Kalyn Ponga and teammate Kurt Mann have been cleared by the NRL Integrity Unit and won't face any club sanctions despite their starring roles in the much-publicised 'bad look' toilet cubicle video.
For all intents and purposes, the matter is now officially dead and buried.
But as captain of the club, Ponga still has an opportunity to stand up and shoulder some blame, show some real leadership and at least make a genuine apology to his teammates and fans.
It's an opportunity he should be advised to take.
Even if it is just a message to fans on the club's website, Ponga needs to publicly take ownership of the incident and admit both he and Mann let themselves and the club down. On a night when struggling teammates were taking on the Broncos in Brisbane, their actions created the impression, whether rightly or wrongly, of a couple of injured players who didn't give two hoots about the game or the outcome.
Ponga could perhaps combine any heart-felt apology with a clarification on if he is making himself available for World Cup selection.
It's a huge call for the Knights fullback to make given his head-knock issues and the fact he will have had little or no footy or contact at training leading into the tournament.
Knights fans will no doubt want him to put the club first given he only played 14 games this season and finished just 10 of them. At the same time, it's a huge call for anyone to make to rule yourself out of a World Cup.
Squeezed out
The danger in letting a local junior go at just 24 after developing him in the system for seven years is that he will jump out of the ground at a rival club and come back to bite you.
Prop Pasami Saulo is headed to the Canberra Raiders for the next two seasons after the Knights told his management several weeks ago it was unlikely there would be a roster spot left for him for next year. Squeezed out is how they refer to it.
The club has a glut of middles including three highly promising teenagers in Paul Bryan, Max Bradbury and Myles Martin and Saulo's opportunities have been few and far between since his NRL debut in 2018. He's played just 26 top grade games in those five seasons, all coming off the bench.
With his career on the line, he has shown some real positive signs over the past month but presumably, it has come too little, too late.
Not for the Raiders though, who are hoping to cash in on Newcastle's groundwork and turn Saulo into the player the Knights had hoped he'd become. Not unlike what they have done with two other Knights juniors Tom Starling and Hudson Young.
Worth the Gamble
It's a stat that hasn't gone unnoticed by eagle-eyed Newcastle fans following revelations Brisbane Broncos five-eighth Tyson Gamble is set to become a Knight for the next two seasons.
Gamble heads into his side's do-or-die final round clash against St George Illawarra today following his re-call to the top grade with a perfect winning record this season. He is eight from eight with the Broncos.
Meanwhile, what price another former Broncos half Brodie Croft joining Gamble in Newcastle next season?
It may be a long shot with the Knights still after the signature of Wests Tigers' Luke Brooks but Croft, currently starring for Salford in the English Super League, has made it known there has been interest in him from NRL clubs and his management is understood to have reached out to the Knights.
Young talent time
Provided he is fit and gets through tomorrow's final round clash against the Sharks unscathed at McDonald Jones Stadium, we're expecting giant Knights winger Dom Young will be chosen to play for England in the World Cup.
Young's manager Michael Cincotta has told us England coach Shaun Wane has already indicated Newcastle's rising star will be in his squad for the tournament following a breakout season for the Knights in the NRL.
Young's emergence has been among the few positives out of a poor season for the club. England selection would rule him out of playing alongside his brother Alex for Jamaica in the tournament.
Best says no to Wales
Knights centre Bradman Best will ignore overtures to play for Wales in the World Cup in October to remain in Newcastle to prepare himself for a full pre-season in November.
Despite a late-season hamstring strain, Best would have been a certain selection for Wales if he put his hand up but has opted instead to do the right thing by himself and the club in a bid to get his body right.
Injuries were again a real issue for the 21-year-old, restricting him to 14 games this year but even when fit, his form was mediocre.
The emergence of teenager Krystian Mapapalangi will put some heat on Best to perform in 2023.
'Maps' a real find
Teenage centre Krystian Mapapalangi showed his outstanding potential, picking up two points against the Titans last Sunday in Baz's Best player of the year competition.
Rd 24: Knights v Titans
3 Jayden Brailey 2 Krystian Mapapalangi 1 Tyson Frizell
Progress points: 21 David Klemmer 14 Dom Young 10 Kalyn Ponga, Mitch Barnett, Tyson Frizell 8 Edrick Lee, Jayden Brailey 7 Kurt Mann, Anthony Milford 5 Chris Randall, Dane Gagai 4 Tex Hoy, Jake Clifford, Enari Tuala 3 Daniel Saifiti, Jacob Saifiti 2 Lachlan Fitzgibbon, Simi Sasagi. Krystian Mapapalangi 1 Bradman Best, Phoenix Crossland.
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