Kai Pearce-Paul future update as Jackson Hastings ‘frozen out’ at Newcastle Knights
Kai Pearce-Paul in action for Newcastle Knights in 2024.
The futures of Newcastle Knights’ England duo Kai Pearce-Paul and Will Pryce appear to be some way off being resolved – while former Super League Man of Steel Jackson Hastings has effectively been ‘frozen out’ of the NRL club.
The Knights are undergoing a major overhaul of their roster, with some of their biggest names not only off-contract at the end of the coming season, but set to sign with other NRL clubs.
Pearce-Paul and Pryce are both off-contract and are expected to play a major role in Newcastle’s 2025 campaign. However, a fresh report from Code Sports looking into the future of their roster has explained that there will be no decision on the English duo just yet.
They say that the Knights are instead going to watch how the pair start the new season before making a decision on their respective futures with the club.
Pearce-Paul would be almost certain to remain in the NRL given the impact he has had since joining Newcastle, but Pryce’s future plans may yet alert Super League clubs for 2026.
However, Hastings‘ own Newcastle future is far more clear-cut, it seems – after it emerged he has been training exclusively with the club’s second string in 2025 and training to play loose-forward.
Newcastle head coach Adam O’Brien appears to have emphatically decided that Hastings will not play a part in their plans for 2025 – but with a reported salary of $800,000, finding a new club appears to be difficult.
