The young winger admitted his surprise when Andrew Johns made the call.
Newcastle Knights winger Fletcher Sharpe has revealed Andrew Johns reached out to him before his debut as the youngster also praised the influence of Kalyn Ponga ahead of the upcoming season. Sharpe burst onto the NRL scene in 2024 having filled in for the injured Ponga at fullback before shifting to the wing to finish the season.
The speedster managed to cement his position having scored 11 tries in 12 games for the club and will be looking to build on his electric form in 2025. He even earned a debut at fullback in the Australia PM XIII team late last year.
The 20-year-old grew up playing in Newcastle and for their juniors and was always tipped to feature for the NRL club at one stage. And the flyer got his opportunity in 2024 – due to the injury of Ponga – and hasn’t looked back with the shy winger looking to build on his debut season.
And speaking to SEN Radio on Friday, Sharpe revealed a pleasant surprise before he made his debut for his boyhood club. Sharpe said Knights legend Johns reached out to him in a touching moment for the 20-year-old who grew up in the same town as the club legend.
Joey reached out actually, the night before my debut in Melbourne,” Sharpe said. “He gave me a call and just wished me good luck and congratulated me.
“That was pretty cool.” Johns is the eighth NRL Immortal and is considered by many as the best player ever to play rugby league. The halfback won two premierships with the Knights.
Fletcher Sharps opens up on Kalyn Ponga’s pre-season form
Sharpe got to share the field with Ponga last year when he shifted to the wing. The duo combined for a remarkable try against the Wests Tigers when Ponga dropped the ball but managed to kick it through the line. As the ball was trickling out, Sharpe managed to chip it over the defence and regather to secure a hat-trick against the Tigers.
And speaking ahead of the 2025 NRL season, Sharpe admitted it was a pleasure playing outside the superstar fullback. He also claimed he has learnt to be ready for anything due to Ponga’s ‘instinctive’ approach.
Super instinctive, plays pretty off-the-cuff. When he sees something he grabs it with both hands and he doesn’t miss out that often. Playing outside him on the wing last year you have to be ready…and most of the time it comes off,” Sharpe added.
Sharpe would seemingly be next in line to take the No.1 jersey if Ponga ever decides to leave Newcastle. Ponga is currently the highest-paid player in the NRL on an estimated $1.4 million a season.
Kalyn Ponga aiming for improved 2025 season
Ponga missed 10 rounds of NRL action last year after suffering a fracture to a bone in his foot. The fullback returned and helped the Knights scrape into the top eight having won four of their last five games to play finals footy. The team will be looking to build on their success in 2025 with a number of young stars such as Sharpe settling into the playing 17.
