Blood streamed down Morgan Knowles’ face as he collided with a rampaging Moeaki Fotuaika.
The split above his eye gushed so much it covered him. Yet, his focus remained on attempting to hold his rival enforcer over the try line, his demeanour after the try was awarded one of disappointment rather than pain.
That was barely 13 minutes into Knowles’ time in Dolphins colours – a sign of character not dissimilar to a pair of fellow Englishmen who became NRL legends.
Morgan KnowlesCredit: YouTube
Few could forget when Sam Burgess’ 2014 grand final heroics with a fractured cheekbone, ultimately claiming the Clive Churchill Medal to deliver premiership glory to South Sydney. Knowles tells this masthead he was a standout “idol” of his childhood.
But it was another England forward who has instead served as Knowles’ greatest influence: Canterbury Bulldogs great James Graham, who developed a reputation as one of his era’s strongest and most aggressive props.
Graham returned to Super League giants St Helens – the only club Knowles has known until now – for what was his final season in 2020, and served as a mentor to the blossoming lock. He taught him resilience and remaining tough even in the most painful of contests.
Knowles laughed when asked if he intends to continue the legacy left by Burgess and Graham.
“I’m not going to embarrass myself by saying I’m going to try to follow in their footsteps,” he said.
“They’re giant shoes to fill, and I only have size nine feet.”
But what he does intend to do showcase Graham’s lessons, and inject the same hard-nosed edge.
“He carries a real aura about him. I’ve not played with any players who had a similar presence – I wanted to impress him, I didn’t want to let him down,” Knowles said.
Dream team: James Graham and Sam Burgess embrace after an NRL game.Credit: NRL
“I felt almost responsible to him to put a performance in and deliver. I don’t carry myself anywhere near as high a regard as those two players … but I’m a really proud Cumbrian.
“I can see now how the Super League is perceived, and I want to fly the flag for the Super League and do myself proud.”
Knowles does not see his two-year contract as a flash in the pan.
“If things go well I could see myself staying longer,” he said, “but there are challenges being a long way from family too.”
Knowles had grown up in the St Helens pathways, arriving as a young teenager and playing 246 games for the club – including three-straight Super League titles under then coach, and now Dolphins honcho, Kristian Woolf.
But the 29-year-old, who had his second child in early 2025, sensed he needed to get outside his comfort zone.
“I knew at the age I’m at, this would be my last opportunity to come out. I didn’t want to finish my career and have any regrets of missed opportunities,” Knowles said.
“I got really comfortable with where I was, so I wanted to challenge myself again.”
Already Knowles has needed to adjust to the speed of the NRL – missing six tackles in his first trial against the Titans, before making 33 for just two misses while running for 84 metres against the Warriors.
In Woolf, he feels he is playing for a coach who best understands him “as a person and player, and got the best out of me” to bring that adjustment to life.
But he reveals there was more to his decision that Woolf’s influence.
Max Plath (knee) and Daniel Saifiti (shoulder) remain sidelined until at least round four, but the returns of Thomas Flegler and Tom Gilbert make for a representative-quality engine room.
While the Dolphins are yet to feature in finals football, Knowles sees the potential at Redcliffe, while admitting a move to Sydney was never on his radar given his “country boy” background living in the north of England.
“I wanted to come to a team that I felt had ambitions, aspirations and potential to be playing in the big games at the end of the season,” Knowles said.
“I’m not coming over here for a holiday.”
Knowles envisions a first year in Australia to be a big one – a deep finals run with the Dolphins followed by World Cup glory with England.
Morgan Knowles pictured during Dolphins training.Credit: Dolphins Media
On the back of the Kangaroos 3-0 Ashes whitewash last year, England coach Shaun Wane stepped down from his tenure, leaving the country’s Rugby Football League hunting a successor with just eight months remaining until the showcase begins.
Knowles admits the series was ultimately a disappointment, lamenting his side’s inability to consistently match it with their Australian rivals. But he insists that letdown will not prove their World Cup demise.
“There’ll be a new coach with new ideas,” Knowles said.
“We’ve played the Aussies now, it was the first time I had, and I think there were maybe two or three players who had played against Australia in that team. In the long run, we’ll be better for that experience.”
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