Whilst other NRL clubs have had mixed results signing Super League players, the Newcastle Knights look to have found two hidden gems.
Both Dominic Young and Bailey Hodgson arrived on Australian shores from Huddersfield Giants and Castleford Tigers respectively having played less than five top flight games between them in Super League.
Since then, both have made a huge impression on their new side, with Young nailing down a permanent wing spot and Hodgson making waves in the reserves.
That has since prompted the Knights to go hunting in Super League once more with theĀ Newcastle Herald and Zerotackle reporting that they are in ‘deep discussions’ with Huddersfield’s Will Pryce and Wigan Warriors’ Kai Pearce-Paul.
Knights CEO Phil Gardner told theĀ Herald that they are willing to use their own players to bring more Super League stars to Australia: “We’d like to regularly have English players coming into the club. They add something to the club and the fans love them,” Gardner said.
“If our players can spend a couple of years at the end of their careers playing in England, it’s good for them and also a recruitment tool for us.
“We can ask for their opinions of the players over there, and they can help spread the word that the Knights are a good club to play for. That all helps with the process.”
Both Pryce and Pearce-Paul are currently on the sidelines, with the former serving a ten-match ban and the latter suffering a serious groin injury.