They may have an average age of 20, but Newcastle boss Matt Gidley insists his future spine can carry the Knights for the next decade.
Newcastle locked in the final piece of their playmaking quartet on Monday after confirming the signing of Connor Watson, who will arrive on a three-year deal next season.
The 21-year-old Sydney Roosters utility is seen as the club’s long-term five-eighth in a spine that includes fellow young gun Kalyn Ponga (19), Brock Lamb (20) and Danny Levi (21).
But Gidley insists it is all part of the club’s long-term plan.
“The plan from our point of view is to keep these boys together for five, seven, 10 years. They can grow and build cohesion together,” Gidley told AAP.
“I think that’s the reason why we wanted to bring players in at a young age. With all their best football in front of them, hopefully they can build those combinations into the future.”
Gidley was also adamant veteran halfback Trent Hodkinson, who still has one more season left on his contract, would play a vital mentoring role in 2018.
The former NSW State of Origin halfback spent over two months in reserve grade this year but has since been recalled to first grade for the past month.
“The way Trent holds himself, he’s a real professional so it’s important that these younger players can look at those senior players and look at how they prepare,” Gidley said.
Watson’s signing adds to a growing recruitment drive that has netted Ponga, Brisbane centre Tautau Moga, Roosters forward Aidan Guerra and mid-season pick-up Shaun Kenny-Dowall.
Gidley also promised long-suffering Knights fans that the club isn’t done yet, with their focus now turning to bolstering their forward pack.
The club has been heavily linked to Broncos prop Herman Ese’ese.
“We need to bring in some middle type forwards if we can. We’re in discussions with some players at the moment but we’ve also got the young Saifiti boys coming through,” Gidley said.
“Add Josh King as well, they’re young, local players we feel they’re going to be long-term.”
With the continued uncertainty around next year’s salary cap due to the drawn-out collective bargaining agreement, Gidley said the team would save cap space for unwanted players.
“With uncertainty around the salary cap, we think there could be player movement right up until the start of next season,” he said.
“Our strategy was always to position ourselves to capitalise on any opportunities, whether they’re marquee players or building depth to our roster. We’ll keep a close eye on the market.”