Mitchell Pearce is edging towards D-Day at the Knights

Newcastle’s Mitchell Pearce is facing one of the most important weeks of his career

Mitchell Pearce’s future has been one of the sagas of the off-season and the day is fast arriving when he will have a decision to make on whether to commit his future to the Newcastle Knights.

Knights recruitment boss Clint Zammit met Pearce last Sunday and made it clear Newcastle wanted him to stay. They still see him as the right man to take the club forward. At the same time, Pearce is smart enough to know the offer will be on reduced terms. When the offer arrives, most likely within the next week, it will be for one year and below the seven-figures he currently earns.

The Knights are walking a fine line. The last thing they want to do is disrespect Pearce with a desultory offer, turning him off the club and leaving him open to approaches from rivals.

They want to show Pearce the respect he deserves, while at the same time ensuring they protect their own salary cap position by not overspending on a player who turns 32 in April.

It is not overstating it to say it will be one of the most important weeks of Pearce’s career, leaving him with a choice to make. He can accept the offer and play for the Knights in 2022.

Or he can take his time, play some games and potentially increase his value by leading Newcastle to a fast start. Those close to Pearce say he is in an amazing head space given the past few months. Late last year, this column revealed that the Knights were walking a delicate line with Pearce amid speculation of a player swap with Parramatta half Mitchell Moses.

Then Pearce’s lavish wedding was cancelled after he was caught sending text messages to a Knights employee. That imbroglio also led to Pearce stepping down from the captaincy.

Against that backdrop, he was also facing an uncertain future at the Knights. However, it is understood he has responded to the setbacks in positive fashion.

Pearce has sworn off alcohol and is said to be comfortable with his future, wherever it may be. This week will likely determine whether it is in Newcastle or somewhere else.

Suaalii ready to go

The eyes of the rugby league world will be on the unlikely fields of Kirkham Park in Camden – in Sydney’s west – next week as two of the game’s future superstars take centre stage for the Sydney Roosters.

The Roosters have a trial game scheduled against Wests Tigers involving players who appeared in less than 12 games last year. That fits the bill for teenagers Joseph Suaalii and Sam Walker.

Suaalii, whose move to the Roosters inflamed tension with bitter rivals South Sydney, is tipped to play and begin what many expect to be one of the great rugby league journeys.

Few teenagers have entered rugby league under a brighter spotlight, having been at the centre of a tug of war involving the Rabbitohs, Roosters and the Wallabies.

He was wooed by some of Australian sport’s biggest names – think Trent Robinson, Wayne Bennett and Dave Rennie. He eventually plumped for the Roosters and their supporters will get their first glimpse of his talent in western Sydney on Saturday night.

Walker will be there as well, the 18-year-old desperate to make up for lost time after missing all of last season due to COVID. The last time Walker kicked a ball in anger was on September 27, 2018.

Talk is that he has been training the house down in the pre-season as he attempts to secure a place in the halves alongside Luke Keary. Walker is also playing for a contract given his deal finishes at the end of the season.

The Roosters haven’t really had a chance to watch him play but they will now.

Slater coaching key

Billy Slater spoke eloquently in support of the Queensland Rugby League and their incoming coach Paul Green in the pages of The Australian this week.

He also spoke about a moment many have used as evidence to show that Slater has the sort of football acumen to make a fist of coaching, be it at Origin or first grade level.

Late last year, when North Queensland and Maroons back Valentine Holmes was charged with a shoulder charge for a hit on Brisbane’s Jesse Arthars, a Whats­App message appeared on his phone from Slater.

What followed was a breakdown of the tackle and how Holmes could beat the charge. Slater had his own experiences with the shoulder charge, famously beating an offence to play in a grand final.

Cowboys types told Weekend Read that Slater’s message was impressive in its detail and knowledge. Holmes opted to plead guilty, but Slater left an impression on the good folk in North Queensland.

“With the Val situation, to be fair I have had a little bit of experience with it,” Slater said.

“I knew what I was talking about. The other thing with him was I felt sorry for him because I knew exactly what was going through his mind.

“When his body was put in an awkward position, I just wanted to help out wherever I could.”

It prompted the question whether Slater would be interested in a full-time coaching career.

“In terms of coaching, I have analysed footy for so long, it just comes natural to me to try to explain it to people,” Slater said.

“It is something I enjoy doing. I have never looked at myself as a full-time coach. I have only had one full-time coach (Craig Bellamy) in my career and I know how much he puts himself through.

“I don’t think I can commit that sort of time with everything else I have going on. I know I can do things but it is about how much you are willing to commit. To be an NRL coach, it has to be everything, it has to be your life.

“If you want to be good at that you have to put all your eggs in one basket.”

Intriguingly, Slater has been in regular contact with former teammate Cameron Smith over the off-season but even he is at a loss when it comes to Smith’s future.

Whispers are growing louder that Smith will be at the Gold Coast Titans in 2021, although Slater insists he too is in the dark.

“No scoop mate,” Slater said. “I speak to him a bit. I don’t think he knows and I don’t think he really cares. He is so relaxed. He will make to make a decision soon, won’t he? He will be right.”