It has all the ingredients for a hit reality television show.
Three rugby league coaches, living together for more than two months, in a three-bedroom Airbnb on Newcastle’s Bar Beach last summer.
It is here, in a share house in Merewether, that the Knights took the first steps in ridding themselves of the wooden spoon and commencing a storied run that has taken them into the finals. The first big call Newcastle coach Justin Holbrook made after succeeding Adam O’Brien was arranging accommodation and inviting assistant Brett White and Steve Hales to live with him.
It resulted in a trio who had never worked together before spending every waking moment together from the start of pre-season last October until the Christmas break. In doing so, they formed a strong bond that helped them identify their coaching philosophy and the culture they wanted to instil into a side that became the NRL’s biggest improver in 2026.
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