There’s been no shortage of interest in our boys this week.
The nib Newcastle Knights attracted plenty of media attention and we’ve pulled together some of it in case you missed it.
BTP Ep 1: Brailey’s return. Young arrives. O’Brien’s focus.
Young and Hodgson set to take the NRL by storm
They've travelled from the other side of the globe with wraps as high as their potential.
Now, after a couple of weeks in quarantine and some gruelling pre-season sessions, Dom Young and Bailey Hodgson are ready to turn heads in Australia.
With eyes on a potential NRL debut sometime this year, the duo opened up in a candid interview with The Newcastle Herald's Barry Toohey ahead of the Christmas break.
Young in particular revealed he almost signed with the Melbourne Storm, before the phone rang with Alex McKinnon on the end of the line.
"I nearly went to Melbourne at one stage but Alex (McKinnon) just told me about Newcastle and it felt like a good fit for me," Young said.
"I was pretty young and still at school when I debuted back home.
"I remember I had an exam on the morning of the game and was pretty much straight over to St Helens after I'd finished it for my debut."
Barnett: 2020 reflection, pre-season additions and competition for spots
O'Brien provides KP update
It's now been a few months since Kalyn Ponga went under the knife, with his troublesome shoulder recovering well thanks to his rehabilitation schedule.
While word has been fairly quiet on the recovery front thus far, Head Coach Adam O'Brien provided an update when quizzed by SEN Radio's Scott Sattler and Jason Matthews.
"He's in rehab and working extremely hard," O'Brien said.
"He's progressing along nicely.
"We haven't got a specific timeframe on him but I don't expect him to miss too much of the start of the season.
"But the one thing we've said the whole time is we'll wait for him to be 110% fit before we risk him."
LISTEN TO THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE
Pearce: Return, contract rumours and Brailey influence
AOB's verdict on controversial new rule
It's the new rule which divided the rugby league community.
It'll also have the likes of Mitchell Pearce and Kalyn Ponga practicing their long-range field goals throughout the pre-season.
It is of course the new rule which stipulates a field goal taken from 40m out will now be worth two points, rather than one.
In the same interview with SEN, Adam O'Brien said he was comfortable with the innovation being introduced to the game.
"I'd like to sit here and say we've got a number of guys who could slot that," O'Brien said.
"How many we'll see, I'm not too sure.
"For those who are able to nail ones, it'll be a worthwhile change for them."
