Winger Dom Young has opened up on his mid-season move from the Sydney Roosters while paying tribute to Knights coach Justin Holbrook and his Newcastle teammates, crediting them for rekindling his love of rugby league.
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Almost 12 months after Young parted ways mid-season with the Roosters, creating a pathway to return to Newcastle, the English international says he is relishing a second coming in the Hunter.
The numbers agree: Young has once again excelled as one of the NRL’s top try scorers in 2026, averaging more than 175 run metres each game in the blue and red.
As the Knights prepare to take on Young’s former Roosters side on Sunday, the 24-year-old has credited Newcastle for his rich vein of form in 2026.
“I’ve rediscovered my love for the game this year,” Young told foxsports.com.au. “I’m enjoying coming up to training every day and enjoying running out on the weekend, playing the game I’ve played since I was a little kid. I’ve got that fun and enjoyment back and I’m always at my best when I’m going out there and having fun.
“Maybe I lost that a little bit when I left Newcastle. I think I’ve also got to give credit to the players around me; I’m getting a lot of good opportunities which is allowing me to show what I can do out there.”
Young first appeared in Newcastle colours in 2021 after relocating to Australia from Super League side Huddersfield. Newcastle immediately imparted a similar feeling to his West Yorkshire upbringing, with its tight-knit community and strong social scene.
In 2024, Young traded the beaches for Sydney’s lavish eastern suburbs with a move to the Roosters. The club would part ways with him barely 18 months into a four-year deal in June last year, allowing the towering 2.0-metre tall winger to look elsewhere and even agreeing to pay a portion of his salary to move him off their cap.
Having already played 51 NRL games in Knights colours, Newcastle loomed as the ideal destination – and one that Young would eventually share with former Roosters utility Sandon Smith, as well as former Roosters assistant and now Knights’ coach Holbrook.
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“Ever since I came out here, I fell in love with Newcastle, and I always say that when I’m happy off the field I’m at my best,” Young reflected. “Newcastle is that safe place for me, I can go out there on the field and do what I do.
“Sandon can play a bit more freely here, which is something that I feel like I can do as well in my role.
“Justin knows both of us quite well, too, spending time at the Roosters and also being quite an attack-minded coach. He really knows how to unlock us and get the best out of us, which is shown on the field.”
With Dom’s older brother Alex Young also relocating to Newcastle from Sydney earlier this year, where he is focusing on a law career together with some part-time footy with the Cessnock Goannas, the Knights winger believes he has landed on his “happy place” in Australia.
Young promptly springboarded into his tenure with the Knights last year, finishing the regular NRL season strongly in an otherwise lacklustre year for Newcastle, before a breakout stint representing England in The Ashes.
Young returned to the Knights pre-season later than others due to those England commitments, but remembers immediately gelling with Holbrook’s easy-going training style and simple breakdown of each player’s roles within the side.
He reflects graciously on the Rooster saga, and believes it has given him fresh perspective on life as an NRL player.
Holbrook:”Made it too hard on ourselves” | 03:36
“It’s reinvigorating the fire in my belly,” Young said. “When people start writing you off again, you want to prove a point and prove that you can still do what you want to do out there.
“The feeling I have when I put the Knights jersey on, and how special it makes me feel, how appreciative I feel when I run out in the colours. It just makes me want to get the best out myself.
“I was a bit sceptical about moving back in the mid-season last year. Obviously a lot of things were out of my control and it all happened quickly. You never really feel like you have the time or you’re ready to do a mid-season move, because you’re not planning for it – I still had two years on my contract.
“I guess when I got back to Newcastle, straight away I had this feeling that I’d never left. Everyone embraced me straight back in after what happened and I felt appreciated again. It’s hard to put my finger on exactly what it is, but I think there’s just something about Newcastle that resonates with me and gets the best out of me.”
Newcastle will look to retain their spot in the NRL’s top eight with a win over Young’s former side at Allianz Stadium on Sunday. The Knights will receive a vital boost with the expected return of off-season signing Dylan Brown in the halves, while the Roosters continue to build with veteran playmaker Daly Cherry-Evans at the helm.
“I just want to be one of the best wingers in the competition and I just want to go out and try and do that,” Young said. “If I can manage to have a good year this year, then heading into the World Cup year in Australia will be pretty cool as well. Hopefully we can do something as an England team.
“We’ve had a good start to the season but we’re all aware it’s a long year ahead.”
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