houston last week when he said: ''If he was found not guilty and indeed had no case to answer we would think about getting him back very seriously.''
Knights coach Rick Stone confirmed yesterday the prospect of signing Houston had been a talking point behind the scenes.
''We have discussed it and I have spoken to [chief executive] Steve Burraston and Tewy about it,'' Stone said.
''At this point in time, we really need that to take its own course and see what happens there. Obviously there is a lot of water to go under the bridge before we'd be in a position like that.
''Look, hopefully a few more details will come out about the Houston thing when it gets down to the nitty-gritty in court, and I don't really want to comment on that until such time.
''But he's a good fella, and I'm disappointed in what happened to Houso. And we'd consider it obviously if all things fell into place.''
Asked if the same would apply to Wicks, Stone replied: ''I'd suggest that would be a different matter'' but would not elaborate.
Stone denied he had held talks with Houston and said no funds had been set aside under the salary cap in case the 25-year-old became available.
''We can't do that, because if he didn't become available, we might miss out on a player
we're still actively out there trying to fit the last one or two pieces in our jigsaw puzzle,'' he said. ''At the moment, it [re-signing Houston] is not a priority.''
The Knights are still in the market for a player to bolster their pack after unsuccessful approaches to several off-contract forwards at rival clubs.
Houston had established himself as perhaps Newcastle's most influential forward before his abrupt exit.
Capable of playing prop or back-rower, he was 18th man for NSW Origin in 2009 and made the Kangaroos train-on squad that year.
A popular clubman, it is understood he is still living in Newcastle and working as a labourer. His next appearance in Newcastle Local Court is scheduled for September 23.
