Inside Centre - The Sun Herald, 20 April 2003
Adam MacDougall has broken his silence to say he is planning a comeback in four to six weeks. MacDougall has been deliberately low key in recent months, politely declining interview requests as he continued his recovery from a left knee reconstruction, and then an operation to fix another problem in the same knee.  The Newcastle, NSW and Australian winger hasn't played since April 12 last year.  He was playing his first game of the season after recovering from injuries left over from the 2001 season and lasted just nine minutes before tearing an anterior cruciate ligament.  Now that he is getting close to playing again, he wanted to say so. "I'm having another MRI scan on my knee on Tuesday, and i'm optermistic about the results from that because its been coming along well."
MacDougall said, "Everyone asks me whats going on and when am I coming back and I get the impression some people think maybe I"ll never come back.  Thats why I wanted to get it out there that I will be back.  I'm not going to stop now after coming this far.  I'm hoping the MRI results will mean I can start running in two or three weeks and play two or three weeks after that."  MacDougall hasn't been wasting his time.  He graduated as a bachelor of economics from Newcastle University on Thursday. 

Mad Dog cleared for Knights return -  By Stuart Honeysett,  23 May 2003 
Newcastle winger Adam MacDougall was last night granted a medical clearance to resume playing amid speculation he was about to be released by the club. The former Test winger has not played since sustaining a serious knee injury 11 minutes into the round-five match against Sydney Roosters last year. MacDougall was making his comeback from off-season groin surgery that night.  Newcastle yesterday held crisis talks with MacDougall to ascertain when he would make his return for the club but downplayed the significance of the meeting. "We've been having negotiations for some weeks with Adam with regard to him not being able to play for the last 18 months because of various knee injuries," Newcastle chief executive Ken Conway told AAP. "We wanted to put an end to the speculation. 
"This afternoon he received a medical clearance and we are hopeful he can get back on the park in the next fortnight or so."
The Knights have been battling a crippling injury toll in recent weeks and are desperate to have him back on the field. The club is still without front-rowers Matt Parsons (back) and Adam Woolnough (neck), while prop Josh Perry (hip), winger Timana Tahu (calf) and Robbie O'Davis (face) are scheduled to return against Cronulla. 

MacDougall left in limbo -  27 May 2003
Injured Test winger Adam MacDougall has been frozen out by the Newcastle Knights pending the outcome of further talks over his future with the National Rugby League club. Newcastle chief executive Ken Conway confirmed the club had re-opened discussions with MacDougall and the 28-year-old would not be involved with the Knights until those talks had been resolved. "He won't be training or playing with us until those discussions are finished," Conway said tonight. I'm not prepared to comment on the negotiations at this point. We have the right and Adam has the right to keep them private. I don't want to pre-empt the outcome."
MacDougall was granted a medical clearance last week to resume playing amid rumours he was about to be released by the Knights. He won't be training or playing with us until those discussions are finished. The former NSW winger is on a contract worth about $300,000 a season, but suffered a major knee injury last season. He played just one match in 2002 and is yet to take the field in 2003.  MacDougall was expected to make his return this weekend, but it's understood he may have played his last game with the club, who are struggling to fit all their off-contract players under the salary cap. If he is granted a release from his contract - which expires at the end of next season - at least one rival club is known to be interested in recruiting the barnstorming winger. 
MacDougall's manager George Liolio was unavailable for comment. Newcastle coach Michael Hagan, meanwhile, said his side had to put this week's Origin furore behind it and concentrate on Sunday's clash with Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium. The Knights' preparations have been upset by the negative publicity surrounding captain Andrew Johns and NSW coach Phil Gould. "I think the Origin stuff has been done to the nth degree and hopefully that can be solved so the players can get on with the job of playing football for their clubs and focus on the Origin series when it comes around," Hagan said. "We have to get our heads around this week and playing a game in Brisbane."

Knights retain MacDougall -  28 May 2003
Former Test winger Adam MacDougall today reached agreement with Newcastle on a new contract with the National Rugby League club. Knights chief executive Ken Conway today said the details of the agreement would remain confidential. "As is the case with all our players, the details of playing contracts are not divulged publicly," he said. "I can confirm, however, that the terms of the new contract do allow Adam to test the market for his services for 2004. We can expect Adam to play his first game of 2003 in the near future, hopefully in our round 14 clash against the Dragons."
MacDougall had been frozen out by the Knights pending the outcome of talks over the 28-year-old's future with the club. "He won't be training or playing with us until those discussions are finished," Conway said last night. MacDougall was granted a medical clearance last week to resume playing amid rumours he was about to be released by the Knights.  The blockbusting winger is on a contract worth about $300,000 a season, but played just one match last year after suffering a major knee injury.  Conway today said MacDougall could be back training with the Knights as early as tomorrow but would not be available for the side's encounter with Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday.  The Knights 18-man squad will have a training run in Newcastle tomorrow morning before departing for Brisbane on Friday.

