Knights fans feared they’d signed a $13m dud. Dylan Brown’s Test form put that to rest, says coach

5 hours ago 3

New Knights coach Justin Holbrook says Dylan Brown has shown his true worth during the Pacific Championships but remains undecided about what role the New Zealand five-eighth will play for Newcastle next season.

Brown, the former Parramatta playmaker, has joined the Knights on what has been described as the richest deal in rugby league history – a 10-year contract reported to be worth $1.3 million per annum.

His underwhelming form for the Eels last season left many querying if the Knights had signed a lemon, but Brown has been arguably the player of the Pacific Championships, steering the Kiwis into Sunday’s final against Samoa with two quality performances.

In the series-opening 24-18 win against Samoa, the 25-year-old scored a try, delivered two try assists, carried the ball 162 metres and made 22 tackles. In Sunday’s 40-14 hammering of Tonga, he scored two tries, created another two, made three line-breaks in his 122 metres, and effected 15 tackles.

Holbrook admitted that Brown’s club form in 2025 “probably wasn’t his best” but he has been delighted with what he has seen of him in the international arena.

“I think he would have got man of the match again on the weekend, wouldn’t he?” Holbrook said. “He got it in the game before, so just terrific. He’s a great player – we’ve seen that over the last couple of weeks for New Zealand.

Dylan Brown has been outstanding for the Kiwis.

“I think for myself and all Knights fans, it’s exciting when you see your players playing at that level, but to then excel at it ... I think it’s great for our club, and I guess great for him to build that confidence coming into a new club.”

Holbrook oversaw his first training session on Tuesday after signing a three-season deal to replace Adam O’Brien, but Brown won’t be required to link with his new club until late December.

That’s when the coach will start fashioning a new-look spine. As well as Brown, the Knights have also signed Sandon Smith from Sydney Roosters, to complement incumbents Kalyn Ponga, Fletcher Sharpe and Phoenix Crossland.

“We’ve got to work that out,” Holbrook said. “Obviously it’s the most talked-about thing up here, the spine, and where everyone plays. But to be honest, I’ve just got to get everyone back to training. I’m excited about fitting them all in.

“There’s no doubt they’re all going to fit in … it’s going to be a few weeks until we get them all back, but we’ll work it all out over time.”

Sharpe, the 21-year-old utility back, has resumed training after suffering a lacerated kidney that restricted him to just 14 games last season.

He is expected to partner Brown in the halves next season and is excited about what the Kiwi international can offer the wooden spooners.

“He’s a class player, someone that can create a lot of things out of nothing, which is exciting,” Sharpe said.

Justin Holbrook’s first crusade with the Knights has kicked off.

“It’s always good to work with high-class players like that. He’s been killing it over there for New Zealand. So that’s even more exciting for him to get back. I’ll work alongside him and see how we can combine.”

Despite speculation last season that Ponga was unsettled at Newcastle and considering the option of playing rugby union overseas, Holbrook said he had no plans to take the captaincy off the 2023 Dally M medallist.

“I haven’t considered it any different,” he said. “He’ll be the captain. I haven’t seen any reason why not to.”

Ponga missed the last 10 games of 2025 after suffering a foot injury that required surgery, but he has been training throughout his off-season, as have all of Newcastle’s senior players.

Holbrook was confident Newcastle’s revamped spine can provide the team with multiple attacking outlets, rather than relying so heavily on Ponga.

“Kalyn’s obviously front and centre of this football side, absolutely,” he said. “We’ve got a number of key guys that we spoke about this morning.

“It’s going to take a lot of pressure off him and that’s what’s needed. It’s too much on one person and it’s not needed. It’s a team game.”

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