Milford tipped to play saviour for injury-rocked Newcastle Knights

Anthony Milford is on the verge of heading north to spend twelve months with the injury-rocked Newcastle Knights as a stop-gap measure before he reunites with Wayne Bennett in Redcliffe for the Dolphins.

Milford has reportedly agreed to join the Dolphins in 2023, when the NRL’s newest expansion team officially gets underway in footy’s top flight competition.

Before that, however, he’s taking a twelve-month spin in Newcastle.

According to sources close to the player, the 193-game veteran has already locked in a deal with Adam O’Brien and the Hunter club to play in the halves alongside Jake Clifford. The move comes after Mitchell Pearce snapped up a rich deal to play overseas in the Super League in his rugby league swan song, leaving the Knights short-handed in the 6s and 7s.

The 27-year-old hit the free-agent market again recently, after the Rabbitohs binned their off-season recruit following Milford being charged with three counts assault, one count damaging property.

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Milford was originally starring down the barrel of a “gap year” following the NRL rejecting his contract over his four charges, but the Dolphins reportedly hesitated to sign him if he would be arriving at the club with a 14-month gap on his resume.

Everything has been perfectly timed for Milford and the Knights.

Newcastle were originally linked to Corey Norman as one potential halves option in the offseason, but the ex-Dragons playmaker didn’t end up getting a deal over the line, and instead retired from the sport. Adam Clune and Phoenix Crossland are other six and seven options for O’Brien’s men, but are likely going to start the season behind Milford and Clifford.

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Milford hit his rugby league peak with the Broncos in 2015, where he and halfback Ben Hunt guided the Brisbane powerhouses to the NRL grand final. They would eventually go to lose 17-16 against their arch-rivals the Cowboys in extra-time.

The 27-year-old has played 193 games since his debut with the Raiders in 2013.

The Knights have yet to formally announce the former Broncos star, but according to Ben Dobbin from Triple M, the Hunter’s red-and-blues should have everything “locked up” in the coming days.

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