The Newcastle Knights are on a roll when it comes to locking in players for their future, with exciting youngster Jermaine McEwen putting pen to paper on a two-year extension that ties him to the club through to the end of the 2028 season.
At just 21 years old, McEwen has wasted no time making the back row his own, featuring in every game this season, clocking big minutes and putting up significant numbers across the board.
In the 10 games for Newcastle this season, he has made 33 tackles per game at a 91% efficiency, running 98.2 metres per game, which is already a 20 metres per game increase from his rookie season and four games with three or more tackle breaks.
Knights Head of Recruitment Peter O'Sullivan says the best is still very much to come.
"Jermaine's progression through our pathways system to 26 NRL appearances is a testament to his hard work," O'Sullivan said in the club statement.
"Since relocating from Western Sydney with his family, Jermaine has embraced the city and its community, he absolutely loves Newcastle.
"The exciting thing is, we do not know Jermaine's ceiling. What we do know is he will keep getting better under the coaching he is receiving, and we cannot wait to see his continued development as an NRL player."
Knights coach Justin Holbrook was equally effusive, making clear just how valuable McEwen has become to the Knights' plans.
"Jermaine continues to exceed our expectations this year," Holbrook said.
"He has only just turned twenty-one. His improvement this season, and the way he has played through the opening ten rounds, has made him a very important part of our team."
"We are looking forward to watching Jermaine's further improvement over the next couple of years and beyond."
The Knights announced Greg Marzhew's extension on Wednesday night, keeping him at the club until the end of 2029.
The 29-year-old winger "turned down higher offers" to stay in Newcastle.
In addition, the club has recently extended superstar Kalyn Ponga to 2030 and Harrison Graham to the end of 2027.
