Phil Gould believes the Knights will find it hard to find a suitable replacement if they were to move Adam O’Brien on at the end of this season.
Newcastle are 13th on the NRL ladder, just two competition points ahead of last-placed Gold Coast.
Reports have surfaced that Knights executives are preparing to end O’Brien’s time in the Hunter at the end of his sixth season at the helm, despite being contracted until the end of 2027.
Speaking on Nine’s 100% Footy, Gus questioned what the options were for the Knights.
“I really don’t know if I was out looking for a coach at the moment, who I would look to try and employ,” he said.
“I thought all the coaches were fairly settled at the moment to be honest.”
Among the candidates that have been mentioned are Knights assistant Blake Green, Josh Hannay and Willie Peters, who are all among the possible replacements for the Knights coach.
Hynes says critics aren’t right on halves
Nicho Hynes has hit out at armchair critics of NRL halves, sympathising with Nathan Cleary in the fallout from NSW’s State of Origin series loss.
Cleary rebounded from the Blues’ series loss with a starring role for Penrith over Parramatta on Sunday, after conceding he was yet to own an Origin series for NSW.
Hynes himself has become one of the most scrutinised halves in the NRL, copping the brunt of NSW’s Origin I loss last year and Cronulla’s stumbles in the finals.
His form and ownership of the Sharks No.7 jersey has also been heavily questioned this year, before the 29-year-old starred in last week’s win over the Dolphins.
The 2022 Dally M Medallist has made a point to block out noise in recent years, tailoring his social media feeds while adamant he only needs validation from those close to him.
“I know what I’m doing and if anyone could do a better job they would be,” Hynes said.
“They just sit on the couch and watch the footy and have their opinion when their opinion doesn’t really matter.
“You guys in the media have your opinion because you have to, it’s your job. You write about it and I don’t listen to it.
“It’s the Australian way sometimes. They want to bring people down all the time, whether you’re at the top of your game or you’re not, or you’re a high-profile person.
“This is tall-poppy syndrome and in Australia it’s real. They just want to bring everyone down.”
Hynes said he had been particularly concerned by those questioning Cleary’s game, after NSW failed to pull a punch in their shock 24-12 series-deciding loss to Queensland.
“I felt for Nathan the other night … He’s a four-time premiership winner in a row, he’s tactically probably the best player in our game,” Hynes said.
“Queensland just lifted for (Cameron) Munster. It goes like that sometimes.
Nathan Cleary of the Blues. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)
“In our game there is only one winner and at the end of the day in October and only one halfback wins (the premiership) every year. Nathan Cleary’s been that one.
“The people coming at me, are they saying every other halfback’s a failure in this competition?
“Are they calling Mitch Moses a failure? I don’t think so because he’s a great player, won an Origin series last year and he hasn’t won a comp yet.”
Hynes and Cleary are close, with the Panthers No.7 making a private house visit in late 2023 to talk with Hynes on handling pressure, social media and winning big games.
“I thought about messaging him over the last couple of days and saying ‘you’re the GOAT, don’t worry about it’,” Hynes said.
“But I know what it’s like when people message you telling you not to worry about the things that are being said about you.
“You straight away think about what’s being said.
“If he does see this, I honestly am thinking about him and I do love him as a person.
“He’s a genuine, really good person. I’m scared for the competition now, how he’s going to bounce back.”
– with AAP
