Newcastle Knights coach Adam O'Brien has signed a two-year contract extension with the club.
The Knights confirmed O'Brien's new deal in a statement on Friday morning, tying him to Newcastle until the end of the 2024 season.
Knights CEO Philip Gardner said O'Brien's signature was significant for the club moving forward.
โAdam is an outstanding coach and an outstanding person, and everyone at the Club is delighted that he will be our Head Coach for a further two seasons,โ Gardner toldย newcasteknights.con.au.
โThis is an ideal outcome for everyone, it provides great personal security for Adam and his wife Sharyn and it means that we can continue to build the foundations required for the Club to be consistently successful.
โAdamโs continued growth and evolution as a coach confirms he is the right person to lead the Newcastle Knights now and into the future.
โWe are absolutely thrilled to know that he will be here until at least 2024, and hopefully many more years after that.โ
Some good news for your Friday morning.
THE BOSS IS LOCKED IN ๐
โก๏ธ https://t.co/E3yqGoKugP#comeoutcharging pic.twitter.com/WSnfQNXTaO
— Newcastle Knights (@NRLKnights) February 25, 2021
O'Brien took over the reigns at Newcastle ahead of the 2020 season after 12 years as an assistant at the Storm and Roosters.
He led the club to an 11-1-8 record, making finals for the first time in seven seasons.
O'Brien was thrilled to have his future sorted and is confident in the club's direction.
โIโve been really pleased with our overall progression since I joined the club back in November 2019,โ OโBrien said.
โWe identified key areas to strengthen, we developed a strategy to make that transition and then targeted the right people to execute those plans.
โIโm really pleased with the people we have under the roof.
โWeโve brought in several key staff members to complement our existing team, some great recruits, and key retentions. And we have an ongoing strategy designed to ensure our list remains highly competitive. Iโm really proud they chose us, just like our members.
โFrom day one, Sharyn and I knew Newcastle was for us โ itโs like where we both grew up on the South Coast of NSW. We were a good fit for Newcastle, and Newcastle is a good fit for us.
โWe both love the community, we enjoy life outside of work and this extension allows us to bed down our new home and build deeper roots.โ
The Boss opens up on his new deal ๐
โก๏ธ https://t.co/8mSS68cPyV#comeoutcharging
— Newcastle Knights (@NRLKnights) February 26, 2021
O'Brien made headlines for the wrong reasons during the off-season, with reports emerging earlier this month that he was involved in a drunken altercation at the races.
The Knights denied those allegations, confirming that he attended the races but that โinformation gathered confirms all Knights representatives always acted professionally and appropriately."