‘They’ve earned the right’: Loyalty a major factor for Adam O’Brien as Knights back incumbents ahead of star recruit

Adam O’Brien put a heavy emphasis on loyalty when he named his round 1 squad, but a returning player could spark more changes to Newcastle’s spine.

Adam O’Brien says Newcastle’s halves from last year deserve to start the new season. Picture: Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images

Most of the predicted round 1 line-ups over summer had Jack Cogger waltzing straight into a starting spot at the Knights, but the Penrith premiership hero will start the season on the bench with Newcastle coach Adam O’Brien declaring incumbents Jackson Hastings and Tyson Gamble have “earned the right” to start.

The pair played a key role in Newcastle’s incredible turnaround during which they won nine-straight games to finish the regular season before edging the Raiders in a thriller to reach the second week of the finals.

Cogger filled in admirably when he got his chance at Penrith and linked up brilliantly with Nathan Cleary when he replaced the injured Jarome Luai in the grand final, but he’ll have to bide his time after returning to the Hunter in the off-season.

Jack Cogger outplayed Tyson Gamble in the pre-season, but the new recruit will come off the bench in round 1. Picture: NRL Photos

“Loyalty is a really strong value of mine, and any time that you can show it, I try to do so. You can’t always do it because decisions are sometimes taken out of your hands,” O’Brien said.

“‘Coggs’ did a tremendous job for Penrith in that grand final, and I won’t take that away because it’s a very astute signing for the club, but those other two boys had a hell of a season for us last year, so they’ve earned the right.”

Cogger will likely relieve Phoenix Crossland at dummy-half during Thursday’s clash against Canberra, but those roles could all change when Jayden Brailey returns from a hamstring injury either next week or in round 3.

The luckless hooker has dealt with several long-term injuries but will slot straight back into the starting side when he’s cleared, with O’Brien set to face another selection headache when that happens.

Jayden Brailey will be back in the next couple of weeks. Picture: Mark Evans/Getty Images

“A lot of the commentary was around Jack Cogger starting when Brailey was available, but ‘Brails’ hasn’t been available for three weeks,” he said.

“As soon as that changed, you need cover for your nine, and Jack’s the perfect person for that. He’s played that role for Penrith off the bench.

“I’m really comfortable with the team for this week. We’ve got halves covered, and it’s a really hard ask to make Phoenix go 80 (minutes), so you need coverage at hooker. Jack’s the perfect man for that.”

Newcastle snuck past Canberra in a thrilling finals match that went to extra time.

The Knights head into the new season with high expectations after Kalyn Ponga showed why he’s regarded as one of the best players on the planet by winning the Dally M Medal after he turned them into an attacking juggernaut.

But they face a tricky test at home against a Raiders side that almost stunned them in the finals last year despite being without some of their best players.

“We understand the type of game style that Canberra will bring,” O’Brien said.

“They obviously had a fair bit of success with it in that game because it was a hard-fought game, but our motivation can’t come from how motivated the opposition are.

“It can’t be an ambush when you’re playing Canberra because you know what’s going to turn up.”