ONE phone call from incoming Knights coach Adam O'Brien was enough to put Herman Ese'ese's mind at ease.
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Within days of being handed the reins at Newcastle for the next three NRL seasons, O'Brien contacted Ese'ese's manager.
For much of last season, speculation had been circulating that the New Zealand international forward was unsettled and rival clubs were preparing to swoop.
He was entitled to feel disillusioned. Having played in 23 of a possible 24 games for the Knights in 2018, Ese'ese spent the first six weeks of last season bouncing between reserve grade and Newcastle's top team.
In that time, he played only 60 minutes in the NRL.
Of the 18 first-grade appearances he ended up making in 2019, all but two were off the bench.
But the message from O'Brien was simple - he rated Ese'ese and he wanted him to stay. What's more, the 107-kilogram prop had a year to run on his contract.
Days later the 25-year-old met his new boss for the first time and received the same positive feedback, face to face.
"He was really easygoing and easy to talk to, and basically told me that he wanted me here," Ese'ese recalled.
"Now I've just got to train hard and prove to him that I'm definitely a starting forward."
A little bit of faith might go a long way.
After just a three-week off-season, Ese'ese was back in training, determined to recapture the explosive form that convinced Newcastle to sign him from Brisbane at the end of 2017.
His ultimate goal is a berth in Newcastle's starting pack - no easy task, given he will be competing with representative stars David Klemmer, Daniel Saifiti, Tim Glasby and Saifiti's twin sibling, Jacob.
"I definitely think I play my best footy when I'm starting and I get that opportunity and that responsibility to lead a forward pack," Ese'ese said. "But that's up to the coaching staff, and I'm just looking to have a good pre-season and the rest will take care of itself."
Deep down inside, Ese'ese's preferred option was always to stay in Newcastle.
Born and raised in Auckland, he debuted in the NRL for Canterbury before spending two productive seasons with the Broncos.
"I love Newcastle," he said. "I bought my first house here, which says a lot about how much I like it.
"It's a chilled lifestyle and it's an awesome club. The boys are great."
A regular NRL position is his No.1 priority, but in the back of Ese'ese's mind is the dream off adding to his lone Test for the Kiwis.
"I'd love to earn that jersey again and I think it all comes back to having a good pre-season and starting the season well," he said.
"So that's definitely a goal of mine, to wear that black jersey, and that will come back to playing well for the Knights."
Meanwhile, the Knights have confirmed signing Brisbane utility back Gehamat Shibasaki to a three-season contract.
Coach O'Brien said the Queensland under-20s and Junior Kangaroos representative will add starch to the backline.
"He has NRL experience and is a strong defender. We need to be a resilient, strong defensive club. He's a big and powerful centre," O'Brien said.
"He adds the needed depth to our outside backs with Shaun Kenny-Dowall and Jesse Ramien leaving. He's competitive and looks to have a tough mindset."
Shibasaki made his NRL debut under Wayne Bennett at the Broncos in 2018, and played 12 games for the club last season.
His release frees up space for halfback Brodie Croft to join Brisbane's top 30 squad.