20 of the Best: Newcastle Knights

As we wait for season 2011 to get underway, the Making The Nut team will take a look back over the last 20 years to name the 20 best players at all sixteen teams. Merged teams will take account of both clubs pre-merger and the only rule is that a player must have played at least three years post-1990. A player's time at the club is the only time that is taken into account.

Here, Nick Tedeschi examines takes a look at the Newcastle Knights.

20. Darren Albert

The blonde haired winger will never have to buy a drink in Newcastle as long as he lives after scoring the match-winning try seven seconds from full-time in the ’97 decider to give the Knights their first title. In 89 games on the Newcastle wing, Albert scored 65 tries. Albert just pipped the similarly fast Akuila Uate for last spot on this list.

19. Bill Peden

“Bustling” Billy Peden never got the credit he deserved but the hard-working backrower was a staple of the Newcastle team for a decade, playing 190 games for the club. Peden was one of only five Knights to play in both premiership sides, starting at hooker in 1997 before scoring two tries against Parramatta as the starting lock in the 2001 Grand Final.

18. Mark Sargent

The 1989 Rothman’s Medal winner probably played his best football prior to 1991 but Mark Sargent was still a force for Newcastle in their first finals run in 1992. The bustling and hard prop played Origin in 1990 and made his Test debut the same year, donning the green and gold five times as the first club international. Retired before Newcastle’s glory days but laid the foundation for it through his toughness and grit.

17. Mark Hughes

“Boozy” was probably the beneficiary of playing in a fine era of outstanding Newcastle backs, playing a role in both premiership victories and representing New South Wales in all three matches in 2001. In nine seasons, the Knights won 59% of all matches where Hughes played, Boozy scoring 66 tries.

16. Michael Hagan

Hagan’s career was winding down come the nineties with his blossoming coaching career still a decade off but Hagan was the leader of the first good Newcastle team in 1992. The classy five-eighth slotted a key field goal in Newcastle’s 21-2 semi-final win over Wests, the club’s first finals win, and was named on the bench of Newcastle’s all-time side.

15. Robbie McCormack

An underrated centre-cum-hooker who played most positions in-between, McCormack was a classy player who helped drive the ’92 and ’95 sides to September. Sharp out of dummy half and with a good pass, McCormack played 154 matches for the Knights and got the call-up for New South Wales in 1992 and 1993, replacing Benny Elias on both occasions. McCormack was named the Knights Player of the Year in ’92 and ’94.

14. Adam Muir

In an era of very good backrowers, Muir stood tall, playing nine Origin matches along with two Tests. Muir played six seasons and 99 games for the Knights and was a key component of the ’97 premiership side. Muir was an outstanding fringe runner and heavy-hitting defender who was named to the Newcastle Team of the Era in 2007. His career, both geographically and figuratively, went south after leaving Newcastle for stints with Norths and South Sydney.

13. Adam MacDougall

One can only imagine how impressive the career of Mad Dog would have been had it not been for constant injury, a drugs ban and a silly decision to leave Newcastle for South Sydney at the height of his career. In 149 games for the Knights over 11 seasons, MacDougall played in both Grand Final victories and is incredibly, still playing even though he will turn 36 this year. MacDougall is the club’s all-time leading tryscorer with 83 and is one of only four Knights to have a winning strike rate of over 60% in this top-20 list.

12. Tony Butterfield

A hard running prop forward and skipper for the 1999 and 2000 seasons, Butterfield showed remarkable longevity for a big man, playing 229 games for the club. Butterfield only seemed to get better with age, partnering Paul Harragon in the ’97 decider and making his only Origin appearance in 1998. Butterfield was named Newcastle Player of the Year in 1996.

11. Marc Glanville

A warhorse remembered for his high workrate in defence, Glanville played 188 games for the Knights over ten seasons after joining the club in their inaugural season. He never received the accolades he deserved outside of the Knights but he was well enough respected at the club, winning the Knights Player of the Year award in 1991 and 1993. Glanville retired after helping guide Newcastle to victory in the 1997 Grand Final.

10. Matt Gidley

With his hallmark flick pass, Gidley was a staple of an outstanding Knights backline for 11 seasons and 222 matches. Gidley scored only 69 tries in his time at the club but he was far more a distributor than a scorer, renowned for his intelligent line running and deft ball movement that no doubt came from his junior days where he was a five-eighth. Played 17 Test matches and 11 Origin games while a Knight. Played in the 2001 Grand Final but did not get a run in the ’97 decider.

9. Timana Tahu

Tahu may be a washed-up mirage of his old self these days but as a winger at the Knights playing outside Matt Gidley, Tahu was a legitimate star. In only 97 appearances over six seasons, Tahu scored a remarkable 82 tries after making his top grade debut at the age of 18. Tahu scored the deciding try of the 2001 premiership victory with the Knights victorious over 60% of the time when Tahu played.

