Dog joins Newcastle

NSW halfback Trent Hodkinson has signed with Newcastle on a three- year NRL deal. The Canterbury No. 7 is offcontract at the end of the year was squeezed out of the Bulldogs because of salary cap restraints. He turned down a reported $ 800,000 two- year contract with the Gold Coast to sign with the Knights. “Trent’s signing is a major coup for our club,” Knights chief executive Matt Gidley said. “Trent is the current NSW halfback and has proven on many occasions, in grand finals and Origin matches, his ability to steer his team to victory. We look forward to Trent assisting our team to realise their potential.”