Newcastle Knights coach Adam O’Brien addresses job pressure ahead of 2025 season, halves situation, player exits

Despite leading the Knights to finals in four out of five seasons, there are rumblings that coach Adam O’Brien is under pressure to keep his job. In an exclusive interview, he addresses his future, halves uncertainty, and more.

Adam O’Brien hears the noise. The external rumblings that, despite finishing in the top eight in four of his five seasons in charge, that for some reason he heads into the new year under pressure to retain his position.

The Knights mentor has made little secret of his desire to turn his Newcastle side from a finals team into a serious premiership contender.

He explains to Michael Carayannis how he plans to navigate the season with a squad where some players have been told they will be moved on while also detailing the theme that Newcastle now lives by – tradition, win, inspire and grit – which has been dubbed “the Newcastle way”.

Newcastle Knights coach Adam O'Brien hears the noise. Picture: NRL Photos

PRESSURE

O’Brien knows there were question marks externally surrounding his future last year. Despite inking a contract until the end of 2027 the whispering campaign surrounding O’Brien’s future has already started before a ball has been kicked.

“At the end of the day it comes with the job,” O’Brien said.

“The way I handle it, criticism can be a chance to grow and learn if it’s coming from the right person.

“Are they someone I respect, someone who helps me or would I ask them for advice? If I am saying yes to those things then I need to listen and look at what they are saying and use it as an opportunity to change. If it’s not someone I’d ask for advice and then I treat it with a grain of salt. It’s like someone that lives in your street 15 doors down criticising you over the dinner table, you’re not going to pay much attention to that.

“Naturally you want to stand up for yourself and stand up for your club. Sometimes I do feel like we stay silent and we don’t comment but it’s a fine balance.

“I am fortunate that I have a three-year deal so hopefully that stops a bit of the gossip and innuendo”.

Daniel Saifiti has already left the Knights. Picture: Scott Gardiner/Getty Images

Leo Thompson is on the way out next season. Picture: NRL Photos

PLAYERS BEING MOVED ON

The Knights let go of Daniel Saifiti at the end of last year. This year they’ve already indicated to the likes of Jayden Brailey, Jackson Hastings, Adam Elliott and Jack Hetherington that their futures may be elsewhere when their current deals expire. While the club were dealt a blow when prop Leo Thompson opted against re-signing and agreed to join the Bulldogs. Seb Su’a has also joined the Dolphins.

“I share a great relationship with Leo,” O’Brien said.

“I greet him every day with a hug and that won’t change because of his decision, I know he is all in with us for this season. We’ve done a lot of work on culture and behaviours becoming your standards which is key to the Knights way.

“I have a real empathy for guys who have uncertainty around their futures, my understanding is nothing is set in stone with the off-contract players. There was some talk that Jayden wanted to leave the club now. I had a conversation with him and he reiterated that he would play his best football here this year.

“The conversations with the players have been had by people at the club in charge of that area. We want to challenge for titles. No one loves Jayden more than me and the playing group and he is applying his winning mindset and grit he has shown over the years.

Kalyn Ponga remains the heart and soul of Newcastle. Picture: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images

LEADERSHIP GROUP

The Knights have culled their leadership group from eight to four people.

Kalyn Ponga, Tyson Frizell, Dane Gagai and Jacob Saifiti head up the leadership group following a vote by the playing squad. That meant former skipper Brailey missed out.

“We went through a leadership course headed up by Danny Buderus who is our leadership and culture coach,” O’Brien said.

“That’s where the Knights way values and behaviours came from. We identified that eight was too many last year for round table conversations. In the land we live in with clickbait articles the easiest article is to say four were removed instead of four being selected.”

Fletcher Sharpe is set to don the no.6 jersey for Newcastle to start the year. Picture: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images

HALVES SITUATION

Fletcher Sharpe will get first crack at five-eighth for Newcastle. O’Brien is still undecided on who will wear the no.7. It comes after a season last year where O’Brien had to make regular changes to the scrumbase combination using the likes of Tyson Gamble, Jack Cogger, Jackson Hastings and Phoenix Crossland but never really settling on a pair. This season he hopes it is different after Sharpe starred in their thumping pre-season win against the Roosters on Sunday.

“There was one session over summer where we mic’d up the players and listening to the way Fletcher sees the game and how he articulates it, it just made me sit back and think he could transition into the halves,” O’Brien said.

Jack Cogger and Tyson Gamble are among the contenders for the halfback jersey. Picture: NRL Photos

“He used to commentate on rugby league as a young kid and he was a person who played rugby league in winter and cricket in summer with a bit of golf in between. He reminds of how Cameron Munster was when he first turned up in Melbourne. He has been around rugby league for a long time...game management will obviously improve with experience, at the same time I don’t want him to lose his natural attacking instincts.

“In terms of the other halves. It’s been well publicised that I changed our halves a lot last year. My no.1 obligation is to our club and to pick a team each week that I feel like would get the best result. It wasn’t like I was giving a guy just one week, they’d get a chunk of games. I’ve always wanted to give guys an opportunity to reeded a performance they weren’t happy with. No doubt it wasn’t ideal.”

The Knights remain in the market for Parramatta five-eighth Dylan Brown.

“The club has made it quite clear they feel like chasing a marquee half is a priority,” O’Brien said.

SUPPORT STAFF

The club has made significant changes to its backroom staff.

They have hired ex-Roosters operations manager Chris James, head of recruitment Peter O’Sullivan and brought in premiership winner Adam Blair with elite pathways. The trio join a staffing team who have tasted premiership success elsewhere. Outside O’Brien who was an assistant coach to titles at Melbourne and the Roosters, Peter Parr (North Queensland), Blake Green (Wigan), Craig Catterick (Penrith) and Brian McDermott (Leeds) have also tasted premiership success as well as club legend Buderus.

“The club has never been in a better position staff wise and support from the club in our region” O’Brien said.

“Our two major sponsors NIB and McDonald Jones have committed long-term and we have an all-time membership record with 32,5000 members. I am also really proud of the work that has gone on to assemble the staff we have at the club.”

Originally published as Newcastle Knights coach Adam O’Brien addresses job pressure ahead of 2025 season, halves situation, player exits