Knights fan survey: What you said about Ponga, O'Brien and the Dylan Brown mega-deal
Fans are also divided on captain Kalyn Ponga's commitment to the rest of his contract, despite his public declaration about wanting to stay at the Knights until at least the end of 2027.
They are some of the key takeaways from a Newcastle Herald survey this week, which canvassed opinion on several topics related to Newcastle's NRL side.
And the message from Knights fans is clear: disappointment and frustration. That was the theme of almost all of the 322 comments.
"Rubbish... It is not just the coach - players dropping ball, missing tackles, silly penalties," one user responded. "As [Andrew Johns] pointed out this season is a reflection of the prior 20 years of downward spiral - whole culture of the place stinks."
That was one brutal assessment after the Herald sought to gauge readers' views in light of the reports about the Knights weighing up O'Brien's future, and that injured skipper Kalyn Ponga was exploring his options despite being contracted, like O'Brien, for a further two years.
It wasn't all bad though and there is the future. "Necessary down season in order to get rid of too many bad-value contracts," another fan wrote. "Hastings, Pryce, Brailey, Hetherington, Pearce Paul etc. Some good young players given a debut, hopefully means future success."
Almost 500 fans completed the nine-question survey. Here are the results:
Newcastle have made the finals four out of the past five years under O'Brien, which at face value, gives the impression they're building towards a title push.
But close to 80 per cent of respondents believe the Knights, amid a disappointing campaign - placed 13th after six wins in 17 games - are at least four years away from being a genuine contender.
Broken down, 57 per cent said they were 4-6 years away, while 20 per cent said they were 7-10 years off. Only 16 per cent thought they could vie for a premiership in 1-3 years.
O'Brien's finals record is creditable, but since the team ran 14th in 2022, his position has been scrutinised.
A miraculous, Ponga-inspired 10-game winning streak into the 2023 finals series helped save his job that year, and earned him a three-year contract extension.
But an overwhelming 85 per cent of survey respondents believe the Knights and O'Brien will now part ways, despite the coach having two seasons left on his deal.
Ponga posted a brief statement on social media on Thursday saying he was "committed" to the Knights until the end of his contract, and that he was "excited about the vision of the club".
Opinion was almost evenly split on whether he will actually see out his deal, running to the end of the 2027 season, with 53 per cent saying he wouldn't and 47 per cent believing he will.
If O'Brien does continue at the helm, he will have Eels playmaker Dylan Brown on the roster to work with next year.
The Knights have signed Brown on a 10-year, $13 million deal.
The deal's length and expense for a player the Eels have now dropped to 18th man has been widely panned, and 77 per cent agreed. Only 23 per cent of respondents thought it was a smart buy.
The doubts about Newcastle's premiership credentials were reflected in what respondents thought of the NRL roster.
Close to 70 per cent said the club didn't have a squad capable of playing finals.
Without injured trio Ponga, Fletcher Sharpe and Dylan Lucas for the rest of this season, respondents also had little confidence in the Knights making a late run to the finals.
Close to 50 per cent believe the team will finish 14th or 15th, while 25 per cent thought last or second last. About 22 per cent backed the team to slightly improve or stay where they are, finishing 11th to 13th.
The Knights may have landed Brown for next season, and switched Sharpe to five-eighth this year, but 38 per cent of survey respondents voted for the 'halves' as the positional area the club needed to add depth to moving forward.
After letting the likes of former representative props David Klemmer and David Saifiti depart the club in recent years, and losing New Zealand international Leo Thompson to the Bulldogs at season's end, the Knights need to bolster their front-row depth and it was the overwhelming position respondents voted to strengthen at 53 per cent.
Newcastle have debuted several players in 2025, but it was no surprise to see the majority of respondents (82 per cent) vote for rookie back Fletcher Hunt as the 'find of the season'. Forwards Jermaine McEwen and Tom Cant, who has had a breakout year despite debuting in 2023, were also well thought of.
Sharpe, who scored 11 tries in 14 games before suffering season-ending injuries last month, was viewed as Newcastle's best player this year.
