Hodkinson to lead Newcastle

A REJUVENATED Trent Hodkinson was last night announced as the sole captain of the Newcastle Knights for the 2017 season.

Hodkinson shared the role with Jeremy Smith and Tariq Sims in 2016 but with those players no longer at the club, coach Nathan Brown has opted to move away from co-captains.

There had been speculation new recruits Rory Kostjasyn and Jamie Buhrer were being considered for the role alongside the Knights halfback. Kostjasyn represented the club at the NRL launch in Sydney earlier this week that featured the captains of all 16 NRL clubs. But it is understood the launch coincided with a Knights training session, prompting Hodkinson to not attend.

Kostjasyn and Buhrer haven’t missed out, they are part of the club’s leadership group that also features Hodkinson, Dane Gagai and Peter and Sione Mata’utia.