Knights 2018 squad

I'd move SKD into the centres. I've always thought he looked more comfortable there than on the wing.

We need to buy a new winger, though
 
Battler said:
Idris spends a bit of time up my way, not the sort of bloke we want at the club. Neilsen is past it and not that talented. Chase Stanley has been tested and unfortunately proven to be made of glass. With all due respect, none of those guys are worth pursuing in my opinion.
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Hopefully we won't need any of them, but if you read the Post from Member 2299 he said none of these are of " Billy Elliots " level , I am an Elliot Fan, but seriously these 3 guys named need to be classed on another level. Whether we want them or not is another matter.
 
member 2299 said:
And spare centres are pretty thin on the ground too, slots. Zero Tackle lists these guys as off contract, but I think one or two have been grabbed and a few we wouldn't want not even up to Elliot's class:-


CENTRE
Matthew Allwood, Masivesi Dakuwaqa, Levi Dodd, Jordan Drew, John Folau, Yaw Kiti Glymin, Jeremy Hawkins, Watson Heleta, Jamal Idris, Dane Nielsen, Tony Satini, Chase Stanley, Izaac Thompson
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Dane Neilson and chase Stanley go alright for backups.


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Article in the Herald says we are negotiating we Amey still and quotes Brown saying he hopes a deal can be done - sounds like we aren't offering much.

Heighington and Lillyman both on 1 year deals - if guys like Amey and Saulo can come through, we can sign them into a nursing home after 2018.
 
beau said:
Dane Neilson and chase Stanley go alright for backups.


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I dunno. Here's my logic, we can't win a premiership next year. But we have some decent old heads across the park, wouldn't it be better to blood some young guns with some talent say a Phythian or Hughes or whoever... See what they can do... And the if there not any good go grab someone at the end of next year with whatever's in the salary cap? My hope is by the end of next year we will alot more players that want to play for us...

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At this stage, Kenny-Dowall and Moga are shaping as Newcastle’s likely centres, with Chanel Mata’utia to challenge Nathan Ross and Ken Sio for a wing berth.

Ponga is certain to start the season at fullback, with Dylan Phythian as his back-up, once he has recovered from knee surgery.

Brown has promised former Roosters utility Connor Watson first shot at five-eighth, alongside either Brock Lamb or Trent Hodkinson.



Lamb would appear the early favourite after his impressive 2017 campaign, but Hodkinson is vastly experienced and might benefit from playing behind a stronger pack. There has also been speculation, however, that Hodkinson is considering continuing his career in England......i knew I had read somewhere just after we signed SKD that he was signed to play centre .....
 
Jacob Gagai scored 2 good tries against Samoa today.
Country lost - 26 - 42 I think they said.
Pete scored Samoa's first try.
 
I'm with you Ethan and would prefer SKD at centre, and apart from Sio, Ross and Chanel, young guys like Phythian and Hughes will press for places. I think the softer condition of grounds in the UK would suit Hodko better.
 
member 2299 said:
I'm with you Ethan and would prefer SKD at centre, and apart from Sio, Ross and Chanel, young guys like Phythian and Hughes will press for places. I think the softer condition of grounds in the UK would suit Hodko better.
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Not to mention softer defences. With Johns coming up to the full time squad I would think he would be able to play a game or two in firsts to give him the exposure if the opportunity arose through injury. I don't want Hodkinson playing behind any pack of ours, he failed at every aspect last year and he is done. We should be preparing our future, not playing a has been who no longer has what it takes.

Time to move on from Hodkinson, he was a failed waste of money from the Hagan recruitment era. The sooner he leaves the club the better for our salary cap and team development as he is still taking a place in lower grades that a development player should have.
 
He surely won't be around next year, with Brown's comment that Lamb will get first shot, Hokko must be beginning to realize that he'll be spending most of 2018 in reserve grade. That can't be a nice thought for him. Leaves us a little short for halves. I know people don't like Cogger but again this year I thought he showed some good signs in his first-grade games, he's one I want to see get an extended run at some point. Lamb barely showed anything until 20 games into his career before everyone started to jump on the wagon, Cogger has that in him.
 