The 21-year-old Cessnock junior won 49 per cent of the vote, but was closely followed by Dane Gagai (32 per cent).
Ponga, who was injured a week after Sharpe but is now out for a similar period, gained only one per cent of the vote.
Several factors have contributed to Newcastle's results this year, which plenty of fans acknowledged.
"Injury to forward stocks hurt us more than people realised," one said. "Having Jacob Saifiti, Leo Thompson, Dylan Lucas, Jack Hetherington and Adam Elliot out at [much] same time meant plenty of fringe [players were in the team]."
Another wrote similar: "Everyone talks about our attack. Without depth through the middle to create go forward, scoring opportunities are hard to create, especially with slow ruck speed."
Others were less forgiving: "Woeful, but realistically we've probably overachieved in recent years .... we have one of the better back-lines in the comp but need much better halves and some better props too."
The development of local talent was also a common theme: "They've lost sight of what matters in Newcastle, the locals. How many players have to leave Newcastle to debut in the NRL and go on to become week-in, week-out first-grade players?"
Reccurring one-word descriptions of the season were "disappointing", "frustrated" and "ordinary".
One reader may have summed it up best: "Bitterly disappointed when the season promised so much."
The Knights are at least four years away from being a premiership contender, the Dylan Brown contract wasn't a smart deal and there is little confidence in coach Adam O'Brien retaining his job.
Fans are also divided on captain Kalyn Ponga's commitment to the rest of his contract, despite his public declaration about wanting to stay at the Knights until at least the end of 2027.
They are some of the key takeaways from a Newcastle Herald survey this week, which canvassed opinion on several topics related to Newcastle's NRL side.
And the message from Knights fans is clear: disappointment and frustration. That was the theme of almost all of the 322 comments.
"Rubbish... It is not just the coach - players dropping ball, missing tackles, silly penalties," one user responded. "As [Andrew Johns] pointed out this season is a reflection of the prior 20 years of downward spiral - whole culture of the place stinks."
That was one brutal assessment after the Herald sought to gauge readers' views in light of the reports about the Knights weighing up O'Brien's future, and that injured skipper Kalyn Ponga was exploring his options despite being contracted, like O'Brien, for a further two years.
It wasn't all bad though and there is the future. "Necessary down season in order to get rid of too many bad-value contracts," another fan wrote. "Hastings, Pryce, Brailey, Hetherington, Pearce Paul etc. Some good young players given a debut, hopefully means future success."
Almost 500 fans completed the nine-question survey. Here are the results:
Newcastle have made the finals four out of the past five years under O'Brien, which at face value, gives the impression they're building towards a title push.
But close to 80 per cent of respondents believe the Knights, amid a disappointing campaign - placed 13th after six wins in 17 games - are at least four years away from being a genuine contender.
Broken down, 57 per cent said they were 4-6 years away, while 20 per cent said they were 7-10 years off. Only 16 per cent thought they could vie for a premiership in 1-3 years.
O'Brien's finals record is creditable, but since the team ran 14th in 2022, his position has been scrutinised.
A miraculous, Ponga-inspired 10-game winning streak into the 2023 finals series helped save his job that year, and earned him a three-year contract extension.
But an overwhelming 85 per cent of survey respondents believe the Knights and O'Brien will now part ways, despite the coach having two seasons left on his deal.
Ponga posted a brief statement on social media on Thursday saying he was "committed" to the Knights until the end of his contract, and that he was "excited about the vision of the club".
Opinion was almost evenly split on whether he will actually see out his deal, running to the end of the 2027 season, with 53 per cent saying he wouldn't and 47 per cent believing he will.
If O'Brien does continue at the helm, he will have Eels playmaker Dylan Brown on the roster to work with next year.
The Knights have signed Brown on a 10-year, $13 million deal.
The deal's length and expense for a player the Eels have now dropped to 18th man has been widely panned, and 77 per cent agreed. Only 23 per cent of respondents thought it was a smart buy.
The doubts about Newcastle's premiership credentials were reflected in what respondents thought of the NRL roster.
Close to 70 per cent said the club didn't have a squad capable of playing finals.
