Former Newcastle Knight Matty Johns counts down all time favourites in the red and blue

NRL legend Matty Johns has revealed to The Newcastle News his picks of the greatest Newcastle Knights players of all time. Today he unveils numbers 20-16. He’ll announce another five on Wednesday.

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It’s what you’ve been waiting for … rugby league legend Matty Johns starts his countdown of the best Newcastle Knights players of all time.

There’s no doubt the former Knight knows all things red and blue and revealed to The Newcastle News who made his prestigious cut.

Today, Johns is naming numbers 20-16, before another five on Wednesday.

Who will be his top pick? Check out The Newcastle News on Friday.

Click on each footy card below to flip over for player stats.

20. Jarrod Mullen

Halfback/Five-eighth

2005-2016

Supremely gifted footballer who, I reckon, was weighed down by the expectation that his own talents brought. And the cruellest irony is that when Mullos finally hit an age where he was vercoming all that — where he’d finally become comfortable with the expectation and looked ready for some real peak years — he was struck down by injury after injury after injury. And the nature of those injuries he suffered, they were incredibly devastating for a fella whose great ability was running the footy. It was a cruel twist for such a wonderful player.

19. Billy Peden

Backrower

1994-2002

A great lesson for every kid told out there being told by some deadshit how they’re too small, too old, whatever. I remember when Billy was about 20, running into him in a Cessnock nightclub — which as you can imagine, was a pretty grim scene. He was telling me how he was ready to give up on his footy dream. That he couldn’t get a break. But instead of quitting, Bill hung in, debuted for the Knights at 24 and went on to win two premierships.

18. Steve Simpson

Backrower

1999-2010

Best thing about Simmo was listening to opposing sides when they tried to tackle him. Honestly, you could actually hear the air come out of them. Apart from being a raw-boned backrower who ran good lines, the hardest lines, and rarely played a bad game — becoming a regular for both NSW and Australia in the process — Simmo was also a fella seemingly comprised of nothing but hip bone, elbows and knees. Which is why it was such a joy sending him into defences … then listening for that sound of somebody connecting with the corner of a brick shithouse.

17. Robbie McCormack

Hooker

1988-1996

If you want one player to symbolise what the Newcastle Knights are all about, it’s Robbie McCormack. Just the most professional, unbelievably tough, understated warrior. Back in ‘89, Robbie suffered a horrific leg injury against North Sydney that was likened to the aftermath of a car crash. Think broken leg, busted cruciate, compound fracture … the limb was going every which way. It was actually so bad a doctor said Robbie would likely never run again. Next year though, he played State of Origin.

16. Kurt Gidley

Fullback/Utility

2001-2015

I remember first watching Matty Gidley’s younger brother play juniors and think ‘shit, this kid’s all ears and teeth. That’s it’. But as Kurt got older, he built a game — and a career — around professionalism, effort and desire. Not only becoming one of the most respected players of his era, but a regular for both NSW and Australia.

Come back to The Newcastle News tomorrow to find out who Johns named as his numbers 15 to 11.

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