Former Newcastle coach Brian Smith, who Rick Stone originally replaced as head coach of the Knights, has had some choice words for the novacastrian city.

Writing for theroar.com.au, Smith believes the attributes that once made them great, can’t make them great again.

“As a city and proud sporting region, Newcastle itself needs to take a look at the rest of the world of pro sport.

“They will need to search hard to find a winning franchise with a locally grown-only philosophy. And an independent internal study will show they probably don’t have that same depth of talent that those pioneer Knights coaches had to get the whole winning thing going way back, when they were the most admired team in the world of rugby league.

“Newcastle and the Hunter is a terrific place, but as I have found out having lived in 33 different houses in my life and enjoyed every place I have ever resided in, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

“But the winning scoreboard at your home ground, wherever it may be, is the most wonderful sight of all.”