Without injured trio Ponga, Fletcher Sharpe and Dylan Lucas for the rest of this season, respondents also had little confidence in the Knights making a late run to the finals.
Close to 50 per cent believe the team will finish 14th or 15th, while 25 per cent thought last or second last. About 22 per cent backed the team to slightly improve or stay where they are, finishing 11th to 13th.
The Knights may have landed Brown for next season, and switched Sharpe to five-eighth this year, but 38 per cent of survey respondents voted for the 'halves' as the positional area the club needed to add depth to moving forward.
After letting the likes of former representative props David Klemmer and David Saifiti depart the club in recent years, and losing New Zealand international Leo Thompson to the Bulldogs at season's end, the Knights need to bolster their front-row depth and it was the overwhelming position respondents voted to strengthen at 53 per cent.
Newcastle have debuted several players in 2025, but it was no surprise to see the majority of respondents (82 per cent) vote for rookie back Fletcher Hunt as the 'find of the season'. Forwards Jermaine McEwen and Tom Cant, who has had a breakout year despite debuting in 2023, were also well thought of.
Sharpe, who scored 11 tries in 14 games before suffering season-ending injuries last month, was viewed as Newcastle's best player this year.
The 21-year-old Cessnock junior won 49 per cent of the vote, but was closely followed by Dane Gagai (32 per cent).
Ponga, who was injured a week after Sharpe but is now out for a similar period, gained only one per cent of the vote.
Several factors have contributed to Newcastle's results this year, which plenty of fans acknowledged.
"Injury to forward stocks hurt us more than people realised," one said. "Having Jacob Saifiti, Leo Thompson, Dylan Lucas, Jack Hetherington and Adam Elliot out at [much] same time meant plenty of fringe [players were in the team]."
Another wrote similar: "Everyone talks about our attack. Without depth through the middle to create go forward, scoring opportunities are hard to create, especially with slow ruck speed."
Others were less forgiving: "Woeful, but realistically we've probably overachieved in recent years .... we have one of the better back-lines in the comp but need much better halves and some better props too."
The development of local talent was also a common theme: "They've lost sight of what matters in Newcastle, the locals. How many players have to leave Newcastle to debut in the NRL and go on to become week-in, week-out first-grade players?"
Reccurring one-word descriptions of the season were "disappointing", "frustrated" and "ordinary".
One reader may have summed it up best: "Bitterly disappointed when the season promised so much."
The Knights are at least four years away from being a premiership contender, the Dylan Brown contract wasn't a smart deal and there is little confidence in coach Adam O'Brien retaining his job.
Fans are also divided on captain Kalyn Ponga's commitment to the rest of his contract, despite his public declaration about wanting to stay at the Knights until at least the end of 2027.
They are some of the key takeaways from a Newcastle Herald survey this week, which canvassed opinion on several topics related to Newcastle's NRL side.
And the message from Knights fans is clear: disappointment and frustration. That was the theme of almost all of the 322 comments.
"Rubbish... It is not just the coach - players dropping ball, missing tackles, silly penalties," one user responded. "As [Andrew Johns] pointed out this season is a reflection of the prior 20 years of downward spiral - whole culture of the place stinks."
That was one brutal assessment after the Herald sought to gauge readers' views in light of the reports about the Knights weighing up O'Brien's future, and that injured skipper Kalyn Ponga was exploring his options despite being contracted, like O'Brien, for a further two years.
It wasn't all bad though and there is the future. "Necessary down season in order to get rid of too many bad-value contracts," another fan wrote. "Hastings, Pryce, Brailey, Hetherington, Pearce Paul etc. Some good young players given a debut, hopefully means future success."
Almost 500 fans completed the nine-question survey. Here are the results:
Newcastle have made the finals four out of the past five years under O'Brien, which at face value, gives the impression they're building towards a title push.
But close to 80 per cent of respondents believe the Knights, amid a disappointing campaign - placed 13th after six wins in 17 games - are at least four years away from being a genuine contender.
Broken down, 57 per cent said they were 4-6 years away, while 20 per cent said they were 7-10 years off. Only 16 per cent thought they could vie for a premiership in 1-3 years.
