For professional athletes, team success equals opportunity for players to gain lucrative deals with another team, the situation of North Queensland Cowboys utility Rory Kostjasyn being a case in point.
Kostjasyn will labour in the next season for the Newcastle Knights, as well as the 2018 season, thanks to a two-year deal.
The Knights considered Kostjasyn’s versatility a valuable commodity, since he can play not only hooker, but fill in at the halves.
Knights Coach Nathan Brown expressed optimism that his new acquisition, who got his start in the NRL with the Melbourne Storm, could help the bottom-rung spoon holding side from Newcastle pass the spoon to another in the upcoming year. Kostjasyn got on for all 26 games for the Cowboys this season. At 29 years of age, he offers another dose of maturity when combined with the recent signing of Jamie Buhrer, who played 128 games for the Manly squad.
Brown hopes that the presence of a player who has tasted the success found at systems that promote a culture of winning will help to foster an attitude of positive expectations for the young side he will field when the 2017 NRL season gets underway.
The Knights are also on a crusade to fit Gold Coast Titans forward Greg Bird with some Newcastle Knights’ armour.
