The Newcastle Knights have pounced on a relative free hit, signing the Canadian winner of the Las Vegas combine and hoping he bucks the trend of others who have failed to make an NRL career.
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Marcus D’Acre, a 194cm athlete who is set to play in the outside backs, will begin his journey playing in the Jersey Flegg Cup, the elite under-21 competition, after signing a contract until the end of 2026.
The first year of the 20-year-old’s $1200-a-week contract will be exempt from the salary cap and half funded by the NRL as per league rules.
D’Acre played top-level rugby in Canada, Singapore and New Zealand and holds an Australian passport through his Melbourne-born father Nigel.
The Knights are excited about the prospect they have on their hands. .
“Marcus has been on my radar for quite a while after I got a tip from former Dragons NRL player David Niu, who is based in the United States of America,” Knights head of recruitment Peter O’Sullivan said.
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“He is a beautifully balanced athlete with speed and agility who can beat people.
“Marcus also kicks goals at 85 per cent. While we understand it will take him some time to learn the game and the increased levels of physicality, we believe he has the tools to go on much further in the NRL.”
The NRL combine in Vegas involved 50 prospective players during the extravaganza that opened the 2025 season.
D’Acre was one of two men chosen among four winners overall. None of the other three have signed a contract yet.
The only other player to earn a contract on the back of the combine, Liz Tafuna, left the NRLW’s Sydney Roosters before last season began.