O'Brien's finals record is creditable, but since the team ran 14th in 2022, his position has been scrutinised.
A miraculous, Ponga-inspired 10-game winning streak into the 2023 finals series helped save his job that year, and earned him a three-year contract extension.
But an overwhelming 85 per cent of survey respondents believe the Knights and O'Brien will now part ways, despite the coach having two seasons left on his deal.
Ponga posted a brief statement on social media on Thursday saying he was "committed" to the Knights until the end of his contract, and that he was "excited about the vision of the club".
Opinion was almost evenly split on whether he will actually see out his deal, running to the end of the 2027 season, with 53 per cent saying he wouldn't and 47 per cent believing he will.
If O'Brien does continue at the helm, he will have Eels playmaker Dylan Brown on the roster to work with next year.
The Knights have signed Brown on a 10-year, $13 million deal.
The deal's length and expense for a player the Eels have now dropped to 18th man has been widely panned, and 77 per cent agreed. Only 23 per cent of respondents thought it was a smart buy.
The doubts about Newcastle's premiership credentials were reflected in what respondents thought of the NRL roster.
Close to 70 per cent said the club didn't have a squad capable of playing finals.
Without injured trio Ponga, Fletcher Sharpe and Dylan Lucas for the rest of this season, respondents also had little confidence in the Knights making a late run to the finals.
Close to 50 per cent believe the team will finish 14th or 15th, while 25 per cent thought last or second last. About 22 per cent backed the team to slightly improve or stay where they are, finishing 11th to 13th.
The Knights may have landed Brown for next season, and switched Sharpe to five-eighth this year, but 38 per cent of survey respondents voted for the 'halves' as the positional area the club needed to add depth to moving forward.
After letting the likes of former representative props David Klemmer and David Saifiti depart the club in recent years, and losing New Zealand international Leo Thompson to the Bulldogs at season's end, the Knights need to bolster their front-row depth and it was the overwhelming position respondents voted to strengthen at 53 per cent.
Newcastle have debuted several players in 2025, but it was no surprise to see the majority of respondents (82 per cent) vote for rookie back Fletcher Hunt as the 'find of the season'. Forwards Jermaine McEwen and Tom Cant, who has had a breakout year despite debuting in 2023, were also well thought of.
Sharpe, who scored 11 tries in 14 games before suffering season-ending injuries last month, was viewed as Newcastle's best player this year.
The 21-year-old Cessnock junior won 49 per cent of the vote, but was closely followed by Dane Gagai (32 per cent).
Ponga, who was injured a week after Sharpe but is now out for a similar period, gained only one per cent of the vote.
Several factors have contributed to Newcastle's results this year, which plenty of fans acknowledged.
"Injury to forward stocks hurt us more than people realised," one said. "Having Jacob Saifiti, Leo Thompson, Dylan Lucas, Jack Hetherington and Adam Elliot out at [much] same time meant plenty of fringe [players were in the team]."
Another wrote similar: "Everyone talks about our attack. Without depth through the middle to create go forward, scoring opportunities are hard to create, especially with slow ruck speed."
Others were less forgiving: "Woeful, but realistically we've probably overachieved in recent years .... we have one of the better back-lines in the comp but need much better halves and some better props too."
The development of local talent was also a common theme: "They've lost sight of what matters in Newcastle, the locals. How many players have to leave Newcastle to debut in the NRL and go on to become week-in, week-out first-grade players?"
Reccurring one-word descriptions of the season were "disappointing", "frustrated" and "ordinary".
One reader may have summed it up best: "Bitterly disappointed when the season promised so much."
The Knights are at least four years away from being a premiership contender, the Dylan Brown contract wasn't a smart deal and there is little confidence in coach Adam O'Brien retaining his job.
Fans are also divided on captain Kalyn Ponga's commitment to the rest of his contract, despite his public declaration about wanting to stay at the Knights until at least the end of 2027.
They are some of the key takeaways from a Newcastle Herald survey this week, which canvassed opinion on several topics related to Newcastle's NRL side.
And the message from Knights fans is clear: disappointment and frustration. That was the theme of almost all of the 322 comments.
