From Andrew Johns and Danny Buderus to Kalyn Ponga, these are the top 25 Newcastle Knights players of all time, ranked by The Sporting Base from the club’s first season in 1988 to today.
The Knights have delivered two premierships, three Dally M Medal winners and an Immortal since entering the competition in 1988. With Newcastle chasing a third title against the Sydney Roosters in the 2026 NRL grand final, there is no better time to settle the debate over the club’s greatest players.
How we ranked them
This list is TSB’s opinion, weighed on five things: longevity, premierships, representative honours, peak form and impact on the club. Games, tries and points are first-grade premiership figures for Newcastle (finals included), taken from the club’s official records and Rugby League Project. Figures for current players are as they stand heading into the 2026 grand final. Members of the Knights Hall of Fame feature heavily, but today’s stars get their say too.
25. Dominic Young (2021-2023, 2025-present)
The English flyer has scored 70 tries in 87 games for Newcastle, including 25 tries in 25 appearances in 2023 and another 23 in 2026. A Test winger for England who crossed nine times at the 2022 World Cup, Young had a spell with the Roosters before returning to the Hunter, setting up a 2026 grand final against his former club.
24. Daniel Saifiti (2016-2024)
A Newcastle-born prop, Saifiti played 183 games for the Knights and became a State of Origin regular, making seven appearances for NSW from 2019 to 2021 and winning two series. He also played Test football for Fiji, and alongside twin brother Jacob he gave the Knights a homegrown front-row core for close to a decade.
23. Jarrod Mullen (2005-2016)
Mullen’s 211 games put him ninth on the club’s all-time appearance list, most of them at five-eighth after he debuted as a teenager in 2005. The Singleton-born playmaker earned a NSW Origin jersey in 2007 and was a fixture in the halves in the years after Andrew Johns retired.
22. Darren Albert (1996-2001)
Albert arguably owns the most significant try in club history. With the scores locked at 16-all and seconds left in the 1997 grand final, he backed up Andrew Johns’ blindside run and sprinted through to beat Manly 22-16. He finished with 65 tries in 89 games, including a share of the club record with four tries in a match against the Tigers in 2000.
21. Adam Muir (1992-1997)
A Lakes United junior, Muir was a mobile, hard-running back-rower who started in the second row in the 1997 grand final win over Manly. He went on to play 13 Origins for NSW and three Tests for Australia.
20. Dane Gagai (2012-2017, 2022-present)
Gagai has played more than 240 games for Newcastle across two stints, fourth on the club’s all-time list. In 2017, as a Knight, he became the first winger to win the Wally Lewis Medal as player of the State of Origin series, and he is named at centre for the 2026 grand final.
19. Michael Hagan (1989-1993)
Hailed as the club’s first true marquee signing, Hagan arrived from Canterbury in 1989 and captained the Knights from 1991 to 1993 across his 111 games. He played five Origins for Queensland while at Newcastle, then returned as coach to guide the club to the 2001 premiership.
18. Bill Peden (1994-2002)
Peden is one of only five players to feature in both of the club’s premiership-winning grand finals, starting at hooker in 1997 and at lock in 2001, when he scored two tries against Parramatta. The Cessnock-born workhorse played 190 games and was renowned for defensive work that often went unnoticed.
17. Mark Hughes (1997-2005)
A Kurri Kurri junior, Hughes played on the wing in the 1997 grand final and in the centres in 2001, making him another of the five Knights to play in both premiership deciders. He scored 66 tries in 161 games and played three Origins for NSW in 2001.
16. Marc Glanville (1988-1997)
A member of the inaugural 1988 side, Glanville played 188 games, almost all of them at lock. He wore the No.13 jersey in the 1997 grand final and finished his Knights career as a premiership winner.
15. Akuila Uate (2008-2016)
‘Akuila the Thriller’ is the club’s leading try scorer with 110 tries in 161 games. He was named Dally M Winger of the Year three years running from 2010 to 2012, won the RLPA Player of the Year award in 2011 and represented NSW, Australia and Fiji.
14. Timana Tahu (1999-2004, 2012-2014)
Tahu scored 93 tries in only 126 games for Newcastle, second on the club’s all-time list, and crossed in the 2001 grand final win. He played 12 Origins for NSW and five Tests for Australia, and later became a dual international when he played for the Wallabies in 2008.
13. Mark Sargent (1989-1995)
A Newcastle local who came home from Canterbury, Sargent won the Rothmans Medal in his first Knights season in 1989. He became the club’s first Australian Test representative on the 1990 Kangaroo tour, captained the Knights in 1994 and 1995 and played 126 games.
