Nickwpearce
Banned
Start a new thread maybe, Lamb vs Watson... Because we should be discussing the major signing of Pearce and what he will bring to the team.
Official: Knights sign Mitchell Pearce on a 4 year deal
- Thread starter josh2010
- Start date
Start a new thread maybe, Lamb vs Watson... Because we should be discussing the major signing of Pearce and what he will bring to the team.
Nickwpearce
Banned
Nickwpearce
Banned
Everyone should read this...
Brown is a straight shooter! "Do not make the trip to Newcastle unless you are genuine and want to be a knight, if you are trying to use us to get more money from other clubs we are not interested. Do not get our (fans?) hopes up by playing the money game."
Also they revealed who they want in 2018 and 2019 to lure to the club...
Do not expect to make finals, but climb from the bottom of the ladder in 2018, and get a team to gel in the next 4 years.
Frank McWilliams
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
It is a good item and I agree, not expecting dramatic movement up the ladder in 2018.
Ljackson
Banned
I can understand why Brown wants to pour cold water on all the knights making top 8 talk, we dont need that pressure and its December for God's sake, some 2/3 months before a ball is to be kicked. However I do suspect that privately he and the club are expecting for big results this year, maybe not top 8, but somewhere between 8th-12th.
Kurriboy
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
There is also the management of expectation from the club from his perspective to consider. The club has come out saying the expect results. Brown has to manage that also, after all, it is his job on the line, so if he comes out saying whoa nelly, lets just get off the bottom first, he is managing the expectation of more than just the fans.
Kurriboy
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
I cant agree. Id love to be in the top8 but the first year after 3 wooden spoons in a row with so many changes to try and gel I think not making the top 8 isnt a failure.
Fighting for a spot in the 8 is enough for this year to be seen as a success for me. Year after, top 8 should be the pass mark.
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Fighting for a spot in the 8 is enough for this year to be seen as a success for me. Year after, top 8 should be the pass mark.
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100% on talent we could make the 8 but we lack the experience to say we will for sure. I’ve said a number of times I expect Ponga to struggle next year just through inexperience we have a young half and hooker to add to that. 2019 I expect a lot though.
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I kinda agree about Ponga. But keep in mind the talent of the kid. Ball in hand he will look at home from round 1, i don't doubt it for a second. He's a freak natural.
Defensively, strategically, physically, I expect it to be a slow start. But I think from rnd1 it will be an overall improvement on what we had
He will undoubtably score points for us but I expect him to leak a few also for a while. Will also take him time to own the team from the back. Just things that will come from age and experience
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Joshhh
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
You're expecting Pearce to be a saviour. The likely reality is that he is a bloody good halfback, but made his marquee reputation by being in the right team. Mullen was never really considered a marquee player by the rest of the comp despite all his talent, because he never got the chance to play with a good team. Swap Pearce & Mullen's clubs around & it could have been a different story. The point I'm trying to make is that we need to let a good team develop to make the 8. If our team as a whole isn't a given top 8 side in 2018, then we shouldn't expect Pearce to be a one man Thurston-like saviour & lift us to the 8 off his own back. This is not to say Pearce can't be a one man saviour though, I just think it's unlikely.
Pierce is not a one man saviour. I've never seen him as that style of halfback and personally I don't think he is that talented. There's a small handful of one man halves in the comp, and Pierce isn't one of them
That being said, we dont necessarily need that. We just need what Mullen was never able to do consistently, and that is steer a ship with consistency from minutes 1-80. Pierce is that type of halfback. High energy, highly organized, highly involved, always taking the ball to the line with people around him trying to make something happen. He's done this almost every game for the past decade. Mullen, while perhaps more talented, did those things every third game at best
The reason Pierce excites me is because it is that type of player who takes the weight of responsibility off the shoulders of our explosive spine. Now they can play whats infront of them instead of worrying about setting up the backline and trying to figure out when best to call a play etc
That being said, we dont necessarily need that. We just need what Mullen was never able to do consistently, and that is steer a ship with consistency from minutes 1-80. Pierce is that type of halfback. High energy, highly organized, highly involved, always taking the ball to the line with people around him trying to make something happen. He's done this almost every game for the past decade. Mullen, while perhaps more talented, did those things every third game at best
The reason Pierce excites me is because it is that type of player who takes the weight of responsibility off the shoulders of our explosive spine. Now they can play whats infront of them instead of worrying about setting up the backline and trying to figure out when best to call a play etc
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Joshhh
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
If everyone starts playing their best football from the get go we should be a real chance for the top 8. Though we are no certainty to do that, coming from the bottom too, 3 wooden spoons in a row. That's why I don't think missing out on the top 8 in 2018 will be a failure, even if Pearce played every game avoiding injury, he'll need the team as a whole to be good as well. Lots to prove yet from our boys.
Having an overhauled squad with some young players, there may be some growing pains early on while everyone finds their feet, but going off of talent alone, I think we should be pushing the top 8. I’d be disappointed if we weren’t in the mix and I’d consider that to be a failed season.
If everyone plays their best football from the outset, we lose very few games.
Positions 7-9 aren't normally reserved for efficient, consistent and talented teams. It's normally reserved for teams who have no real capacity to beat teams 1-6 under finals conditions
If every player in our squad plays their best football from rnd1, we're top 4
Was just about to say something similiar myself if we gel straight away everyone plays to there talent we are a top 4 side. Given we make take some time to gel and still lack experience in key positions we should still make the 8 with our roster barring to many injuries. IMO we were playing like a 10th-12th positioned team at the end of last season. Given the improvement of our roster and the improvement of the younger guys in the squad i think the 8 is a realistic expectation.
I also think the idea that teams 'Need time to gel' is a little overdrawn
The Roosters will have a new 7 and 1 and I bet they take no time to look good
Ponga is a baby, but jeez he is a superb talent. Pierce is an origin veteran. Imo we'll look pretty good right away and after about 6-8 weeks we'll be looking pretty slick
The Roosters will have a new 7 and 1 and I bet they take no time to look good
Ponga is a baby, but jeez he is a superb talent. Pierce is an origin veteran. Imo we'll look pretty good right away and after about 6-8 weeks we'll be looking pretty slick