Why the Knights are set up for success despite injuries, Dean Young’s recruitment at Dragons, Alex McKinnon column

There has been plenty of doom and gloom surrounding Newcastle this week.

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But this is far from a lost season. There should still be plenty of optimism around the Knights.

It is obviously less than ideal to lose both Dylan Brown and Dylan Lucas, but when challenges like these present themselves, they create opportunities for other players to step up and prove they belong.

For the Knights specifically, this is a club that has lacked genuine depth in the halves and back row for the best part of 10 or 15 years.

Now, that has changed.

This is their chance to show it.

Consider Fletcher Sharpe and Sandon Smith in the halves, or Francis Manuleleua, Tom Cant and Jermaine McEwen in the back row.

As sombre as last weekend was, the silver lining is the opportunity it gives Newcastle’s next generation to grow.

Take McEwen.

He started the year on fire before missing time through injury and then another game through suspension.

It is incredibly difficult for a young player to maintain that level across an entire season. Sometimes, rugby league has a funny way of presenting players with small windows to reset.

McEwen would not have wanted to be injured or suspended, but that time away may ultimately help him. For a young player, maintaining concentration and intensity over a long season can be a major challenge.

He was starting when the Knights were playing some of their best football, and he should return with plenty of energy.

Add Dane Gagai and Kalyn Ponga returning, while Jacob Saifiti is also not too far away, and there is still an air of optimism around the club.

This difficult period could eventually produce some important green shoots.

After all, this is a team that finished with the wooden spoon last year.

The fact the Knights are still in the finals race is a significant achievement. The key is ensuring this season is not a one-off.

The experience these young players are gaining now will be invaluable in 2027 and beyond.

This is also an opportunity for the club as a whole to demonstrate how far its junior pathways program has come.

From my experience working as a pathways recruitment analyst, the program is run seamlessly.

The Knights are very well resourced in this area, which is a luxury, and there has been a major commitment from the Wests Group board to continue investing in the club’s pathways.

That investment can be seen in accommodation, additional coaching, staffing and equipment. Everyone is leaning into the pathways space.

The club also has the right person leading it in head of pathways Hanna Clare.

She is steering the program in a direction built on accountability, open communication and transparency.

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More importantly, staff are being held accountable through clear KPIs around the number of junior players we identify, develop and bring through the club.

I do not believe that level of accountability has ever previously existed at Newcastle.

The Knights also have some incredibly talented development coaches, particularly Shaun Kenny-Dowall, while the overall coaching vision is led by director of pathways coaching Adam Blair.

Together, they have placed a real emphasis on the basic fundamentals of the game and building the program around those foundations.

The club is also fortunate that head of recruitment Peter O’Sullivan draws so much energy and excitement from the pathways space, particularly when it comes to recruitment.

He genuinely loves working in that area.

As someone who works closely with him, I can see how valuable it is to have a person with his level of experience who not only believes in junior development but is passionate about producing the club’s own first-grade players.

That is a major competitive advantage.

Not every head of recruitment oversees an entire club’s recruitment strategy. At many clubs, those responsibilities are split between senior and junior recruitment.

At Newcastle, the alignment across the entire system gives the club a rare opportunity.

Over the next three to five years, I believe we will continue to see more Knights juniors ready to play first grade when the club needs them.

It also helps that Justin Holbrook already feels like a Newcastle Knights coach.

Someone made that observation to me recently and, while it may sound like a throwaway line, it makes sense.

Holbrook played for the Knights, so he understands the club and the community.

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People often describe Newcastle as a tough mining town. There is certainly plenty of toughness in the people here, but more than anything, the community wants to see the Knights invest in pathways and develop local players.

I think the fans can see that happening.

There is genuine excitement around the direction of the club.

The Knights had six players selected in the Australian Schoolboys under-18 side this year, while the club also reached both the under-17 and under-19 men’s grand finals in the junior pathways competitions.

It has been a tough week for Newcastle.

But when you look at where the club has come from and where it is heading, there are still plenty of reasons to be optimistic.

THE PROOF YOUNG IS THE RIGHT MAN TO LEAD THE DRAGONS

Moving on to the Dragons, the club confirmed Dean Young as its permanent head coach last week, and I could not be happier with the appointment.

