Disgruntled centre Jesse Ramien has almost certainly played his last game for the Knights after being offered a release from his contract, club chief executive Phil Gardner declaring: "If he doesn't want to be here, we don't want him."
Only days after he was axed from the side for the clash against Manly on Saturday, Knights coach Nathan Brown told Ramien he was free to officially negotiate with rival clubs and walk away from the final year of his contract in Newcastle.
Tension: Jesse Ramien hasn't lived up to his potential at Newcastle.Credit:AAP
It follows constant speculation that Ramien wanted out after a less-than-inspiring debut season in Newcastle that has produced only rare glimpses of the 22-year-old's potential.
Last year Ramien was considered one of the NRL's brightest centre prospects after a breakout season with the Sharks, and it's expected there will be no shortage of clubs queueing up for his services in 2020.
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Ramien's problems in Newcastle initially stemmed from being starved of the football earlier this year when Kalyn Ponga started the season at five-eighth.
A right centre, his opportunities were few and far between early on because of the Knights' left-sided attack featuring Ponga and halfback Mitchell Pearce.
Ramien was touted as a potential Blues' State of Origin chance before a ball was kicked but by the time the rep season rolled around, he had slipped off Brad Fittler's radar.
At the time, he was also dealing with issues around his management and suggestions he could be earning far more than his $250,000 contract with Newcastle if he was at another club.
Gardner told the Herald the Knights and coach Brown had given Ramien every opportunity to become a valued member of the club but questioned his commitment to the cause.
"He's obviously got talent, you can see it in him," Gardner said. "If he really wanted to put his head down and be part of the club, he'd be good but the way he has performed, that's not the case.
"Sometimes, it's not the right fit but he's got to come to that conclusion himself. He can either knuckle down here and show us all what he's got or he can decide it's not for him and he can go.
"The ball is in his court. The bottom line is if he doesn't want to be here, we don't want him. It's that simple. You either want to play for the club or you don't."
"We want the right people here at the club. It's all about having people here who want to bleed red and blue and if they don't want to do that, we'd rather not have them.
"If Jesse doesn't want to be here, the best outcome for him and the best outcome for us is to part ways."
Gardner did not want to discuss the speculation that rival NRL clubsRead More – Source
Disgruntled centre Jesse Ramien has almost certainly played his last game for the Knights after being offered a release from his contract, club chief executive Phil Gardner declaring: "If he doesn't want to be here, we don't want him."
Only days after he was axed from the side for the clash against Manly on Saturday, Knights coach Nathan Brown told Ramien he was free to officially negotiate with rival clubs and walk away from the final year of his contract in Newcastle.
Tension: Jesse Ramien hasn't lived up to his potential at Newcastle.Credit:AAP
It follows constant speculation that Ramien wanted out after a less-than-inspiring debut season in Newcastle that has produced only rare glimpses of the 22-year-old's potential.
Last year Ramien was considered one of the NRL's brightest centre prospects after a breakout season with the Sharks, and it's expected there will be no shortage of clubs queueing up for his services in 2020.
Advertisement
Ramien's problems in Newcastle initially stemmed from being starved of the football earlier this year when Kalyn Ponga started the season at five-eighth.
A right centre, his opportunities were few and far between early on because of the Knights' left-sided attack featuring Ponga and halfback Mitchell Pearce.
Ramien was touted as a potential Blues' State of Origin chance before a ball was kicked but by the time the rep season rolled around, he had slipped off Brad Fittler's radar.
At the time, he was also dealing with issues around his management and suggestions he could be earning far more than his $250,000 contract with Newcastle if he was at another club.
Gardner told the Herald the Knights and coach Brown had given Ramien every opportunity to become a valued member of the club but questioned his commitment to the cause.
"He's obviously got talent, you can see it in him," Gardner said. "If he really wanted to put his head down and be part of the club, he'd be good but the way he has performed, that's not the case.
"Sometimes, it's not the right fit but he's got to come to that conclusion himself. He can either knuckle down here and show us all what he's got or he can decide it's not for him and he can go.
"The ball is in his court. The bottom line is if he doesn't want to be here, we don't want him. It's that simple. You either want to play for the club or you don't."
"We want the right people here at the club. It's all about having people here who want to bleed red and blue and if they don't want to do that, we'd rather not have them.
"If Jesse doesn't want to be here, the best outcome for him and the best outcome for us is to part ways."
Gardner did not want to discuss the speculation that rival NRL clubsRead More – Source
