The tears say it all. Almost four years after being sacked by the Knights following a second positive drugs test, Dylan Phythian has been given a shot at redemption by the club. At the invitation of pathways boss Garth Brennan, the 26-year-old playmaker is training with the Knights' NSW Cup squad over the summer, hoping to break back into the big time. Brennan says he'll never forget their phone call. "When I rang him to ask him about coming in and having a summer with us, he was all emotional and teary and said it's all he's ever wanted but never thought another chance would come," Brennan told us. "It's stories like that I love - it's what gets the juices flowing. "I had a bit to do with him on the Gold Coast after he left the Knights. I know the kid can play. So I spoke to Danny [Buderus] and Phil Gardner about it and they said they believe in redemption stories. "He was young, he made some mistakes but he's got a family now, he's settled down. I'm really happy for him." Phythian 26, said Brennan's call came right out of the blue. "He made me cry - I was a bit teary to be honest," Phythian said. "It's all I ever wanted to do since I left. I'm still sort of pinching myself at training being back in there and getting another crack. "Nothing's guaranteed obviously but I'm setting the bar high for myself. I'm trying to do as much as I can in there to get the eye of the coaches and have a six or seven jersey on my back in round one." Phythian says he has grown up a lot since having his contract terminated in March, 2018 after playing three NRL games. But he still lives with the 'regret and embarrassment'. "There was a problem there within myself that at the time, I didn't admit to and didn't seek the right help for," he said of his drug taking. "I got tied up in a weird situation that I got carried away in. It wasn't until I sat down and had that conversation with Phil [Gardner] and Browny [then coach Nathan Brown] before I was terminated that I realised what I was doing. Being younger and dumber, I just made stupid decisions in the situation I was in with footy after a second knee reconstruction in two years. "I went through a far bit dealing with situations the wrong way. Me nowadays, I would have done things a lot differently. The initial feeling when they cut me was heartbreak and disappointment with myself because I felt I'd let a lot of people down. "Now, I live with a fair bit of regret and embarrassment at the way I handled that. I try not to let it get to me anymore although you still think about it and what might have been. It's why getting another chance means so much." Phythian also now has a family to consider. He will marry fiancee Kirby in November next year and has an 18 month old son Kyree and two step-sons Chase [11] and Tate [9]. "Things have turned around for me. I've grown up a fair bit in the last few years and it's not just me to think about anymore," he said. There can be no questioning the financial commitment of Knights owners' Wests Group. Wests will foot the bill to fly more than 30 Knights players and staff to Brisbane next Friday for a three day army camp before the club breaks for a couple of weeks rest over Christmas. As is usually the case, we're reliably told the camp, organised by High Performance boss Hayden Knowles, will separate the men from the boys both physically and mentally. CEO Phil Gardner wasn't spilling the beans on how much the exercise will cost but the financial outlay is no doubt significant. It's understood a number of rehab players and trialists will travel to Tamworth at the same time to spread some good-will. Christmas will be that little bit more extra special for promising Knights winger Dom Young in a few weeks time. As soon as his camp commitments are over, the 20-year-old is flying home to England and will see his family for the first time since arriving out here in November last year. NIB boss Mark Fitzgibbon says he was "rattled" by the negative reaction to his company's prominent new logo on the front of this season's new Knights jersey when it was officially unveiled a few weeks ago. But while admitting even he wasn't a big fan of the change initially, he's confident any criticism will be short-lived. The Knights' major sponsors' logo has changed from white writing on a green background to dark green writing on a light green background and covers more of the front of the jersey. The vast majority of social media posts from Knights fans condemned the new look when it was first revealed. "I saw all the fuss initially and I was a bit rattled by it," Fitzgibbon told us. "But I have spoken to our people and a lot of the fuss was around people tampering with the image to make it more of an issue than it actually is. "I'm sure once it settles down and people get used to it, nobody will think about it. It has to cater for not only the Knights but the Richmond Tigers and Auckland Blues. "I trust my people to make the right judgments about these things. They have done their homework and tested it in the marketplace and I'm not in a position to second guess them just because in my eyes, it might not look as good visually." The Knights and NIB are currently in negotiations to extend the current sponsorship arrangement, which runs out at the end of next season. Knights winger Hymel Hunt and fiancee Elli Smith have chosen picturesque Bowral in the Southern Highlands as the venue for their wedding later this month. The popular couple will squeeze their nuptials in between Christmas and the New Year on December 29 with several of Hunt's Newcastle teammates sure to be in attendance. Jacob Saifiti's star and that of twin brother Daniel is shining just as brightly off the field as it is on these days. Off his own bat and with his brother's support, Jacob has volunteered to fill Josh King's old role of organising childrens' hospital visits and co-ordinating involvement with charities.
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