Holbrook to be named Knights coach, Cheika joins Roosters

Justin Holbrook has seemingly won the race to the vacant Newcastle Knights coaching position.

Holbrook will take over from Adam O’Brien as Knights head coach next season, beating out Dean Young and Blake Green to the role.

The former Titans head coach and current Roosters assistant now faces the challenge of lifting Newcastle off the bottom of the ladder and figuring out the best combination with Kalyn Ponga, Dylan Brown and Fletcher Sharpe.

SEN’s Jimmy Smith believes Holbrook was the smart selection for the club.

“It feels like the logical selection outside of someone like Willie Peters,” Smith said on SEN 1170 Afternoons.

If that is the case, congratulations to Justin Holbrook… we wish him all the best with that.”

Holbrook had a 37 per cent win rate with the Titans between 2020 and 2023, leading them to a finals campaign in 2021, but possessed a 80 per cent win rate with St Helens in the Super League in the three years prior to his Gold Coast stint.

The decision to appoint Holbrook was made by a five-man committee including incoming CEO Peter Parr and club legend Michael Hagan.

Former Wallabies coach and Lebanon head coach Michael Cheika is set to get his crack in the NRL, replacing Holbrook at the Roosters as assistant coach.

Cheika has been previously vocal about wanting to coach in the NRL and had been in the running for the Knights job, discussing his goal on Freddy and the Eighth.

"I think that challenge, if you think about it, hasn't really been met," Cheika said.

"Alan Jones had a crack at it way back. It hasn't been done with success. Many league coaches have come over to rugby and been successful there.

"To master that challenge, especially being an Aussie kid where league is such a big sport and I grew up playing the sport, I think it would be a huge challenge.

"I've been back here now for maybe six weeks or so, getting my feet on the ground and deciding what I'm going to get up to next."