Newcastle players blindsided as best players put in shopfront window

Details have emerged about the drama in Newcastle with the club reportedly dropping big news that has caught players off-guard.

NRL 2022 RD11 Newcastle Knights v Brisbane Broncos - Bradman Best, dislocated elbow. Picture: NRL Photos

Newcastle’s rumoured roster surgery has reportedly caught players off-guard.

Speculation has bobbled away this month the club will be forced to make some big changes as a result of Kalyn Ponga’s reported mega-deal which is worth up to $1.4 million per-season.

Stream every game of every round of the 2022 NRL Telstra Premiership Season Live & Ad-Break Free During Play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Try 14-days free now.

Rival clubs have reportedly been told some of the Knights’ best players are up for sale.

Channel 9’s Danny Weidler now reports the club’s decision to give rival clubs approval to circle some of their players has caught Newcastle stars by surprise.

It emerged last week strike centre Bradman Best and former NSW State of Origin prop Daniel Saifiti are mong the players reported to be in the crosshairs of rival clubs.

The Daily Telegraph on Sunday reported Best is looking for a new club despite remaining contracted with Newcastle through to the end of the 2024 season.

It is reported there has been a high-level of interest in Best and Saifiti — and rival clubs believe both players are gettable at a time when the Knights are facing a potential salary cap crunch.

After three wooden spoons in the past seven years, the concept of a roster re-build will be a hard pill for knights supporters to swallow — especially with the club sitting with just four wins after 11 matches this season.

Bradman Best. Picture: NRL Photos

Daniel Saifiti of the Knights is seen with his arm in a brace. Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images.

With Ponga taking up such a significant chunk of the club’s salary cap, NRL great Braith Anasta last year predicted the Knights were headed for trouble.

“I think we will see a lot of movement at Newcastle over the next couple of seasons,” Anasta said on NRL 360.

Paul Kent at the time added: “Ponga is a good player, clearly. But he is not going to win Newcastle a competition on his own. He still needs help around him”.

It has not helped things that Ponga’s 2023 season has been derailed by a series of scary head injuries.

Ponga, who missed six weeks earlier in the season after a round two concussion, underwent another HIA during his team’s loss to Cronulla this weekend.

Post-match, Ponga cleared up that the moment was not due to concussion.

“That was fully my fault, I was half spraying them but I also thought it was last,” Ponga said. “That’s a concentration error, it’s not good enough.”

As for the head contact early, Ponga said he didn’t feel the effects.

“It was just a heavy contact,” Ponga said. “I felt fine to be honest, I went through the assessment and everything and honestly I felt pretty good.

“I’ve had enough now to know which ones are bad and when I’m not okay. Nothing but the truth there to be honest.”

Originally published as Newcastle players blindsided as best players put in shopfront window