2 weeks Ago By Max McKinney
Prop Leo Thompson could provide a much-needed boost to Newcastle's depleted forward pack after being named to play against his future club Canterbury-Bankstown on Sunday. Login or signup to continue reading One of three starting forwards who missed Newcastle's most recent game, Thompson was a surprise inclusion on Tuesday for the clash at Accor Stadium. It comes less than a month after he suffered a medial ligament injury in Newcastle's win over the Dolphins in round two.
Whether the 24-year-old, who was named in the No.8 jersey, ultimately features in the 6.15pm match remains to be seen.
Knights coach Adam O'Brien said after his side's 26-6 loss to the Gold Coast , which came before a bye last weekend, that he couldn't rule Thompson out but the Kiwi international was "unlikely" to return this week. Thompson is likely to be given every opportunity to prove his fitness to face the Bulldogs, who he is joining next season on a four-year deal . His inclusion would be significant for the Knights, given back-rowers Dylan Lucas (hamstring) and Kai Peace-Paul (suspension) remain sidelined.
The trio missed the loss to the Gold Coast in round three and Newcastle clearly felt their absences against a powerful Titans pack. Now the Knights have to try and tame a Bulldogs side running first and unbeaten in 2025. "Obviously you do carry a little bit more on your shoulders," Tyson Frizell said of missing the three forwards.
"But it's a part of footy every team goes through, and we're no different. "It's just a period of time where we've got a couple of our key players out through the middle. "But the guys stepping in will do a job, and we've still got plenty of experience in the side, so we've got no excuses to not put in a performance that we can be proud of.
" Tom Cant will again start in the back row alongside Frizell. Jermaine McEwen remains on the bench after making his NRL debut on the Gold Coast. Brodie Jones has dropped back to 18th man.
Newcastle otherwise remain the same from their last start. After finishing sixth last season, Canterbury have largely picked up where they left off this year, winning their opening four games. They beat Cronulla, who have played finals the past three years, 20-6 at Shark Park on Saturday, which followed wins over Parramatta (16-8), Gold Coast (40-24) and St George Illawarra (28-20).
Powerhouse Tongan forward Sitili Tupouniua will miss Sunday's match after copping a one-game suspension from an incident in the Bulldogs' win over the Sharks. Outside-back Jacob Kiraz has been named as a reserve as he nears a return from injury. Canterbury beat Newcastle twice last season, including a 32-2 victory at McDonald Jones Stadium in round 13 and 36-12 win at Accor Stadium in round seven.
Sunday's match forms part of the NRL's multicultural round. 1. Kalyn Ponga (C) 2.
James Schiller 3. Dane Gagai 4. Bradman Best 5.
Greg Marzhew 6. Fletcher Sharpe 7. Jack Cogger 8.
Jacob Saifiti 9. Phoenix Crossland 10. Leo Thompson 11.
Tom Cant 12. Tyson Frizell 13. Adam Elliott Interchange bench 14.
Jayden Brailey 15. Jack Hetherington 16. Jermaine McEwen 17.
Mat Croker Extended match squad 18. Brodie Jones 19. Kyle McCarthy 20.
Matt Arthur 21. Jackson Hastings 22. Tyrone Thompson Max McKinney is a sports reporter with the Newcastle Herald.
He previously worked in news, covering mainly local government and transport. Max mostly reports on the Newcastle Knights, but also covers a mix of local sport. Max McKinney is a sports reporter with the Newcastle Herald.
He previously worked in news, covering mainly local government and transport. Max mostly reports on the Newcastle Knights, but also covers a mix of local sport. DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team.
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