Newcastle prop Jack Hetherington "needs to pull his head in", according to former NSW and Australian forward Paul Gallen, who has claimed the firebrand Knight risks failing to realise his potential.
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In light of Hetherington's latest suspension, a one-game ban for contrary conduct after an on and off-field run-in with Bulldogs hooker Reed Mahoney on Sunday, Gallen has called for the prop to change his ways in a similar fashion to his own mid-career turnaround.
Writing for Wide World of Sports, Gallen - who played 348 games for Cronulla - compared his own early years to Hetherington's career.
"Jack Hetherington has all the attributes to be an incredible rugby league player, and I've said previously he could play State of Origin at some point," Gallen wrote.
"But he needs to stop acting like a goose, or it could ruin any chance of him realising that potential.
"I can speak from experience, because I was doing the same sort of stuff early in my NRL career. The difference was I pulled my head in after one meeting made me realise I needed to change."
After years of "giving away too many penalties, getting sent off the field and getting suspended for my actions", Gallen recalled being hauled to a meeting by frustrated Sharks coach Ricky Stuart.
The representative forward was forced to sit down with league legend Ron Massey, who went about "absolutely giving me both barrels over my behaviour on the field".
Gallen stormed out of the meeting, but upon reflection it was the catalyst for change.
Describing it as "the best thing that could have happened to my career", Gallen wrote while he didn't become an "angel", he learned "to control my aggression and make sure I was always putting the team first".
"I have no idea if Hetherington has someone in his life who he looks up to, or if he would even listen if someone sprayed him like Massey did to me," Gallen wrote.
"But if he doesn't change, he will continue to harm himself and his team with these stupid decisions that keep getting him penalised and suspended.
"He's only played 70-odd games ... and has already been sent off or sin-binned seven times, and ... accumulated more than 15 weeks in suspensions.
"I'm not trying to have a personal dig at the bloke ... All I can judge him on is what I see on the field, and while he seems to have a lot of talent .... he needs to pull his head in.
"If he does eventually learn to channel his aggression he could become a really, really good forward."
In his weekly review of the round, NRL head of football Graham Annesley said Hetherington, 27, was "lucky" to get away with a one-match ban, saying his actions in the Accor Stadium tunnel, where he confronted Mahoney, were unacceptable.
"I think it's important that the match review committee sends a message very clearly that that is not acceptable in any circumstances," Annesley said.
"And a one-match suspension should get that message through, but when players are sent to the sin bin they have a responsibility to go straight to the dressing room, and to remain there until two minutes before their time to come back, at which time they can get back out to the sideline and await to go onto the field.
"But there is no circumstance where what happened yesterday is acceptable, and we are just fortunate, and Jack is just fortunate, that it didn't develop into anything more serious."
Hetherington somewhat tempered his aggression last season after joining Newcastle.
He managed to play in all 26 games in 2023, despite being sent to the sin-bin on two occasions.
Opening up on the eve of last year's semi-final, Hetherington said he had worked hard to alter his behaviour.
"In the past I had found it hard to overcome nerves," Hetherington told the Sydney Morning Herald.
"I'd get extremely nervous before games, performance anxiety, all that, and it had a lot to do with my suspensions because I couldn't regulate my emotions.
"When you become so hyped up before a game, and you've played the game in your head ten times before you've even run out, you tend to gas yourself in the first ten minutes, which then leads to fatigue and errors.
"This year I've been able to regulate my emotions. I do a heap of meditation, a bit of journaling and reading, and I'm just trying to look at the bigger picture, which is staying on the field and not letting my team down."
