News about Adam O'Brien

Former Newcastle Knights halfback Ryan Stig (pictured left and right) was a promising first-grader when he made his NRL debut in 2011. But his career soon looked to be over when he contracted an awful illness.

WARNING - GRAPHIC CONTENT: The Newcastle Knights forward's leg was reminiscent of a 'hot dog bun' after he suffered friendly fire from teammate Dylan Lucas' boot during the team's win over Souths on Saturday night.

Newcastle Knights' prop Jacob Saifiti is lucky to have avoided suspension after an all-time brain fade in his club's 32-2 loss to the Bulldogs on Friday that saw him headbutt serial pest Reed Mahoney.

Ponga (pictured left just before a game this year, and right with his father Andre) is the lynchpin for coach Adam O'Brien's team - and while he's tied to the club until the end of 2027, contracts in the NRL are famously easy to break.

Despite concerns that the fullbacks will never play in the NRL again due to a bowel injury, St George Illawarra's contract is expected to be extended. With new coach Shane Flanagan (left) eager to reform the Red V's tumultuous culture from recent years, the gesture has warmed many footy enthusiasts' hearts.

Following a string of controversial off-field incidents, Knights backrower Adam Elliott has credited fiancée and NRLW actor Millie Boyle for saving his footy career, which was 'in the balance.' They include getting nude on a Mad Monday while the Bulldogs were on the books, and 'hooking up' with former teammate Michael Lichaa.

Although most pitch invaders tend to run away from security guards, a man who ran into McDonald Jones Stadium on Friday night barrelled straight into one before fleeing into the stands. With a 34-18 victory over the Wests Tigers on the back of a Kalyn Ponga masterclass, the Knights won back-to-back victories for the first time this year. Newcastle fans were thrilled with the end, and one man celebrated during the game by leaping the fence and running onto the pitch.

Serial short-fused NRL star Jack Hetherington has been roundly slammed for another 'dumb' act of ill-discipline that could have cost his side dearly 'That's why he's been to a few clubs'

The Newcastle Knights have paid respect to the victims of the Greta bus crash in the Hunter Valley and will sell personal memorabilia to raise funds for families impacted by the tragedy

Billy Slater condemned Newcastle actor Tyson Frizell for pulling Jarome Luai's hair as "ridiculous" and advised him to get a haircut to prevent future incidents similar to those. During his team's 16-15 loss to Penrith on Saturday, the Knights second rower was banned from wearing some of Luai's hair. After the game and discovering a vocal ally in Slater, Newcastle coach Adam O'Brien called the decision 'ridiculous.'

After being pranked by a sarcastic footy fan after being sin-binned on Sunday, Canberra five-eighth Jack Wighton was left red-faced. In Sunday's 24-14 loss to the Newcastle Knights, Wighton was put on alert twice by referee George Sutton, and the NRL judiciary will be a tense wait. It was the most expensive for his team to lose his own money on Jackson Hastings, who was suspended from the field.

Adam O'Brien voiced reservations about Kalyn Ponga's long-term future and wonders whether people want him to return to fullback in a cryptic note posted by the Knights' player. In the second minute of last week's tense victory over the Wests Tigers, Ponga suffered his fourth concussion in the last ten months while trying to make a tackle.

Luke Keary, a Sydney Roosters player, has rallied behind the controversial policy of independent doctors being in the NRL Bunker, claiming that players cannot be trusted when concussed. During last week's first round of matches, a group of coaches, led by heavyweights Ricky Stuart and Wayne Bennett, chastised the independent doctor for being overly cautious in ordering players off for head injury assessments (HIAs). Cameron Ciraldo and Newcastle coach Adam O'Brien expressed his displeasure, while Phil Gould said on Monday night that last year's introduction of an independent doctor was "the highest abomination perpetrated on our game in history."

Anthony Siebold (pictured left) has confessed that leaving the Rabbitohs was a "business decision," and if he had his time again, he might have stayed at Redfern. Siebold also failed to imitate Wayne Bennett (right) at Red Hill, who won six premierships at the Broncos and had the support of several former club greats.

Des Hasler, the outgoing Manly NRL coach, has rejected the Sea Eagles' compensation and is expected to 'go for the jugular,' with his lawyer demanding that the club compensate his client $1 million. Hasler is seeking to be paid for the final year on his contract plus damages

A plaque on a Newcastle hotel Kalyn Ponga and Kurt Mann's toilet cubicle has been engraved after being kicked out of last weekend. On Saturday evening, the Knights stars, who are both currently injured, were asked to leave a toilet cubicle at the Delany Hotel in Newcastle's CBD. The plaque, which reads: 'The Kalyn Ponga, Kurt Mann Memorial Toilet,' Comedian Steve Philip in the cubicle.' On the 12-8-22, Kalyn celebrated a house purchase, vomited, and Kurt assisted his friend.'

Newcastle star Kalyn Ponga is still a shot at a World Cup birth despite a storm of concussions and a recent toilet scandal that has put doubt over his commitment to the Knights - but coach Meninga says he'll pick him if fit

Immortal Andrew Johns (pictured left) of the Knights great and rugby league has given Kalyn Ponga some tips on how to keep a low profile when out socialising, particularly in Newcastle. The 24-year-old (pictured right) can go out and let his hair down, but Channel 9 analyst Johns is adamant that he should avoid his 'fishbowl' existence.

Adam O'Brien (pictured left) has dismissed Kalyn Ponga's talk about his NRL career after the pub toilet controversy last weekend. O'Brien remains convinced that the 24-year-old (pictured right) should serve as captain before admitting that the club does need a stronger edge in the aftermath of constant player dramas over the past fortnight.

In the aftermath of the pub toilet scandal (right), the Knights are suspected of treating skipper Kalyn Ponga (left) as a 'protected species,' with teammates (like Bradman Best, pictured inset) receiving harsher punishments for less serious offences. On Saturday evening, Ponga and his colleague Kurt Mann, who are both currently injured, were booted out of the Delany Hotel's CBD's toilet cubicle.