Liam Knight feared he’d be remembered for ‘pathetic’ career
A troubled beginning to his career threatened to send Liam Knight “out the back door” of the NRL, but off field changes have earnt him redemption within the game and respect at South Sydney.
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South Sydney front-rower Liam Knight feared he would be remembered as “pathetic” if behavioural problems had driven him from rugby league.
In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Knight also conceded he had achieved “absolutely nothing” and feared he would slip “out the back door”.
A former bad boy-turned-good at Redfern, Knight established himself as one of the NRL’s finest props last season after “making better choices”.
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Knight, 21, had off-field issues at previous clubs Manly and the Sydney Roosters before a move to Canberra, but is now hellbent on making rugby league his life.
“The biggest thing for me over the last 18 months was realising I had done absolutely nothing and if things didn’t change then I was going to do absolutely nothing in my career,” Knight said. “That doesn’t sit well with me.
“I feel like I have grown up a lot through pure necessity, otherwise I would have been out the back door like a lot of people, and I wasn’t ready for that.
“You see guys killing it and then they get forced out because of injury. If I kept doing what I was doing I would have been forced out due to behaviour. That would have been pretty pathetic.
“I love a good time, I love a laugh and that got me into a bit of trouble earlier on. I’m grateful now in life. I wasn’t very humble when I was younger. I owe it all to football.
“I have to be selective now in the right situations. If I put myself in situations then you have to deal with the consequences.
“It’s not about being right or wrong. I’m not a kid but I pulled myself away from those situations and feel like I’ve done a good job.
“At a young age, I made mistakes. I was in the public eye a bit.
“You are in a privileged situation that a lot of people in the world don’t get to be in. I didn’t understand that at the time but I’ve got a better grip these days.
“I didn’t handle that responsibility very well and I got carried away. Maybe I got ahead of myself at times and got into a bit of trouble.
“I’m living my dream now and every day I get to go to work with some awesome blokes. I love footy and I’m in a real good place.”
Knight was a cornerstone of a Souths pack that came within one game of the grand final this year.
While finally becoming a first-string prop, he remains unfulfilled.
“I was happy with my year but I’m not content with one good season and then hanging my hat on the rack,” he said.
“I want to build on this year, rip into training and hopefully go bigger next year.
“No one wants to just have one good year then sort of fade away and be happy with that.
“My motivation is 100 per cent to go bigger and, when all the boys come together, have a bigger season than this year.
“I’ve had a real good off-season. I’ve tuned out and enjoyed it by hanging out with some good friends.
“I’ve got away from footy but am itching to get back to training. I can’t wait to see the boys and can’t wait to get into the grind.
“It’s not hard for me to get motivated. I am playing NRL football, I am living my dream. I don’t struggle with any motivation at all.”
Asked about coach Wayne Bennett’s influence on him at Redfern, Knight said: “Wayne was just upfront and honest from the start. He just told me how it is — good or bad.
“He has come up to me a few times — good and bad — said his bit and walked off and we have had a chat about it later.
“Wayne put his trust and faith in me and that was massive for me confidence-wise.”
Originally published as Liam Knight feared he’d be remembered for ‘pathetic’ career