Toohey's News

slotmachine said:
If Pezet is the target, it's a halfback who is no sure thing of coming to the knights let alone being a success.
Click to expand...
Pezet isn't the guy imo.

If we want to enter a premiership window we need to poach a top 6 halfback. It'll cost big money, but it's a gamble that we need to take imo. Better to gamble on a Moses at $1.3m than to gamble an extra couple hundred grand on some average forwards I.e. Hethro and DSaf. You could remove them from the squad, buy Moses with their cash, and promote a couple juniors who hopefully go close to replacing their output. In which case, we're in a better position because we have Moses at 7 (ignoring the 800k paid to Hastings)

It's exactly what any of the top clubs would do. Because without a first class 7, you're always just making up the numbers. And we will have wasted Pongas entire career on plan A, which was, wait and hope for something because all the good 7s are too expensive.

Dumb dumb dumb
 
Last edited:
Les Misérables said:
Pezet isn't the guy imo.

If we want to enter a premiership window we need to poach a top 6 halfback. It'll cost big money, but it's a gamble that we need to take imo. Better to gamble on a Moses at $1.3m than to gamble an extra couple hundred grand on some average forwards I.e. Hethro and DSaf. You could remove them from the squad, buy Moses with their cash, and promote a couple juniors who hopefully go close to replacing their output. In which case, we're in a better position because we have Moses at 7.

It's exactly what any of the top clubs would do. Because without a first class 7, you're always just making up the numbers. And we will have wasted Pongas entire career on plan A, which was, wait and hope for something because all the good 7s are too expensive.

Dumb dumb dumb
Click to expand...
Sounds fantastic,
But Moses isn't available for $1.3mil
 
You’re right all the top clubs have good 7’s. Just put together list of the top spines minus hooker.

Penrith - Cleary, Luai, Edward’s
Melbourne - Hugh’s, Munster, paps
Roosters - walker, keary, teddy
Broncos - Renolds, Mam, Walsh
Manly - Cherry Evens, Brooks, Turbo
 
Three things about Pezet.

He has trained and practiced as an organising half since he was 14 and maybe even younger. The last time we've seen him play that way was the under 19s SOO a few years ago where he dominated. He doesn't get to call all the shots in firstgrade in Melbourne - he just gets to support senior players.

He is a skinny 80kg. He needs to build up a lot, and he hasn't built up much in several years.

He is coming back from a knee injury that might effect his running and kicking game

So watching him in games where he has been allowed to run the show all through the juniors and rep sides, he is the best young game organiser coming through, but at this point in his career he can't show that in firstgrade - but he really needs to bulk up to at least 90kg. He's smaller than Fletcher Sharpe by a fair way.
 
The time will come when the club will need to make a decision whether they will be in a position to push for a premiership built around Ponga, or release him in favour of younger talent and rebalanced across the spine (Sharpe, Pezet etc) with the hope longer term success can be achieved. It will be a gamble either way, only time will tell which way is the best option.

The decision point isn't yet but might only be a couple of years away.
 
krustykraz said:
Sounds fantastic,
But Moses isn't available for $1.3mil
Click to expand...
Let's not be obtuse. Moses is an analogue to whichever half-back.

And if it's becomes public that the Knights have a $1.3m+ war chest for a halfback, you'd be surprised what player managers will make happen. Our problem is that we're losers at our core and it is acceptable to us that we'd go a decade or two without a gun 7. That should be intolerable to us, as it is for all the best clubs.
 
frankLauda said:
You’re right all the top clubs have good 7’s. Just put together list of the top spines minus hooker.

Penrith - Cleary, Luai, Edward’s
Melbourne - Hugh’s, Munster, paps
Roosters - walker, keary, teddy
Broncos - Renolds, Mam, Walsh
Manly - Cherry Evens, Brooks, Turbo
Click to expand...
Exactly.

How Premierships are won is by spending on key positions and relying on good juniors and good fortune to fill out the roster. Yes, you'll get caught holding your dixk some years, but at least you'll have a shot at the comp.

