NRL triple premiership winner Luke Keary has emphatically endorsed former Sydney Roosters teammate Sandon Smith as the essential choice for the Newcastle Knights’ halfback role, arguing it is the key to unlocking the potential of their marquee signing, Dylan Brown. This strategic recommendation comes as new head coach Justin Holbrook seeks to resolve the team’s significant attacking struggles, which plagued them throughout the previous season where they recorded the league’s least effective offense.
Keary, speaking on the Fox League Podcast, dismissed suggestions that Brown—who is on the richest contract in rugby league history—should be burdened with the primary playmaking duties. Instead, he presented a compelling case for a Smith-Brown halves partnership, describing it as the most logical and potent combination available. Keary’s analysis is grounded in his own experience as a playmaker and his observation of both players’ recent form.
The core of Keary’s argument centers on playing to each athlete’s natural strengths. He highlighted Brown’s phenomenal performance for New Zealand in the recent Pacific Championships, where he operated as a ‘second half’ alongside veteran Kieran Foran. This structure allowed Brown to play with exceptional freedom and focus on his running game, a facet of his play that is diminished when he is forced to assume the organizational responsibilities of the halfback role, as he had to do at Parramatta during Mitch Moses’ injury absences.
Keary characterized Smith as an ‘out and out seven,’ a natural organizer who excels at controlling the game, directing the team around the park, and executing strategic kicks. Placing Smith in the halfback role, Keary contends, would relieve immense pressure from Brown, enabling the high-priced recruit to revert to the dynamic, game-breaking style that earned him his monumental contract, without the weight of Andrew Johns’ legendary jersey number on his shoulders.
The only complication in this proposed plan is the future of talented youngster Fletcher Sharpe, who impressed in the halves last year before a severe injury ended his season. Keary acknowledged that Sharpe’s undeniable talent demands he be included in the lineup, potentially necessitating a shift to the wing for the 2026 season as Coach Holbrook works to assemble his most effective attacking puzzle.