Could the Knights be on the verge of having two of the Bests in their playing ranks next season as the club continues to build from the ground up in a bid to become a genuine NRL title contender?
We've been told that the teenage brother of premier Knights centre Bradman Best is in negotiations with the club to potentially form a double act with his sibling in 2027.
The Knights and at least three rival NRL clubs are believed to be chasing the signature of 17-year-old Baxter Best, a young outside back who is currently living with his parents in Ipswich in Queensland.
He has been tied to the Brisbane Broncos while still at school over the past two years, playing juniors with their feeder club South Logan Magpies.
A source confirmed the Knights' interest in the younger Best but denied suggestions he has already signed a contract with the club.
"There are at least three or four NRL clubs after him," the source told us.
"He's very good. Right out of the Bradman mould. A strong body who can play centre, wing or fullback. He'll be 18 next year and has the potential to play NRL at a younger age like his brother did."
The possible signing of Baxter is the strongest indication yet that Bradman has no desire to leave the Knights when his current deal is up at the end of next season.
The club has held preliminary talks with his agent to extend his existing contract.
Best has spoken in the past about the possibility of Baxter joining him at the Knights at some stage and what it would mean if they eventually played alongside each other in the NRL.
Still on Bradman Best, Origin has sadly become a cursed period of the year for the luckless Knights centre.
The injury at training last week that ruled him out of Magic Round and at least Origin I and II occurred virtually 12 months to the day after injury ruled him out of the entire 2025 series.
Last year it was a hamstring tear at training that cost him. This time around, he suffered a calf tear during a session before the team travelled to Brisbane for Magic Round. Soft tissue injuries have plagued his career.
To make matters worse, it's understood just prior to his latest injury setback, Best had been told by Blues coach Laurie Daley that he would be in the side for game one in Sydney.
He now faces three weeks on the sideline which means he will miss upcoming games against Parramatta and the Storm.
He should be back on the field in time to push his claims for Origin III.
Kalyn Ponga's public confession to the media in Maroons Origin camp earlier this week that he now cares a lot more about his footy and the Knights will be music to Newcastle fans' ears.
The knock on the Knights skipper in the past (including from this column) has never been about his ability. It's been about him never appearing to be totally committed to Newcastle or the club.
Those controversial get-out clauses in his contract were the start of it. And ever since then, the constant speculation surrounding his future continued to fuel the perception.
But with maturity and a realisation that time eventually does run out to realise dreams, the penny seems to have dropped with him.
Apart from being happy and never more invested according to teammates, the biggest sign of the change in Ponga was his recently signed contract.
For one thing, he got it done in a matter of weeks rather than months without the media circus of previous deals.
But the biggest pointer?
The club was initially happy to make the final two years of the potential new five-year-deal a mutual option to give both parties some protection towards the back-end of the contract.
But in a major concession, Ponga insisted the option should be in the club's favour.
After making the decision not to offer Dane Gagai another contract extension beyond the end of this season, the Knights now face the very real prospect of also losing a potential replacement for the veteran centre.
We're hearing 20-year-old Wilson De Courcey's future at the club is now under a cloud after his agent rejected Newcastle's offer of a two-year contract extension. The offer has now been taken off the table by the Knights.
De Courcey, whose struggles in defence in his NRL debut earlier this season against the Wests Tigers saw him hooked at half-time by coach Justin Holbrook, is off contract at the end of the season.
His agent is now pursuing potential opportunities elsewhere.
While there is always a chance the two parties could return to the negotiating table, that now appears highly unlikely.
So just who will fill the Gagai void in 2027?
The two Fletchers - Sharpe and Hunt - are obvious options for coach Justin Holbrook while head of recruitment Peter O'Sullivan has a massive opinion of two Knights teenagers Kingston Seve and Toby Winter.
Seve, who has had limited game time in Jersey Flegg this season due to injury, will join the top 30 squad next year while Winter will be on a development contract. Baxter Best would add another name to that list if he signs although he won't be NRL-ready next season.
Another obvious contender is 22-year-old NSW Cup centre Kyle McCarthy, who played six NRL games for the Knights in 2024 but hasn't been used since.
The uncertainty surrounding McCarthy is that his future is also clouded.
He has an option in his favour in his contract for next season to remain at the Knights. But he was told last year he is free to leave if he can find a better opportunity at a rival club and that situation has apparently not changed.
That suggests there is little chance of him being offered an extension beyond 2027 if he does opt to stay in Newcastle for a further 12 months.
Greg Marzhew has the North Queensland Cowboys to thank for securing a new three-year contract worth around $1.2 million with the Knights last week.
The Knights had been content to play the long game and keep negotiations with Marzhew on hold to prioritise other players. That was until the Cowboys stepped in and made a big play for the 29-year-old powerhouse winger a fortnight ago.
The Cowboys saw him as the ideal replacement for their Sydney Roosters-bound winger Murray Taulagi next season.
We're hearing the Knights initially only offered Marzhew a two-year contract that would have taken in the 2027 and 2028 seasons but were forced to throw in an extra year to match the Cowboys and get the deal over the line.
