Proving himself as a versatile and tenacious competitor for Newcastle Knights, Phoenix Crossland earned a maiden Kiwis call-up for the 2024 Pacific Championships.
Wellington-born Crossland moved to the Central Coast with his family as a child and played his junior football with Erina Eagles, before progressing through the Knights’ grades.
The club’s SG Ball captain in 2018, Crossland made his NRL debut the following season one day before his 19th birthday.
The playmaker made a handful of top-grade appearances for the Knights in 2020 and started in the halves eight times in 2021, before emerging as a permanent utility option in 2022.
An injury to first-choice hooker Jayden Brailey thrust Crossland into a vital role for Newcastle in a breakout 2023 season, starring in the No.9 jersey as the Knights went on an unforgettable 10-match winning streak and reached the second week of the finals.
Missing just a solitary NRL game for the second straight campaign in 2024, Crossland made a late-season switch to halfback and helped the Knights stage another rally over the closing rounds to sneak into the playoffs.
A raft of injuries to the Kiwis’ halves and hooker options put the international rookie in prime position to play a significant hand in their Pacific Championships title defence. He ultimately wore the No.9 in all three matches, making 48 tackles on debut against Australia, finishing off a brilliant team try and racking up 44 tackles against Tonga and playing the full 80 minutes against Papua New Guinea.
