WE STILL NEED HIM: Knights forward set for departure, new club unclear
Jack Johns, a forward for the Newcastle Knights, has announced that he will leave the team at the conclusion of the 2023 NRL season.
Since joining the Knights in 2021, the 26-year-old, who can play at lock or in the second row, has had difficulty securing any regular playing time.
Johns joined the South Sydney Rabbitohs for their 2020 NRL season, although he only featured in two games before moving to the Knights, where he has only played in 14 games over the course of three seasons.
Five of those games came this year, but none after Round 13 where he started in the second-row against the Sea Eagles. Two of those other appearances were also in the starting side where he wore the number 13 jumper, while he also played from the interchange bench twice.
Johns, who was off-contract at the end of 2023, took to Instagram to confirm his departure from the Hunter-based club.
“My time in Newcastle has come to an end. The 3 years I’ve had back in this town have been great, with many memories,” he wrote on his Instagram.
“I can’t thank the people of Newcastle enough for being so good to me. The best part of Football is the people you meet and I’ve met some great people during my time here and made some lifelong mates.”
Johns will now seek to find a new club, although there have been no publicized links at this stage.
The 26-year-old will be fighting for one of the remaining NRL roster spots, of which there are still around 60 for the 2024 campaign, while the English Super League could also loom as an option.
