Few players have experienced the Newcastle Knights' lowest lows, and now their remarkable resurgence, quite like Phoenix Crossland.
The Central Coast product has spent more than a decade in Newcastle's system after signing with the club as a 15-year-old. He debuted under Kristian Woolf in 2019, endured the highs and lows of Adam O'Brien's tenure and is now flourishing under Justin Holbrook.
That perspective gives Crossland a unique appreciation of just how much has changed.
Because 12 months ago, the Knights weren't talking about finals football.
They were trying to avoid a wooden spoon.
Looking back now, Crossland doesn't sugarcoat how difficult last season became.
Despite believing the squad remained close throughout the year, the uncertainty surrounding the club eventually became impossible to ignore.
"Obviously, last year was pretty tough, although we had a good group there and I have always loved the club and been very positive about it; it was a tough time,” he recalled to Zero Tackle.
"Towards the back end of the year, there were a lot of talks about coaches and players moving on, so this year is a bit of a change, a fresh start and a lot of new faces.
"Looking back on it, now it's in the past, it wasn't great, and I am thankful the club has turned a page, and I have been a part of it."
Holbrook's appointment represented more than just another coaching change.
For Crossland, it marked the beginning of a completely different environment.
The Knights had gone from a club searching for answers to one rediscovering why players fell in love with rugby league in the first place.
The turning point, however, didn't come after a famous victory.
It happened before the season had even begun.
Crossland still remembers one of Holbrook's first training sessions. Although little was said about the wooden spoon campaign, everyone was carrying it with them.
The scars of the previous year were obvious.
Holbrook could see it too.
"It just felt pretty different. One of the first training sessions we didn't speak about last year too much, but you could tell there was a little bit of PTSD, I guess, and the boys were still walking on eggshells and still a bit upset about how we finished,” Crossland said.
Then came the sentence that Crossland says changed everything.
"He [Holbrook] said, 'You can't wait to win to be happy; you need to be happy to win,' Crossland said..
"You can't wait to win a game and then put a smile on your face. He brought that joy of footy well into preseason, before he even won a game this year."
If that message changed the team's mindset, a stop at a small country pub cemented the culture Holbrook was trying to build.
During a three-day pre-season camp in Coffs Harbour, the squad made an unscheduled stop at the Nabiac Hotel, where teammate Mat Croker grew up.
Nothing about it looked particularly significant from the outside.
For Crossland, it became the moment he realised this wasn't just another pre-season under another coach.
"Then there was a time when we had a three-day camp in Coffs Harbour, and the whole team was there, as Dylan (Brown) and I were back from NZ. That was a really good camp because you usually go into a pre-season, you get flogged in army camos, and you know it can be a bit like flogging a dead horse, but when we went to Coffs Harbour, we enjoyed each other's company,” Crossland recounted.
"Anyways, we had a pit stop back at Nabiac Hotel, where Mat Croker is from, to have a beer. Thomas Cant had a horse racing, and I think in that moment, where 30 of your best mates are in a pub with your coach, having a beer and watching one of the boys' horses race, well, the joint nearly fell down.
"It was just such a cool moment, and that's probably when it clicked. Like we're just best mates having fun, playing footy and training together.
"Those two moments probably don't sound cool or big, but as a team, they were pretty special."
Holbrook's greatest strength, Crossland believes, is that he never tries to make himself the most important person in the room.
Instead, he empowers those around him.
The relationship is built on trust, honesty and clarity, something Crossland says has allowed every player to understand exactly what is expected of them.
"First and foremost, he is a good person. He doesn't put himself above anyone. He has, I guess, an aura; he's a coach, but you can sit down and have a coffee with him as well and talk about anything. I think that's the most important thing when you are a coach: you need to be approachable, and he is definitely that,” he said.
"He is very smart, obviously, but just real simple. He just gets the best out of everyone and doesn't try to overcomplicate it. He knows I don't have to go out there and be Dylan Brown or Kalyn Ponga and score three tries, and he doesn't expect Kalyn to make as many tackles as I do. He's very clear about what he expects from everyone."
That philosophy has arguably benefited Crossland as much as anyone.
Modern hookers are often expected to do everything, control the ruck, create points, defend tirelessly and help steer the team around the park.
Rather than burdening Crossland with every responsibility, Holbrook stripped the role back to its foundations.
Focus on what you do best. The rest will come.
It's an approach that has transformed Crossland's game.
While his defensive workload continues to rank among the best in the competition, the confidence that comes with mastering one area has naturally allowed other parts of his game to emerge, including a pair of momentum-shifting 40/20 kicks in consecutive weeks.
Crossland compares it to chasing excellence in any profession. Master one craft before trying to master everything else.
"It just comes back to understanding every player's strengths.
"With the team we have at the moment, I don't need to be Harry Grant, where I set up four tries a game and lead a team off attack. He expects me to be solid in defence and be that rock and hold everything together; we already have enough players in the team to score points.
"He's just simplified my role and understands what I am good at. I can kick a ball, and I am a good defender, and that's enough. He just wants to bring that out of me and make that the best he can, and things will fall off the back of that as scoring tries.
"But you need to put all your chips in what you are good at and really express yourself there. It alleviates the pressure in other areas because as long as I do this, everything else will follow."
Crossland is also quick to acknowledge the influence Holbrook has had across the entire club, praising not only the coach but those who made the appointment.
"Our coach Justin Holbrook has been massive for us as a playing group, and getting the best out of everyone and everybody enjoying their footy again. But that also comes from the top of the club when they appointed him, Peter Parr and Chris James and the rest of the board when they chose him. It was a big decision, but I think they nailed it, and the results are showing that,” Crossland said before expanding on the impact of the higher-ups.
“You're just like I'll play footy, and they are the ones making the signing, and Peter Parr leads that- the CEO. You know, I think having a CEO that I see every day at training, a boss that I can see and shake his hand every morning and be around, is important. It's the little things that drive a club and its culture.”
For a player who has spent almost half his life wearing Newcastle colours, the club's resurgence has made this season all the more rewarding.
And while rugby league rarely allows for fairytale endings, Crossland admits he would happily spend the rest of his career where it all began.
"In a perfect world, I think so. I'd never leave and stay here and win a comp every year," Crossland said when asked whether he could see himself becoming a one-club player.
"But footy is a weird one. Obviously, things change at clubs, but I don't want to look too far ahead. I am signed until 2028, and that is nice, if I could stay forever, yes, if I can't, that's life. But I am pretty focused on this year at the moment."
