A planned player cleanout at Newcastle is being questioned after the Knights qualified for their fourth NRL finals series in five years.
Adam O’Brien’s side booked a top eight spot by beating the Dolphins at home on Sunday to set up an elimination final showdown with North Queensland in Townsville on Saturday night.
Newcastle’s late-season surge has come despite claims claims the playing group is unsettled amid reports the club is looking to drastically reshape its roster and salary cap.
Big names including Jackson Hastings, Daniel Saifiti, Jayden Brailey, Adam Elliot and Jack Hetherington are among those said to have been “tapped on the shoulder” and told they can look for other clubs.
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Ponga leads Newcastle into finals | 02:30
Veteran Daily Telegraph rugby league reporter Phil Rothfield said outside of looking to move on Hastings — who he reports is on a deal worth $800,000 next season — the roster overhaul made little sense.
“The other thing I couldn’t work out yesterday — why are they tapping all these players on the shoulder?” Rothfield said on NRL 360 on Monday.
“… I can understand Hastings is on too much money – ridiculous money.
“I can understand the bottom nine (teams) tapping blokes but since (Adam) O’Brien’s been there, four out of five years they’ve made the finals.
“Now they want to sack half the team? I can’t work it out.”
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Fellow reporter Brent Read said the Knights had to make moves to ensure they could keep young talent including prop Leo Thompson, who is currently on just over $250,000 and in need of an upgrade.
Read pointed out the likes of Saifiti were playing good football and in-demand, meaning the club needed to take the opportunity to free up cap space.
NRL 360 host Braith Anasta said it was also critical the Knights could find more players to step up and support superstar Kalyn Ponga, who has brilliantly led the charge to the top 8.
“They can’t just rely on him” Anasta said of Ponga.
“He was amazing (on Sunday) but if Kalyn isn’t, they probably don’t win a game moving forward.
“So they need ot put a strong team around him. Some players who can take some pressure off him so he doesnt have to do this.”
Source Agencies
