League world gushes over 'exciting' Alex McKinnon baby news

Rugby league fans have flooded Alex McKinnon with congratulatory messages after the former Newcastle Knights star announced his exciting baby news.

McKinnon - who was forced to retire from the NRL after fracturing his C4 and C5 vertebrae in a tackle - has revealed that he and wife Teigan are expecting identical twins.

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The couple already have a baby girl called Harriet together, who was born in 2018.

However, McKinnon took to social media over the weekend to celebrate the fact that two more members of the family are due to arrive in May next year.

"McKinnon Twins coming in May 2021," he posted along with a photo of his wife and daughter and a hashtag with the word "identical".

The McKinnons were inundated with well wishes and messages of support from the rugby league world after sharing the wonderful news.

‘Hate’ for Cam Smith once consumed McKinnon

McKinnon recently lifted the lid on his feelings for Cameron Smith, following the infamous 2014 tackle that left him paralysed.

Smith became an easy target for hate after he was heard arguing with referee Gerard Sutton about the incident, once McKinnon had been stretchered off the field.

No one at that time knew the extent of McKinnon's injury, with Smith explaining to Sutton that it was a terrible accident.

"It’s unfortunate and I don’t want see that happen any time in our game," he said.

"If he doesn’t duck his head, that doesn’t happen."

Smith copped a wave of backlash after the comments were aired on 60 Minutes, with McKinnon also revealing his resentment towards the Storm veteran.

McKinnon admitted that hatred towards the Melbourne skipper had consumed him for some time, but he's learnt to move on from the devastating incident and forgive Smith.

"I have no emotion when it comes to Cameron Smith these days," McKinnon told the Sydney Morning Herald.

"I have forgiven everything that happened straight after the tackle, his response – I have forgiven him. It’s hard to hold on to hate. It really is. It’s wasted energy. It’s blinding.

"At its worst, it can consume you and I’ll admit it did for a while there."

The former Knight - whop now works as the club's recruitment manager - said it was even harder for his father to forgive Smith, but he too has learnt to move on.

"The hard thing was for my family, my dad, to let it go," he said.

"My dad can now observe something that Smith has done and not see it in a negative light."

with AAP