Only once during their 1993 campaign, which yielded a third consecutive wooden spoon, did the hapless Gold Coast Seagulls, coached by the legendary Wally Lewis, celebrate a victory. The poor unfortunates on the receiving end that bleak Saturday night were the Newcastle Knights.

But for the 4994 diehards in attendance at Seagulls Stadium, few would have been aware at the time they were witnessing rugby league history in the making.

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Newcastle fielded two debutants off the bench in their 22-6 defeat. For Kiwi utility Logan Campbell, it would prove to be his one and only top-grade game, although his professional career continued for another eight seasons in England. In years to come, Campbell's greatest claim to fame would be as part of a trivia question. Who was the other Knights newbie to launch his career against the Gold Coast? An 18-year-old prodigy by the name of Andrew Johns, who was destined to leave a far more profound legacy.

Johns' elder brother, Matthew, played five games the previous season, all as substitute. They were born to be footballers. Their father, Gary, was a player and premiership-winning coach of Cessnock Goannas, and his sons had been immersed in rugby league since they were old enough to hold a ball.

Matthew's seventh top-grade appearance - and first as run-on five-eighth, prompting skipper Michael Hagan's switch to lock - coincided with his sibling's debut. After watching the first half and trying to shelter from torrential rain among Newcastle's reserves, Andrew was surprised when coach Waite asked him to replace fullback Robbie O'Davis.

In the Newcastle Herald's match report, Brett Keeble noted that Johns "did an admirable job in trying circumstances". On the 10-year anniversary of his debut, Johns relived his memories of the game with Keeble: "Robbie O came off injured at half-time, so Waitey asked me if I had played fullback before and I said, 'Yeah, heaps of times', but I had never played it before in my life. It was pissing down rain and they had a southerly buster up their backside. Every time they kicked I remember turning around and chasing it 20 or 30 metres and getting absolutely smashed when I was running it back.

"I remember I got in the clear once and I passed the ball inside to one of the Gold Coast blokes. The only time I split the line and got into space I ended up passing it to the wrong team, so it wasn't a real flattering game."

The kid they called "Joey" played two more games in 1993, both off the bench, helping the Knights to wins against Balmain and Parramatta. Meanwhile, he was establishing himself as a dominant force in Robert Finch's reserve-grade team, scoring more than 200 points as Newcastle's second-stringers came within a heartbeat of a grand final victory.

That Johns was still with the Knights beyond the end of the season was due, in part, to the Newcastle Herald. In a story headlined "Knights need job for Johns", Knights chief executive Mike Armstrong was quoted as saying: "We realise Andrew Johns has plenty of offers on the table ... while we're confident of retaining his services, it would help if we could find Andrew a plumbing apprenticeship in the area. The Knights are not asking for any special preference. If there are any people with work for players, then we'd be happy to hear from them."

Johns added: "I think it's important for me to have a job that I can fall back on when I have finished playing football. It doesn't necessarily have to be plumbing, but an apprenticeship of some kind or another would be ideal."

A week later, Johns had a job and knocked back offers from four rival clubs to sign a two-year deal with the Knights. How long did Joey last on the tools? Rumour has it less than one day. The story goes that the job was with a roof-and-guttering contractor and his new apprentice quit because he was scared of heights.

Meanwhile, his passage to regular first grade was blocked not only by Matthew Rodwell but also a high-profile recruit, former North Sydney halfback Jason Martin. Martin, a Raymond Terrace junior and Australian Schoolboys rep, had played in 66 first-grade games for the Bears but was perhaps best known for his surfie looks and guitar-playing talents.

The signing of Martin, and the emergence of Matthew Johns, left Waite at sixes and sevens when choosing his No.6 and No.7. During Newcastle's successful 1992 season, Hagan and Rodwell played every game at five-eighth and half. Twelve months later, Waite chopped and changed his playmakers almost on a weekly basis. Hagan, once again, did not miss a game but shuffled between pivot, centre and lock. Rodwell started in 15 games and Martin in eight, and both made their share of appearances off the bench. Matthew Johns was first-choice five-eighth 15 times and played a further two games as substitute.

The combination and understanding that Hagan and Rodwell developed in 1992 had been a cornerstone of Newcastle's success. A year later, with his constant tinkering, Waite effectively outsmarted himself and left his team with little hope of performing consistently. An upset 20-10 loss at home to Easts in round one was a wake-up call, and by mid-season it was obvious that the Knights were no chance of emulating their 1992 finals appearance.

The mysterious mid-season departure of goalkicking centre John Schuster to Halifax in England did little to enhance Newcastle's prospects. A fan favourite and the highest points scorer in the club's history, Schuster opened the season with a try and a goal against the Roosters. For reasons best known to coach Waite and club management, it was the only appearance the former All Black would make in first grade all year. His exile to reserve grade left supporters baffled and sparked all manner of rumours.

