2012 NSW Cup Thread

Quinny said:
I thought Cook proved Bennett correct yesterday came up with some real average decisions in attack and cracked under pressure. Really can't see him making the step up to first grade bar being just the odd fill in. Is that young 5/8 Harry Siejika(no idea how to spell his name) still with Penrith next year?
Click to expand...
If you are judging him as a 5/8 you should know that he hasn't been a regular 5/8 since the under 16s and was filling in because we had no one else after sacking Kelly, letting Briggs go and Stig being out for the season.
Our halves were Mitch Williams, who has been a hooker for years, and Cook who has been a lock since Mathews, and we also had Wyong half Alex Moore on the bench, and as far as i could tell from the radio broadcast we played with Williams and Moore in the halves after Mantellato was injured, with Wes moving to wing and Cookie probably playing centre (a position I can't remember him playing, but he probably has).
 
Yeh according to the radio Cook was playing centre after Mants got injured. It sounded as if Moore was going really good, he was in everything & used to be a Manly junior that's been around for a long time.

At the start of the game they were taking too many risks. They kicked out wide to Ross early in the tackle count twice on back to back sets without eventuating into anything good. May have been a set inbetween. But then they didn't give themselves a chance to take risks at the end when they needed it because they kept dropping the ball. Disappointing effort, with all the good players we had we should have gone to another level when needed.
 
Last edited:
Gallant Knights bow out of Grand Final race

00047659-image.jpg


The Newcastle Knights have fallen short of a spot in the NSW Cup Grand Final, suffering a devastating 26-24 loss to the Balmain Ryde Eastwood Tigers at Leichhardt Oval on Sunday.

A confident Knights made some great attacking plays early in the first half but couldn’t seem to capitalise, with Wes Naiqama missing the opportunity to get the ball away to an unmarked Mantellato.

The Tigers on the other hand, made the most of the opportunities that came their way and soon found themselves with the first points, with Farlow getting his hands on a spilt ball, 4-0.

Meaney struck the ball perfectly to extend his team’s lead by 6-points after only 7-minutes.

The Tigers try gave the Knights the wake up call they needed and only moments later they were celebrating their own four-pointer, after Adams forced his way under the posts, 6-4.

Mantellato added the extras to tie the score at 6-all.

In a crushing blow to the Knights, Mantellato was assisted from the field with a broken left arm.

Mantellato’s injury forced coach Rip Taylor to shuffle his players around, Wes Naiqama was moved to the wing, Cook to the centres and Moore came off the bench.

Despite the changes the Knights forced their way down the Tigers end.

Another opportunity went begging when Davis deflected a kick and ran 90 metres to score, 12-6.

With one last chance before the break, Williams put up the high ball and Moore showed some great skill to scoop it up and put it over the line, 12-10.

Wes Naiqama’s kick from the sideline hit the post, 12-10.

A strong start to the second half saw Rochow in space and over the line, 12-14.

Wes Naiqama added the extras, 12-16.

The Knights were awarded a penalty from 20 metres out and the team decided to take the 2-points, with Wes Naiqama making no mistakes, 18-12.

The Knights celebrations were short lived, with a Humble bomb catching them off guard and Meaney with his first of the match, 18-16.

Meaney converted his own try to lock the score at 18-all.

With so much on the line, the tension between the two teams boiled over and a small scuffle saw the Tigers with an extra 2-points, 18-all.

At this point the momentum shifted in favour of the Tigers and the defence could do little to stop Davis getting his hands on a grubber, 24-18.

With just over 5 minutes to go, Meaney converted to extend the Tigers lead by 8.

Despite the clock working against them, the Knights refused to give up and Moore came very close to getting the ball over but was held up.

Kevin Naiqama took a chance, running on his own, putting the ball down under the posts to give his brother an easy shot at goal, 26-24.

With just over 1-minute remaining, the Knights threw everything at their opponents but the full time buzzer beat them to it.

Knights 24 (Chris Adams, Alex Moore, Robbie Rochow, Kevin Naiqama tries; Wes Naiqama 3/4, Josh Mantellato 1/1 goals)

Balmain Ryde Eastwood Tigers 26 (Josh Davis 2, Jarred Farlow, Sean Meaney tries; Sean Meaney 5/5 goals)

http://www.newcastleknights.com.au/news-display/Gallant-Knights-bow-out-of-Grand-Final-race/64354
 
Last edited:
Billy said:
If you are judging him as a 5/8 you should know that he hasn't been a regular 5/8 since the under 16s and was filling in because we had no one else after sacking Kelly, letting Briggs go and Stig being out for the season.
Our halves were Mitch Williams, who has been a hooker for years, and Cook who has been a lock since Mathews, and we also had Wyong half Alex Moore on the bench, and as far as i could tell from the radio broadcast we played with Williams and Moore in the halves after Mantellato was injured, with Wes moving to wing and Cookie probably playing centre (a position I can't remember him playing, but he probably has).
Click to expand...


His spent a fair chunk of this season at 6 and lets be honest his never going to make it as a 13 in the top grade. I am judging him thou on the fact that with some earlier ball in a big game he came up with a rubbish pass that let the opposition off the hook. Good luck to him next year but I don't rate him as a future first grader.
 
