Veteran halfback Mitchell Pearce has reportedly requested a released from his Newcastle contract. The 32-year-old is currently committed to playing the 2022 NRL season with the Knights but Newcastle Herald reporter James Gardiner says a release has formally been requested. The club is now reportedly negotiating terms of the release. It follows heavy speculation in recent days Pearce is set to leave Australia and move to France to play for Super League club Catalans. He was paid $1 million by the Knights this year but the club only offered him a reduced contract for next season, which he signed despite reports of interest from rival NRL clubs. He relinquished the club captaincy at the start of 2021 in the wake of a sexting scandal that, at the time, threatened to divide the playing group. A serious pectoral injury then hampered his 2021 campaign and, despite playing finals, the Knights underperformed and were bundled out of finals in week one. The club has younger playmakers Jake Clifford, Adam Clune, and Phoenix Crossland fighting for jerseys next season, while Tex Hoy, Kalyn Ponga, and Kurt Mann are also options in the No.6 if coach Adam O'Brien wishes to branch out. Pearce will head to Catalans where he will replace fellow veteran playmaker James Maloney as the overseas marquee player at the Dragons.
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