Brian McDermott has confirmed he will be Knights coach Adam O'Brien's new assistant next season.
The veteran Super League mentor, who was linked with a move to Newcastle late last week, will be taking on his first coaching role in the NRL when he links with the Knights after the Rugby League World Cup
McDermott is replacing former assistant Willie Peters, who is now head coach of Hull Kingston Rovers in England.
"It will be a big job, it's almost like starting again when you go out there," McDermott said, in an interview with his former club Leeds Rhinos, about joining Newcastle.
"So I've got a lot to learn and a lot of new experiences out there and meeting a lot of new people.
"[I'm] really looking forward to it."
McDermott is currently assisting Fiji at the World Cup in England, having joined the Bati only a week before the tournament began at the weekend.
The 52-year-old, who won four premierships with Leeds, spent this year as head coach of Featherstone Rovers in the Championship, the English second division.
He had previously been head coach of Canadian club Toronto Wolfpack before COVID and financial difficulties forced their withdrawal from Super League.
Meanwhile, the Wests Tigers have released prop Zane Musgrove to St George Illawarra, potentially opening the door for them to recruit Knights enforcer David Klemmer.
Klemmer was reported earlier this month to have recently toured the Tigers' high-performance base at Concord, an indication the Knights have likely given him permission to talk with other clubs.
The prop is about to enter the final season of his five-year Knights deal and is on north of $800,000 in 2023.
There has been speculation the Knights might let Klemmer go a season early given the recruitment of forwards Adam Elliott and Jack Hetherington next month.
The pair, signed on three-year deals, add to a salary cap laden with forwards, including the likes of Klemmer, the Saifiti twins, Tyson Frizell, Lachlan Fitzgibbon and Leo Thompson.
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