8. Steve Simpson

In his heyday, Simpson was a skilled fringe runner and a hardworking defender who was a staple of both the New South Wales and Australian teams. A two-time Newcastle Player of the Year (2001, 2005), Simpson added class to a Knights pack that was often lacking it toward the backend of his career. A veteran of the 2001 premiership campaign, where he was the best player for the Knights throughout the season, Simpson was forced into a premature retirement due to chronic knee and ankle injuries.

7. Robbie O’Davis

Few players bled the blue and red more than Robbie O. He loved the club and would still be playing if Newcastle would have him. O’Davis knocked up 223 games on the wing and at fullback for Newcastle, playing in both Knights premierships. His finest performance came in the 1997 Grand Final when a sublime two-try effort saw him awarded the Clive Churchill Medal. Exciting and elusive, O’Davis represented Queensland 12 times and Australia on six occasions.

6. Matthew Johns

Destined to always play second fiddle to brother Andrew, Matt Johns was an classy player in his own right. Not blessed with Andrew’s natural skill set, Matthew led more through grit and a deep understanding of the sport. Such was his popularity in Newcastle after nine seasons and 176 games, the city nearly erupted when he was forced out after the 2000 season. Johns played four Origin matches and eight Tests as a Knight and was named to Newcastle’s Team of the Era in 2007.

5. Kurt Gidley

An outstanding utility who is capable of playing anywhere in the backline along with hooker and backrow, Gidley has the endurance of a steeplechaser. One of only three players in the top-20 not to have won a premiership with the club (along with Robbie McCormack and Michael Hagan), Gidley has led from the front in the post-Joey era. The Newcastle Player of the Year in 2007 and 2008, Gidley was appointed the New South Wales Origin captain in 2009. A leader, a talented ball-player and a workhorse, Gidley to this day remains underrated. 

4. Ben Kennedy

Ben Kennedy came of age at Newcastle. He was as raw as veal at Canberra and he was a true leader at Manly but at Newcastle he came into his own as a bull-like runner who could carry a team on his back. Kennedy played only five seasons and 86 games for the club but such was his class, he is revered as one of the great Knights. Newcastle would not have won the 2001 premiership if it was not for Kennedy and his blazing intensity. Kennedy played eight Origins and nine Tests as a Knight.

3. Paul Harragon

Chief was Newcastle’s first popular hero, a fearless prop forward who delighted in shedding blood for the region. He ranked with Glenn Lazarus as the top prop forward of the nineties and made 20 straight appearances for the Blues, captaining the side. Harragon also played 14 Test matches. Harragon managed 169 matches for Newcastle and skippered the inaugural premiership team but he was cruelled by injury and illness often and was forced to retire after the ’99 season. Harragon was the man who kept Newcastle loyal during the Super League war and is as beloved as any Knight to ever pull on the jersey.

2. Danny Buderus

Perhaps the best indication of Buderus’ quality as a player comes in the fact Buderus won four Newcastle Player of the Year awards (1999, 2003, 2004 and 2006) compared to the two won by Andrew Johns. A Dally M Medal winner in his own right, winning the coveted award in 2004, Buderus revolutionised the hooking role, carrying on the torch from Steve Walters. Buderus was the undisputed top hooker in the game for nearly a decade, playing 24 Test matches and 21 matches for New South Wales. Sharp, creative and tough-as-nails, Buderus is deservedly remembered as one of the all-time great hookers. It was a disgrace that he was forced from the club before his time by Brian Smith.

1. Andrew Johns

The best player I have ever seen and without question the greatest Knight, Joey could do things with a football that most simply could not. Blessed with an amazing kicking game, a sensational pass and a thorough understanding of the halfback role, Johns had a near-flawless game and he made the most of it with a near manic drive to win. He was an outstanding goal-kicker, retiring as the all-time leading point-scorer in the NRL, a genuine leader of men and a hard-hitting defender. On debut, he scored 23 points in a sublime performance and such was his standing that Newcastle struggled to win without him. Johns represented both New South Wales and Australia on 23 occasions and was the key figure in the Blue amazing 2005 series win, making an incredible comeback in game two from a serious injury. Few players in the modern game have been as decorated with Johns one of only two players to twice win the Golden Boot. He won the Dally M Medal an unprecedented three times (1998, 1999 and 2002), won the Churchill Medal in 2001 after making the winning play in the 1997 premiership victory and was four times Dally M Halfback of the Year. It was one of the great tragedies of modern rugby league that a serious neck injury forced Johns to retire prematurely with 249 first grade games to his name. There has been no more delightful player to watch play rugby league.

 

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