THE second major piece in Wayne Bennett's recruitment puzzle at Newcastle could be in place by the end of next week, with Dragons fullback Darius Boyd expected to agree to a four- year deal to join his coach at the Knights in 2012.
Boyd's signature, coming on the heels of skipper
Kurt Gidley agreeing to a four-year extension, is regarded as a given by insiders at the club.
But the size of his contract will be crucial in determining whether the
Knights go after any other big-name signings.
Significantly, Boyd's manager George Mimis also manages Bennett and Gidley.
He was in Newcastle last Monday to stitch up Gidley's deal and to kick off Boyd's negotiations with the club.
Sharks prop
Kade Snowden, a favourite of owner Nathan Tinkler, is not completely off the radar but the odds of him returning home to Newcastle have lengthened considerably since Bennett's appointment.
Bennett's policy in the past has been to not pay his props any more than $300,000 a season and with the Sharks having just lost Luke Douglas to the Gold Coast, they are expected to find close to $400,000 to keep Snowden.
Newcastle won't get near that. But they haven't completely given up the fight either.
The Daily Telegraph has learnt that club officials rang Snowden's manager two days ago asking for more time to come up with a competitive offer.
"They want Snowden to sit tight and not do anything for at least another week to give them time to put something decent together," one source said.
"The plan is get Boyd across the line first before taking stock of where they are at salary cap-wise.
"It's pretty tight.
"The suggestion is they are not going to get anywhere near what Cronulla is offering and it's going to hinge on how badly Snowden wants to return home.
"This is where the lure of being coached by Bennett may come into play."
Once Boyd is finalised, hooker Isaac De Gois will be next cab off the rank. He has already agreed to a new three-year deal.
Meanwhile, negotiations to re-sign centre Junior Sa'u have been stepped up in the past few days following his return to form against the Sharks last Sunday.
With the futures of Bulldogs star Jamal Idris and Tiger Chris Lawrence decided, the Kiwi international has become one of the most sought after centres on the market.
His asking price is around $250,000 but he is keen to stay in Newcastle and it's unlikely that Bennett will agree to part with that sort of money to retain him.
