Reports yesterday indicated the Knights had withdrawn from the race for Snowden on the advice of incoming coach Wayne Bennett.

But if that was the case, it was news to current coach Rick Stone, who said yesterday: "I don't think it's fallen through."

Stone, who is weighing up an offer to stay with the Knights as assistant coach next year, has been liaising with Bennett about the club's off-contract players and salary-cap position.

He will hold further talks with Bennett next week and said yesterday: "I don't think any decisions have been made about Kade Snowden at this stage. I don't think we've ruled it out."

Another Knights source told the Newcastle Herald there had been "no further developments with regard to Kade, one way or the other".

But there have been developments at the Sharks, where Snowden's front-row partner, Luke Douglas, agreed on Wednesday to accept a three-year deal with Gold Coast.

That setback was expected to prompt Cronulla to increase their offer to Snowden, who joined the Sharks in 2008 after launching his NRL career with Newcastle three years earlier.

"Obviously the landscape has changed significantly with Luke Douglas going to the Gold Coast," Stone said.

"He [Snowden] becomes even more important to them, and you would imagine they have a little bit more money available.

"To lose one of your premier front-rowers is tough, but to lose two, I don't think too many clubs would sit by and watch that happen."

It is believed the Sharks will offer Snowden a four-year deal worth at least $400,000 per season.

The Knights, through third-party sponsors, would be capable of outbidding them if they wanted to.

But Newcastle's priority appears to be St George Illawarra's international fullback, Darius Boyd, who has stated on several occasions that he wants to continue playing under Bennett.

The Knights have held detailed discussions with Boyd, and Stone said last week that he believed it was "a given" that the dynamic Queenslander would be at Newcastle next season.

Whether Newcastle can afford to add both Snowden and Boyd to their roster next season remains to be seen.

The Knights have most of their squad for next year under contract, but Junior Sa'u, Matt Hilder, Wes Naiqama, Shannon McDonnell, Cameron Ciraldo, Steve Southern and Keith Lulia are among the free agents.

It is also debatable whether they need to recruit a front-rower, given that Antonio Kaufusi, Dan Tolar, Evarn Tuimavave, Richie Fa'aoso, Joel Edwards, Mark Taufua, Chris Houston and Neville Costigan are already on their books.

Stone had initially been keen to entice Snowden back to his home-town club.

But when they re-signed Houston and Tuimavave extended his deal late last year, the Knights withdrew their offer.

The controversial intervention of billionaire Nathan Tinkler changed that.

Having heard that Snowden was close to extending his stay at Cronulla, Tinkler made a phone call and persuaded him to hold off on the deal.

The only problem was that Tinkler did not officially own the Knights, as his takeover proposal had not been put to members.

When members eventually voted 97 per cent in favour of allowing Tinkler to privatise the club on March 31, it was assumed he would waste little time in signing Snowden.

Now that decision appears up to Bennett.

And even if the new coach gives his approval, the Sharks will dig deep to keep their 24-year-old battering ram.