Newcastle have signed former New Zealand international David Fa’alogo on a one-year NRL deal.
The ex-South Sydney forward will reunite with Knights coach Wayne Bennett who he worked under during the Kiwis’ World Cup win in 2008, when the veteran mentor was an assistant to head coach Stephen Kearney.
Bennett said Fa’alogo, 32, who has spent the last three years playing for Super League club Huddersfield Giants, could follow Danny Buderus in making a successful return from the UK.
“He wanted to finish his career in Australia and at a club that is going places, that is pretty much the conversation we had,” Bennett said in a statement on Wednesday.
“He is coming here for the right reasons.
“He isn’t coming here for the money but he feels he owes a lot to rugby league and wanted to come and finish his career in Australia playing good footy.
“People who have played with or against David will tell you he is a good player and he is the type of player I like to coach, (they are) committed and you know they are going to get the job done.”
Bennett said Fa’alogo’s contract could be extended for a second year if his form warranted it.
Fa’alogo was infamously embroiled in a Mad Monday altercation with then Rabbitohs coach Jason Taylor at the end of the 2009 NRL season. It was an incident which resulted in both Fa’alogo’s and Taylor’s contracts being terminated by the club.
Fa’alogo has played 142 NRL games for the Rabbitohs, 53 matches for the Giants and 12 Tests for New Zealand.