MacDougall free to negotiate -  28 May 2003
Newcastle chief executive Ken Conway said he would not stop former Test winger Adam MacDougall from negotiating with other National Rugby League clubs for the 2004 season. MacDougall reached agreement with the Knights on a new contract with the club, although Conway refused to provide details. "I can confirm, however, that the terms of the new contract do allow Adam to test the market for his services for 2004," Conway said in a statement. Conway told AAP that he would not prevent MacDougall from talking with clubs such as Wests Tigers, South Sydney and Cronulla before the June 30 anti-tampering deadline. "Providing his negotiations relate to next year, not this year, I wouldn't think we'd stop him but I'd like a night to think about it and talk to the NRL about it," he said.

Clubs queue as Knights release MacDougall -  By Brad Walter,  May 29 2003
Former Test winger Adam MacDougall will resume training with Newcastle today, but his long-term future lies elsewhere after the Knights announced he would be released after season. Having played just nine minutes of football since the 2001 Kangaroo tour, MacDougall yesterday agreed to a re-structured deal with the Knights that wipes out the final 12 months of his contract. The 28-year-old international is now a free agent at the end of this season and has been given permission to negotiate with rival clubs, immediately attracting interest from Cronulla, Manly, South Sydney and Wests Tigers.  Newcastle haven't ruled out making him a new offer, but the club needs the $300,000 per season he earns to retain the likes of Josh Perry, Daniel Abraham, Robbie O'Davis, Matt Jobson, Craig Hall and Andrew Price, who are all off contract at the end of the season. 
O'Davis, 30, played for Queensland last season, while Perry is in the 25-man NSW squad to be trimmed to 17 next Monday and represented Country along with Abraham earlier this month. It is understood that Knights coach Michael Hagan explained the club's dilemna to MacDougall earlier this week after six weeks of talks hit a stalemate and he was stood down from playing or training on Monday. Except for a brief appearance against the Sydney Roosters in round 10 last season, he has been on the sideline for 14 months recovering from two knee injuries. The Knights first attempted to bring the issue to a head last month when they approached his manager, George Liolio, to determine a definite date for his comeback.
MacDougall subsequently received a clearance from Newcastle medical officer Dr Neil Halpin and Dr Michael Johnson, the orthopaedic surgeon who performed his knee reconstruction last May, and he hopes to play against St George Illawarra on June 15.  "The last few weeks have been difficult," MacDougall told The Newcastle Herald last night. But the bottom line for me is I just want to get back and play good football for the Knights again and I know I'm capable of doing that."

Adams future at Knights in doubt -  The Herald, 24 May 2003
NSW and Australian winger Adam MacDougall may be back in first grade as early as Newcastles blockbuster against Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium tomorrow week, but his future at the Knights beyong this season is anything but assured.  MacDougally, whose only football for the Knights since the 2001 grand final was 10 minutes against the Roosters last year, is contracted until the end of 2004.  He suffered a knee injury in that match that required reconstructive surgery.  But a follow up procedure this year, after complications during the recovery process, led frustrated Knights officials to seek a termination of MacDougall's contract.
Knights management approached his agent, George Liolio, shortly before Easter to try to reach an amicable settlement.  The Knights believe they were within their rights to try to invoke a standard get out clause in every NRL players contract.  That clause states that a club can cut a player for 25 per cent of the remainder of their contract if they can provide medical opinion that the player would not be available to play by round six of the following season.  It is understood the Knights were unable to invoke that clause for this year because they did not have the necessary medical evidence in time.  Threats of legal action were raised after the Knights intial approach last month and MacDougall was privately shopped around to determine his market value.  The issue came to a head on Thursday when the Knights called a media conference to discuss their 'contractual relationship' with one of their players.  Knights chief executive Ken Conway then fronted the media to declare MacDougall had been cleared to return and they were looking forward to seeing him back on the field.  Despite the appearance of business as usual, negotiations regarding MacDougalls future are continuing and he is no certainty to remain with the club after this year.  Knights football manager Mark Sargent, who has been involved in some of the negotiation process, said, "we've been looking at his contractual situation and I'm not at liberty to shed any light on those discussions, but that process has not concluded."
MacDougall did not train with the Knights yesterday and did not return calls from the Herald, but Liolio said the powerhouse winger would be back at training next week and available for selection immediately. Both sides believe there should have been better communication from the other party regarding MacDougalls recovery.  MacDougall reckons his medical history had him labelled as high maintenance and that the Knights had not shown enough urgency in keeping tabs on him.  The Knights counter that their system of tracking the recovery of injured players was effective for every other player in the club.  According to highly placed club sources, the Knights had also heard three different medical opinions from MacDougall estimating his return as four weeks, five months or nine months away.  Knights Coach Michael Hagan said yesterday he would consier Macdougall for first grade as soon as he had proved his 100 per cent fitness at training.

