The coach who led the Penrith Panthers to two premierships in The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup, Garth Brennan, is returning to his hometown of Newcastle to oversee the Knights player pathways from grassroots up to the NRL and NRLW sides.
A born and bred Novacastrian, Brennan already has a strong connection with the Hunter club as he was an assistant coach to the Knights’ Jersey Flegg Cup side in 2003, head coach of the Harold Matthews Cup side in 2007, as well as the NSW Cup and former National Youth Competition (NYC).
He gained further prominence moving to Penrith in 2012 to link with their NYC side before winning the 2014 and 2017 premierships in the NSW Cup, and also coached the NSW U18s team in 2012.
Brennan, a former Knights junior who played for Wests Newcastle before pursuing a coaching career, moved to his first NRL head coach role with the Gold Coast Titans for two seasons (2018-19).
He told the newcastleknights.com.au website that he was again looking forward to working with one of the most dynamic junior systems in the country, as Head of Pathways.
“I can’t wait to get involved and I’m really looking forward to the challenge this role presents,” Brennan said.
“The Club at the moment is filled with quality people, including Adam O’Brien, Danny Buderus, Alex McKinnon and Head of Performance Hayden Knowles. The chance to work alongside them, as well as the Wests Group, is one I just couldn’t refuse.
“For my entire career I’ve been really passionate about strengthening junior development and pathways programs, which has been some of the most enjoyable and rewarding work of my life so far.”
