Smith agrees to join Knights, and not just as latest halves hope

Sandon Smith has signed a multi-year deal with the Newcastle Knights, in a move that will see the ex-Rooster play hooker for the Hunter club to allow Phoenix Crossland to swap to lock.

The Knights had to beat the North Queensland Cowboys and Canberra Raiders to his signature after the Sydney Roosters told him there’d be no starting spot for him in the roster beyond the 2025 season.

Smith did tour Canberra and spoke to North Queensland officials, but The Sporting Base understands he gravitated to the Knights the most. A starting role was of most interest to him, even if it will likely be as the nine instead of the halves. Newcastle tabled a slightly richer deal than North Queensland, who offered to pay him $1.3 million over three years.

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The 22-year-old was also wooed by building a squad with Dylan Brown; a strong sales pitch from Newcastle.

There’s every chance Kalyn Ponga does leave before the end of his current $1.2 million-a-year deal to 2027, but Smith and Brown would still combine with breakout star Fletcher Sharpe in an exciting young spine if that happened.

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What’s interesting is that Smith signed up while the Knights are still in limbo. With Adam O’Brien leaving the Hunter with the wooden spoon in his bag, the club has been searching for a head coach for some weeks now. Most would tip Justin Holbrook or Blake Green to take the job, though rogue pick Michael Cheika has been thrown up by News Corp, too.

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No surprise where the Roosters turn to with Smith gone: He was always relatively surplus to requirements considering the tricolours boast Sam Walker and Hugo Savala in the halves. Exiting Manly veteran Daly Cherry-Evans is still expected to move there this offseason as well.

Whether that latter move eventuates or not, Smith was clearly not going to get much starting time in Sydney moving forward. He certainly will in a forlorn Newcastle, however, with the club now searching for new answers.

The Knights collapsed in 2025, on Sunday earning a fifth spoon after winning just six games.

Hunter hopefuls will be crossing fingers recruits like Smith and Brown can turn things around – and quickly.