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Don't think Hodko intends to leave early, today's telegraph he indicated he would see out his contract and looking forward to the challenge next year.
Like to see Cogger settled at 7 was moved around a bit in halves this year along with injury he will be better for the experience and is a good back up for Lamb, if injury to Watson Lamb could move and Cogger to 7. If Hodko stays it would mean that Cogger would play 6 with Hodko 7 in reserve grade barring injuries with Johns the back up.
 
Article in one of the papers today that said Hoko has had a talk to Brown and has been told he is behind Watson, Lamb and Cogger in Brown's plans for next year, but he says he is contracted for next year and looks forward to fighting for his spot.
It's almost impossible to judge the form of our halves. Only really great halves can go well behind packs that are getting smashed, and the fact that Hodko hasn't looked good behind our pack really means nothing. He looked like a completely different guy in reserve grade, behind a pack that was holding its own.
Also Watson went OK behind one of the best packs in the comp, but who knows how he'll go if our forwards don't improve a lot next year?
I think we have 3 good young ones and an old guy with runs on the board to choose from, but right now you could throw their names into a hat and pick any two and you'd have as much chance of picking the best combination as anyone else.
 
IMO Hodko's runs on the board were scored that many seasons ago they are now irrelevant.

Lamb is the first half picked and if Connor has been told he has first shot at 6, then I would say that settles that.
 
Billy said:
It's almost impossible to judge the form of our halves. Only really great halves can go well behind packs that are getting smashed, and the fact that Hodko hasn't looked good behind our pack really means nothing. He looked like a completely different guy in reserve grade, behind a pack that was holding its own.
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The telling sign is when we got ourselves in to good attacking position starting sets inside their 30. He offered nothing. You can't blame the forwards not grabbing metres in that scenario. I don't get how people defend him based on this excuse. It doesn't cut it. He went missing in every aspect a half should be having an impact in! Kicking in general play went to Lamb, and often if lamb wasn't available it went to anyone, anyone but Hodkinson. Oh but he has bad knees was the excuse. He went missing in attacking kicks near the try line whether to put in kicks attempting to score tries, or to secure a repeat set. Again, our SOO half let those duties slide to the rookie, his knees was rolled out as the excuse again.

In attacking movements in good attacking position he in the vast majority of cases just shoveled the ball along the line to let someone else have it, anybody but him. I saw him score a try once where he was going to just shovel it along the line as per normal, but a defender had sprinted up to block that option which left him the only option left to run. That defender had left a hole Hodkinson ran through to score. Hodkinson hadn't even noticed the player sprinting up, was going to dump it along the line until he looked to pass and couldn't.

And finally, after our rookie made a big error all but giving the game away, we find ourselves after the siren with a conversion attempt to send it to extra time, he did what he has proven he does well, he let someone else take it, the rookie that just messed up and hasn't kicked all game, and nearly all year. The predictable happened and Lamb shanked the kick, it was too much pressure for him, especially after just making a big error that cost the team the win. His excuse was that he thought the kick was from 10m further back. So a SOO half with all that experience, doesn't know where he is on the field? A seasoned goal kicker doesn't instantly assess the goal kick option, pros and cons as soon as the whistle blows a penalty? Good players want the ball in those pressure moments. They don't hide as Hodkinson does in virtually every aspect of a halves game.

You can't lump all that on the forwards.

He looked better in reserve grade, against reserve grade quality opposition. You would expect nothing less.
 
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I believe Hodko will be with us in 2018 and will be better for the experience around him and the younger players maturing but I don't see him as first grade regular, fill in due to injury. Unless we have a long term injury I see it is Lamb/Watson with Cogger as back up. I see Hodko as a mentor along with Heighton showing those not in the top 17 how to get into it and in 12 months time we won't need them as current crop mature and marquee player or two are signed
 
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