The Newcastle Knights are shopping around veteran forwards David Klemmer and Tyson Frizell, with Adam O’Brien looking to shave their hefty pay packets off the NRL club’s wage bill ahead of the 2023 season.
The duo, both of whom have represented New South Wales in the past, are earning a collective $1,500,000 between them. Frizell’s deal is a player option for next year, while Klemmer is already locked in—and he’s earning the higher side of the pair.
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Many in the NRL world are already calling it an interesting move by the beleaguered Knights coach; while it would lighten costs for the squad, Klemmer, 28, and Frizell, 31, have been standouts for Newcastle. The Sporting Base understands nearly every other club in the league is paying attention to their exits and will wade into signing negotiations.
O’Brien already showed 126-game back-rower Mitch Barnett the door this offseason.
There were talks of Klemmer heading straight to Wests Tigers in a swap deal for halfback Luke Brooks—O’Brien rates him very highly—but the Concord club has knocked back several offers already.
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Klemmer has played 81 games for Newcastle since joining in 2019. Before that, the 28-year-old racked up 113 appearances for the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs—where he could return in 2023—and played 14 State of Origin games. The prop also turned out 19 times for Australia between 2014 and 2019.
The other half of the on-the-outer duo, Frizell, has 14 caps for Australia and contested 14 Origin clashes. He has played 40 games for the Knights since moving from St George Illawarra in 2021. Before that, he played 165 games in the Red V.
The Sporting Base has heard the Dragons and Tigers are interested in both.
The Storm is another club sniffing around Frizell in particular. With several of their veteran second-rowers off to the Dolphins, the former Blues battler would be a perfect plug-and-play signing.
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