THE CLUB LEGEND
KNIGHTS veteran Adam MacDougall has pledged his support to multimillionaire Nathan Tinkler's proposed purchase of the club and could not speak highly enough of the man poised to again make the Knights an NRL powerhouse.
Speaking exclusively to The Sun-Herald, MacDougall - who rejoined as a club member - said the highly successful businessman had his vote.
''He's doing great things with the soccer club [the Jets] and personally, I think it'd be a great move to see someone like him come in and provide that sort of expertise and cash,'' he said.
''He'll bring a whole [lot] of security and financial opportunities, but also his expertise and ability to attract good people to the club in a business sense will help as well. The players all rejoined again as members this year … and if I am eligible to vote I'd vote for Nathan. There is no reason not to.
''The model I've seen and heard about looks great and it's a great opportunity for the club to move forward. And as a player, and very soon an ex-player, you want nothing more than to see the club move forwards and be secure for the future and be successful.''
MacDougall played in both of the Knights' premiership wins in 1997 and 2001 and said nothing would make him happier than retiring from the club knowing its future is not only secure, but is likely to be successful.
''I know a lot of the guys at the Jets and they said there's been a real buzz since he took over there,'' MacDougall said. ''There's a real buzz with us, too. At the end of the day, players are just paid to play and we're members. A lot of us don't currently have a vote but a lot of us do, and it's not our job to get caught in the politics. But as a member, I'm excited. And I think any player would be excited about someone like him coming into the club.
''Over the years it's been well documented that the club has been troubled financially and hasn't had the money to spend like other clubs.
''It's exciting because he's not only bringing an abundance of financial resources but, on top of that, he's a self-made millionaire. Someone who's an ordinary bloke who has achieved extraordinary things in the business world. It's a credit to himself and obviously that displays the high level of intelligence and business acumen the bloke's got to run a football club. He's already doing it with the Jets.
''The Tinkler Group is a very professional unit and will bring expertise in every area - whether it be marketing, advertising, resource management, finances. It's going to make the Knights a real powerhouse of the competition.''
More importantly to the long-term success of the Knights, said MacDougall, would be Tinkler's ability to pump cash and resources into the Hunter's grassroots football.
''Where they can differentiate themselves in years to come, because everyone has the same salary cap, is utilise the huge nursery of young footballers in the region and keep them here and develop the ones who fall through the net,'' MacDougall said. ''He'll be able to pump a lot of resources and expertise into the grassroots level. And if they can continue to develop those guys, it'll be huge for the club in years to come … you need to develop a lot of your own players.''
A (Mad) Dog's life in league
1995: Makes his first-grade debut for Sydney City Roosters, aged 19, against North Queensland.
1996: Joins the Newcastle Knights
1997: Plays in the centres in Newcastle's historic ARL grand final win over Manly.
May, 1998: Plays the first of his 11 State of Origin matches for NSW.
July, 1998: Banned for 22 matches after testing positive to a stimulant, which he was later cleared to use to treat a medical condition.
May, 1999: Returns to the NRL and regains Blues jersey for game two of the series.
2000: Plays first of his five Tests for Australia, partners Knights teammate Matt Gidley in the centres for the 40-12 World Cup final win over New Zealand.
2001: Plays on the wing as Newcastle beat Parramatta 30-24 in a grand final boilover.
2004: Joins South Sydney but his three-year stint is marred by injuries and the Rabbitohs' inability to climb off the bottom of the ladder.
July, 2006: Is released mid-season by the Rabbitohs after run-ins with club management.
2007: Begins his second stint at the Knights.
2010: Scores his 83rd try for the Knights to break Timana Tahu's club record.
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