Phoenix Crossland is “quietly confident” he can continue his winning ways when the Newcastle Knights kick off their campaign in Las Vegas this weekend.
The gifted utility, who’s made the hooking role his own in recent years, led New Zealand to success in the Pacific Championships in November, alongside new teammate Dylan Brown, before returning to the Hunter for pre-season training.
Now, the pair will join forces again as the “red and blue” prepares to face the North Queensland Cowboys at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday 1 March.
“The Pacific Championships were awesome,” Crossland said.
“Samoa and Tonga provided some stern tests, so it was good to win the whole thing.
“But, I also enjoyed the experience, learning and playing with a heap of great players.
“I’m sure I brought a bit of that back with me to clubland.
“Club footy is not entirely different to international footy.
“There’s just a few more good players on the field.”
One thing Crossland noticed on his return to the Centre of Excellence was the “vibe” under Justin Holbrook, who replaced long-term mentor Adam O’Brien.
“It’s been unreal,” he said.
“However, I think we certainly needed a change… and we’ve got it.
“From how I see it, everyone’s sort of feeling a bit more refreshed.
“It’s just exciting.
“You’ve got new eyes on you, you must prove yourself all over again and Justin brings a terrific energy to the team.
“He knows what we need as a club, so that’s been really good.
“As for me, I just want to play consistent footy.
“While I’ve taken on several roles before, including the halves, my favourite position is probably No. 9.
“I’m not bad at 13 either.
“So, anywhere in the middle is where I’m keen to play.”
With Newcastle opening its 2026 NRL account in the US, it adds another layer to the exhilaration, according to Crossland.
“It’ll be crazy, I’ve never been somewhere like that before,” he said.
“To play footy there, and to do it with your best mates, it’s pretty exciting.
“Plus, it’s created a bit of history for the Knights.
“I’ll admit, going to Las Vegas is heaps cool, but we need to win a game.
“We’re under no illusions about that.
“It’s exactly what we’re there to do.
“People have commented about our trial form… and that’s fine.
“However, there are so many weird results ahead of round one, it’s hard to take anything out of them, apart from a lot of young guys having a run.
“We got what we needed from them, without KP (Kalyn Ponga).
“I’m sure we’ll be fine against North Queensland.
“We know what to do… and what’s expected.”
Newcastle Knights v North Queensland Cowboys
Round 1 – Sunday 1 March
1.15pm: Allegiant Stadium
- Newcastle Knights: 1 Kalyn Ponga, 2 Dominic Young, 3 Dane Gagai, 4 Bradman Best, 5 Greg Marzhew, 6 Fletcher Sharpe, 7 Dylan Brown, 8 Jacob Saifiti, 9 Phoenix Crossland, 10 Trey Mooney, 11 Dylan Lucas, 12 Jermaine McEwen, 13 Tyson Frizell; interchange: 14 Sandon Smith, 15 Mat Croker, 16 Thomas Cant, 17 Pasami Saulo, 18 Fletcher Hunt, 19 Francis Manuleleua; reserves: 20 Tyson Gamble, 21 Cody Hopwood, 22 James Schiller
- North Queensland Cowboys: 1 Scott Drinkwater, 2 Braidon Burns, 3 Jaxon Purdue, 4 Tom Chester, 5 Murray Taulagi, 6 Jake Clifford, 7 Tom Dearden, 8 Coen Hess, 9 Reed Mahoney, 10 Jason Taumalolo, 11 Heilum Luki, 12 Sam McIntyre, 13 Reuben Cotter; 14 Soni Luke, 15 Thomas Mikaele, 16 Harrison Edwards, 17 Kai O’Donnell, 18 Griffin Neame, 19 John Bateman; reserves: 20 Liam Sutton, 21 Matthew Lodge, 22 Robert Derby
For more sports stories:
- From Maitland to Vegas… Young Knight Cant beat that feeling
- This is Newcastle… Let’s start playing like it
- Raymond Terrace earns right to host 2026 Koori Knockout
Get all the latest Newcastle news, sport, real estate, entertainment, lifestyle and more delivered straight to your inbox with the Newcastle Weekly Daily Newsletter. Sign up here.
