Danny Levi’s roller coaster season has taken another dramatic nose-dive with the Newcastle Knights back-up hooker dumped for Saturday’s clash against the Wests Tigers.
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While he was named on the bench for the game earlier this week, Fairfax Media has been told Levi will be at Campbelltown Stadium playing NSW Cup against Western Suburbs as the Knights prepare to face the Tigers in Tamworth.
Hard-working middle forward Luke Yates will get his first crack in the NRL this season as Levi’s replacement off the bench at a sold-out Scully Park with co-captain Jamie Buhrer to deputise in the hooking role if starting number nine Slade Griffin needs a spell.
Levi’s axing is another major blow to the 22-year-old hooker, who made his Test debut for New Zealand during the World Cup late last year and was expected to establish himself as the club’s number one dummy half this season.
Instead, he failed to win a place in the top 17 for the season-opener against Manly with coach Nathan Brown preferring to go with Storm recruit Slade Griffin as starting hooker and Brock Lamb on the bench.
Brown claimed at the time his decision to overlook Levi for Lamb was not form-related but more to do with team balance.
Levi ended up spending the first month playing in the NSW Cup before he was finally promoted to the bench for the Brisbane game in round five.
But his reprieve has been short-lived.
While he made 31 tackles off the bench against Melbourne, his running game was negated with Levi darting just once from dummy half for a 10 metre gain.
Yates, who featured in 17 NRL games for the club last season, has been consistently among the Knights’ best performers in NSW Cup with Brown insisting over the past few weeks he has been close to top grade selection.
He travelled with the squad to Melbourne last week and while he didn’t play, it is no surprise he has been given an opportunity against the Tigers.
In another significant change, prop Daniel Saifiti, who wasn’t originally named in the 17-man squad, will likely start the game with Jacob Lillyman out.
Lillyman will remain in Newcastle to be with his partner, who is expecting the couples’ second child any day now.
On Thursday former Knights Kurt Gidley, Jeremy Smith and Mark Hughes ran a coaching clinic at Quirindi Sportsground.
That ran for 90 minutes from 4pm and will reprised at Farrer again from 10am on Friday morning.
They will also visit Ronald McDonald House & Children’s Hospital.