One of the most impressive juniors at the Newcastle Knights has reportedly left the club to link up with a rival NRL team.
Myles Martin, the club's Jersey Flegg captain, U19s NSW Blues representative, and Top 30 squad member, will no longer play in the Knights colours after the cessation of the current season.
Primarily playing in the lock position, the 20-year-old joined the Knights after being poached from the Parramatta Eels but fell down the pecking order following leg surgery in the off-season.
The Newcastle Heraldย has revealed that Martin will leave the Knights at the end of the season and has signed a three-year contract agreement with the Canberra Raiders.
It is understood that the club attempted to extend his contract at the end of last season but was unsuccessful in doing so and instead decided to focus on re-signing other players.
His arrival at the nation's capital will make him the ninth Knights player on the Canberra Raiders roster.
This will see join follow former Newcastle players Joseph Tapine, Danny Levi, Hudson Young, Pasami Saulo, Tom Starling, Zac Hosking, Simi Sasagi and Zac Woolford at the club.
Despite him being set to join the Raiders and outside back James Schiller to move from Canberra to Newcastle, the Raiders have ruled out a potential early release for both players to link up with their new teams.
"That hasn't even been discussed, so as far as I'm aware, it definitely won't be happening," Raiders CEO Don Furner told ACM, which is the publisher of The Canberra Times.
"That's my view, and I'd be very surprised if anything was to change there."
Martin's departure means the Knights have 11 players off-contract at the end of the season.
The list of off-contract players is headlined by David Armstrong, and Tyson Gamble but also includes Thomas Cant, Mat Croker, Zach Herring, Brodie Jones, Krystian Mapapalangi, Fletcher Meyers, Laitia Moceidreke, Enari Tuala, Toni Tupouniua.
