Nothing compares to Liam Knight’s journey over the past six months in terms of illustrating the rugby league rollercoaster. The Hull FC prop admitted that he considered retiring in Australia over the off-season, but now he’s in the other country, playing well, and according to Hull Live’s exclusive this Monday morning, his future is set till at least the 2026 campaign.
It’s fully deserved too. Knight has been a stern addition to the Hull pack. He’s tough as they come, adding a stiffness to the middle of the field. He’s also a big body, a big presence, and a big personality. By all accounts, he’s well-liked, and it’s not hard to see why. He’s no-nonsense and gritty and just gets on with the job.
Sounded out by his former coach, John Cartwright, who worked with Knight back at the Manly Sea Eagles, the current Hull boss knew what Hull would get, so he went out and got him. He hasn’t looked back.
Of course, the situation that brought Knight to Hull is sombre, coming after a gutting season-ending knee injury for Ligi Sao – a long-serving and popular member of the squad. Sao’s blow was a cruel one, but it left Hull with a quota spot they had to fill. They had to get a replacement in as soon as possible and ensure the pack could challenge with Super League.
On that front, Knight has fit the bill. He has been ever present since coming into the team, stepping into the fold against Leigh back in round four and around one week after landing in the UK. He has been ever present since, clocking up 13 appearances. And one moment aside at the Magic Weekend, which saw him get a controversial red card (as later explained by the Match Review Panel), he has been immense.
His numbers are solid. He averages around 50 minutes of playing time, but on occasion he has gone way beyond that. He carries hard and gets through his fair share of the workload in defence. Again, he’s just solid and dependable, facets that are even more impressive when you consider that he didn’t have a pre-season with the club.
Tying him down is smart business from Hull, who have waited patiently on the quota situation, which is set to go up to eight players from seven at the least next year, and who have now completed their latest piece of retention, ensuring they have a stern partner for Herman Ese’ese, one of the competition’s best, whom they signed on a three-year extension earlier this year.
That’s a good partnership to go on, especially with John Asiata at loose-forward, plus new middle recruits James Bell and Harive Hill on the books, and with the cogs still turning, both in retention and recruitment terms, it bodes well. Hull, who have Yusf Aydin and Brad Fash tied down for another year, still have key middle calls to make, most notably in out-of-contract prop Jack Ashworth, but there are signs of a pack unfolding, with Joe Batchelor and Connor Bailey also arriving next season to bolster the back row
There’s more needed, more have been identified, and more will come, but this is a good piece of business from Hull, especially knowing that Knight, who only turns 31 in January, can get even better. Training through the off-season, he did, as above, contemplate retirement, but he kept on knuckling down, grafting in Sydney, and awaiting the call.
And then when he got his chance, Knight took it. He certainly hit the ground running, but it’s also exciting now to see what happens and how his combinations with Ese’ese, Asiata, etc., can build on the back of a full pre-season with the club. Last winter’s slog was gruelling, by many accounts, and there’s no doubt it will be the same again. It’s not naive to imagine Knight impressing further as he settles further into the club, and what a prospect that could be.
Overall, Cartwright and CEO Richie Myler have approved another piece of the puzzle, and it’s a solid one at that. The wheels are still spinning on that front, but Hull has a strong one here, and there will be many more developments in the upcoming weeks and months.
