NRL Rd 2 - Knights v Wests Tigers
NEWCASTLE, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 20: Dane Gagai of the Knights celebrates his try with team mates during the round two NRL match between the Newcastle Knights and the Wests Tigers at McDonald Jones Stadium, on March 20, 2022, in Newcastle, Australia. (Photo by Ashley Feder/Getty Images)

The Newcastle Knights went from one disaster to the next during the 2022 NRL season, and while they would ultimately avoid the wooden spoon, it was hardly a cause for celebration.

The men from the Hunter - with the most passionate fans in the competition - would wind up in 14th spot with just 6 wins from their 24 games.

Injuries at crucial times, form drop offs, and horrid decisions in recruitment and retention didn't help, but even then, the club played well below what their potential should have allowed.

For the second season in a row, their attack was beyond terrible, with the Newcastle-based side running up just 372 points. That gave them 20 more than the last-placed Tigers, but lumped them with fewer points than the Bulldogs and confirmed their status as the second-worst attacking side in the NRL for 2022.

That came amidst Jake Clifford struggling to hold a spot down and Anthony Milford's arrival, while Kalyn Ponga's season was rocks and diamonds with far more of the former than the latter.

Adam O'Brien appeared at various points to be hanging by a thread, although keeps his job heading into 2023 - the same may not be true for 2024 with another poor campaign.

That all said, there are some very obvious and large gaps in this Knights side, so if they could steal anyone from around the competition, with not a single worry about contracts or salary cap, who would it be?

Current squad

Bradman Best, Jayden Brailey, Adam Clune, Mat Croker, Phoenix Crossland, Adam Elliott, Lachlan Fitzgibbon, Tyson Frizell, Dane Gagai, Tyson Gamble, Jackson Hastings, Jack Hetherington, Bailey Hodgson, Hymel Hunt, Jack Johns, Brodie Jones, Dylan Lucas, Kurt Mann, Greg Marzhew, Kalyn Ponga, Daniel Saifiti, Jacob Saifiti, Simi Sasagi, Leo Thompson, Enari Tuala, Dominic Young

NRL Elimination Final - Rabbitohs v Knights

Analysis

The Knights have attempted to take some steps to address the last two seasons of abysmal attacking records with some of their recruitment for the 2023 campaign - but how much of a difference it actually makes remains to be seen.

Jackson Hastings - who joined the club in a surprise swap deal with David Klemmer - is the biggest of their recruits, and without a doubt the most important.

Likely slotting into the 13 jersey at the Tigers during 2023, his move to the Knights will enable him to remain in his preferred number seven jersey, but he has one of the biggest jobs in the competition, almost without a shadow of a doubt.

He will be joined in the halves by another new recruit in Tyson Gamble at the club, although that jersey is far less secure, and a gun five-eighth wouldn't look out of place in a Newcastle jumper as they battle to turn the club around.

Adam Elliott and Greg Marzhew are the other two new recruits who will walk straight into this side.

The Knights lacked a ball-playing number 13 badly last year, and with Mitch Barnett leaving for the New Zealand Warriors, the absence of players suitable for the position only grows stronger.

Kurt Mann was trialled there last year but is undoubtedly better coming from the bench, so Elliott, on the back of playing the role strongly for the Canberra Raiders, will play 13.

NRL Rd 10 - Rabbitohs v Knights

One wing spot is taken by Dominic Young, while Marzhew will take the other in a battle with Hymel Hunt and Enari Tuala.

Other positions stable in the Knights side include that of Kalyn Ponga's at fullback, although losing his back up in Tex Hoy could be a worry given Ponga's injury and concussion worries, while Bradman Best and Dane Gagai will line up in the centres.

The backline - should it stay healthy - doesn't look too bad for the Knights, but their depth in the forwards is severely lacking.

While the club will be desperate to get a full season out of Jayden Brailey, who has been unlucky in recent times with injury, it's a necessity this season given the departure of Chris Randall to the Gold Coast Titans in a move which facilitated the arrival of Marzhew.

Daniel and Jacob Saifiti are another two players who need to go to another level in 2023 following the departure of David Klemmer, but the club now lacks a genuine front-row leader, while Tyson Frizell and Lachlan Fitzgibbon have both been below par on the edge in recent years and don't have great back up.

While Mann takes one bench spot as the utility, the remaining spots will be made up of a combination of the arriving Jack Hetherington, and other forwards Brodie Jones, Mat Croker, Leo Thompson and Jack Johns.

NEWCASTLE, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 19: Daniel Saifiti of the Knights looks on during the round 24 NRL match between the Newcastle Knights and the Melbourne Storm at McDonald Jones Stadium on August 19, 2017 in Newcastle, Australia. (Photo by Ashley Feder/Getty Images)

Options to steal

Option 1: David Fifita (Gold Coast Titans)
What the Knights need more than anything else is an improvement to their attacking options.

Fifita is, on his day, one of the best attacking players in the NRL, and has proven it time and time again for the Titans.

His ability to break tackles and create something from nothing on either edge of the field is exactly what the Knights need.

DAVID FIFITA
Second-row
Titans
2022 SEASON AVG
22
Tackles Made
0.4
Tries
4.2
Tackle Breaks

Option 2: Addin Fonua-Blake (New Zealand Warriors)
As mentioned earlier, the Knights come into the 2023 campaign without David Klemmer in what is a major blow for the side.

Klemmer was their forward pack leader throughout 2022, with the Saifiti brothers backing him up.

It became clear that the minutes and production Klemmer was able to output for the men from the Hunter was almost not replaceable.

That said, the Saifiti brothers will now be tasked with doing just that, but they need help from somewhere.

In keeping with the trend of attacking players, Fonua-Blake fits the bill for the Knights with his footwork, offloading and huge metres per game.

ADDIN FONUA-BLAKE
Prop
Warriors
2022 SEASON AVG
152.7
All Run Metres
0
Tries
1.8
Tackle Breaks

Option 3: Cameron Munster (Melbourne Storm)
Unlike some other clubs we have already covered in this series who needed a five-eighth, but not a dominant one, the Knights need a dominant ball-playing half who can turn the fortunes of the side upside now.

When it comes to that very specific criteria, there is no one better in the NRL currently than Cameron Munster.

The Queensland and Australian five-eighth has been one of the best players in the game for many, many years and while he isn't going anywhere after re-signing with the Storm, there was a reason he was being chased by plenty of clubs who were all willing to throw seven figures at him.

A player like Munster could turn the fortunes of Newcastle around almost overnight.

CAMERON MUNSTER
Five-eighth
Storm
2022 SEASON AVG
0.7
Try Assists
0.5
Tries
200.4
Kick Metres

Option 4: Jeremiah Nanai (North Queensland Cowboys)
Nanai has been the breakout star over the last 18 months in the NRL, taking the competition by storm.

The star second-rower found his way over for a staggering number of tries last year and maybe more so than Fifita now, has become the player who can create something from absolutely nothing.

He played for Queensland and Australia this year and will be almost permanent fixture of those sides moving forward.

JEREMIAH NANAI
Second-row
Cowboys
2022 SEASON AVG
27.3
Tackles Made
0.7
Tries
1.5
Tackle Breaks

The verdict

This is a somewhat tricky one. The Knights need almost all four of these players if they were to turn things around.

As much as they need a forward leader, the need for that could be somewhat reduced by the arrival of another player.

In this instance, that has to be Munster. Frizell and Fitzgibbon are serviceable on the edge, and probably become far better players with Munster's arrival.

If the Knights are going to turn things around, they need a player to not only improve his own position but elevate everyone around him.

Cameron Munster.