Castlecall - The Sunday Telegraph,  1 June 2003
MacDougall won't be crying poor despite having his contract with the club terminated.  MacDougall will play out this season with the Knights as part of a pay out deal negotiated last week that has him moving on at the end of the season.  Details of the deal have been kept between the player and club, but the talk is the Knights won't see much change out of $330,000 - though he is likely to lose money off that if he misses games between now and the end of the season.  Given he was on around $275,000 for this season and next, the Knights will save around $250,000 by cutting their losses now.  MacDougall's manager George Liolio said yesterday there was little point shopping his star winger around until he proves himself back on the paddock.

Newcastle thrilled to unleash MacDougall; Herald. Jun 11, 2003. 
GAME-BREAKING Knights winger Adam MacDougall has made a seamless return to training in the build-up to his long-awaited comeback match against the Dragons at EnergyAustralia Stadium on Friday night. MacDougall, whose knee injuries have restricted him to less than 10 minutes for Newcastle since their 2001 grand final win over Parramatta, was selected yesterday in his favoured position on the left wing. The Knights named a 19-man squad but will not settle on their final 17 until coach Michael Hagan and their six NSW representatives return for tomorrow's final ballwork session. In other selection news: fullback Robbie O'Davis will test his knee injury today to determine whether he takes his place; second-rower Steve Simpson was not considered because of the bruised kidneys he suffered against the Broncos 10 days ago; Kurt Gidley was named at five-eighth, where he has stood out in the past two games against Cronulla and Brisbane; 
Sean Rudder will start in the second row; prop Adam Woolnough was cleared to make his return off the bench after missing the past five matches with a neck injury; and outside back Craig Hall and utility forward Andrew Price were included on a six-man bench to cover the possibility of injuries to the NSW sextet. 
Knights football co-ordinator Craig Miller, who fronted yesterday's media conference because Hagan was on Origin duty as Queensland's assistant coach, said MacDougall had been welcomed back with open arms. "Doogs has been training with us for two weeks and he's fitted straight back in. He's more than comfortable around the boys, and they're more than comfortable with him, so nothing's changed there," Miller said. "He's trained extremely well, and we're looking forward to him getting out on the park. From the football team's point of view, we're more than happy to welcome him back. Having a player of that calibre back in the football team, it's only a positive. He's done everything asked of him, he's participated in all the team games and contact training drills and come through at 100 miles an hour." 
MacDougall's return has pushed reliable finisher Anthony Quinn to the bench, but Kurt Gidley said there was no ill feeling towards the 28-year-old international. 
"He brings a bit of a laugh back to the team, and it's good to see him back at training," Gidley said. "He looks as strong as ever, so we can't wait to see him back out there running around." If Matt Gidley backs up from tonight's Origin in Brisbane, the game against the Dragons will be his 150th in first grade.