Before the Dragons played the Knights in Newcastle, I went to the team hotel to catch up with Dean and Scotty Stewart, who was my Harold Matthews manager when I was coming through the Illawarra Steelers system.

I also played alongside Dean, so it was great to see him again.

You can already see the impact he has had on the respect and overall feeling within the playing group.

It is exciting to see him earn the opportunity to coach the Dragons over the next few seasons, particularly because he has already played such a significant role in their recruitment.

You can coach players as much as you like, but at some point, improvement also comes from bringing better players into the organisation.

It sounds simple because, in many ways, it is.

Dean has been heavily involved in identifying and recruiting players such as Kodi Nikorima, Scott Drinkwater and Luke Metcalf.

The best coaches generally have the best players, and one of the most important parts of coaching is the ability to attract and recruit talent.

Dean has already shown he can do that.

In Nikorima, he is bringing in a player whose game he understands and whose output he can rely on.

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The Dolphins five-eighth has found real confidence in his style of play and in the way he approaches the game.

That reliability is important for a coach, particularly when the Dragons also have several young players coming through.

You do not always need a player to produce a 10-out-of-10 performance.

If Nikorima consistently gives the Dragons a seven out of 10, that will be more than enough.

Beyond recruitment, even though the wins have not consistently been there, you can clearly see a change in the Dragons’ playing style and competitiveness.

They are playing with less lateral movement and are instead playing to their strengths by attacking through the middle.

Young has also started to get the best out of Loko Pasifiki Tonga, while Hamish Stewart continues to improve, which is exciting for the club.

The players are also speaking glowingly about him, and it is not just the current squad.

Incoming players such as Drinkwater have also publicly praised him.

As a former Dragons player, it is exciting to see an old boy in charge, particularly someone with such a strong history and connection to the club.

Looking ahead to next year, I expect the Dragons to be significantly more consistent, especially defensively.

Their attention to detail and concentration should improve, which means they should not be blown out of games as often as they were earlier this season.

There will be plenty of changes to the team, so it is difficult to make firm predictions.

But there is genuine excitement around the direction of the club.

Anyone who was around the Dragons in 2010 understands the role Dean played in setting standards at training, creating competition within the squad and leading the forward pack.

I expect him to bring those same qualities to his role as head coach.

HOW THE RAIDERS COULD SHAKE UP THE FINALS RACE

Moving from a genuine premiership contender to a team that may not even make the finals, I have loved watching Canberra’s recent resurgence.

They may have left their run too late, but I believe the Raiders will still have a major influence on how the final ladder takes shape.

Overall, it has been a disappointing season considering how well they performed last year.

But it is easy to overlook the impact of losing the influence of two experienced players who were central to their success: Josh Papalii and Jamal Fogarty.

Papalii is still there, but he has not been as consistently dangerous or influential as he was last season.

That has forced other players to take on greater responsibility.

Ata Mariota, Simi Sasagi, Zac Hosking and Corey Horsburgh are among those who have started to step up and establish their roles within the team.

Fogarty’s absence has attracted far more attention.

There has been plenty of noise from outside the club, but it has been impressive to see Ricky Stuart remain committed to Ethan Sanders and continue to protect and support him publicly.

The Raiders are now beginning to see the rewards of that approach.

Sanders has produced some strong performances in recent weeks.

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Anyone who watches enough rugby league knows he was doing a solid job even before his attacking game began to click.

Anyone familiar with his junior career also knows the foundations of his game have always been his kicking and defence.

It has been great to see his attack start to develop and the rest of the team respond to that improvement.

He is a very solid and direct half.

Some playmakers are naturally creative. They produce linebreaks, score tries and generate highlight moments.

But halves who consistently make the players around them better are much harder to find.

Sanders does that through his craft, control and touch.

There has been plenty of pressure on him this season, but his core fundamentals, particularly his kicking and defence, have helped him withstand it.

Beyond that, he brings his teammates into the game.

He creates space, gives players early ball and puts them in positions where they can be effective.

This final period of the season could be incredibly important for Sanders as he continues to build confidence heading into 2027.