"Rubbish... It is not just the coach - players dropping ball, missing tackles, silly penalties," one user responded. "As [Andrew Johns] pointed out this season is a reflection of the prior 20 years of downward spiral - whole culture of the place stinks."
That was one brutal assessment after the Herald sought to gauge readers' views in light of the reports about the Knights weighing up O'Brien's future, and that injured skipper Kalyn Ponga was exploring his options despite being contracted, like O'Brien, for a further two years.
It wasn't all bad though and there is the future. "Necessary down season in order to get rid of too many bad-value contracts," another fan wrote. "Hastings, Pryce, Brailey, Hetherington, Pearce Paul etc. Some good young players given a debut, hopefully means future success."
Almost 500 fans completed the nine-question survey. Here are the results:
Newcastle have made the finals four out of the past five years under O'Brien, which at face value, gives the impression they're building towards a title push.
But close to 80 per cent of respondents believe the Knights, amid a disappointing campaign - placed 13th after six wins in 17 games - are at least four years away from being a genuine contender.
Broken down, 57 per cent said they were 4-6 years away, while 20 per cent said they were 7-10 years off. Only 16 per cent thought they could vie for a premiership in 1-3 years.
O'Brien's finals record is creditable, but since the team ran 14th in 2022, his position has been scrutinised.
A miraculous, Ponga-inspired 10-game winning streak into the 2023 finals series helped save his job that year, and earned him a three-year contract extension.
But an overwhelming 85 per cent of survey respondents believe the Knights and O'Brien will now part ways, despite the coach having two seasons left on his deal.
Ponga posted a brief statement on social media on Thursday saying he was "committed" to the Knights until the end of his contract, and that he was "excited about the vision of the club".
Opinion was almost evenly split on whether he will actually see out his deal, running to the end of the 2027 season, with 53 per cent saying he wouldn't and 47 per cent believing he will.
If O'Brien does continue at the helm, he will have Eels playmaker Dylan Brown on the roster to work with next year.
The Knights have signed Brown on a 10-year, $13 million deal.
The deal's length and expense for a player the Eels have now dropped to 18th man has been widely panned, and 77 per cent agreed. Only 23 per cent of respondents thought it was a smart buy.
The doubts about Newcastle's premiership credentials were reflected in what respondents thought of the NRL roster.
Close to 70 per cent said the club didn't have a squad capable of playing finals.
Without injured trio Ponga, Fletcher Sharpe and Dylan Lucas for the rest of this season, respondents also had little confidence in the Knights making a late run to the finals.
Close to 50 per cent believe the team will finish 14th or 15th, while 25 per cent thought last or second last. About 22 per cent backed the team to slightly improve or stay where they are, finishing 11th to 13th.
The Knights may have landed Brown for next season, and switched Sharpe to five-eighth this year, but 38 per cent of survey respondents voted for the 'halves' as the positional area the club needed to add depth to moving forward.
After letting the likes of former representative props David Klemmer and David Saifiti depart the club in recent years, and losing New Zealand international Leo Thompson to the Bulldogs at season's end, the Knights need to bolster their front-row depth and it was the overwhelming position respondents voted to strengthen at 53 per cent.
Newcastle have debuted several players in 2025, but it was no surprise to see the majority of respondents (82 per cent) vote for rookie back Fletcher Hunt as the 'find of the season'. Forwards Jermaine McEwen and Tom Cant, who has had a breakout year despite debuting in 2023, were also well thought of.
Sharpe, who scored 11 tries in 14 games before suffering season-ending injuries last month, was viewed as Newcastle's best player this year.
The 21-year-old Cessnock junior won 49 per cent of the vote, but was closely followed by Dane Gagai (32 per cent).
Ponga, who was injured a week after Sharpe but is now out for a similar period, gained only one per cent of the vote.
Several factors have contributed to Newcastle's results this year, which plenty of fans acknowledged.
"Injury to forward stocks hurt us more than people realised," one said. "Having Jacob Saifiti, Leo Thompson, Dylan Lucas, Jack Hetherington and Adam Elliot out at [much] same time meant plenty of fringe [players were in the team]."
