Comfort zone: Dom feeling at home in Newcastle

This was familiar territory for Dom Young.

The English international who hails from Huddersfield looked right at home in the wet conditions at McDonald Jones Stadium on Sunday, bailing the Knights out of the mire and providing the decisive play in their 12-6 victory over Wests Tigers. 

Young started with an assist for a disallowed Dylan Brown try in the opening minute and finished with a run from his in-goal before throwing the final pass for Bradman Best’s match-winner under the posts. 

"It was a bit of a crazy game,” Young told nrl.com. “We started pretty well but as soon as that (Brown’s no-try) went against us, I don’t know if we felt sorry for ourselves or not but they kind of had all the momentum.

“The conditions probably didn’t help, but to end the game like that and come away with the win was pretty good.

“It shows a lot of our character, grinding away in these close games, but at the same time, I think our home fans probably deserve a bit better performance.

“I guess it’s exciting for them to watch but we know we can be a lot better than that. It’s obviously good to get the two points, and ultimately that’s what matters, but I think we really need to chase that 80-minute performance.”

The game was tied 6-6 in the 74th minute when Best retrieved a spilled Adam Doueihi bomb in Newcastle’s in-goal and linked with Young with a pass behind their posts.

Young broke two tackles to burst into the clear and eventually reconnected with Best with a pass in-field, and Best ran the final 40 metres to touch down untouched.

“I was just thinking pin the ears back but I looked up and saw Braddy in so much space and there was no-one there, so I was like, I’ve got to give this unfortunately,” Young laughed. 

“It would have been nice to score myself but I was like, I’ve got to give this, and he obviously had the pace to get there and guarantee the win.” 

The long-limbed winger ran for 195 metres in the win against Wests Tigers that kept the fifth-placed Knights (24 points) within striking distance of the top four heading into their game against the third-placed Dolphins (also 24) in Newcastle on Sunday.

A year after rejoining the Knights after an ultimately unsuccessful 18 months in Sydney, Young is loving life back in his adopted home town.

Scoring 43 tries in 51 appearances in his first stint in Newcastle, he reluctantly left at the end of 2023 to join the Roosters.

The last of his 31 games for the Roosters was, coincidentally, against the Knights at McDonald Jones Stadium on June 14 last year, then he scored a try a week later in his first game back in Newcastle colours in a 26-20 victory over the Dolphins in Perth.

“It does have that homely kind of feel. This is the first place I moved to from England, and it’s always had a special place in my heart,” Young said.

“I didn’t really want to leave when I did leave the first time, and obviously circumstances led me to that, but I think coming back, nothing really felt like it had changed.

“There’s a lot of the same boys here and there’s just that feeling of wanting to do my best for the club and the jersey, and I’ve been loving it ever since.

“Obviously this year, we’re winning a few more games than last year, but it definitely feels like home and I think I play my best footy in a Knights jersey.” 

Young is a crowd favourite in Newcastle, and captain Kalyn Ponga is one of his biggest fans.

“There’s not many players in the competition that could have done what he did at the end there,” Ponga said.

“He’s loved here, we appreciate him, we value him. We’re quite a connected group but he understands how important he is to us, and his performance tonight was awesome.

“In the first half he was dangerous, he didn’t see as many opportunities in the second half, but obviously the one that mattered, mattered. He’s at home here, for sure.”