Toohey's News: the boom Storm half who has Knights 'very intersted'

Recovering from a knee reconstruction suffered earlier this season, Pezet is contracted to the Storm for another year but is stuck behind superstar halves Jahrome Hughes and Cameron Munster in Melbourne and will be open to offers for 2026 from November 1.

Knights recruitment boss Peter O'Sullivan has confirmed the former NSW Under 19s halfback will be a major target for the club going forward.

"He's someone we're very interested in, yeah," O'Sullivan told us. "But we can't talk to him yet."

Ironically, Pezet was a Knights junior who Newcastle reluctantly released from his contract at the end of 2019 after his father Troy, who was head of recruitment at the time, parted company with the club under controversial circumstances.

At the time Pezet, now 21, was being groomed as a long-term heir apparent to Mitchell Pearce.

Instead, he immediately signed with Melbourne and has been in the Storm system for the past five years, featuring in 10 NRL games last season.

Widely regarded as one of the game's best rising young halfbacks, the Knights won't be the only NRL club pursuing him. But they'll have the scope to throw big money his way with current halfback Jackson Hastings coming off contract next year on a deal worth close to $800,000.

In a further boost to the Knights' chances, his father, who is now working on the Central Coast, told this column he is not opposed to his son returning and would not stand in his way.

"I wouldn't have any issue with it but that's up to Jonah," he said.

"I know he loves it in Melbourne and the Storm have been very good to him. It will be his decision."

Could Newcastle and Parramatta be looking at a potential player swap involving under-pressure Knights hooker Jayden Brailey and Eels young gun Matt Arthur?

We were told last week the Eels had been quietly sounded out about Brailey and had not ruled out pursuing him. Then came news yesterday that Arthur, the NSW under 19s hooker who made his NRL debut a few weeks back, wanted out and had permission to negotiate with rival clubs with Newcastle favourite to snare him. Presumably, the Knights won't sign Arthur without moving Brailey first.

It adds intrigue to our column piece a few weeks back suggesting sacked Eels coach Brad Arthur could be an option for the vacant assistant's job at the Knights because of his close relationship with Adam O'Brien. Arthur is currently coaching Leeds in the English Super League but is only contracted until the end of this season.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing but there have been enough warning signs during his career for the Knights to have played it safe and left star centre Bradman Best out of the Brisbane game last weekend given his hamstring injury concerns going into Origin III.

Even when he played strongly and got through the Origin decider unscathed, concerns over the risks of him backing up lingered until the morning of the Broncos game. That should have been enough to pull him out of the contest.

Players regard backing up for their clubs after rep games as a badge of honour which is why in some cases, it's wiser to take the decisions out of their hands.

He's now paid a big price after tearing his "good" hamstring. It could potentially cost him the rest of the season and a Kangaroos jumper.

It seems a few senior players are not the only ones whose future at the Knights has come under the microscope in recent weeks.

It's understood the club has parted company with junior recruitment officer Adam Doyle only a matter of weeks after Peter O'Sullivan took over as head of recruitment. It is unclear if the Knights are looking for a replacement.

Rd 20: Knights v Broncos: 3 Dylan Lucas 2 Daniel Saifiti 1 Jack Hetherington

Standings: 17 Dylan Lucas 15 Dane Gagai 12 Bradman Best 9 Kai Pearce-Paul 8 Kalyn Ponga 6 Adam Elliott 5 David Armstrong, Leo Thompson, Tyson Frizell, Greg Marzhew 4 Jackson Hastings, Jacob Saifiti, Daniel Saifiti 3 Phoenix Crossland 2 Enari Tuala, Jayden Brailey 1 Brodie Jones, Fletcher Sharpe, Mat Croker, Krystian Mapapalangi, Jack Hetherington.