KNIGHTS | Teenage English outside backs keen to make their mark in the NRL

And while Newcastle coach Adam O'Brien will give his new English recruits Dominic Young and Bailey Hodgson all the time they need to settle in to a totally new environment and slowly develop their talent after both signed three-year deals with the club, the teenage outside backs have already set their sights high.

Both say their aim is for an NRL debut at some stage next season.

Hodgson, the nephew of Canberra Raiders and Great Britain hooker Josh Hodgson, debuted for Castleford in the English Super League two months ago, just 10 days after his 18th birthday.

A fullback who can also played in the centres, he is regarded as a special talent with ex-Knight and current Castleford centre Peter Mata'utia recently singing his praises by comparing him to Kalyn Ponga.

"Bailey's a weapon," Mata'utia told the Newcastle Herald last month. "He reminds me of Ponga. Right now, he's tough, very strong with footwork as good as Ponga.

"My take on him is if he works hard and the Knights develop him well, he could be the best signing the club has made in a very long time."

Hodgson, who is almost fully recovered from a knee injury he suffered in his Super League debut, has been in the sights of Knights recruitment boss Clint Zammit for more than two years.

"I was 16 when Clint first got in contact with me after some England games I'd played in that he'd watched," Hodgson said.

"It was always my ambition to play out here and the ultimate goal was the NRL and Josh was definitely telling me it was an opportunity I needed to take up. By the time I debuted back home, I hadn't signed anything but I'd agreed to come.

"I just thought it was an opportunity I couldn't not take. So far. it's been great. "

It was a similar scenario for Young, a 19-year-old centre/winger who at almost two metres tall and 105 kgs, towers over his new teammate.

Former Knights assistant Simon Woolford gave Young his Super League debut for Huddersfield two years ago when he was just 17 and a move to the NRL has been in the pipeline ever since.

He's had a number of clubs interested over that period and almost went to the Melbourne Storm before being contacted six months ago by Alex McKinnon who enticed him to Newcastle.

"I nearly went to Melbourne at one stage but Alex just told me about Newcastle and it felt like a good fit for me," Young said. "I was pretty young and still at school when I debuted back home. I remember I had an exam on the morning of the game and was pretty much straight over to St Helens after I'd finished it for my debut."

Asked about his decision to move to Newcastle, Young said: "It was a massive decision for me to be fair. I just thought that obviously, the NRL is like the pinnacle of rugby league and I kind of wanted to improve my game as much as I could."

Unlike Hodgson who is in the rehab group, Young had to hit the ground running when he first arrived.

"It's been a bit of a shock to the system because I had a bit of time off after last season and it was straight into it when I got here," he said.

"The heat got me. My first day here, I think it was like 40 degrees and I'd come from like 5 degrees at home. It was snowing there last week.

"Training's been really tough but I fully expected it. Most pre-seasons are.

As for his ambitions, Young said: "I definitely want to debut next year and try and get a few games under my belt.

"I'm definitely going to be in the best shape of my life so I'm aiming high and hopefully at some stage, I can force my way into the team."

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