Round 17: Newcastle Knights vs Canterbury Bulldogs

What is your prediction for this game ??

  • Knights 13+

    Votes: 7 70.0%

  • Knights 1-12

    Votes: 2 20.0%

  • Draw

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Bulldogs 1-12

    Votes: 1 10.0%

  • Bulldogs 13+

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    10
  • Poll closed .
I expect DSaf to have the opening spell of his life.
The confidence from playing SOO will have him pumped up to run through brick walls.
I'd love to see JSaf follow his lead, but with Klem, Glasby and DSaf all coming back in, it's hard to see JSaf keeping his spot.
 
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Lord of the Skraelings said:
I'd expect Dan and Glasby to definately back up, and 50 / 50 on Pearce and Klemmer.

Must win this match or all our good work is undone if you ask me.
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They'll play. Pearce will be desperate to get us back in the winning circle & Brown won't rest them this time around. All are big boys, they'll handle it.
 
Lord of the Skraelings said:
How many times in years past and even this year - Titans anyone, have we supposed to have won games and won them well only to cop a spanking.

Play the best players that are fit for mine.
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Yeah really need to win games we are expected to nowadays and with that said I 100% expect Pearce to back up. Some good points raised that the high of winning Origin for some of these guys, and a young guy like Saifiti and Pearce being apart of a winning team will be something they no doubt carry into club footy.

Watching Saifiti become into an Origin player coming from the NYC team/NSW Cup? into Brownie's miserable 1 win misfits team has been one of the highlights of the season for me and I hope Fitzgibbon isn't too far behind.
 
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Has Dan Saifiti ever played NSW cup?
I know Jake played some when he was still 18, but I'm pretty sure Dan went straight from under 20s to firstgrade, and I can't recall him ever being dropped to reserve grade, although he could have been because my memory is a bit dodgy these days.
 
Ahhh in 2015 he was in the NYC team and in 2016 round 1 he played first grade. Don't know if he went back to reserves for a bit during any of that time but it's still remarkable when you think about how far he's come since then, and those dark days despite them being bright lights.

I remember Jacob tearing up the NSW Cup in 2015.
 
Billy said:
Has Dan Saifiti ever played NSW cup?
I know Jake played some when he was still 18, but I'm pretty sure Dan went straight from under 20s to firstgrade, and I can't recall him ever being dropped to reserve grade, although he could have been because my memory is a bit dodgy these days.
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You're right, I think there was one time he was dropped & named in reserve grade, but I think he got a late call up back to NRL for injury.
 
R_A said:
Ahhh in 2015 he was in the NYC team and in 2016 round 1 he played first grade. Don't know if he went back to reserves for a bit during any of that time but it's still remarkable when you think about how far he's come since then.

I remember Jacob tearing up the NSW Cup in 2015.
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I read somewhere the other day that neither Saifiti brother could do a chin up when they arrived at the Knights, and I've previously read that both were put on a strict diet in the months before they joined us for a pre season in NYC and had to drop 15 or 20kg.
 
Billy said:
I read somewhere the other day that neither Saifiti brother could do a chin up when they arrived at the Knights, and I've previously read that both were put on a strict diet in the months before they joined us for a pre season in NYC and had to drop 15 or 20kg.
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Yeah I think I read the same thing, think it was off the NRL website, or taken off the Knights website. It looks like it was a mix of Freddy telling him he saw him as a future Origin player and guys like Klemmer coming in to show in the ropes.
So the Knights have done a good job with their development in that regard, bringing in the right people etc.

And ironically everyone was saying 12 months ago...the last three years how we have no props and we had two start for NSW in Game III heh.
 
A
R_A said:
Yeah I think I read the same thing, think it was off the NRL website, or taken off the Knights website. It looks like it was a mix of Freddy telling him he saw him as a future Origin player and guys like Klemmer coming in to show in the ropes.
So the Knights have done a good job with their development in that regard, bringing in the right people etc.

And ironically everyone was saying 12 months ago...the last three years how we have no props and we had two start for NSW in Game III heh.
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and one on the bench for qld
One played for nz/Samoa
 
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Troy Pezet was the NYC coach in 2015, and Mick Reid was the NYC trainer.
They had stats available for NYC at that time, and I followed them pretty closely.
I remember the Saifiti brothers both ran about 80 metres and made less than 15 tackles a game early in the 2015 season, but by the end of the season they were making 30 tackles and running close to 200 metres in some games.
I was a bit surprized, but very happy, when they got an NRL pre season, and thought they would improve a lot, but worried that both had very poor mobility and thought they might not be able to defend.
They made massive improvements, especially in their agility and mobility in defence.
I think though, the guy who is most responsible for the Saifitis is Troy Pezet. He recruited them and developed them from big coach potatoes to good enough to do an NRL preseason and take their games to another level.
Dan and Jake also deserve a lot of credit themselves - they lost the weight - they did the training - It can't have been easy for them.
God deserves a bit of credit too - if you sat down and designed a couple of prop forwards you would come up with the Saifiti twins I think.
 
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If we win and Manly lose to the Bunnies and there's a combined difference of more than 11 we move to 5 (likely).

If we win and Raiders lose to the Dragons and there's a combined difference of 26+ we could move to 4th (possible).
 
I’m just glad that it is round 17 and we aren’t playing catch up footy

Although that can change quickly.
 
krustykraz said:
If we win and Manly lose to the Bunnies and there's a combined difference of more than 11 we move to 5 (likely).

If we win and Raiders lose to the Dragons and there's a combined difference of 26+ we could move to 4th (possible).
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Yeah said this the other day.
 
Jones, Randall, Guerra and Saulo cut from the squad.

1. Connor Watson,
2. Hymel Hunt,
3. Kurt Mann,
4. Jesse Ramien,
5. Shaun Kenny-Dowall,
6. Mason Lino,
7. Mitchell Pearce,
8. James Gavet,
9. Danny Levi,
10. Josh King,
11. Jamie Buhrer,
12. Sione Mata'utia,
13. Herman Ese'ese.
Interchange:
14. Jacob Saifiti,
16. Phoenix Crossland,
17. Tim Glasby,
19. David Klemmer,
18. Tautau Moga,
20. Daniel Saifiti

I imagine Crossland and Moga will be cut if everyone gets through training, so Jacob Saifiti is in over Guerra (who is at least one good game short of match fit).
 
Billy said:
Jones, Randall, Guerra and Saulo cut from the squad.

1. Connor Watson,
2. Hymel Hunt,
3. Kurt Mann,
4. Jesse Ramien,
5. Shaun Kenny-Dowall,
6. Mason Lino,
7. Mitchell Pearce,
8. James Gavet,
9. Danny Levi,
10. Josh King,
11. Jamie Buhrer,
12. Sione Mata'utia,
13. Herman Ese'ese.
Interchange:
14. Jacob Saifiti,
16. Phoenix Crossland,
17. Tim Glasby,
19. David Klemmer,
18. Tautau Moga,
20. Daniel Saifiti

I imagine Crossland and Moga will be cut if everyone gets through training, so Jacob Saifiti is in over Guerra (who is at least one good game short of match fit).
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the issue is who plays hooker when Levi comes off. Id say its between king and J.Saifiti as well as Moga out. Maybe something like

19. David Klemmer
9. Danny Levi,
20. Dan Saifiti
11. Jamie Buhrer,
12. Sione Mata'utia,
17. tim Glasby.
Interchange:
14. Jacob Saifiti,/Josh King
16. Phoenix Crossland,
13. Herman Ese'ese.
8. James Gavet
 
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