12. Tony Butterfield (1988-2000)
Knight No.2 was there from the very first season and stayed until 2000, playing 229 games, most of them in the front row. He packed down alongside Paul Harragon in the 1997 grand final, captained the club late in his career and played State of Origin for NSW in 1998.
11. Adam MacDougall (1997-2003, 2007-2011)
‘Mad Dog’ scored 87 tries in 158 games across two stints, third on the club’s all-time list. He started in the centres in the 1997 grand final and on the wing in 2001, and played 11 Origins for NSW and 11 Tests for Australia.
10. Steve Simpson (1999-2010)
The Maitland-born back-rower played all 216 of his NRL games for the Knights and scored a try in the 2001 grand final. He played 13 Origins for NSW and eight Tests for Australia, captained the club in 2009 and 2010 and entered the Knights Hall of Fame in 2022.
9. Ben Kennedy (2000-2004)
Kennedy played just 86 games for Newcastle, but few recruits have made a bigger impact. The back-rower scored a try in the 2001 grand final and represented NSW and Australia while at the club, and the Knights have reported Andrew Johns’ view that Kennedy was the key player who lifted the 2001 side above the 1997 premiers.
8. Kalyn Ponga (2018-present)
The current captain became the third Knight to win the Dally M Medal in 2023, joining Johns and Buderus, and was also named Dally M Fullback of the Year. Signed from North Queensland, Ponga has played more than 150 games and scored more than 800 points for Newcastle, along with 13 Origins for Queensland, and he captains the Knights in the 2026 grand final, the club’s first in 25 years.
7. Matthew Gidley (1996-2006)
The elder Gidley brother made the ‘Gidley flick’ famous, a trademark pass that set up tries for his wingers for years. He scored 68 tries in 221 games, was part of the 1997 squad without playing in the grand final, then won the 2001 premiership. He played 11 Origins and 17 Tests and was one of the five inaugural Knights Hall of Fame inductees in 2012.
6. Kurt Gidley (2001-2015)
Few players have given Newcastle more versatility. Gidley played 251 games at fullback, five-eighth, halfback and hooker, scored 1,228 points and captained the club from 2007 to 2015, leading the side 123 times. He also captained NSW in 2009 and 2010, played 12 Tests for Australia and kicked the field goal that sealed the Knights’ first golden point win, against Brisbane in 2004.
5. Matthew Johns (1992-2000)
The older Johns brother formed one of the great halves pairings with Andrew, playing 176 games for the club, nearly all of them at five-eighth. He steered the 1997 side to the club’s first premiership and represented NSW and Australia, winning the 1995 World Cup.
4. Robbie O’Davis (1992-2004)
‘O’Save-us’ won the Clive Churchill Medal in the 1997 grand final with two tries against Manly and was still the fullback when the Knights won again in 2001. He scored 78 tries in 223 games, played 12 Origins for Queensland, represented Australia and entered the Knights Hall of Fame in 2022.
3. Paul Harragon (1988-1999)
‘The Chief’ debuted in the foundation season as a 19-year-old and captained Newcastle from 1995 to 1999, lifting the 1997 premiership trophy. The Kurri Kurri prop played 169 games and 20 Origins for NSW, captained Australia in 1996 and was one of the five inaugural Knights Hall of Fame inductees in 2012.
2. Danny Buderus (1997-2008, 2012-2013)
The Taree product holds the club record of 257 games and was the game’s best player in 2004, winning the Dally M Medal while captaining Newcastle and NSW. A 2001 premiership winner, he won three Dally M Hooker of the Year awards, played 21 Origins and 24 Tests, captained his state and his country, and returned from England to finish his career in red and blue.
1. Andrew Johns (1993-2007)
There was only ever going to be one No.1. Johns played 249 games and scored a club-record 2,176 points, won premierships in 1997 and 2001, and captained the 2001 side while winning the Clive Churchill Medal. He won three Dally M Medals (1998, 1999 and 2002) and two Golden Boots (1999 and 2001), played 23 Origins, captained NSW and Australia, and in 2012 became rugby league’s eighth Immortal.
The next chapter
Sunday night’s grand final against the Roosters at Accor Stadium is Newcastle’s first since 2001, and three players from this list, captain Kalyn Ponga, Dominic Young and Dane Gagai, are named in the starting side. A third premiership would give this group a real case to climb the rankings, just as the classes of 1997 and 2001 did. Catch up on the latest Roosters vs Knights team news, and for form, head-to-head records and player stats, visit the TSB NRL Match Centre.
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