Doogs vows -  I'll play origin again -  Big league, 3 July 2003
Adam MacDougall has become a sacrificial lamb at Newcastle, cut for next year to allow them to keep their new breed of representative players.  You could understand if Adam MacDougall discarded his boots tomorrow and found something else to do with his life. He could put his recently acquired economics degree to good use, or pursue any number of business interests.  After all, he must be running out of summits to scale in rugby league.  He's won two grand finals.  He's played for NSW and Australia.  He's been on a Kangaroo tour and won a World Cup. He's forged a reputation as one of the most damaging wingers of the modern era.  But make the mere suggestion to MacDougall that his time might just be up, accelerated by the torment of his knee reconstruction and Newcastles decision last month to show him the door for 2004, and the 28 year old offers a single riposite. 
Adam MacDougall is not yet finished as a footballer.  He has one more point to prove - to himself.  In his first extended interview since the cash strapped Knights salary cap induced decision, MacDougall this week opened up about the trauma of his knee injury, the personal pain of having played less than 90 top grade games in eight years and his plans for the future.  He also hit out at suggestions he is a 'loner' and spoke of his treatment by the Knights, who last month shattered MacDougall's dream of becoming a 10 year club veteran by removing the final year of his four year contract.  There is no chance of MacDougall being with Newcastle next season, he is gradually accepting that.  But he is determined to sever ties amicably, and insists his recent knee problems will not prevent him becoming a better player than he has ever been.  "What's motivating me is looking forward to once again playing the football I played before I got hurt.  I will play Origin again,  I have no doubt,"  said MacDougall, now three games back from a 14 month layoff following his knee reconstruction.  "The honest truth is that I can come back a better player. I truly believe that.  Michael Hagan says he expects me to be our best player during this years finals, which is a fair rap when you have Andrew Johns and Ben Kennedy in the side.
"The set back has been testing.  Its particularly hard watching Origin -  you can get dirty about it and my knee has probably cost me two years of Origin and Test matches, but I'm trying to look at things positively.  "I don't want to be bitter. I just want to get back to that top level again.:
Just where his future lies is the $64 question.  Souths, having snared his younger brother Luke last month, will make an attractive offer, as will other clubs, including thos in England.  Many questioned whether MacDougall could successfully return from his injuries but the signs have been more promising than he envisaged.  He could not have dreamed for a second half hat trick in his first game in 12 months against the Dragons, especially after a horro opening 40 minutes that tested ever strand of his character.  "To be honest,  I was a little surprised that he (hagan) rushed me back when he did,  my attitude going in to that game was to survive rather than dominated.  I felt like I was on a hiding to nothing, but the way I handled that night has been good for me emotionally and physically."
Still, MacDougall remains gutted by the Knights decision to release him at the end of the season.  He maintains the club has not repaid the loyalty he displayed twice when rival clubs, codes, hit him with massive offers at the height of his career.  "The most disappointing thing for me out of the whole thing is that a contract is not even worth the paper its written on these days.  Loyalty to me seems to be a one way street.  It took a long while for me to get back but look at Shaun Timmins and Ben Iken, they were out for a lot longer yet there was great loyalty and patience shown by their clubs."
"The question I get most from people is why Im leaving.  They think I want to go, like I've taken a better offer, but i don't want to go.  its been the best time of my life, I've been lucky to playe with some great blokes, but the club has made its decision.  Im absolutely shattered."
MacDougall says his loyalty saw him forfeit several hundred thousand dollars.  "In 1998, I got a substancial offer to go and play rugby with the Waratahs -  but the Knights got wind of it and I was reminded very quickly that I had a binding contract with them, even though the money I was on wasn't that exciting.  But i don't play this game for money.  I don't give a shit about money.  I stayed at Newcastle because I love the club.  I love the team and the blokes I play with.  My family is here, my business interests, this is where I'll live for the rest of my life.  Whats happened to mis is more shattering that whats happened to my knee."
"I wanted to play 10 years with the club, that was something I regarded as special. To do it with Newcastle would have been up there with anything I'd achieved, I would have held that as dearly as my Australian jumper.  "So to have to walk away from this club, because of financial reasons, is pretty hard to swallow."
For the Knights, it was a pragmatic business decision they had to make and one MacDougall, the holder of an economics degree, should understand.  Had they retained him on his estimated $300,000 a year contract, it would mean losting up to six rising first graders, including Matt Jobson, Luke Quigley, Josh Perry and Daniel Abraham. "There are restraints we're working under, there's no question 'Doogs' has been on a sizeable deal for a couple of years and you only have to do the math to work outt what we need to try and do," said Hagan. "We know we're going to get the best out of him for the last 11 games.  Hopefully, he can finish the year off well and help us towards having another crack at the title."
MacDougall, who was graded with the Knights in 1994, has not always given the club value for money.  Since returning after a year with Easts in 1995, MacDougall has played 77 of a possible 175 games, an average of 11 per season, due to a 22 game drug suspension in 1998 and niggling ankle and knee inuries. "Its pretty disappointing from my point of view and thats driving me to - the fact I haven't played as many games as I'd want to or should have.  But I think that will work in my favour, apart from this one major injury my body feels great and I have alot left in the tank."  MacDougall said.  Clearly, MacDougall has always been different.  A deep thinker who reads widely, he offers considered, incised thoughts in an age where most contemporaries would rather not deal with journalists.  Outside of the Knights, few know the real Adam MacDougall.  He says he is sick of the 'bullshit stories' and 'myths' that paint him as a loner who runs his own show.  "I know some people think I'm strange - they call me 'Mad Dog' and all that crap - and I supposedly train alone and stuff.  Mate, which first grader doesn't train with his team?  Its laughable," said MacDougall, fames for once talking to his thighs, demanding they not let him down, in a pre match rev up.  "I just have other interests outside of football.  I make sure I've got as many friends outside of football as I do inside of it and thats important to me,  you have to have that balance. "It shits me that people think I'm a loner.  It makes me sound like I don't want to mix with the guys or talk to them.  Thats crap - on the end of year trip last year, only half the squad went and I was one of them.  I drank straight for the whole trip even though it nearly killed me.  I've split blood for these blokes."
It can be hard to mix sometimes socially when you don't drink, but I fine a way to. "I realise its a team sport and fitting in off the field is just as important as fitting in on it,  I play to win with my mates."
MacDougall is misunderstood, his conviction cant be.  His personal vow is to make it back.  Given the way he has handled his turbulent past, you wouldn't doubt his ability to rise again.  "I'm going to go out on good terms and on my terms.  I'm not bitter about anythingg.  I can't afford to be negative.  I just want to be the best i can be, and get up every morning and be happy."

