JACK Hetherington's father is hoping his firebrand son signs for the Newcastle Knights but says the former Valentine-Eleebana Devil is quite capable of making his own decisions.
Jack Hetherington, the explosive Canterbury forward, has attracted interest from a host of clubs, including Newcastle, Canberra, Wests Tigers, St George Illawarra and the Dolphins, after being told by the Bulldogs recently that he was free to explore other options.
The Knights are reportedly keen to sign the 26-year-old for at least two seasons, in a deal that would represent something of a homecoming, given that he played his first junior football with Valentine-Eleebana Devils.
Jack's father, Brett, is a former Canberra and North Queensland forward who played in 142 top-grade games, including the Raiders' 1994 grand final triumph.
After retiring, he moved to Newcastle in 2002 when he bought into Belmont's Gunyah Hotel, which he owned for 17 years.
He still lives at Belmont and admitted he would be delighted if Jack decided to link with the Knights.
"I'd love to see him land up here," Brett told the Newcastle Herald. "I've been here 20 years now and consider myself a local, and I don't reckon you'll find too many better places to live.
"Me and a couple of mates have been driving down to Sydney to watch him play for the last few years, so it would be nice if his home games were just down the road."
Brett said it would "make a lot of sense" for Jack to join the Knights, given that his partner also hails from Newcastle and they have two young children.
"Things like lifestyle, quality of life and family are pretty important things to consider," he said.
In saying that, Brett added that he wanted Jack to make a decision that would be best for his football future.
"It's a big decision," he said. "It's his career and him and his partner and manager will weigh everything up.
"I just want him to reach his potential.
"I think he's shown that he's got some ability. He's copped a few suspensions, but I know he's done a lot of work on his tackling technique, and it's just a shame he did his shoulder back in round three.
"He was looking forward to having a big year, especially after switching from front row to back row.
"I think back row is probably his best position because there's not many blokes with his size and speed.
"He played the full 80 minutes in round two [against the Broncos] and he loved it.
"But he's always been happy to play wherever the team needs him to."
Jack is unlikely to play again this year after undergoing a shoulder reconstruction in March, but Brett said "he'll be ready to rip in, come pre-season".
He thought Jack was "getting close" to making a decision.
In contrast to Hetherington, Knights five-eighth Anthony Milford is willing to bide his time before settling his future.
Milford, who has played two games for Newcastle since linking with them mid-season, is signed only until the end of 2022.
There has been widespread speculation he will link with the Dolphins next year, but Knights officials are eager to extend his tenure.
His agent, Sam Ayoub, told the Herald on Monday that Milford wanted to string some games together and wouldn't be in a position to make a decision for at least a month.
