Injured Knights utility forward Brodie Jones will play his first game this season on Saturday, lining up at lock for Newcastle’s NSW Cup side against the Eels after foot surgery and a 12-week rehab.

Jones’s return comes as the Knights face a bigger decision off the field, with Dom Young’s camp expecting an extension offer within the next fortnight. Young is one of four priority-listed players contracted for next season but able to test the market with rival clubs from November 1 if he remains unsigned for 2028.

Michael Cincotta, Young’s agent, said the picture around a new deal had already begun to shift. “Things are in motion and we're expecting we'll get something in the next two weeks,” he said. “I've spoken to Sully [Knights head of recruitment Peter O'Sullivan] and Peter Parr [CEO] and it's all been positive. But we haven't seen anything yet.”

The timing matters because the Knights have already had one painful lesson with Young. He left Newcastle to sign with the Sydney Roosters for 2024 and later returned early from what was understood to be a lucrative deal, and Cincotta suggested the club should not repeat the mistake of undervaluing him. “He didn't want to leave back then either but the club low-balled him. I think at the time they thought 'we helped grow him and should be rewarded so we deserve a discount. Hopefully, they don't make the same mistake twice,” he said.

Young is not the only Knights player whose future has drawn attention. Kalyn Ponga and Jermaine McEwen have already been removed from the club’s priority list after signing extended deals, while Jacob Saifiti, Bradman Best and Dylan Lucas remain on it. Saifiti has not missed a game this season, Best is only recently back after tearing his hamstring 10 minutes into a game against the Broncos in 2024, three days after Origin III, and Ponga is three games back from a seven week injury lay-off caused by a hamstring tear.

That backdrop has sharpened the club’s thinking around Origin management and the danger of asking players to back up too soon. Best pushed to play through the pain last year and paid for it. Ponga’s return has been more measured, and Saifiti’s durability has made him the exception. For Newcastle, the lesson is not subtle: availability matters, but so does knowing when to stop a player from becoming the next cautionary tale.

Cincotta, though, said Young’s preference has not changed. “Like I said, he wants to stay at the Knights and that's why we are working towards getting a deal done early,” he said. “But if for some reason things don't work out, Dom's open-minded. There will be other clubs out there that would be attractive to him.”

For Jones, Saturday is a return built on patience and rehab. For the Knights, the next fortnight is about more than one contract. It is the window in which they can show Young they value him before the market gets a chance to do the talking.