The Newcastle Knights and rep footy go hand in hand.
Over the years, the Club has had some incredible players reach higher honours while in the red and blue.
Below and in no particular order, are the names of the Knights’ 10 greatest representative players.
Tell us who you believe is our greatest rep player in the poll at the bottom of the page!
Note: Current players were not considered for this list
PAUL HARRAGON
The ‘Chief’ was a leader of men.
He inspired by his actions in every jersey he wore.
The forward played 20 consecutive Origins for the Blues and captained Australia.
DANNY BUDERUS
An NRL Hall of Famer, Buderus is arguably New South Wales’ greatest ever hooker.
He represented the Blues 21 times and captained the state to Origin success.
He also skippered the Australian team and wore the green and gold on 24 occasions.
KURT GIDLEY
He filled the utility role with distinction.
Gidley captained New South Wales in five matches and finished his Origin career with 12 games to his name.
He also pulled on the green and gold 12 times.
ANDREW JOHNS
He is an immortal.
One of, if not, the greatest player to ever play the game, Johns’ representative heroics are a thing of legend.
Take the Origin 2, 2005 performance. It was a masterclass.
A former NSW and Australia captain, Johns represented the Blues 23 times and the Australian side 24 times.
AKUILA UATE
There’s a reason he gained the nickname ‘Akuila The Thriller’.
His form at the 2008 World Cup for Fiji laid the foundations for him to become the club’s leading try scorer.
A Fijian international, Uate played 18 Tests for the Bati but also had a solid stint in the Origin and Kangaroos arena with five appearances in each of those jerseys.
ADAM MACDOUGALL
The 'Mad Dog' was electric.
He made his Origin debut for NSW in 1998 and finished with 11 games to his name.
He also represented Australia on 11 occasions.
BEN KENNEDY
He will go down as one of the club’s greatest signings.
The backrower joined the Knights in 2000 from Canberra and became a fan favourite.
Having played 13 games for NSW and 16 for Australia, Kennedy enjoyed a brilliant career.
STEVE SIMPSON
The workhorse backrower was a constant for the NSW side for several series.
The 2001 NRL premiership winner made his Origin debut in 2002, representing NSW 13 times.
He also made his Kangaroos debut in 2002 and pulled on the green and gold seven times.
MATT GIDLEY
He played a whopping 17 times for Australia.
The strike centre and Newcastle legend, Gidley scored 11 tries in the green and gold over six years.
He also represented NSW on 11 occasions.
MARK SARGENT
Known as ‘Sarge’, the prop was the first Newcastle player to represent Australia.
In 1990, Sargent made his NSW State of Origin debut before securing his Kangaroos jersey.
Sargent played in 11 games on the Kangaroo Tour, scoring three tries.
