Newcastle Knights representative centre Bradman Best remains upbeat about the club’s future, despite the exit rumours currently surrounding head coach Adam O’Brien and captain Kalyn Ponga.
“There’s a bit going on outside these walls,” Best said today in one of understatements of the 2025 NRL season.
“I guess it comes with the job, but for us in the playing group, we haven’t looked too much into it.”
The New South Wales Origin squad member was calm and pragmatic as he spoke about the overnight revelations, saying he’ll wait until he hears directly from his coach or captain before reading too much into the noise.
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“We all know it’s a business at the end of the day,” Best said.
“But the coach is still coaching and KP is still here (Ponga), I haven’t heard anything yet.
“Until it comes from them, then we’ll know.”
Best was asked if the Knights players are feeling any added pressure knowing the knives are out for O’Brien, who has coached Newcastle since the start of 2020.
“No not really, we’ve been here before, hearing ‘the coach’s head is on the chopping block’ but he’s still here today and we just have to keep winning, there’s still finals footy to play,” he said.
‘It is what it is’
An Australian Schoolboy representative in 2018, Best has spent virtually his entire NRL career playing under O’Brien and alongside Kalyn Ponga.
“(Kalyn’s) a big part of the club, he’s our captain, but it’s his decision—it is what it is,” he said.
“We have a good connection, but if he does go, we have other fullbacks like Sharpie (Fletcher Sharpe) and Fletcher Hunt to the job.”
Looking ahead, 23-year-old Best remains optimistic whatever the coming days might hold.
“It’s been a bit of an up and down season, but we’re building, we’re all connected, and we’ll get our way out of it,” he said.
“There are good young lads coming through and a good core group of us who are still here, signed for a few more years, so I’m definitely thinking positively about the future.”
Newcastle plays the New Zealand Warriors in this weekend’s Voices for Mining Round 20 clash at McDonald Jones Stadium.