Newcastle chief executive Philip Gardner has confirmed that a 10-year contract offer for Dylan Brown is a risk the Knights are willing to take, although he admits they are still at best an “outside chance” of signing the Parramatta playmaker.
Brown is the NRL’s hottest free agent as he considers activating a get-out clause in his long-term deal with the Eels. The Kiwi international has until round 10 to decide whether he will leave Parramatta at the end of the season.
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The Knights believe Brown can help transform them from a top-eight side to title contenders and appear to have adopted a whatever-it-takes approach, amid speculation that they would be prepared to pay him around $1.2 million a year for the next decade.
That would make Brown only the third player in NRL history to sign a 10-year deal, after Jason Taumalolo (North Queensland) and Tino Fa’asuamaleaui (Gold Coast).
Gardner, who is also CEO of the Wests Group entertainment empire, sees Brown as a long-term investment capable of delivering huge dividends.
“We think Dylan, or someone like Dylan, is the missing piece for us,” Gardner said. “We have great confidence in Fletcher Sharpe’s progression, and we’re very confident with what we’ve got in Coggs [Jack Cogger] and Tyson Gamble for this season.
“But certainly you want those great players to come to the club, and we see Dylan Brown as a great player. We’re giving it our absolute best shot to get Dylan to come – and why wouldn’t you want to come to Newcastle?”
Asked about the possibility of offering Brown a 10-year deal, Gardner admitted that might be what is required, given that his contract with Parramatta – if he honours it – does not expire until 2031.
“We’ll have to compete with his contract with Parramatta,” Gardner said. “He’s currently on a six-year contract with Parramatta. He’s not going to come for less certainty, that’s for sure … we’re not ruling it [a 10-year contract] out. At his age, something beyond six years is a realistic option.”
Asked it that was a gamble, considering the injury risks in rugby league and the fact Brown turns 25 in June, Gardner replied: “That’s the business we’re in.
“We’re in the business of looking for what we need … you need those key players. Where would we be if I thought KP [Ponga] was too much of a gamble to sign.”
While Knights recruitment manager Peter O’Sullivan told News Corp this week that the club was compelled to release former Origin forward Daniel Saifiti at the end of last season because “we were $400,000 over the salary cap and couldn’t register contracts”, Gardner said there would be no problem squeezing Brown into their roster.
The Knights have a host of senior players coming off contract, headed by Jackson Hastings, Jayden Brailey, Adam Elliott and Jack Hetherington.
“We’ve got enough,” Gardner said. “We would never sign a player if we haven’t got enough cap space. They’ve got to show me a spreadsheet that shows me exactly where the cap sits before I’ll sign anything.
“So the offer that we’ve made to Dylan Brown is within our cap capacity.”
Nonetheless, Gardner admitted it would be tough to lure Brown away from Parramatta, the club who selected him to debut in the NRL as an 18-year-old. He is now a young veteran of 123 NRL games and 10 Tests.
“My belief is that we’re an outsider in this,” Gardner said. “I think certainly he has a connection to Parramatta. They’ve treated him very well, and he has a family association there.
“But we’ve certainly given him a lot of reasons to want to come to us. And if he comes here, he gets to play with KP, he gets to play with Fletcher Sharpe, and he comes to an area where he doesn’t have to be second fiddle.”
Meanwhile, Gardner is hopeful the Knights will be among the third intake of teams to open the season in Las Vegas next year and would be willing to give up a home game to book their tickets.
Bulldogs release rising star as he fights back from career-threatening injury
Dan Walsh
The Bulldogs have released promising playmaker Karl Oloapu from the final two years of his contract as he pursues a return to top-level rugby league.
Oloapu has not played since undergoing neck surgery at the end of 2023, an operation that came with two medical opinions advising Canterbury that the young half risked catastrophic injury if he didn’t retire.
A third opinion and corrective surgery on a bulging disc in his neck raised hopes of a comeback.
Now 20, Oloapu was medically cleared late last season to increase his training loads in the hope of returning to the game.
The youngster moved back home to Redcliffe last year and is now uncontracted after what was described as a mutual release from the 2025 and 2026 components of his Canterbury contract on Tuesday.
