Toohey's News: Can the Knights keep their squad together?

It's a question club officials are about to find out as they prepare to seriously kick off negotiations to extend the contracts of several players, including boom centre Bradman Best and prop Jacob Saifiti, before they hit the open market on November 1.

Of the 17 who will take on the Warriors in today's elimination semi-final in Auckland, Dom Young, Adam Clune and Kurt Mann won't be at the Knights next season. Young is off to the Roosters, Clune to Huddersfield, and Mann is poised to join the Bulldogs.

A further six players - Best, Saifiti, Dane Gagai, Tyson Gamble, Mat Croker and Phoenix Crossland - all come off contract at the end of 2024 which means they can be targeted by rival clubs for 2025 after November 1.

Knights director of football Peter Parr told us all talks with the players' agents have been put on hold while the team is still alive in the finals series.

"We'll start going through the process with their agents once the season is over," Parr said.

For the past few months, Best and Saifiti have been considered the priorities. But the outstanding form of Crossland and Gamble has seen them join the "must keep" list.

The challenge for Parr is Crossland is only on about $145,000 this season while Gamble is on $185,000 with both only getting modest increases in 2024. Rival clubs will be champing at the bit to get a crack at them which means Parr will be under pressure to find the money to upgrade and extend them

While he's aware of the challenge, Parr says the team's finals charge may also work in his favour with players wanting to stay because of the success.

"My experience from the Cowboys days is players love winning and want to stick together," he said. "We didn't lose anyone from the 17 who won the comp in 2015. I'm confident everyone will want to stay."

Adam O'Brien was supposedly a dead man walking 11 weeks ago before resurrecting his coaching career thanks to a remarkable finals charge by the Knights.

Now we are being told the same people who were sharpening their axes and canvassing prospective replacement coaches three months ago are preparing to hand O'Brien the coaching reins of the club for the next three seasons. Go figure. The great irony, of course is O'Brien, would be the first to admit he is coaching no differently now to what he was when he was eyeing off the queue at Centrelink back in late June.

Errors almost killed off the Knights' hopes in last Sunday's epic extra-time win over Canberra. In the end, their defence got them home. Consider this: The Raiders had 49 tackles in the Knights' red zone to the Knights' nine in Canberra's 20-metre area. Similar defensive desperation will be needed in Auckland today.

A couple of strong performances for Newcastle at the back end of the season from Bulldogs discard Nu Brown has done his chances of picking up an NRL contract for next season no harm. But take it as read there will be no room for him at the Knights.

The emergence of hookers Phoenix Crossland and Riley Jones this season and the return of Jayden Brailey next year means there'll be no roster spot for Brown.

Former Manly coaching and development manager Simon Healey is joining the Knights' pathways system as the club prepares to significantly expand its junior development programs in 2024. In the short term, Healey will work closely with head of pathways Michael Dobson with a view to taking over the main role going forward. Dobson will move into a full-time coaching role and is likely to be the Jersey Flegg under-21s coach next season.

For the past six years, Healey has been working as the pathways and camp director for the Pacific Sports Management company.

Kalyn Ponga was exhilarating, Phoenix Crossland worked his butt off and there were a host of other major contributors to the Knights' win over the Raiders last Sunday. But no-one was more influential than five-eighth Tyson Gamble.

The player they call "Punter" was in everything, continuing his outstanding recent form.

Elimination semi-final: Knights v Raiders

3 Tyson Gamble 2 Kalyn Ponga 1 Phoenix Crossland

MORE IN SPORT