Newcastle have signed exciting Cessnock centre Brayden Musgrove to a two-year deal following an impressive stint whilst on a train-on contract, per the Cessnock Advertiser.
The 22-year-old's signing will leave the Knights with one remaining roster spot for 2021, with the club's squad to be finalised before June 30.
Musgrove was a prominent member of Cessnock's premiership winning side in 2020 and has gained the recognition for his efforts.
The title is the club's first in 17 years, with NRL legends Andrew and Matthew Johns calling Cessnock home in their junior careers before heading to the Knights.
Knights recruitment manger Clint Zammit lauded Musgrove's ability, stating the young gun will be a vital asset to the club's outside back stocks.
"He is big and strong and has always had the ability - he just needed to prove he was willing to make some sacrifices and train really hard which is what he's done," Zammit said.
"He's a local boy which is great and Adam's been really impressed with him which is why we've given him this opportunity. I've got no doubt he will put plenty of pressure on some of our more established outside backs."
Zammit revealed that following Musgrove's signing, the club will likely look to wait out on finalising their 30-man squad.
"We'll take a wait-and-see approach with that last spot now that we've got Brayden on board," he said..
"Once we start playing, it might be that there is a position we need to strengthen or a player might become available who we believe will improve our overall squad.
"It's a case of being patient and see what happens."
Musgrove lifted the lid on his time away from the NRL system, stating it was a wake-up call for his career after being previously listed with the Knights and Sea Eagles.
"I picked up a knee injury a couple of weeks into pre-season training at Manly and never really felt comfortable down there before making the decision to come home and play for Cessnock last year," Musgrove said.
"I really enjoyed playing back home but it was a bit of an eye-opener for me and I just thought I needed to do whatever I had to to get another crack [at the NRL] because playing locally, there is always going to be time afterwards to do that.
"When I got the offer to train with the [Knights] boys in the pre-season, I saw it as my last chance so I knew I had to give it everything.
"Now to get the contract, I'm heaps happy about it and real excited and grateful as well and with the two years, it's good to know the club has that sort of belief in me. To have someone like Adsy [O'Brien] agree to give me that opportunity means he has some belief in me so it's up to me now to repay that.
"It's the hardest I've ever trained to be honest and I've never been in better shape. Hopefully, I can make the most of it when I get the chance."
