Vultures are circling the Knights, but this is proof they won’t crumble easily
The strength of Newcastle’s newfound “culture” – the buzz word that was thrown around by everyone wearing red and blue during NRL grand final week – is being seriously tested already.
Less than a fortnight after their shock appearance in the premiership decider, three key men have walked out the doors of Hunter Stadium.
Sandon Smith, Dane Gagai, and Kalyn Ponga during the Knights’ finals campaign. Getty Images
Veteran centre Dane Gagai has moved back to Brisbane to play for the Broncos. Knights fans knew his departure was coming for a long time, but it still hurts to see him leave.
Gagai was the heart and soul of the team. His heroics during the NRL finals, in which he went toe to toe with Latrell Mitchell in week one, were a big reason for Newcastle’s run to the big dance.
But the emergence of Fletcher Hunt looks set to solve the right centre problem next season.
Veteran backrower Tyson Frizell followed Gagai out the exit door last week, joining Wests Tigers after being left in limbo for a new Knights deal.
Like Gagai, he had been a reliable competitor for the Hunter side all year and was immense in finals, even stepping up to fill holes in the front row when troops went down.
But again, the emergence of young gun forwards like Jermaine McEwen, Francis Manuleleua, Cody Hopwood, and Lachlan Crouch make the loss of Frizell easier to swallow for fans.
The departure that might be felt more by Newcastle, especially in the long term, is recruitment chief Peter O’Sullivan, who on Wednesday jumped ship to the Broncos on a contract reportedly worth $500,000 a year.
While O’Sullivan hadn’t been in the Hunter for long, he was responsible for the signings of Dylan Brown and finals hero Sandon Smith this year, and was in charge of the chequebook when superstar Kalyn Ponga extended his deal amid speculation he was set to quit the club.
Previously, O’Sullivan had put the inaugural Dolphins roster together, and worked at the Warriors before that.
Brisbane clearly saw what the Knights had done this year and went after the man in charge of the roster. After the dismal year the Broncos had, it’s understandable.
O’Sullivan was still contracted to the club for a couple of years, so his exit was much more of a shock than that of Gagai or even Frizell.
Justin Holbrook and Kalyn Ponga before the grand final. The Sydney Morning Herald
And the Knights looked like losing another key man when News Corp on Wednesday reported CEO Peter Parr had been approached to jump ship and lead the Perth Bears, following the sudden resignation of Anthony De Ceglie over the weekend.
That attempted raid is dead in the water. Parr put out a statement on Thursday reaffirming his commitment to Newcastle and “what we are building”.
Parr would have been the biggest loss of the lot. He was responsible for bringing the likes of O’Sullivan and coach Justin Holbrook on board, and has overseen the resurrection of last year’s wooden spooners.
His statement is another nod to that aforementioned “culture” that the likes of Gagai and Ponga spruiked a fortnight ago, as they prepared for the club’s first NRL grand final in 25 years.
Holbrook is largely credited for the team’s turnaround this year, taking them from the cellar to just short of the ceiling in less than 12 months. They fell just one point shy of matching the star-studded Roosters in the biggest game of the season. He inked his own contract extension last week, signing on for a further two years to take his deal through to the end of 2030.
Ponga, too, is committed to the end of 2030 after the fullback and captain extended his contract earlier this year, despite interest from several rival clubs as well as New Zealand rugby.
The vultures are already circling the resurgent Knights after their stunning 2026 campaign but the commitment of Parr, Holbrook, and Ponga prove the club won’t be picked apart easily.
