Knights forward charged with drink-driving, driving with suspended licence

Newcastle Knights forward Jermaine McEwen has been charged by police with low-range drink-driving and driving with a suspended licence.

The 21-year-old, who last month re-signed with the Knights until the end of the 2028 season, is listed to face Newcastle Local Court on June 25.

A former Panthers junior and NSW under-19s representative who relocated from western Sydney with his family, McEwen has entrenched himself in a high-flying Knights side.

The second-rower has been named in the Newcastle team for their match against the Storm in Melbourne on Friday.

The Knights said in a statement that McEwen had reported the incident to the club at the time it occurred, and that the club had reported the matter to the NRL integrity unit.

“A thorough process continues to be undertaken by all parties required,” the club said.

“Until due process is completed, the Newcastle Knights will not make any further comment.”

McEwen has played 28 games in the top grade since his NRL debut last year and was last month rewarded with a two-season contract.

“Jermaine continues to exceed our expectations this year,” coach Justin Holbrook said when his contract was announced.

“He has only just turned 21. His improvement this season, and the way he has played through the opening 10 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.”

In a previous interview with News Corp, McEwen said his family decided they had to leave western Sydney after bricks were thrown through the windows of their home on Christmas Day several years ago.

His family had earlier been involved in a brawl after a junior league game at Penrith Stadium.

The Knights are fourth heading into round 14 and are chasing a fifth straight win against the Storm.

Moses ‘touch and go’ for Origin II as Eels opt to rest playmaker for Dogs clash

Christian Nicolussi
Parramatta have rated Mitchell Moses “touch and go” for Origin II after the playmaker was a surprise omission from Monday’s western Sydney derby with Canterbury.

Moses injured his left hamstring in NSW Origin camp last Monday, but Blues medicos expected him to make a full recovery in time for the Dogs clash after scans cleared him of serious damage.

But Eels coach Jason Ryles confirmed the club doctor had elected to rest Moses and give him more time to recover. There had been no fresh setbacks, said Ryles.

NSW coach Laurie Daley must now decide whether to name Moses in his squad knowing he will have gone a month between games come Origin II on June 17.

Moses last played for the Eels at Magic Round. One positive is that he completed a full week of training in Origin camp before he broke down and was replaced by Canberra’s Ethan Strange at five-eighth.

The expectation will be on Moses to be fit and ready for the Blues’ first training session.

“I think he’ll be touch and go for Origin II, but it is another week and a half until the game; it’s probably a little bit worse than he first thought,” Ryles said. “I wouldn’t have a problem [if he plays for NSW]. You’d rather have you players playing in Origin.”

The Blues will name their team following the Eels and Dogs clash, with Canterbury captain Stephen Crichton also under an injury cloud.

Crichton has been receiving painkilling injections before kick-off and at half-time to treat his AC joint, but is also hopeful of taking on Queensland in the Victorian capital.

Tolu Koula, meanwhile, was named in the centres for Manly, who take on South Sydney at 4 Pines Park on Thursday night, after the Sea Eagles sought an exemption from the mandatory 11-day concussion stand-down policy.

The Manly three-quarter failed a head-injury assessment on debut in Origin I after being floored by a shoulder charge from Kalyn Ponga. It was an incident led to the Maroons star being sent off and proved to be the turning point of the match.

Koula, 23, has been symptom-free since then and the club hopes cognitive testing, and a clearance from an independent NRL-appointed expert will allow him to line up against the Rabbitohs.

He was scheduled to be rested for last week’s meeting against Cronulla, but a solid hit-out before Origin II will almost certainly result in his retention on the wing for the Blues.

In other team news, Ezra Mam has been dropped from the Broncos side, with Tom Duffy joining Adam Reynolds in the halves for Saturday’s clash against the Gold Coast.

‘I wanted to be out there’: Ponga makes big statement for Knights after Origin calamity

Kalyn Ponga has revealed the mental challenge he faced to bounce back from his State of Origin send-off before leading the Knights to a scrappy 28-22 win over the gallant Eels.

Ponga escaped with a fine for his grade-two shoulder charge on Tolu Koula in Origin I on Wednesday night, but showed no signs of the mental scars with a typically busy display at McDonald Jones Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Dylan Lucas, fresh from Origin camp with NSW, was brilliant for Newcastle, scoring a double and proving a handful on the left edge for Parramatta half Ronald Volkman, while fellow NSW Blue Jacob Saifiti was menacing.