Club chief executive Armstrong admitted Schuster was disgruntled, but denied any rift with Waite. "No one likes being dropped...but that's all relative to performance on the field," he said. Eventually, after attracting interest from the Roosters, Schuster was released to finish his career in the Old Dart, where he proceeded to score more than 1000 points for Halifax over five seasons.

At the time, Armstrong admitted it was "unusual and disappointing" to lose a player of Schuster's calibre. "The Newcastle Knights have reluctantly agreed to release former All Black John Schuster to play rugby league in the United Kingdom," the club said in a statement. "With the pressure of the salary cap, the Knights have adopted a policy of signing their young local talent as a matter of top priority. This did not allow the Knights to fit John into their plans for 1994 and beyond...[releasing him] is deemed to be the best for both parties."

Schuster said "it's a very sad, very disappointing situation but I've got no hard feelings".

In the absence of Schuster, Newcastle unearthed a new strike weapon in enigmatic outside back Jamie Ainscough. A former Australian Schoolboy signed from Wests Magpies, Ainscough played only five games for Newcastle in 1992 but established himself a year later with 14 tries in 22 games, including two in a club-record 50-6 drubbing of the Gold Coast in the penultimate round.

Not far behind him in the try-scoring stakes was winger Robbie O'Davis, who crossed the stripe 11 times and was so impressive early in the season that he and international fullback Brad Godden traded positions. By the end of the regular season, Newcastle had 10 wins to their name - only two fewer than in 1992. But the contrast seemed far more significant than four competition points would suggest.

The Knights finished six wins behind the top five and never really showed any signs of qualifying for the do-or-die phase of the season. The final wash-up was 10 wins, 12 losses, 337 points for, 381 against ... and one large step backwards.

There were certain highlights, in particular the regular appearances of local juniors Matthew Johns and a raw-boned back-rower from Lakes United named Adam Muir (15 games). Paul Harragon played in all three Origins for NSW as the Blues retained their title with a 2-1 series triumph. He also starred in Australia's triumph in the three-Test series against New Zealand.

Goalkicking centre/winger Adrian Brunker played his third game for Queensland but disappointed Newcastle officials by leaving at season's end to join the Gold Coast, after 57 games for the Knights.

Brunker's defection was overshadowed by the departure of skipper Michael Hagan and fellow ex-Bulldog David Boyd, both to Halifax in the Old Dart, and enigmatic Tony Kemp, likewise to Castleford. Kemp finished the season playing alongside Andrew Johns in Newcastle's reserve-grade grand final side, beaten 5-4 by North Sydney in the decider.

Years later, the Kiwi international, of Maori heritage, would allege his six-season, 87-game stint with the Knights was soured by racial abuse from unnamed teammates that sparked "a couple of fights". Moody and unpredictable, Kemp was dynamic on his day. Good enough to play 25 Tests for the Kiwis over the course of his career, and win a host of games for Newcastle with individual talent.

Boyd, the bruising back-rower, racked up a club-record 114 games and thousands of tackles in the space of six seasons. He would be back in Australia two seasons later, playing for another new franchise, the Western Reds. . Despite never attracting the attention of representative selectors, he played with a brand of confidence and toughness that rubbed off on his teammates. He will forever more be player No.1 on Newcastle's roll of honour, alphabetical order being the criteria applied to the 16 men who appeared in their first-ever game.

Hagan appeared 111 times for the Knights and the only games he missed in his five seasons were through Origin commitments. Even in June 1992, when he learned on a Saturday night that his father had died in Brisbane, he courageously played the following day, leading Newcastle to a crucial 16-12 win against South Sydney that helped them qualify for the finals.

"I'm not misty-eyed because it's not going to be my last game of all time, but it was a good way to finish," he said after Newcastle's season-ending 18-10 win at Wollongong. "I had six years at Canterbury but I had a more significant role leadership-wise here at Newcastle. The future here looks very good. They've got a nucleus of good players and they've kept who they need."

Hagan's exit left a substantial void. In his own understated way, he was an inspiring player and leader for Newcastle. It would take someone truly special to replace him.

If their on-field results were underwhelming in 1993, the Knights did at least kick a significant goal in the corridors of power. With the NSW Rugby League's support, they successfully lobbied the state government for a $2.3 million grant to repay the mounting debt incurred in the various redevelopments of their home ground.

Newcastle officials were mightily relieved. That loan, which started at $800,000 and had grown each year, had been a millstone around the club's neck.

For the first time in their history, the Knights were out of the red. At least for the time being.

Hard Yards: The Story of the Newcastle Knights. Available to purchase from theherald.mybigcommerce.com/books/