The final home game of the season is Old Boys Day.
This year, the Old Boys will honour our Hall of Famers as part of the pre-game fixture ahead of the Round 25 encounter with St George Illawarra.
All Hall of Fame members have made immeasurable contributions to the Newcastle Knights Rugby League Club in their roles as players, coaches and/or administrators.
The Hall of Fame members are:
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Matthew Gidley - Knights Career 1996-2006
Gidley, a local Newcastle product, wore the red and blue on 221 occasions and was a key member of the Knights' Grand Final winning team in 2001. A powerful and skilled centre, Gidley scored 68 tries for his hometown Club.
Michael Hagan - Player 1989-93, Coach 2001-2006
Hagan, a clever five-eighth, played for Newcastle 111 times between 1989 and 1993 and was an integral part in building the Club culture in the early days of the Knights. Hagan took over the coaching reigns at his former Club in 2001. He guided the Knights to a Grand Final victory in his first season in charge and was at the helm of the Club for 154 matches between 2001 and 2006.
Paul Harragon - Knights Career 1988-1999
Harragon played a total of 169 matches during a sensational career for his hometown Club. The heroic prop's crowning glory in the red and blue was captaining the Knights to the 1997 Premiership, where they defeated the Manly Sea Eagles 22-16 in a dramatic Grand Final.
Andrew Johns - Knights Career 1993-2007
Arguably one of the greatest players of all time, Johns played for the Knights a record 249 times and still holds the Club record for most career points with 2,176. Johns was a standout performer in the Club's two Premiership wins in 1997 and 2001 and was awarded the Clive Churchill Medal for man-of-the-match in the 2001 Grand Final. He was named the eighth immortal in 2012.
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Allan McMahon - Founding Coach 1988-1991
McMahon was the Knights' coach during their inaugural season in 1988 was in charge of the Club for 83 games. McMahon built a team full of local junior talent and instilled a set of standards that the Club has continued to build upon. He laid the foundations for the proud and passionate culture that still resonates throughout the Club today.
Danny Buderus - Knights Career 1997-2008; 2012-13
Buderus captained Newcastle, NSW and Australia, won the 2001 NRL premiership with the Knights and in 2004 won the Dally M Medal as rugby league's best and fairest player. Returning to the Knights in 2012 for a second stint after three years in England with Leeds Rhinos, Buderus retired at the end of 2013 as the most capped player in Knights history with 257 games to his name in an NRL career that spanned 14 seasons.
Tony Butterfield - Knights Career 1998-2000
Butterfield established as one of the most relentless and tough forwards Club's formative early years. Overcoming a series of injuries early in his career, the flint-hard front-rower went on to partner prop Paul Harragon in the team's famous ARL grand final victory over Manly in 1997, and represented NSW and City Origin while wearing blue and red. A two-time Player of the Year (1988, 1996) and Players' Player of the Year (1996, 1997), and member of the Club's 20-Year Team named in 1997, he captained the Knights in his final two seasons and went within a game of leading them to the 2000 grand final.
Knights support Aussie farmers
Mark Sargent - Knights Career 1989-1995
The skillful, mobile prop became the Club's first Australian Test representative when he toured with the 1990 Kangaroos, then in 1992 returned to England at the end of the season with Australia's triumphant World Cup squad. A NSW, City and Country representative, Sargent played 126 games in seven seasons with the Knights and in 1997 was named as a member of the Club's 20-Year Team. Sargent succeeded great mate Michael Hagan as captain in 1994, continuing in that role until a knee injury prematurely ended his Knights playing career midway through 1995.
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The Newcastle Knights Hall of Fame
The Hall of Fame was founded in 2012, and the inaugural inductees were Andrew Johns, Paul Harragon, Michael Hagan, Matt Gidley and the late Allan McMahon.
Danny Buderus, Mark Sargent and Tony Butterfield were included two years later.
The key objectives of the Hall of Fame were to acknowledge former greats of the Club and their contribution to the Knights both on and off the field in a region so rich in rugby league culture.
To be eligible for nomination players and coaches must be retired.
It's now been four years since the last additions were made.
