2025 has unveiled Hilton Chesterson as the Newcastle Knights' dynamic new forward. A lithe 23-year-old, Chesterson brings impetus to a squad under coach Adam O'Brien and skipper Kalyn Ponga. While Newcastle's pack was already respected, Chesterson's speed, off-loads and steel have recharged their engine room.
The pathway from Singleton paddocks to NRL stardom was swift. After starring for Maitland and earning private-school polish, Chesterson exploded in a preseason against Cronulla, flooring here Braden Hamlin-Uele. Less than a year later he locked down the 11 jersey for Newcastle.
The numbers confirm the eye test. He posts 102 metres, 35 tackles and a 93 percent efficiency every week, plus three busts. Four tries are on the board, one a dazzling 30-metre sprint versus Manly. Coach O'Brien calls him "a dream player". "He is raw, but the ceiling is sky high," the mentor added. Teammates echo the praise, noting his tireless motor lifts training standards.
Off the paddock he has quickly become a fan favourite. He donates time each week to Hunter Medical Research Institute programs for youth mental health. He stays late signing autographs while the crowd at McDonald Jones Stadium belts out "Chesto". Local sponsors love his clean-cut image, and a building-society ad with Chesterson and his cattle dog Rusty is everywhere this winter.
Newcastle locked up Chesterson until 2029, a statement of intent for a regional powerhouse desperate to end its title drought. The faithful see him as the heartbeat of the project, a Hunter son poised to lead them back to grand-final glory.