The World Cup conversations that convinced Kai he was a Knight

Letting English superstar Dom Young leave Newcastle would have been a tough one for the Knights to swallow but luckily the club was handed a farewell present in Kai Pearce-Paul.

Bursting onto the World stage as a 21-year-old in October 2022, the former Wigan Warrior attracted the attention of several NRL clubs after making his international debut for England.

But the 198cm backrower didn’t have far to go for advice and admitted Young’s reassurance that Newcastle was a place he could flourish as an NRL player, which helped make his decision.

“I knew Dom from before when I played academy for London Broncos against Huddersfield Giants and I played against him sometimes,” Pearce-Paul told NRL.com.

“And when I went into the England squad, Dom and I spent a lot of time together on that World Cup which was the time I was talking to a few clubs and making my decision.

“There were a few clubs that had reached out and I had a few different conversations with different coaches and teams.

“I did message Dom again before I made my decision and asked for an opinion on what he thought I should do and how he found in Newcastle.

In an ironic twist however, three months after Pearce-Paul put pen to paper with the Knights in December 2022, news broke that Young has signed a new deal with the Roosters.

The prolific try-scorers' departure was a huge blow for the Knights in 2024, however the signing of Pearce-Paul and fellow Englishman Will Pryce came as a timely boost for the club.

“Obviously he's a good friend of mine, so he gave me an honest opinion and talked up Newcastle because he loved it here and was successful here, so I would say he definitely had a factor," he said.

“It was a tough decision right up until the end but I went with Newcastle and I have I no regrets at all. I’m loving the place, the fans and the club.

"Dom and I still chat a bit on social media and wish each other luck for our games and it's great to see him doing well at his new club."

Four rounds into the season and the athletic backrower has already showed the NRL why several clubs were chasing his signature.

Cementing his spot in Adam O’Brien’s backrow, the 23-year-old is averaging 110 run metres a game and has a team-high five offloads to his name.

Known for his second phase-play in the Super League, Pearce-Paul said his next focus is creating more opportunities for star backs Kalyn Ponga and Bradman Best in space.

“In the past, at my old club, everyone knew I had a pretty good offload and would always be sort of sniffing around for it and waiting for it,” Pearce-Paul said.

“When we get more used to each other in different combinations, that sort of football should start to show itself more.

“If you can give guys like KP (Ponga) and Bradman Best the ball in space, they can make things happen out of nothing.

“Hopefully as the season goes on, the better combinations we get between people, I can throw them around more.”

With veteran backrower Lachie Fitzgibbon departing to the Super League in the off-season, Pearce-Paul’s arrival came at a fitting time for the Knights who were looking to lack experience in the position.

But with Tyson Frizell leading from the front in the opening month of the season, Pearce-Paul said the star second rower has been influential in his transition to the NRL.

“Tyson's been huge for me. When I had my foot injury in the pre-season, he also had a slight little niggle and we spent quite a bit of time in rehab together over a couple of weeks,” he said.

“He helped me out a lot in terms of how the system works over here and ways I could improve my game.

“On the field, I’ve noticed hoe he really leads with his actions. He's probably been man of the match in both the last two games because of his actions, his efforts and willingness to fight for the team.

“So he's been huge for the team and huge for me as well. He's really helped me not only as a backrower, but also in my move from the other side of the world as well.”