Another wrote similar: "Everyone talks about our attack. Without depth through the middle to create go forward, scoring opportunities are hard to create, especially with slow ruck speed."
Others were less forgiving: "Woeful, but realistically we've probably overachieved in recent years .... we have one of the better back-lines in the comp but need much better halves and some better props too."
The development of local talent was also a common theme: "They've lost sight of what matters in Newcastle, the locals. How many players have to leave Newcastle to debut in the NRL and go on to become week-in, week-out first-grade players?"
Reccurring one-word descriptions of the season were "disappointing", "frustrated" and "ordinary".
One reader may have summed it up best: "Bitterly disappointed when the season promised so much."
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"I'm not going to comment on that, mate," he said. Brown has become the beneficiary of Simonsson's absence, with the five-eighth back in the first-grade side after being overlooked for three weeks. Ryles had previously insisted the Eels needed to prioritise planning for a future without Brown, who joins the Knights on a historically rich deal next season. But the coach said Russell's potentially season-ending hand injury had forced him to reassess. "(Brown) hadn't been dropped or anything like that and things changed. An opportunity came up and we found a spot for him," Ryles said. "It's exciting for him. He's been training really hard. He's maintained a really, really good attitude in and around the place." Jason Ryles is unsure whether Bailey Simonsson has played his last game at Parramatta, after Dylan Brown's recall led the disgruntled centre to take leave from the club. After initially naming Jordan Samrani, Eels coach Ryles will play Newcastle-bound Brown out of position in place of injured centre Sean Russell against North Queensland on Sunday. Simonsson's previous requests for a release are understood to have factored into Ryles preferencing Brown over the 27-year-old, who is a specialist outside back. The situation frustrated Simonsson into requesting a release again this week, with the Eels then granting him a leave of absence from training. Ryles was confident he would soon return to the club. "Bailey made that decision to stay away for a couple of days, which we fully supported," Ryles said. "He'll get himself sorted, then we'll get him back into training as soon as we can. "(The situation) has been a little bit of a shock, but it's footy and it's all part of it. We've got to manage the players as best we can. We'll keep moving forward." A member of the Eels' 2022 grand final team, Simonsson signed a three-year contract extension last August, only weeks after the Eels named Ryles head coach. Ryles has wasted no time clearing out other players amid the Eels' rebuild, with Clint Gutherson, Reagan Campbell-Gillard, Joe Ofahengaue and Bryce Cartwright all shown the door. Despite the recent stoush, Ryles said Simonsson was "definitely" still part of his plans if he wanted to be at the Eels. But amid the uncertainty of the situation, Ryles was unsure whether Simonsson had played his last game for the Eels, and had not yet broached the subject with him. "I can't answer that. I'm not too sure," he said. "Not at the moment (we haven't spoken about it) and I'm not going to elaborate on anything that I speak to the players about. They're private conversations. "But 'Bail' has been really well supported by the club." Asked whether Simonsson's place at the club was tenable, Ryles played a straight bat. "I'm not going to comment on that, mate," he said. Brown has become the beneficiary of Simonsson's absence, with the five-eighth back in the first-grade side after being overlooked for three weeks. Ryles had previously insisted the Eels needed to prioritise planning for a future without Brown, who joins the Knights on a historically rich deal next season. But the coach said Russell's potentially season-ending hand injury had forced him to reassess. "(Brown) hadn't been dropped or anything like that and things changed. An opportunity came up and we found a spot for him," Ryles said. "It's exciting for him. He's been training really hard. He's maintained a really, really good attitude in and around the place."
ABC News
13 hours ago
- ABC News
Casey McLean: Our standards had dropped off at the start of the year
Penrith's win in the wet in Newcastle saw them ominously jump into the top 4 of the competition. It leaves their sluggish start to the season looking a long way off. And centre Casey McLean (21:36) - a double try scorer against the Knights - reckons that re-focusing on their on and off-field standards has made all the difference. He told Andrew Moore and the team that even little things like clearing up after themselves at training had dropped off. Plus Michael Carayannis is along with all the latest Rugby League news - and speculation - in MC's Hammertime (39:57).