Knights News -  Adam Macdougall has been linked to many clubs since he made his comeback last weekend after 14 months out with injury.  However, the representative winger is in no hurry to decide his future beyond this season.  "There's no point in doing any deals at the moment.  I've only had two games back and I want to play a few more games and get my form back before i think about anything like that.  It makes me  laugh a bit to read where I'm supposed to be going to this club or that club. I'm not doing any negotiating at all at the moment".  The Sun Herald,  22 June 2003

Knights News -  Adam MacDougallll has a new nicname now he is back playing again.  After being out for 14 months following knee reconstruction and subsequent complications, the winger's first two games back were under lights and they shone brightly off the expanding bald patch on top of his head.  Asked to explain himself,  Macdougall said, "Its all the stress I've had trying to get over this injury. You'd be bald, too."  Macdougall is usually known as Doogs or Mad Dog, but the locals are starting to refer to him as Costanza.  The Sun Herald,  29 June 2003

Rabbitohs go Mad Dog hunting using huge cash bait - 13 July 2003,  The Sun-Herald
Adam MacDougall is understood to be close to reaching an agreement to sign with South Sydney on a two-year deal worth about $500,000.  The Newcastle and former NSW and Australian winger is four games into a comeback after 14 months out following a knee reconstruction.  He was contracted until the end of next season with the Knights, but before he resumed playing he came to an agreement with them on a payout figure in return for cutting the final year of his contract.  Souths have had "Mad Dog" in their sights from the day he became a free agent for next season, but MacDougall wanted to get a few games in before he started making any arrangements for 2004. A well-placed source who spoke to The Sun-Herald yesterday was adamant MacDougall was well down the track to working out a deal with the Rabbitohs.  The source said the player and the club had agreed on a monetary figure and were now discussing other aspects of the contract, before adding it was possible the deal could be finalised as early as this week. Asked to confirm whether Souths were about to sign MacDougall, Rabbitohs chief executive David Tapp said yesterday: "I can confirm that we are about to get into serious negotiations with him, but that's all I can say at this stage."
MacDougall, 28, would provide Souths with options on the wing, centre and fullback. He would also join his brother, Luke, who recently signed with the Rabbitohs after stints at Brisbane and Cronulla.

Wigan eye MacDougall  18 July 2003,  Story by Peter Badel 
Adam MacDougall will meet with Wigan chairman Maurie Lindsay this week as the British powerhouse considers an alternative to primary target Mark Gasnier.   It is understood the Super League glamour club has offered the spurned Knights winger almost double what he could earn in the NRL. Big-spending British rivals Bradford and Leeds, who tried to buy out MacDougall’s Newcastle contract two seasons ago, are also interested.   But MacDougall is set to resist the lure of the English pound and remain in Australia in a bid to achieve his remaining goal - reclaiming his NSW and Test jumpers.   “I’ve had some good offers from England. They are big offers, and I’ll have to consider them,” said MacDougall, who is four games into a comeback after a 14-month layoff following a knee reconstruction.   “But realistically, I’d like to stay in Australia for another couple of years. I’m only 28, so if I went to England, it might be a bit premature.   “I feel I’ve got a lot of good football left in me and I’ve still got a personal goal to play rep football again and I want to achieve that before I consider going to England.   “The way I’ve gone in my first four games, given that I’ve done no training for 14 months, is pleasing and I know with a good off-season under my belt I’ll be back to where I was before I got hurt, so Origin and Test football will be a realistic goal for me.  “That’s the thing that’s really holding me here - the rep ambitions.”   MacDougall will step up contract talks after Newcastle’s clash with Penrith this Friday night and expects to sign with a club by the first week of August.   The veteran of 11 Origin games and five Tests denied reports he had already agreed to terms with Souths, the club his younger brother Luke joined last month.   “I can tell you now, I haven’t spoken to anyone and that includes Souths,” said MacDougall.   “Souths are a great club with a great history and it would be an honour to play for them but I wanted to play at least a month of football before I started worrying about next year.   “After this weekend’s game, I’m going to get serious about what I’m going to do.”   But if MacDougall stays in the NRL, it will almost certainly be with the Rabbitohs. They are one of few NRL clubs with the funds to land MacDougall, with cashed-up rivals Cronulla and Wests Tigers admitting they have no interest in the two-time premiership winner. 

Knight offers compromise -  By Barry Toohey,  12 Aug 2003 
NEWCASTLE may re-think its decision not to offer a new contract to Adam MacDougall after the former Test winger's manager revealed he is prepared to accept match payments next season to remain with the Knights. MacDougall's long-term future in Newcastle appeared over two months ago when the Knights terminated the final year of his contract and negotiated a payout. The move was prompted by his poor injury record, with the club claiming they could not continue to justify paying him the money he was earning. He had been one of the club's highest earning stars on around $280,000 a season, putting him behind only Andrew Johns, Ben Kennedy and Robbie O'Davis. Since making a comeback two months ago, MacDougall has been sounded out by at least three rival NRL clubs. 