Quinny said:
His spent a fair chunk of this season at 6 and lets be honest his never going to make it as a 13 in the top grade. I am judging him thou on the fact that with some earlier ball in a big game he came up with a rubbish pass that let the opposition off the hook. Good luck to him next year but I don't rate him as a future first grader.
Click to expand...
He spent about the last half dozen games at 6, which just happened to co-inside with our winning streak where we beat all the best sides in the comp and were the form side in the comp.
I didn't get to see any of those games, but he must have been doing something right, or at least not anything horribly wrong, because we were the form team in the comp.

As to him not making it as a 13 - he was named in the NYC team of the year as a 13 and has played in junior rep sides as a 13. Like 90% of kids coming out of NYC he needed a year in seniors to come good, and he has been coming good in the last half of the season.
He is exactly where Tets, Eddy, Rochow, Roberts, Stig and any number of other players were at 12 months after NYC, and there is no reason he can't step up next year. The only thing that sets him aside from those players is that he has always had more talent and skill.
 
Billy said:
He spent about the last half dozen games at 6, which just happened to co-inside with our winning streak where we beat all the best sides in the comp and were the form side in the comp.
I didn't get to see any of those games, but he must have been doing something right, or at least not anything horribly wrong, because we were the form team in the comp.

As to him not making it as a 13 - he was named in the NYC team of the year as a 13 and has played in junior rep sides as a 13. Like 90% of kids coming out of NYC he needed a year in seniors to come good, and he has been coming good in the last half of the season.
He is exactly where Tets, Eddy, Rochow, Roberts, Stig and any number of other players were at 12 months after NYC, and there is no reason he can't step up next year. The only thing that sets him aside from those players is that he has always had more talent and skill.
Click to expand...

Well said mate, good to see you also appreciate that some of our gun juniors need to be given the opportunity to shine in their chosen positions but have had to fill in where required due to the fact that they are skillful enough to be able to fill a gap. Remember too that Cookie has had to work with a few different halfbacks as well and then was asked to fill in at centre last week when Josh broke his arm.
Good luck to Cookie and the other young Knights going to the Panthers for an opportunity, that's all they wanted here at the Knights but it's a bit full of "new" players for our juniors to get a shot. I thought that was Wayne's forte' developing juniors??

Cheers.
 
I wonder what will actually happen to Mantellato next year. It's gonna be hard for him to get himself a contract at the Knights or another NRL team now with a newly broken arm.
 
I don't see why see couldn't give him a contact, it baffles me really. He is exceptional talent.
 
He's an unknown to other NRL teams though, will another coach take a punt on an unknown reserve-grade winger that will be coming back from a broken arm. Hopefully Manly still give him a go.

I don't think the Knights will offer him a new contract, Pete, Chanel, Likiliki, Kev, Will Smith & Nathan Ross seem to have filled all the spots next year.
 
kiwi said:
Well said mate, good to see you also appreciate that some of our gun juniors need to be given the opportunity to shine in their chosen positions but have had to fill in where required due to the fact that they are skillful enough to be able to fill a gap. Remember too that Cookie has had to work with a few different halfbacks as well and then was asked to fill in at centre last week when Josh broke his arm.
Good luck to Cookie and the other young Knights going to the Panthers for an opportunity, that's all they wanted here at the Knights but it's a bit full of "new" players for our juniors to get a shot. I thought that was Wayne's forte' developing juniors??

Cheers.
Click to expand...

Plenty of other of our juniors are being developed and given a shot by Bennett so that tells me Cook just wasn't good enough compared to all our other locals who are being re-signed and given first grade games. When will you accept the fact that Cook and Anderson aren't our only juniors and see the dozens of others Bennett is preparing to play for the Knights. You're so wrapped up in this little crazy idea that Bennett has an agenda against our juniors when it's clear for everyone to see that it's just you with the agenda against Bennett.
 
Knights were never going to give Mantellato a contract even if he didn't break his arm. Therefore he won't be at the knights next year. Also I don't know want a broken arm has anything to do with getting a contract. Hope someone will give him a go and the remark about an unknown reserve grader, he has made a name for himself this year and I think a few people have taken notice. He was picked in the nsw cup rep squad named nsw cup team of the year leading points scorer in nsw cup comp and who knows what award he may pick up at rede ration night. I think people know who he is by now.
 
NSW Cup GF today was a really great game, happy to see Newtown win it after two golden point GF losses in 06 and 08...but couldn't help thinking how Newcastle could've beaten the Jets had they have qualified.
 
footin mouth said:
Has anyone heard anything at all about a Newcastle REAL NRL club fielding a NSW cup team next year.
Click to expand...
It wouldn't surprize me if Wyong did.
They basically ran one in the Central Coast Storm for a few years and they all but funded and ran the Centurions.
Wyong would be one of the richest Rugby League sides going around. They own several sporting clubs worth something like 30 mill. Most football clubs are owned by their sporting club, but Wyong is the other way around - the footy club owns everything.
The only thing they really lack is a great grandstand at their ground, and I really think they should try for a government grant to build one.
 
Your Billy apparently it is Wyong who will field a nsw cup and they will not be playing in the Newcastle comp either. They are going back to central coast comp.
 
Would be easily done.
Rip Taylor as coach would be able to sign a squad up easily.
It would cost a bit, but they could do it if they wanted to.
 
If that's true that Wyong will be in NSW Cup next year, Mantellato could easily get himself a new contract with them.
 
Who would they feed? And if your not in the Newcastle comp who feeds you if you have more than a couple injuries?

- - - Updated - - -

Josh Hill said:
If that's true that Wyong will be in NSW Cup next year, Mantellato could easily get himself a new contract with them.
Click to expand...

Williams Boss and Mantellato all ex wyong boys
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top