Best 17s of the NRL era: Newcastle Knights

We’re counting down every club’s best 17 in the NRL era.

Up next are the Knights, here is their best line-up over that period:

1. Robbie O’Davis 1998-04, 98 games, 33 tries

‘Robbie O’ was fresh off a triumphant 1997 season, heading into the NRL era, where his Clive Churchill Medal-winning performance helped the Knights win the comp. O’Davis struggled to string together games in his final seven seasons at the club, with multiple injuries stalling his progress and preventing further rep duties. However, whenever he was in the side, the Knights were far better for it.

2. Timana Tahu 1999-04, 2012-14, 126 games, 93 tries

He became best known as an elite centre later in his career but Tahu became a try-scoring freak at home on Newcastle’s right wing in his early days. Forming a lethal combination with Matt Gidley, Tahu was a major threat to any defence with his ability to make a game-breaking play. Scored 82 tries in his first 97 games for the Knights – a try every 0.85 games.

3. Matt Gidley 1998-06, 190 games, 65 tries

Introduced the famous ‘Gidley flick pass’ to the game after setting up Tahu and his NSW/Australia team-mates multiple times on the right wing. Gidley was a phenomenon on the right edge for the Knights and although he wasn’t a prolific scorer, it was his unselfishness that was appreciated and what led to many tries itself.

4. Adam MacDougall 1998-03, 2007-11, 147 games, 82 tries

The oldest of the MacDougall boys and easily the most successful, ‘Mad Dog’ endured injury and fitness troubles his whole career, incredibly notching up 20 games in a season just twice, in a 17-year career. When he played he made it count though, with his most prolific seasons being 2000-2001, with numbers of 10 tries in 21 games in 2000 and 14 tries in 20 games in 2001 yielding a Test jumper.

5. Akuila Uate 2008-16, 161 games, 110 tries

The flying Fijian was an electric sight on the right wing for Newcastle, and it was the early 2010s where he really found his feet. Uate went on to reach double figures for six straight seasons and took out the Dally M for winger of the year three years in a row from 2010-12. Uate not only represented his country of birth Fiji but he also made five appearances for Australia and played in five Origins for NSW.

6. Kurt Gidley 2001-15, 252 games, 80 tries

The younger of the Gidley brothers, Kurt established himself in the Knights' line-up in 2002 and was a key figure in the side for well over a decade. While he didn’t nab a premiership ring in his career like Matt, the utility was a valued member of the club and he became club captain in 2009. Able to play fullback or in the halves, Gidley had an array of skill but also an immense work ethic, which saw him regularly picked as a bench option for NSW and Australia.

7. Andrew Johns 1998-07 173 games, 62 tries

The eighth immortal is one of the greatest players of all time and despite his heroics in the 1997 Grand Final, his stocks only rose from there. Joey was so crucial to the Newcastle team, that his absence was hugely missed and they often struggled to win without him. He put on an absolute masterclass in the 2001 GF to win the Clive Churchill Medal. To add to that award, Johns picked up a number of other accolades such as Dally M Player of the Year and Halfback of the year in 1998, 1999 and 2002.

8. Josh Perry 2000-07, 142 games, 15 tries

After a brief taste of first grade in 2000, Perry established himself as a starting prop in 2001 and he reaped rewards instantly for his solid performances. Not only did he receive a call up to the Country side, but Perry’s 30^th NRL appearance was a Grand Final win. Consistent form over the following seasons led to Perry also gaining his first NSW jumper.

9. Danny Buderus 1998-08, 2012-13, 256 games, 61 tries

One of the most recent inductees into the Rugby League Hall of Fame and rightly so, Buderus was an outstanding servant to the Knights and an incredibly talented hooker. Before the emergence of Cameron Smith, Buderus was the best hooker in the game for half a decade, notching up 24 games for Australia and 21 consecutive Origins for NSW from 2002-08. ‘Bedsy’ was also the first hooker to receive the Dally M Player of the year, in 2004.

10. Tony Butterfield 1998-00, 71 games, 8 tries

Tony Butterfield was a foundation member of the Knights in 1988 and stayed there right through until 2000, just missing out on another premiership in 2001. A strong competitor that was as tough as nails, Butterfield once held the record for most games for the Knights before he was overtaken by Andrew Johns. Captained the side in his last two seasons and finally secured a NSW jumper in 1998.

11. Steve Simpson 1999-10, 216 games, 32 tries

After 12 great years at the Knights, Steve Simpson retired at only 30 but it’s not as if he hadn’t achieved anything he could have at the club. Simpson was a tireless second-rower who combined explosively with Ben Kennedy in the back row. He scored the second try in a rampant first half in the 2001 Grand Final before later making an enormous try-saver on Andrew Ryan. Simpson was a regular in the NSW side from 2005-07.

12. Ben Kennedy 2000-04, 86 games, 29 tries

When Kennedy busted his way through the defence and over the line in the 2001 Grand Final, it rounded out the try-scoring across the whole back row, after Peden and Simpson both crashed over earlier. It was no less than what Kennedy deserved after a tremendous season which typified the man’s effort and destructiveness. 2001 was his best in a Knights jersey, where he scored a remarkable 17 tries in the back row after playing in all 29 games.

13. Bill Peden 1998-02, 127 games, 33 tries

Billy Peden is perhaps one of the most underrated Knights players of all time. A brilliant lock forward, Peden’s work rate often went unnoticed and even when he should’ve stolen the headlines, he was outshone by a controlling Andrew Johns performance in the 2001 Grand Final, despite Peden scoring a first half double. Over his five seasons in the NRL era, Peden managed an impressive 127 games, missing just seven and scoring an admirable 33 tries.

14. Mark Hughes 1998-05, 144 games, 62 tries

Darren Albert was unlucky not to take out this spot on the bench for his try-scoring antiques from 1998-2001, but Mark Hughes wins out for longevity and the heart and soul he poured into the club. Hughes was capable of playing fullback or wing but it was at centre where he was most effective, scoring 48 in 95 games in the centres. Hughes’ consistent efforts for his side resulted in recognition by NSW selectors in 2001.

15. Chris Houston 2008-15, 160 games, 27 tries

An unheralded, unglamorous backrower, Houston was a workhorse for the Knights in his eight years at the club. Houston played less than 22 games in a season just once for the Knights, with the Narooma product an ever-present figure in their back row. He played a role in three finals series’ with the club, and scored an important try in Melbourne that helped them to the prelim in 2013.

16. Matt Parsons 2000-04, 106 games, 1 try

An unfashionable prop forward, Parsons joined Newcastle from Souths and spent five years at the Knights before retiring at just 31. One of the few players on this list not to taste Origin or Test football, it wouldn’t have mattered too much to the humble forward who quietly went about his job week after week. Parsons started 27 out of the 29 games in their successful 2001 season.

17. Sione Mata’utia 2014-current 112 games, 30 tries

The only player on this list to not play in a single finals series, the youngest Mata’utia brother hasn’t had the easiest induction into his rugby league career. Seven tries in seven games in his debut season delivered a shock call-up to the Australia side for the Four Nations before putting on the kilos for a move to the back row. Three wooden spoons brought some tough lessons for Sione but he’s shown he’s a real leader and someone who has what it takes to represent the proud club.

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