Former NRL prop Liam Knight is nearing a return to the NRL after signing with the North Sydney Bears in the NSW Cup.

Knight impressed in his short 12-month stint in the Northern Hemisphere with Hull FC during 2025, and was rewarded with a new contract for this year until he returned home in February.

The 31-year-old played local footy with Cessnock in the Newcastle Denton Engineering Cup in the Hunter. Still, the Bears recently picked up his talents and announced his arrival on their social media last weekend.

The Bears went on with the job against the Magpies to secure the Jason Taylor Cup with a pressing 46-16 win, but a bigger question emerges for the former Manly, Canberra, South Sydney and Canterbury forward.

NRL Elimination Final - Rabbitohs v Knights
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 04: Liam Knight of the Rabbitohs is tackled during the NRL Elimination Final match between the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Newcastle Knights at ANZ Stadium on October 04, 2020 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

The latest franchise in the NRL, the Perth Bears, has direct ties to North Sydney pathways to develop talent to withstand the intensity of the NRL.

With Knight's NRL experience, he emerges as a potential option for Mal Meninga to bolster his forward power for 2027, and now has a direct path to return to the NRL for the first time since 2024, playing two matches that season.

The iconic foundation Sydney club will work directly with the Perth franchise as a feeder club once they enter the NRL in 2027.

Knight played 33 minutes off the bench for the Bears, recording 69 metres in eight runs, marking a solid return to NSW Cup.

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The Bears remain in second spot on the ladder and in hot pursuit of the Penrith Panthers, with one point separating the two talented sides.

If Knight can continue his powerful form for the Bears, it will no doubt pique the interest of Meninga and the Bears coaching staff, potentially finding himself on Australia's West Coast at some point.

Knight has played 83 NRL games in his career, making his debut with the Sea Eagles in 2016 after progressing through the Northern Beaches pathways alongside Tom Trbojevic.

Although Knight's breakout stint was with the Rabbitohs, playing 66 matches in the cardinal and myrtle from 2019 to 2023.

There are three matches left in the NSW Cup regular season, with the Bears hosting Parramatta on Sunday, followed by clashes with the Jets and the Storm.