The Knights (8-4) have now won four on the trot, scoring 150 points in the process, and are fourth on the ladder midway through the season.

“It was more mentally [demanding],” Ponga said of backing up three days after such an emotional night.

“Physically, I actually felt pretty good out there, which is a credit to our staff, the way they handled the last 48 hours. It’s all mentally like the build-up of Origin, obviously the way Origin unfolded, and then to sort of park it and mentally prepare for another game.

“I think now that I’m older, I’m probably better at doing it. But yeah, it’s all mental. I was excited to get back around the boys, around my teammates. Probably selfishly, I wanted to play with my mates. I didn’t want to sit on the sidelines. I wanted to be out there.”

Both sides scored two tries in the first half, the Knights heading into the sheds up 12-10.

The second half began disastrously for the Eels, with Newcastle bench hooker Harrison Graham splitting some porous defence on 44 minutes to run 50 metres from dummy half to score under the sticks.

What followed was a horrific period where both sides struggled to hold on to the ball, coughing up seven handling errors in 10 minutes.

When the handling errors slowed, Lucas scored his second for the Knights, only for Jordan Samrani to touch down for the Eels, before Fletcher Hunt again stretched the lead, only to see Isaiah Iongi set up a grandstand finish with a try with six minutes remaining.

Parramatta coach Jason Ryles was left ruing some missed opportunities from his young side, who were without a host of experienced first-graders, including Mitch Moses and skipper Junior Paulo.

“It’s disappointing in the end,” Ryles said of the loss. “[I] thought we tried really hard, the effort was there, we fought really hard, but unfortunately execution let us down.

“I reckon we left probably four tries out there that were genuine tries, so another week of lessons, and just little moments in games that are so important that are fundamental, which hurts, but it’s part of the journey, and we’ve just got to keep fighting hard and working hard to make sure we don’t let that happen.

“It is a very young side, but we’ve been really focused on what we can control, and that’s our best prep each week.

“They’re trying their hearts out, and they’re getting some lessons with the big boys, so it’s all part of it, but … we had a minibus bring our injured blokes up today, that’s kind of where we’re at. So to produce the effort and the fight that the boys did out there today, I’m really proud of them.”

Former Blues star signs with PNG Chiefs

Adrian Proszenko

Roosters star Connor Watson has become the third player to sign for the Papua New Guinea Chiefs.

Watson is contracted to the Roosters for next year, but has been given permission to explore other options. The NSW Blues representative will join the Chiefs on a two-year deal from 2028, but is likely to look for a “gap year” at another NRL club next season.

That stopover is most likely to be at St George Illawarra, sources not authorised to comment have indicated, although other clubs have also expressed an interest in a 12-month term.

Chiefs chief executive Lorna McPherson recently took Watson and his partner on a tour of Port Moresby to give them an understanding of the lifestyle. The pair were sufficiently impressed with their experience to commit to the franchise.

Watson joins Wests Tigers co-captain Jarome Luai and record-breaking South Sydney winger Alex Johnston as high-profile Chiefs recruits.

It’s a strong start for the Chiefs, who are expected to become a major player in the market when a slew of big names become free agents on November 1. Many Panthers stars – including Nathan Cleary, Isaah Yeo, Liam Martin, Brian To’o, Moses Leota, Mitch Kenny and Isaiah Papali’i – could be among them should they not recommit to Penrith beforehand.

Watson can play at hooker and lock, as well as cover several positions from the bench. The Chiefs also feel the former Knights utility has leadership qualities.

The Dragons have held talks with Watson and he is likely to join Scott Drinkwater, Keaon Koloamatangi, Luke Metcalf and Phillip Sami as a 2027 recruit.

The Chiefs have also made another key off-field appointment, that of former NRL and Super League player Rhyse Martin as football operations manager. During his playing career, Martin represented the Bulldogs, English clubs Leeds and Hull KR, and PNG in 18 Tests. He also captained the Kumuls.

“Rhyse has had an incredible career as a player, but he still has so much to offer the sport,” said Chiefs general manager of football Michael Chammas.

“He has the trust of our coach Willie Peters from their time together at Hull KR and they will continue to work closely. Anyone who has ever met Rhyse will talk about the quality of person he is and how passionate he is about Papua New Guinea. The combination of those two things makes him such an important off-field signing.”