No place like home LEAGUE 2003; Herald. Aug 21, 2003. 
ADAM MacDougall admits he is in denial about leaving the Newcastle Knights at the end of the season and is doing all he can to stay here. The man who once challenged Wendell Sailor and Lote Tuqiri for the title of world's best winger has knocked back big-money offers from England and other NRL clubs in the hope of remaining with the Knights for at least another season. MacDougall was contracted until the end of next year, but that was renegotiated in May after the Knights lost patience with his recovery from a knee injury. Under the terms of the new deal, he is playing out this season with the Knights but is effectively a free agent and will receive a termination settlement for 2004. But MacDougall told The Herald yesterday that he was having trouble coming to terms with the idea of leaving the Knights and would make a "financial sacrifice" for the chance to win another premiership with Newcastle. The 28-year-old former NSW and Australian winger has offered the Knights his services next year on a match-payments contract but does not hold much hope of the club accepting. "I'd love to stay here. I'd do anything to stay here, and if that can happen it won't be a decision based on money," MacDougall said. "I told the club the other week that I was willing to stay here for match payments, and I don't think anyone expected it because I'm sure they were aware of some of the offers I had received. No matter how good a financial offer it is, my gut feeling is that they made their decision a number of months ago, when they decided to renegotiate my contract, that they were going to let me go. 
"I can understand the club saying it's business, but I've never looked at football as business. I've never stayed here as a business decision ... you play for the Knights for more than that it's something special." 
MacDougall said there was no shortage of clubs chasing him for next year and beyond. "I've had lots of opportunities to leave the Knights and go to other clubs, but I always chose what motivates me, and what's motivated me is pulling on the red and blue. I'm so passionate about it," he said. "That's why I didn't go to England, because the motivation wouldn't have been there. I would have felt empty if I left now, because I feel like I've got so much more to offer here and so many more personal goals to achieve." 
MacDougall said his falling out with the Knights administration which led to his contract being reworked and terminated at the end of this year made him question what motivated him to keep playing. "The club might look back and people might say things like they haven't got a lot out of me, but I know more than anyone I'm the one that's missed out," he said. "I'd probably be up near 20 State of Origin games by now, and I would have had another two years for Australia, so I'm the one that's been hurt the most. But I've been as proud to pull on the Knights jersey as I have to pull on the Australian or NSW jersey, and I think that's what has made me the player I am. So when I went through that period of having to renegotiate my contract, it drained me and really had an effect on me emotionally. 
"After everything that happened, it was hard then to go back out on the field and replicate that passion that I had before." 
During his 14-month recovery from two knee operations, MacDougall had considered retiring. But his confidence is back and he is once again a matchwinner. 
MacDougall has scored six tries in his past three games, giving him nine from just eight matches since his return against the Dragons on June 13. He scored a hat-trick that night, bagged another treble against the Cowboys two weeks ago when he outplayed Test winger Matt Sing, and is the Knights' equal-second leading tryscorer, with Craig Hall, behind Timana Tahu (11). And with or without Andrew Johns, MacDougall said the Knights should be challenging for premierships. 
"Maybe I am naive or stupid in wanting to stay after everything that's happened and all the money I've been offered to go to England or from other clubs in the NRL," he said. "[But] no amount of money can buy the good times, good memories and mateships I've made from my experience here. It would be an empty feeling to leave that. "If this is going to be my last year at the Knights, I just want to make sure we at least go out on the right note. We've never missed the top eight every year I've been here and we've always figured prominently in the finals series. We've got an awesome team, and if the club doesn't seize the opportunity with the current crop of players to win a competition in the next season or two, it could be a long while before we get as good an opportunity to do it again.  I've never stayed here as a business decision ... you play for the Knights for more than that it's something special."  

Leeds make offer for MacDougall: manager -  22 August 2003
English Super League club Leeds has tabled an offer for Newcastle winger Adam MacDougall, the former Australian international's manager said. George Liolio said the Rhinos had joined Australian clubs in expressing an interest in MacDougall, who will be released by the Knights at the end of the season.  A move to Leeds would reunite MacDougall and assistant coach Malcolm Reilly, who coached Newcastle to a grand final win in 1997.  "I suppose with Malcolm Reilly's connection, Adam will be thinking of it strongly. There are advantages to the move," Liolio told British newspaper The Guardian.  But Leeds chief executive Gary Hetherington said no formal offer had been made. "He's a player that has been offered to us, but we've not progressed it," Hetherington said.  Liolio said Wigan had pulled out of the running for MacDougall, leading to speculation it was chasing Brisbane centre Michael De Vere.

