The Newcastle Knights' hopes of making the top eight at the end of the 2023 NRL season have taken a major blow with an ACL injury sustained by star hooker Jayden Brailey.
The injury continues Brailey's wretched run with injuries, where he has had just one full season since joining the Knights ahead of the 2020 campaign.
In that time, he has now suffered two ACL injuries and an Achilles injury, leaving him with less than 40 games across his four seasons.
While Brailey, who injured his Achilles in the pre-season ahead of the 2021 season, had suitable back-up last time around in Chris Randall, that is no longer the case in 2023.
Randall has since shifted to the Gold Coast Titans, where he is currently starting with Sam Verrills out injured. In return, the Knights received winger Greg Marzhew from the Titans, and didn't make any play to increase their own dummy half depth.
That has left coach Adam O'Brien to rely on the duo of Phoenix Crossland and Kurt Mann to fill the role in Round 7 against the Penrith Panthers, and likely until they are able to make another signings with one of their remaining squad spots for the 2023 campaign.
While Crossland and Mann will likely do a serviceable job, neither are going to be the number nine Newcastle need if they want to hang onto their better than expected start to the new season and fight to play in the finals come September.
Granted, no option that might be immediately available will help either, but a genuine number nine with NRL experience will help their cause, and allow Mann and Crossland to continue playing in a utility role that they are far better suited to.
Here are the top five options for the Knights to be chasing in immediately replacing Brailey, noting that these players could either be on loan, or for a short-term contract.
1. Tyson Smoothy (Brisbane Broncos)
Smoothy made the switch to the Brisbane Broncos' system this year, having struggled to find a breakthrough at the Melbourne Storm.
While he made his NRL debut in 2021 and played four games amongst major injury issues for the club, his 2022 season saw him back at the Sunshine Coast Falcons.
Named the QLD Cup's hooker of the year, he was then picked up by the Brisbane Broncos as a depth addition to the side.
However, he is currently stuck behind Cory Paix and Billy Walters, who split dummy half duties for the Broncos at NRL level, and if he hasn't already, will be surpassed by the future of Brisbane's number nine jersey in Blake Mozer.
Mozer is seen as the next Cameron Smith, and a player the Broncos will want to hand a debut to at some point this season.
That said, Smoothy is well out of calculations for Kevin Walters' squad at the present time, and at the very least a loan, if not an immediate move for good, makes the world of sense to both organisations in this instance.
