Best 17s of the 16-team era: Newcastle Knights

The Newcastle Knights have had a horror time of it over the last 16 years, regularly finishing at the wrong end of the ladder.

The team with the NRL's most passionate fan base won the wooden spoon in 2015, 2016 and 2017, winning just a single game in the horror 2016 season.

Since 2007, they have made the finals on just five occasions in the 16-year stint, with one of those a preliminary final under the coaching of Wayne Bennett in 2013.

They have also been through five different head coaches, and while the future may look a little better with some of the young talent at the club, there is no doubting just how far through the ringer this club have been.

That means picking their best 17 over the last 16 years is an unbelievably tricky task, although there is still some serious talent in the side.

A reminder that the only qualification to be considered for selection at a club is that the player must have played more career games for that club where they have played for multiple between the 2007 and 2022 period.

Here is who makes the cut.

Fullback: Kalyn Ponga

There are really only two fullbacks under consideration for the number one jersey, being current day version Kalyn Ponga and former club captain Kurt Gidley.

Darius Boyd would be another option, although it's fair to say he was never at his best in the Hunter, and ultimately played more games elsewhere making him ineligible for the side.

Gidley was the stalwart of the Knights, and played at representative level during his time at the club, but ultimately, doesn't match Ponga on raw talent.

Ponga has struggled with injuries and consistency at times, but is the undisputed best number one of the era for the men from the Hunter.

Wingers: Akuilla Uate and James McManus

The Knights have had some excellent wingers since 2007, including the current iteration in Dominic Young. While his contract is up for renewal, if he elects to stay in Newcastle, he could well become one of the club's best wingers of all-time.

That said, he isn't quite ready for that title, and instead falls behind Akuilla Uate and James McManus in the pecking order, while the likes of Wes Naiqama and Nathan Ross also come into consideration.

Ross in particular had a disappointing time, with his career cut short due to injury. He played during the Knights' horror run of wooden spoons, but still managed 23 tries in 60 games.

No one comes close to knocking Uate out of this side though - playing for the Knights between 2008 and 2016, he scored 110 tries in 161 games.

McManus - the Scottish flier - grabs the other spot with 72 tries in 166 games between 2007 and 2015, with both playing during the successful period for the club in this era.

Centres: Dane Gagai and Adam MacDougall

Dane Gagai is the first selected in the centres for the Knights in this side - currently in his second stint at the club, he is up to 148 games, and is a representative-calibre option.

Despite the fact his representative form for Queensland always seems to be better than his club form, he has been a driving force of anything good that has happened in the Hunter over his time at the club.

The second spot is far less straight forward to work out. Bradman Best, Junior Sa'u and Sione Mata'utia all come into calculations, but it's Adam MacDougall, who scored 87 tries in 158 games during two stints for the club, who takes the spot.

Halves: Kurt Gidley and Jarrod Mullen

The halves combination is among the toughest in the team to work out. While genuine halves Tyrone Roberts and Scott Dureau put their hands up for the number seven jumper, they are tough to pick.

Andrew Johns is also a factor, but only played two games from the start of the 2007 season, which simply isn't enough, no matter how much of a club legend he is.

Instead, we will go with Kurt Gidley, who missed the number one jumper, alongside Jarrod Mullen, who played enough halfback in his time at the Knights to wear the seven, even if his best position was the six.

Both Gidley and Mullen played six and seven, so the pair could easily interchange the roles as they see fit.

Middle forwards: Daniel Saifiti, Jacob Saifiti and Matt Hilder

While Kade Snowden and David Klemmer are ineligible by playing more games elsewhere, the Knights' struggles over the last 16 years can be (largely) put down to a lack of depth in the middle third.

When both Saifiti brothers - who are currently still in the first halves of their careers - are the obvious selections, the depth issue becomes very real.

They will wear the number eight and ten jerseys in this side though, having both played representative football.

Other options at prop include Josh King, Korbin Sims, Daniel Tolar and Richard Fa'aoso.

Lock is a two-horse race between Neville Costigan and Matt Hilder, but it's difficult to take away from what Hilder achieved in his 101 games for the club between 2008 and 2013.

Hooker: Danny Buderus

With Jayden Brailey still ineligible - although he wouldn't have been had injury not de-railed his last two seasons - there is only one option to play at dummy half.

Danny Buderus, a former club captain, made his debut in 1997, and wound up retiring at the end of 2013. He did take a break to play elsewhere between 2009 and 2011, but there was no doubt the club wanted him back.

A workhorse in defence, he is an exceptional dummy half and with the only competition being Danny Levi, Buderus is one of the automatic selections in this side.

Second-row: Chris Houston and Zeb Taia

Where the Knights haven't had a great deal of depth in the front row, they have had more in the second-row. All of Mitch Barnett, Lachlan Fitzgibbon, Jeremy Smith, Robbie Rochow, Chris Houston, Zeb Taia, Clint Newton and Cory Paterson come under consideration here.

Houston and Taia are the two we will go with in the starting side though.

Houston, who debuted in 2008, played 160 games for the Knights, with the majority of those coming on the edge during the club's successes of the early part to the period.

A hard-hitting forward, he was tough to tackle and even tougher to get past.

Taia, who moved from the Parramatta Eels in 2007, had similar qualities during his 101 games at the Knights, with the forward playing a Test for New Zealand in 2010 during his stint at the Knights.

Interchange: Connor Watson, Neville Costigan, Daniel Tolar and Mitch Barnett

Considered: Kurt Mann, Connor Watson, Kurt Gidley,
Ineligible:

The utility position on the bench could have gone to Gidley, however, we have used him in the halves - instead, we will go with Connor Watson, who can play in the backs, or at lock, or even at hooker in a pinch.

His game developed enormously during his final season at the Knights in 2021, when he was a crucial part of the side's return to the finals in both attack and defence.

The rest of the bench is made up of forwards, with Neville Costigan winning a spot after playing a hard-hitting style in the Hunter, while Daniel Tolar, who played more than 100 games for the club, also grabs a spot.

The final spot comes down to a handful of edge players, but we will take Mitch Barnett ahead of Jeremy Smith and Cory Paterson for the final jersey.