KNIGHTS | Premiership-winning former Knights coach Mal Reilly sweats it out alongside his former players in early morning Merewether Baths reunion

They'll be there working out together doing circuit training. Lifting weights, hammering boxing mitts, running stairs. Then it's a quick dip before a chat over coffee. 

Kurt Gidley kicked it off about 18 months ago after hanging up the boots and returning home from England. Now a host of former Knights stars are on board.

Gidley's brother Matt, Paul Harragon, Danny Buderus, Steve Crowe, Mark Hughes, Jarrod O'Doherty. Billy Peden and Brad Godden when they get the time. Slogging it out for 30 to 40 minutes before most head off to work.

Thursday was no different. Except for the fact this time, they were in the company of Knights' royalty.

Mal Reilly, the man who shaped many of their careers and led them to the club's historic first premiership in 1997, was over from England to see son Glen and his grandchildren and was there for a catch-up and a workout.

Harragon said it felt like he had gone back in time.

"I was talking to the boys about it and It's like a dream. You feel like you've woken up one morning and we're back with Mal training again," Harragon said after the session.

"It's been amazing. He's like an enigma, he just doesn't change.

"He's just turned 71 but he's not only kept up with us, he was on fire. He's incredible."

Not that Harragon was surprised. He, more than most, has experienced first hand Reilly's iron will and mental toughness over the years.

The Knights' premiership-winning captain was alongside his former coach back in 2012 when they walked the 96 km Kokoda Track together with former players Korbin Sims and Tyrone Roberts as part of the Knights' "Kokoda Spirit" award.

Despite picking up an infection in his foot and a stomach virus that saw him not eat for days, Harragon said Reilly never whinged and never slowed them down.

"Sometimes, you don't have to say anything. It's what you do that inspires," Harragon said at the time.

The stories about Reilly and what he did to inspire and challenge his players when he was coach in Newcastle are legendary. Still talked about.

"I've never met anyone with such a ferocious will and with his tenaciousness,"Harragon said. 

"Wherever you went, Mal would challenge you. If you were on an exercise bike in the gym, he'd ask you what you were doing, what times you were doing. Mal would then find out who'd done the best time and he'd jump on the bike and beat it." 

"Another time, we were mucking around in the pool, seeing who could go under water the furthest and Mal was watching. He went and got his briefs on, got in and did over 50 metres under water.

"Mind you, when he got out, he had an eye-ball and a vein popping out of his head but he is just an incredible, inspirational, competitive bloke."

Steve Crowe recalls another often talked about occasion when Reilly's competitive juices began to flow, at Crowe's expense.

"It was during the semis in '97 and the rest of the boys virtually goaded him this day into getting into the [boxing] ring with me for a sparring session,"Crowe said.

"I reckon it was only 10 seconds in when I caught him with a jab and then he just unleashed on me. There was about 90 seconds of fury between us and it was over.

"But that was Mal - just the ultimate competitor. He was 30 years older than us but that didn't stop him challenging us all the time."

Harragon laughs when talk turns to Reilly's arm-wrestling exploits.

"He had this old Yorkshiremen arm-wrestling technique and he just knocked everyone over," he said.

"There were blokes 22 stone and he was knocking 'em over and winning cash. It was just amazing. In the mid to late 90's, I reckon Mal arm-wrestled half of Newcastle and won. Never got beaten. Finished undefeated.

"You look at his body now, there are signs everywhere of wear and tear and stress. That is a hard man's body and he's one of the toughest I've ever seen and yet he's still going strong." 

For his part, Reilly loved every minute of the 90 minutes he spent catching up with his former players. 

Two titanium knees restrict his running to walking these days but he still trains every second day back home in England. 

"I don't do any jogging and not a lot of cardio anymore and I found that difficult today," he said. "But I loved it." 

"I get a real kick out of seeing these guys still training together. They are all really fit for their ages and it's great that they are doing it. If I was out here on a regular basis, I'd be here with them."

Fully retired now, Reilly says he misses the game and has nothing but great memories of his time playing and coaching in Australia.

"I spent nearing 15 years out here all up and I do miss it," he said. "But I'd also miss family and friends in England too so it's difficult, particularly with Glen and the grandkids here and we're 12,000 miles away. But that's life."

Of his time in Newcastle, Reilly said: "I had a lot of fun but I was fortunate to inherit a great bunch of guys at the Knights.

"Matthew and Andrew [Johns], Chief [Harragon], Butts [Tony Butterfield], MG [Marc Glanville], Hurtszy [Adam Muir] - really talented boys.

"At the time, I had three jobs in England. I was working for the brewery, coaching Halifax and coaching Great Britain and I had to relinquish them all so it was a big thing for me."

Former Knights board member Mike Tyler played a big part in Reilly joining the Knights. Former Knight John Schuster was managed by Tyler and was playing under Reilly at Halifax.

"Mike came over to see Schuey and asked me would I ever fancy coaching in Australia," he said.

"I probably wouldn't have come out but I got some videos sent over and I thought, well I can coach these guys so I said yes and resigned from all three jobs."

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Not surprisingly, Reilly said it was all about the challenge. 

"Sometimes things are just too routine and you just need to get yourself out of the comfort zone. I just wanted another challenge." he said

"The potential here at the time I thought was good and they came through and what a fantastic premiership it was. If you wrote a script, you wouldn't write one as exciting as it turned out to be.

"There is no question for me, it's right up there with the top accomplishments you'd ever want to achieve. They are wonderful memories."