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Rumoured Targets 3

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2,575
Inglis would've struggled in our club culture and environment in those days. He constantly would've been 10+kg overweight and in unending off field drama. Wasn't nearly as good after leaving Melbourne. We would've ruined his career before it began imo.
 
Messages
10,887
Great news.

https://www.newcastleherald.com.au/...a-priority-on-knights-retention-list/?cs=7580
MAY 1 2020 - 9:10PM

Jacob Saifiti a priority on Knights' retention list

BARRY TOOHEY AND ROBERT DILLON


Local Sport



REVITALISED: Jacob Saifiti started season 2020 in outstanding form. Picture: Paul Barkley, NRL Photos

COACH Adam O'Brien has given the strongest indication yet that re-signing Jacob Saifiti is a priority for the Newcastle Knights.

O'Brien, usually reluctant to talk about recruitment and retention, said of the off-contract Saifiti: "He is not someone we will be letting go."

He is not someone we will be letting go.
ADAM O'BRIEN


Restricted by a fractured shoulder blade and broken ankle to just 15 games in seasons 2018 and 2019, Saifiti acknowledged he had reached the crossroads of his career and resolved to leave no stone unturned in the pre-season.

O'Brien labelled him "probably our best forward" after Newcastle's trial games and the Nines, and the towering front-rower, who turned 24 yesterday, followed that with two standout games off the bench in Newcastle's wins against the Warriors and Wests Tigers in rounds one and two.

"I wasn't planning on the season being suspended, but we sort of knew something like this could happen, judging by the other sports around the world," Saifiti said.

"I knew that all I could control was how I trained and played.

"We had two trials and the Nines, and I was happy with how I played in them.

"I took that into our first two competition games, and hopefully it showed the club that I'm still keen to play NRL and I want to be here.

"Hopefully if we come back in late May, like they're saying, I can carry on as I was and play some more good footy."

Saifiti told the Newcastle Herald he was trying not to dwell on his contractual uncertainty.

Not only is he a free agent at season's end, but at this stage the salary cap post-coronavirus is yet to be established.

"It's not only me in that position," he said.

"I kind of took the attitude that I was either going to get signed or I wasn't, so there was no point worrying about it. All I could do was control what I needed to control. Obviously the sooner we can get back to playing games the better.

"I just have to be ready to go when it happens."

Saifiti said O'Brien had given him "little hints" that he was in the club's long-terms plans but there had been nothing formal.

"I think he's been happy with how I was going," he said. "He told me they're interested, but nothing to the stage where they made me an offer or anything like that.

"I just need to get back to playing the brand of footy I was, and keep putting my hand up every week."

After five weeks of training in isolation, Saifiti is looking forward to rejoining his teammates.

At this stage they are expected to regroup on Monday for a biosecurity briefing and hope to be cleared to resume full training on Tuesday.

"You take it for granted, being at training with the boys," he said.

"Even if we're getting flogged and it seems hard at the time, you miss not being able to do it.

"It'll be good to get back into a bit of a normal routine.

"I know all the boys have been training hard, because we stay in touch."

Saifiti was confident the Knights could be match ready within three weeks of resuming full training.

"It's not just the contact, but it's the footy skills as well," he said.

"Obviously we need to work on handling the footy, and the kickers need to practise their kicking, and tackling practice as well.

"It's about getting all that muscle memory back."
 

Knight Vision

First Grade
Messages
5,066
Frizell free to go
After ending its six week contract freeze this week, the NRL finally approved Tyson Frizell’s contract with the Newcastle Knights from next season. Whispers won’t go away that he may be in the Hunter before the season’s out.

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/who-your-nrl-team-will-play-twice-in-2020-20200510-p54rkb.html
Could be a bit difficult to know any true contract value moving forward given the salary cap might very well be up for a huge change from next season.
 

Yosh

Coach
Messages
11,245

PhilGould

Bench
Messages
3,316
From Toohey's News

- McCullough has taken the final roster spot, all but ruling out Frizell joining this season. Would require a player swap which is very unlikely. McCullough has an option in his favour to return to the Broncos next season.

- Watson being made unavailable to the media during the week leads Toohey to speculate an announcement on a new deal may be close. Negotiations have been on-going and there has been no suggestion he is looking to go elsewhere.
 
Messages
3,663
From Toohey's News

- McCullough has taken the final roster spot, all but ruling out Frizell joining this season. Would require a player swap which is very unlikely. McCullough has an option in his favour to return to the Broncos next season.

- Watson being made unavailable to the media during the week leads Toohey to speculate an announcement on a new deal may be close. Negotiations have been on-going and there has been no suggestion he is looking to go elsewhere.
I reckon there needs to be concessions when a player is ruled out for the season. We've seen some in the past but it's usually when a career ends.
 

Frederick

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
27,533
Just imagine

Klemmer
Brailey
DSaf
Friz
Bateman
Barny

Watson
Herman
JSaf
Sione

Just give us the Premiership now...

https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nr...e/news-story/fd77454f25a86a2f8bceef246aac5bac

Rival NRL clubs were surprised to learn of Bateman’s availability over the course of the past month with St George Illawarra, Newcastle and Canterbury-Bankstown discussing the backrower as a target for next season.
That pack is going straight to the spank bank
 
Messages
10,887


The Newcastle Knights are on the verge of securing the club's most important signature in over two decades, with superstar fullback Kalyn Ponga agreeing to a new deal with the club.

The Herald has been told by sources close to negotiations that Ponga has opted to put his All Blacks dream on hold and will ink a $1.1m-a-season deal with Newcastle.

9ecaca8fc835db897bc7655761079b9de31bcc60

Newcastle poster boy Kalyn Ponga is set to sign a new deal with the Knights.CREDIT:GRANT TROUVILLE/NRL IMAGERY

The Knights are finalising the length of the extension, which could be for as long as five years to keep him at the club until 2025.

An announcement on the deal, which will make Ponga one of the top five highest-paid players in the NRL, is expected as early as the end of this week.

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The signing is a major boost for the Knights, who will now build the club's future around the Queensland State of Origin No.1. Ponga was originally contracted until 2021, with an option in his favour for 2022. He has now triggered that option and has upgraded and extended his deal.

Ponga's father Andre has been negotiating with the Knights for the past couple of months since the split with former agent Wayde Rushton, who also lost Latrell Mitchell as a client at around the same time.

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Kalyn Ponga is expected to be a mainstay of the Queensland State of Origin team for many years. CREDIT:AAP

Ponga was giving strong consideration to walking out on rugby league to pursue a potential spot with the New Zealand All Blacks in time for the 2023 World Cup in France, however the 22-year-old's desire to win a premiership with the Knights outweighed his rugby union ambition.

All Blacks legend Sir John Kirwan told the Herald in February that Ponga faced an uphill battle trying to crack it into an already established New Zealand team with just one season under his belt before the 2023 World Cup.

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