Locker Room: Kiwi Test prop Leo Thompsons latest Newcastle Knights star to consider leaving the club amid roster upheaval
Newcastle CEO Phil Gardner has gone through seven heads of recruitment in the past six years, raising more questions over roster management at the Knights who look set to miss out on finals footy amid growing player unrest.
NRL
Don't miss out on the headlines from NRL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Kiwi international Leo Thompson is considering taking himself to the open market, raising fresh questions over the Knights roster management overseen by CEO Phil Gardner.
The Thompson development has emerged in the wake of NSW Origin prop Daniel Saifiti’s likely defection to The Dolphins as the club wrestles with the fact that their hopes of winning a premiership within the next three years are lengthening by the day.
While still a mathematical shot at playing finals footy, Newcastle are widely-viewed as merely making up the numbers with the worst attack in the NRL and seventh-best defence.
The Knights have gone from their best finish in 18-years in fifth spot last season, to be sweating on results to be any part of September footy.
It’s the NRL.
So when the wins aren’t consistent, the pressure falls directly at the feet of the head coach, in this case Adam O’Brien.
O’Brien may be the answer for Knights fans. He might not be.
However, the question is, in what world are Newcastle living, if they think O’Brien is being given a platform of stability to deliver consistent results?
SEVEN IN SIX
Gardner either has zero patience or quality rugby league people, with mountains of experience, realise the hole is too deep once they get a look under the hood of the Knights.
Nonetheless, the Knights CEO has gone through seven heads of recruitment in the past six years.
With every change, brings a new strategy, opposing relationships with managers and belief system in how to manage the salary cap and recruitment.
Come and gone in the position considered of equal or greater influence to an NRL team than a CEO or coach since 2018 have been Darren Mooney, Troy Pezet, Alex McKinnon, Clint Zammit, Adam Doyle and Peter Parr.
Peter O’Sullivan is the latest head of recruitment to be parachuted into the role.
What also can’t be discounted is the influence of Knights mystery man and Gardner’s string-puller behind the scenes, who boasts an all-access pass without any official job title, Blake Cannavo.
O’Sullivan’s expertise in reshaping a roster is universal. It will need to be.
THE ROSTER
Thompson, who played his third Test for the Kiwis in their 30-0 nil thrashing of Australia last year, has knocked back every overture from the Knights this season to re-sign beyond his current deal which expires at the end of 2025.
The Knights are doing their best, but November 1 is looming fast.
The powerful 24-year-old prop-forward is astute. He recently confided to teammates that he wants to continue to develop as a footballer and as a young leader, but is wary of who he will learn from by committing to a club that has chosen to tap on the shoulder two of the team’s most respected leaders in Jayden Brailey and Saifiti.
Meanwhile, outstanding mentors and Origin stars Tyson Frizell and Dane Gagai could be gone by the end of next season.
It leaves a huge vacuum of experience.
If Thompson does take himself to the open market, watch for Penrith and Melbourne to come swinging.
THE HALVES
There’s an issue the Knights must tackle head-on if they are serious about being a genuine premiership-threat. They need an elite-level halfback.
Storm talent Jonah Pezet is on their radar, but the Knights will need to pull a rabbit out of their hat to lure him out of Melbourne, with Storm officials tabling the rookie playmaker a new deal this week.
Adding to the Knights stress is that they can’t make any sort of serious play on the open market with Jackson Hastings (2025), Will Pryce (2025), Jack Cogger (2026) and Tyson Gamble (2026) all on-contract.
Something has to give.
The immediate future at the club of Hastings, on an enormous salary of around $800,000 in 2025, is the discussion that this column believes is already in the diary for September.
Hastings, who is no stranger to being linked with change, has played the most number of games (16) at halfback this season.
PONGA PROBLEM
As last season’s blistering run to the finals showed, Kalyn Ponga is the difference between the Knights flying or floundering.
The pressure on the club’s highest-paid player is immense - which some would say is justified.
Although, you wonder at what point Ponga begins to realise his own premiership-ambition is further away than last season?
The Knights have signed NSW under-19s hooker Matt Arthur in the belief that he can provide an uplift in attack from the dummy-half position.
Still, it’s a huge call to expect a 20-year-old rookie to be the panacea to a myriad of issues in the Hunter, where the one constant since 2017 has been Gardner.
Originally published as Locker Room: Kiwi Test prop Leo Thompsons latest Newcastle Knights star to consider leaving the club amid roster upheaval
NRL star charged with threatening police
Canberra Raiders veteran player Josh Papalii has been charged over an ugly confrontation with police inside a licensed venue, just weeks before he won a prestigious award.
‘Sprays me every game’: How Luai’s tough love transformed Penrith star
Panthers young gun Paul Alamoti has praised Jarome Luai for helping turning his NRL career around, crediting some of the five-eighth’s savage sprays for turning him into a grand final player.