Doogs in line for Kangaroo call-up; Herald.  Aug 23, 2003. 
BORN-again Knights winger Adam MacDougall has stormed back into contention for the end-of-season Kangaroo Tour of Great Britain and France. 
Despite missing the first half of the season recovering from a knee injury, MacDougall has bounced back to his blockbusting best in recent weeks and reckons he is only getting better as he builds confidence and fitness. The wing positions are wide open for the tour, and Australian selector Bob McCarthy said MacDougall and Knights teammate Timana Tahu, who could return from a calf injury against Canberra tomorrow, were on the short list. "A lot depends on how far Newcastle progress but he's been playing pretty good and he'd definitely be in the train-on squad," McCarthy said. "Adam's never let us down when he's played rep footy before so he's in the frame, for sure." 
Matt Sing and Shannon Hegarty were Australia's wingers against New Zealand last month after Anthony Minichiello, originally selected on the wing, moved to fullback to replace the injured Darren Lockyer. MacDougall gave Sing a bath in Townsville a fortnight ago, scoring three tries and running for more than 200metres, and Sing may be unavailable anyway after badly breaking his finger in that game. Bulldogs superboot Hazem El Masri and possibly Michael De Vere (Broncos) and Nathan Blacklock (Dragons) would also be considered, but MacDougall only has to continue his rate of improvement to guarantee a spot. MacDougall was struck down by the flu before last week's game against the Warriors but still scored two tries in a quality performance. He has not trained all week because of the virus but will run with the team at today's final ballwork session in Canberra and is in no doubt for tomorrow's game. "I've taken a lot of confidence out of coming back with no preparation because I've given everyone a head-start," MacDougall said. "Even at the moment, I'm only really functioning at 80 per cent of my physical capacity because of the fact that I wasn't able to do the hard work I normally would have done leading into the season. Your ability to perform is based on your physical readiness and I've done no hard work because during the season it's near impossible to make gains in your strength and fitness and speed." 
MacDougall said he felt better about his contributions in some of Newcastle's losses this season, rather than when he scored a hat-trick of tries in his comeback match against the Dragons in June. "Canterbury beat us pretty convincingly but I felt that was the best I'd carried the football in a while," he said. "A lot of people talked about how well I played in my first game back because I scored three tries but sometimes as an outside back, it's a lot harder to contribute to the side when you're getting beaten. But I felt that even in a couple of our losses, particularly against Canterbury and Penrith, I thought I made a lot of yards and ran the football really well. I'm not writing this year off but I can't wait to have an off-season next year and I'm really excited about what I can do next year." 
Wherever that might be. 

Hagan backs MacDougall and O'Davis -  2 September 2003
Newcastle coach Michael Hagan believes club stalwarts Robbie O'Davis and Adam MacDougall are professional enough to handle the ongoing uncertainty over their National Rugby League futures. O'Davis and MacDougall are off contract at the end of the NRL season and will have to accept significant pay cuts to stay with the Knights. Hagan admits he'd like to see their futures put to bed sooner rather than later, but isn't worried about the issue affecting their form. "I don't think any time frame can be put on that and they're both unique in the way in which the deals have been put together," Hagan said.
Hopefully it won't be a negative impact on them too much and we can get it resolved sooner rather than later.  "They're things we have to manage and I think they're both professional enough to get their football sorted out and they're both playing fairly well at the moment. Hopefully it won't be a negative impact on them too much and we can get it resolved sooner rather than later."
MacDougall had the final year of his lucrative four-year contract paid out earlier this season and was told by the club he was not part of their plans for 2004. However, the former Test winger has been outstanding since returning from a knee reconstruction, scoring 11 tries in 10 appearances. He has since been offered an incentive-based deal for next season. The Knights don't expect to hear from MacDougall before Friday, meaning the 28-year-old will head into Sunday's game against North Queensland with his future up in the air.

MacDougall set to stay and fight on for Knights -  By Brad Walter,  September 11,, 2003 
Former Test winger Adam MacDougall is set to turn down a lucrative offer from Cronulla to stay in Newcastle and play for match payments next season. MacDougall, who has played just 11 matches for the Knights since injuring his knee in last year's fourth-round clash against the Sydney Roosters, is expected to re-sign by the end of the week. Initially contracted to Newcastle for next season, he renegotiated his deal earlier this season after concerns about the injury but now wants to stay. "Cronulla are keen to get him, the Australian coach [Chris Anderson] is obviously there and Adam has representative aspirations, but I'd say at this stage it's hard for him to tear himself away from Newcastle," MacDougall's manager, George Liolio, said last night.  "He's played here for so long, it's a good side and he feels comfortable at the Knights. He hasn't signed, but I'd say he'll probably make a decision by the end of the week and Adam has turned down other offers in the past to stay in Newcastle for less money." 
The news is a boost for the Knights heading into Saturday night's qualifying final against the Roosters at Aussie Stadium, with club officials yesterday telling veteran fullback Robbie O'Davis that they wanted to determine what MacDougall was doing before speaking to him again about his future. Like MacDougall, O'Davis has received a drastically reduced offer from the Knights but he also appears likely to stay at the club, along with rookie hooker Luke Quigley, who was recently linked to Brisbane. 

