WHEN Lachlan Fitzgibbon broke the news to his dad Mark that he would become the 262nd Knights first-grader on Sunday against St George Illawarra, the pride was clear.
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Mark Fitzgibbon, the chief executive of nib, has been a long-term sponsor of the Knights and is part of the seven-member board of directors tasked with rebuilding the struggling NRL franchise.
‘‘When I told him I was going to play, he was proud of me and said, ‘You know what to do out there, just go do it’,’’ Lachlan said. ‘‘He didn’t want to say too much to me and get in my head too much about it.’’
The current state of affairs is dire for the Knights. Sunday’s 46-24 loss to the Dragons at Jubilee Oval was their 13th defeat in their past 15 games and the club is now in last place after the Titans’ win on Monday night and the Tigers’ upset against the Storm on Friday.
But just like his father, Lachlan, 21, wants to become an important cog in Newcastle’s long-term revival.
‘‘It’s exciting times ahead for the club,’’ Fitzgibbon said.
‘‘We’re at a low point really and it’s only up from here.
‘‘There’s a few young guys coming through and it’s a positive thing for Newcastle and the club. Hopefully over the next few years we can do some good things.’’
Caretaker coach Danny Buderus gave Fitzgibbon 16 frantic minutes off the bench on Sunday. He made 12 tackles while the Knights were under intense pressure from the Dragons, led by Benji Marshall and Gareth Widdop.
The South Newcastle junior described the experience as a blur.
‘‘I had that much adrenaline pumping that I didn’t know what was going on,’’ he said. ‘‘I came off and I just looked back and said, ‘Where did that 16 minutes go?’
‘‘I think when I was out there we had the ball twice, so I didn’t get my hands on it much.’’
Knights veteran Jeremy Smith said Fitzgibbon had made a strong impression.
‘‘Playing in the middle is no easy task, but I thought he held his gloves up well and hung in there,’’ Smith said.
‘‘It was a pretty tough time when he came out there. We only had a couple of sets and the rest of it was D.’’
Fitzgibbon was born in Sydney and moved to Newcastle at age 10. He progressed from Souths Lions junior ranks into the Knights SG Ball, under-20s and NSW Cup. lw-5
‘‘Someone mentioned it to me yesterday that I lived out every six-year-old’s dream to play in the NRL,’’ he said.
‘‘I didn’t really take it in, but looking back on it, it is. Every kid who plays rugby league at a young age wants to play NRL. I’ve had that goal, so I’m stoked.’’
● Shaun Kenny-Dowall could return for the Roosters against Newcastle at Hunter Stadium on Sunday.
The Kiwi international hasn’t played since being arrested and charged on July 18 in regard to a number of alleged domestic violence incidents involving former girlfriend Jessica Peris.
KNIGHTS hardman Jeremy Smith believes the NRL should introduce an 18th man to provide cover for players lost during games through foul play.
Newcastle prop and pack leader Kade Snowden was left concussed in the 12th minute of the 46-24 loss to St George Illawarra on Sunday, after he was hit by a Leeson Ah Mau high tackle.
Ah Mau was penalised and placed on report, but Snowden played no further part in the game, leaving the Knights with a three-man bench.
Asked at Monday’s recovery session whether the NRL needs to examine the rules on foul play that injures another player, Smith said: ‘‘I think so. I don’t want to say too much because it’s my opinion, but I think something needs to happen.
‘‘Especially when you lose someone like that.
‘‘They need to look at something, because it’s certainly unfair when you lose one of your big forwards and you’re left with three on the bench.’’
At the time of Snowden’s concussion, the Dragons were up 12-0, but the Knights fought back to lead 20-14 at half-time.
However, as the game wore on, Smith said the absence of Snowden became telling in the forwards.
The Dragons were completely dominant in the second half, scoring five tries to one.
‘‘He’s massive. He’s a big lump,’’ Smith said of Snowden.
‘‘We didn’t have much size coming off the bench.
‘‘In the second half they came through the middle and we needed someone to carry the ball forward.’’
– Josh Leeson