Oloapu was linked with the Dolphins earlier this year but any return to his junior club would be with Redcliffe’s Queensland Cup side rather than the NRL outfit.
“This has been a challenging period for Karl and his family,” Bulldogs general manager Phil Gould said in a statement. “He’s shown tremendous courage throughout this process, and we’ve worked closely with him to provide all possible support.
“While we’re disappointed things haven’t worked out as hoped, Karl’s long-term welfare, along with his playing future have always been our primary concern. We thank him for his contribution to the club and wish him all the best for the future.”
Oloapu played through the pain of a bulging disc in his neck for the majority of the 2023 season, highlighted by his NRL debut against the Dragons in Wollongong, the first of his seven games for the Bulldogs.
Canterbury originally signed Oloapu on a four-year deal that required a $500,000 transfer fee to be paid to the Broncos after an ugly falling out with the club
The Bulldogs were extremely cautious in bringing Oloapu back to rugby league, though the former schoolboy star has spoken of playing again after his career-threatening injury.
“It was a big shock for me, people were saying that I was going to retire,” Oloapu said last year.
“I think my focus right now is just to come back from it, not to prove people wrong but to prove myself right … I’m just trying to stay present and do everything I can to come back in 2025. No one wants an injury like that to happen to you. I think it’s kind of a blessing in disguise, learning about diet, building that resilience and just meeting new people along the way.
“I’m being really grateful for, you could say, a second chance at playing this game.”
Leniu’s record raises suspension, Souths’ $700k halfback recruit rubbed out
Dan Walsh
Roosters enforcer Spencer Leniu has accepted a two-game ban to start the NRL season as South Sydney’s big-money halves recruit Lewis Dodd is also sidelined for the hit that led to Dragons winger Sione Finau’s concerning state when he was taken from the field.
Leniu’s shot on Knights playmaker Phoenix Crossland on Sunday was deemed a grade 2 careless high tackle by the NRL Match Review Committee, and will rub him out for the Roosters opening games against Brisbane and Leniu’s old club Penrith.
A similar high-tackle charge on Leniu’s rap sheet raised his proposed penalty above that issued to Dodd and Canterbury’s Josh Curran, who has also accepted a one-game ban for hitting Bronco Jack Gosiewski high on Saturday.
Leniu’s absence for a Roosters side already coming to terms with the departures of Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Luke Keary, Joey Manu and Joseph Suaalii, along with long-term injuries to Sam Walker and Brandon Smith, shapes as an unnecessary headache for coach Trent Robinson.
Meanwhile, Dodd’s underwhelming Charity Shield outing has cost him his NRL debut after he accepted a one-game ban for hitting Finau in the head.
After being signed from St Helens on a reported $2.1 million, three-year deal last season, Dodd had been expected to partner Cody Walker in the halves against Wayne Bennett’s old Dolphins outfit in the season opener.
But after losing skipper Cameron Murray and superstar Latrell Mitchell to long lay-offs earlier this week, the English No.7 will now join them in the stands on March 7.
Playmaking recruits Jamie Humphreys and Bud Sullivan shape as Bennett’s leading options to partner Walker in round one, with Humphreys impressing with a couple of try-assists and a four-pointer of his own in a 46-26 loss.
Dodd struggled to inject himself into the contest as St George Illawarra raced to a 34-10 half-time lead. One of his few involvements saw Valentine Holmes swoop onto a grubber kick from the Englishman for the Dragons to score a 90-metre try, before Dodd hit Finau across the jaw late in the half.
Dodd then became the first player sin-binned under the new rule being trialled where players can be binned once a rival fails a head injury assessment.
Dodd was put on report for the 27th-minute shot, but he was only sin-binned at half-time once Finau failed his HIA assessment.
The Dragons winger scored the last of his four tries in 30 minutes after being hit high, and had to be helped from the field by club trainers shortly after. Finau looked especially groggy and struggled to keep his feet, a combination of heat stroke and delayed concussion symptoms according to the Dragons.
The 22-year-old is considered a strong chance of earning a round one start under Shane Flanagan and adding to his two NRL appearances. After initial concerns, Finau’s condition improved throughout the afternoon and he will now complete the standard 11-day concussion return-to-play protocols.