Macdougall signs with South Sydney -  20 September 2003
Adam MacDougall signed a one-year deal worth a reported $200,000 with wooden spooners South Sydney.  MacDougall, 28, cut negotiations with his National Rugby League club Newcastle on Friday, informing chief executive Ken Conway he would be playing for the Rabbitohs in 2004 with an option for an additional year. "We were a bit disappointed because we were of the understanding we had reached agreement and he would sign with us last night," Conway said from the NSW town of Bega today. But I wish him all the best for the future. He's still got a lot of good football left in him."
Knights chairman Michael Hill said today the former international's departure would free up money in the salary cap so the club could strengthen its halves, especially when Test and NSW captain Andrew Johns was absent through representative duties.  The club has already recruited Parramatta five-eighth Steve Witt and is keen to snare Dorn, who's been released from the final year of his contract with Manly.  "We are anxious to bring some new blood into the club," Hill told radio station 2SM. "Michael Hagan's very interested in Luke Dorn. He'd be a very important signing. Other than that there's a couple of young forwards we'd like to get."
MacDougall, who is holidaying in Hawaii this week, has scored 11 tries in 12 games this season since returning from a long-term knee injury.  In May the Knights terminated the final year of his contract, worth about $300,000 a season and due to expire at the end of 2004, and MacDougall agreed to a restructured deal.  That enabled the club to retain veteran fullback Robbie O'Davis, who re-signed on Friday, while MacDougall indicated he was willing to stay in Newcastle and play on match payments.  Hill said it was a complex issue but he expressed his disappointment that MacDougall had signed with the Rabbitohs after coming to terms with Newcastle.  "In the general run of things, normally people reach agreement and then they go and put their signature on the paper and get on with life," said Hill, who added the contract was sitting in the back seat of his car.  "We really thought we were well along the way. We had reached agreement and it was just a matter of putting pen to paper.  "He's also a professional footballer and I understand that Souths have made him a very big offer."
Hill said MacDougall had told Souths he would be staying with the Knights two weeks ago but the Rabbitohs persisted with negotiations and upped their offer on Wednesday.  "We lacked a strike centre this year and Adam provides us with that," said Souths chief executive David Tapp today. "He's also a good signing off the field. His enthusiasm and training ethos will hopefully rub off on the younger players."  MacDougall will join his younger brother Luke at the club.

MacDougall proposes to girlfriend; Herald. Oct 4, 2003. 
FORMER Knights winger Adam MacDougall used his Hawaiian holiday to proposeto long-time girlfriend Belinda Krum. 
MacDougall, who has signed a one-year deal with Souths for 2004, returned to Newcastle this week and will move to Sydney next month to prepare for pre-seasontraining. MacDougall kept Belinda waiting until the final days of their tropical getaway but went overboard on the romance when it came time to pop the question. "We were on a sunset dinner cruise off Diamond Head, the sun was setting, I read her a poem I'd written for her then went down on one knee and asked her to marry me," the 28-year-old international said. The engagement ring is being prepared by Leonard's in Darby St, the same jeweller who designed the ring Daniel Johns presented to Natalie Imbruglia. MacDougall also confirmed speculation that Oscar-winning actor Russell Crowe had spoken to him about joining the Rabbitohs but insisted the phone call from the Hollywood heavyweight had played no part in his decision.

Waiting in the wings over for MacDougall -  The Sun-Herald,  16 November, 2003
Former international Adam MacDougall has revealed he left Newcastle because he had become disillusioned with the management at the club and says he expects to regain his representative spots for NSW and Australia next season despite his switch to wooden-spooners South Sydney.  MacDougall describes the idea of playing for the battling Rabbitohs as an honour rather than a chore and reckons they can "do a Penrith" and go from the bottom of the competition table to become seriously competitive within a couple of years. "Look at the quality of players who came through the juniors at Souths but went to other clubs because they were kicked out of the competition," MacDougall said. "There's Craig Wing and Braith Anasta, just for starters. The same sort of players are coming through again, but Souths should be able to hang on to them now. That's why the future looks good."
MacDougall said his experience with the Newcastle management finally turned him off playing for the club. He was contracted to the Knights until the end of next season, but when his comeback from a knee reconstruction was delayed by complications, the club put him under pressure to negotiate a revised deal that ended with the season just gone. MacDougall subsequently made a successful comeback with the Knights and reopened discussions with the club about next year, but just when it seemed he was going to sign on again, he joined Souths instead.  "I realised in the end that the way they went about things with me at Newcastle had taken the fire out of my belly to pull on the jersey," he said. "It had nothing to do with my teammates. They were great. But I did the right thing going, and joining Souths wasn't about money. I could have earned at least as much as I'll get for next season from at least one other NRL club or any one of several rugby union clubs I was talking to here and overseas. I signed for Souths because it was a challenge and I needed a new challenge. I wanted to take on more responsibility. I know all about the history of the game and Souths have got more tradition than any other club. I'm proud to become a part of a club like that. I've only signed for one year when I could've signed for much longer and that was because I didn't want anyone to suggest I was just shoring things up and securing my future. I wanted to show people I had confidence in my ability to perform and to do that I had to put myself under pressure. I don't think you can put yourself under any more pressure than to go from a top club to a bottom club on a one-year deal."
MacDougall, 28, hasn't played representative football since 2001 because of the knee injury that kept him out for 14 months, but he swears he'll be back. "I've got no doubt I can play rep football again next year," he said. "I came back on basically no preparation for Newcastle this year and averaged virtually a try a game and by the end of the season I was still only up to about 85 or 90 per cent of my best. I'll be back to 100 per cent next season and playing for NSW and Australia again will be one of my main goals."
Souths intend switching MacDougall from wing to the centres to get maximum value out of such a big-name signing. That could put him in a centre-wing combination with his brother Luke. acDougall will start training with Souths tomorrow after being given an extended break because Newcastle made the finals.