Adam O’Brien’s replacement at the Newcastle Knights will be handed a playing roster bent “out of shape” by monster deals for Kalyn Ponga and incoming recruit Dylan Brown.
The Knights are set to announce on Thursday they are parting ways with O’Brien, with reports assistant Blake Green will win a promotion.
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It will be Green’s first head coaching job in the NRL.
The former NRL half will be tasked with turning around the fortunes of a club that is battling to avoid the wooden spoon just one season removed from a top-eight finish.
Making matters tougher is the state of Newcastle’s roster, which NRL360 host Braith Anasta labelled “out of shape”.
As it stands, two players, Dylan Brown and Kalyn Ponga, will take up nearly a quarter of the cap space next year.
Ponga is the highest-paid player in the game, reportedly on nearly $1.4 million a season. Brown meanwhile will join the club in the off-season on a mammoth $1.3 million a year deal over 10 years.
Given Ponga’s close relationship with O’Brien, it’s unclear if he’ll try and angle for an early release. There have already been rumours swirling that the superstar fullback wants to switch to rugby union.
He’s currently under contract until the end of 2027.
Anasta says the Knights should do everything to try and keep him, believing Brown can’t be the player you build a club around even despite the hefty price tag.
Knights set to part ways with O’brien | 02:12
“The elephant in the room now is Kalyn Ponga. They signed him on big money, for a long time he’s been there,” Anasta said.
“Rumours are always circulating about him. It’s unsettling to say the least.
“You’ve already got Dylan Brown there at $1.3 million a year for 10 years. You need Kalyn there with him, at least for the first year or two.
“Ypu can’t team around Dylan Brown. You just can’t. You may as well say it’s over now as Kalyn is a ten times better player.
“The Brown signing is crazy. It’s got worse as the season has gone on.
“It needs a rebuild, but because of the big names on big money it’s going to be difficult.”
The Daily Telegraph’s Dean Ritchie says Ponga’s contract would limit the incoming new coach’s flexibility with the Knights roster.
“Is it time that with a new coach, and we believe it’ll be Blake Green, is it time for Kalyn Ponga to move along,” Ritchie said.
“Let Blake Green have some room to move in his salary cap and then he can go out and mold a roster that suits him.
“If this side isn’t good enough now under Adam O’Brien, and there’s no room for Blake Green to move under the salary cap, then is Blake Green inheriting the same side which means more likely, he’ll get the same results?”.
Ponga is world class, but it’s not like the Knights don’t have options to replace him.
Local junior Fletcher Sharpe burst onto the scene this season before injury ended his 2025 campaign.
Foxsports.com.au’s Paul Crawley agreed with Ritchie, noting Sharpe’s development, however believed the Knights might have missed the boat with a couple of potential free agent signings.
“The problem for the Knights is Brown and Ponga is chewing up so much of the salary cap,” Crawley
“It could’ve worked if Kalyn was to move onto another club, I thought that Fletcher Sharpe is a ready-made fullback. You had blokes on the market like Toby Sexton and Reed Mahoney and for Kalyn’s money, you could have completed your spring.
“I’m not saying any of those players are in his class, but it could have been a more complete side.
“Unless one was to leave. There were rumours about Kalyn potentially putting out feelers for this new (R360) rugby competition.”