I honestly don't understand why this is so hard for the club to get their head around. Chasing middle of the road 7s or average prospects (Pezet) from other clubs leads only to more of the same mediocrity
 
jamesgould said:
It must be wonderful to live in your world where you just sign whatever player you want, no matter if they're contracted somewhere else, don't actually want to come here, or cost $1.5 mil and totally destroy your cap.
Click to expand...
Yeah he does make it sound easy 😂
 
jamesgould said:
It must be wonderful to live in your world where you just sign whatever player you want, no matter if they're contracted somewhere else, don't actually want to come here, or cost $1.5 mil and totally destroy your cap.
Click to expand...
If 3/4 of Knights fans run the club and salary cap then the club would be in way more trouble than it currently is.
When there is no 7 quality 7s around we have to invest in top youth and have a year of rebuild with them and then hope they start to hit straps in 2nd or so year and that Ponga is also hitting his prime years.

Cleary,DCE,Reynolds all debuted as youngsters and have built.

I’d rather run 14th next year and then build to 6th-8th then top 4 next year with a committed 22-23 year old half then try to buy Moses for $1.5mill at 30 years of age with still no guarantee of success
 
If our forward pack stood up like they should, and the coach could come up with a game plan to utilise our playing talent effectively we could get away with not having a gun half, as we already have a gun playmaker in KP.

We just need a half that can steer us around and get the ball to KP in good positions, make some calls themselves and createsome chances, and finish sets with a quality kick. 5/8 that concentrates on being a running threat.

Not saying that alone would be enough to win a premiership, but we'd be going a damn sight better than we are now for sure!

Even if we brought in a gun half, with OB's boring game plan he would be wasted.
 
Great chat everyone but we are forgetting one crucial thing. We could have the best half in the world but being handcuffed by AOB’s tactics will keep us exactly where we are now.
 
People on here won’t want to hear it, but we’ve performed well under AOB every season he’s had a serviceable halfback.

2020-21 we made the eight with Pearce.

2022 Pearce ditches us, we have no halfback and we miss the eight.

2023 Hastings comes in and performs great, we go on a big winning streak.

2024 Hastings falls to bits with a buggered ankle and we’re back in the doldrums.

It’s almost like it’s an important position …
 
jamesgould said:
It must be wonderful to live in your world where you just sign whatever player you want, no matter if they're contracted somewhere else, don't actually want to come here, or cost $1.5 mil and totally destroy your cap.
Click to expand...
We signed Pearce in precisely the way I described. And for an about $1.2m a year?

Tell me that didn't immediately lift the team into a different class. And explain to me how it totally destroyed our cap?

This is the problem with this club, we've literally already successfully poached a marquee 7 for overs, it had the desired impact and yet we ridicule the suggestion of trying it again when the only alternative is to continue doing what we've done post Pearce, which hasn't worked. Make that makes sense please.

And to those people saying 'all the good halves are signed' yea bred, so was Pearce! We need to advertise a $1.4m pay packet for a marquee 7 and I guarantee you a marquee 7 will emerge from absolutely fkn nowhere sooner than people might think. Credit Brown he truly did understand how to build a squad starting with just money.
 
Last edited:
Les Misérables said:
We signed Pearce in precisely the way I described. And for an about $1.2m a year?

Tell me that didn't immediately lift the team into a different class. And explain to me how it totally destroyed our cap?

This is the problem with this club, we've literally already successfully poached a marquee 7 for overs, it had the desired impact and yet we ridicule the suggestion of trying it again when the only alternative is to continue doing what we've done post Pearce, which hasn't worked. Make that makes sense please.

And to those people saying 'all the good halves are signed' yea bred, so was Pearce! We need to advertise a $1.4m pay packet for a marquee 7 and I guarantee you a marquee 7 will emerge from absolutely fkn nowhere sooner than people might think. Credit Brown he truly did understand how to build a squad starting with just money.
Click to expand...
They granted Pearce a release because they’d signed Cronk. I don’t think there’s too many clubs out there with 1 top halfback let alone a spare.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top