In the 33-year history of the Newcastle Knights, 312 players have represented the club at the highest level.
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BARRY TOOHEY has covered every one of those 33 seasons from the foundation years of the club under inaugural coach Allan McMahon to the present day and witnessed the highs of their two premiership successes and the lows of four wooden spoons and everything in between.
So who have been the Knights greatest players during that period? Leaving aside the current squad, with several of the players having only being at the club for a season or two, Barry has come up with his Top 50 in order. Over the course of this week, we will countdown to the Knights' greatest player with the full list to be revealed on Saturday.
Here is the list so far: 50. Steve Fulmer 49. Matt Hilder 48. Anthony Quinn 47. Junior Sa'u 46. Sean Rudder 45. Daniel Abraham 44. Clint Newton 43. Adam Woolnough 42. Zeb Taia 41. Darius Boyd.
Today, we continue the countdown to number one with another 10 from No. 40.
40. David Boyd
A foundation player of the club, Boyd joined the Knights from the Bulldogs after playing in a losing grandfinal and played 114 NRL games over seven seasons. He and Tony Butterfield became a formidable secondrow pairing in those early years, becoming known as the 'Bruise Brothers' because of their love of smashing blokes in defence.
39. Glenn Miller
Another foundation player with the versatility to be able to play in the backrow or the centres, Miller played 84 games for the club over five seasons and left plenty of opposition players battered and bruised thanks to his defensive no-fear policy. Highly respected within the club and one of 34 players to have captained the Knights.
38. Willie Mason
Mason was 32 and had already played 211 NRL games with his best footy behind him when Wayne Bennett brought him to the club in 2012. But he still managed to make an impact in his 60 games for the club and was a crowd favourite over three seasons before he departed for Manly.
37. Jamie Ainscough
An elusive attacking centre who signed from the Wests Magpies in 1992 and went on to play for NSW and one Test for Australia before linking with St George in 1997. All up, Ainscough played 87 games for the club but probably played his best footy after he went to the Dragons.
36. Kade Snowden
Played 92 NRL games in two stints at the Knights - as a youngster between 2005-07 and then as a far more experienced campaigner from 2012-16 before his medical retirement. It's fair to say Snowden played his best footy at Cronulla between 2008-11 where he played a Test for the Kangaroos after he was shown the door by Brian Smith during the 2007 player cull.
35. Ashley Gordon
Has the distinction of being the first player ever signed by the club and was a real crowd favourite during a 78-game, two-stint career with the Knights after debuting in 1989. 'Ash the Flash', as he was known, kicked a memorable field goal conversion to give Newcastle a World Sevens win in 1991 and repped NSW Country but probably didn't make the most of his talents.
34. Matt Parsons
A towering prop signed from South Sydney when they were expelled from the competition at the end of 1999, Parsons was a big contributor, playing in 106 NRL games over five seasons at the club. He was an integral figure in the Knights' 2001 premiership-winning team.
33. Paul Marquet
Was under-rated by everyone but his coaches and teammates who loved 'Pepe's' toughness and workhorse qualities, particularly in defence. Played 110 games for the club after debuting in 1990 before a season at the Hunter Mariners in Super League and three years with Melbourne Storm. Got his timing perfect, returning to the Knights in 2001 and played 27 games in their premiership-winning season.
32. Tony Kemp
A wonderfully gifted Kiwi five-eighth, centre or fullback, Kemp had a real touch of class that saw him play the bulk of his 25 Tests for New Zealand during his six seasons at the Knights. He ended up playing 87 NRL games for the club after debuting at fullback in 1988 in round three as a 19-year-old.
31. Dane Gagai
Gagai was shown the door by the Broncos two months after signing a new two year deal in 2012 and was immediately picked up by Wayne Bennett in his first year at the Knights. Not a noted try-scorer in Knights colours, Gagai excelled for Queensland and later Australia while at the club before joining South Sydney in 2018.