2024 Season Review

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what's that pong

Jason Hoogerworf
This season has come to a heart breaking end.

I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts on the season the good the and the ugly.

What area's do we need to improve to take "the next step"
 
a halfback obviously and some genuine grunt up front 🤔and a ball-playing backrower wouldn't go astray...
 
We need to get rid of Daniel Saifiti ✅

No slight to Jayden Brailey who’s a fine player, but it doesn’t make sense to have a guy like him on pretty fair money with Crossland, Arthur and Riley all on the books. It sounds like he’s off to Parramatta ✅

Clearly Hastings has gotta go

Certain players are capable, reliable performers, but realistically we need to gradually phase them out for younger more talented players we’ve developed internally or signed: Adam Elliott, Tyson Gamble, Jack Cogger lead that hit list. Gagai and Frizell are among our most consistent performers but they also need to be thrown in here just due to their age (and while Dane didn’t play badly last night, the gap between his performance and the much younger Lucas was hard to miss).

Lucas and Sharpe coming along as they have and arguably both being in our top five best performers (in Sharpe’s case I just mean over the stretch of games he played, not over the whole season) is a really good sign that our pathways are working and we are producing some really talented first graders. Obviously we need more.
 
So many things went wrong.
Most of the guys we got rid of or lost were terribly missed.
Hastings turned out to be the guy he always has been, much to our surprise.
All our signings except KPP turned out to be duds.

Then strangely, a bunch of local guys, Lucas, Jones, Croker, Pheonix, Cogs, Bradman, Sharpe and guys who have been here a long time and now have roots in the community - Gags, Frizz and even Ponga - found enough pride and desire to get us to a respectable finish.
 
Billy said:
So many things went wrong.
Most of the guys we got rid of or lost were terribly missed.
Hastings turned out to be the guy he always has been, much to our surprise.
All our signings except KPP turned out to be duds.

Then strangely, a bunch of local guys, Lucas, Jones, Croker, Pheonix, Cogs, Bradman, Sharpe and guys who have been here a long time and now have roots in the community - Gags, Frizz and even Ponga - found enough pride and desire to get us to a respectable finish.
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It's so good to see the locals going so well! It's how we won many years ago maybe we can do it again 🤞
 
Billy said:
I mean most people wouldn't call him a local, even though he has never lived anywhere longer than he has lived in Newcastle and he'll own half of Merewether before he is finished.
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He has been here a full three years longer than Friz though hahaha
 
HarVeeGee13 said:
He has been here a full three years longer than Friz though hahaha
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The bottom line is Ponga is far and away our best player at the Knights and even in the NRL at the moment. Nobody else has such a huge impact on the outcome of a game. Sure he has had injuries, but that’s an occupational hazard of the game. And it takes him a few games after his return to hit racing speed.
Whether he is a local or not matters nil, he plays for the Knights.
We can build something around him with locals and the right players, which hopefully what O’Sullivan and the club are endeavouring to do as we speak.
Have no fear, if Ponga wasn’t playing for us, we would be nowhere near finals this year.
 
What is the "Next Step"? Making a prelim I would hope!

To make that next step we need a competent 7 we can stand behind for longer than 1/4 of a season.

We need to clear out some salary cap drains, and recruit smartly and stop paying people ridiculous salary they haven't yet earned.

And we need OB to graduate to P plate status coaching instead of L plates we have been getting. He wants to play a grinding style of football fine, he isn't re-inventing the wheel there, but to compliment that grind, we need an attacking brand of football that makes use of our attacking threats best.

The club is a mature roster now having made the finals 4 out of 5 years now. No excuse for not respecting the opposition and the points on offer every week.

In fact I would not say the next step is making a prelim, I would say the next step is becoming a more professional club, that turns up every week putting their best effort on the field, we do that and are decently coached, the rest will take care of itself.
 
Ponga is the star but it’s a team game, he needs help and that’s from his mates in the spine even against the cowboys he was showing signs of fatigue/exhaustion from trying so hard. We have the nucleus of a good competitive side just need to tweak a few positions, one (7) or two improvements along with a few potential youngsters and we will improve.
Next year is critical in development of those younger players coming through with it likely being the last for Gags and Frizell but it is the spine that is a concern and next year will be a bit of trial and error but if they can let the likes of Cogger, Gamble and Crossland work together while bringing through our local juniors we will still be competitive but not top 4 without a top 7 so I’m thinking more 5-6.
 
I do think five-eighth will work itself out now. Sharpe is a great footy player who you just have to find a spot for in the team, whether that’s as a running 6, at fullback, or as an elite winger. Pryce’s talent is real, great mover with all the skills and an ability to make something out of nothing, plus he seems to be a very popular squad member who brings heaps of energy (that does matter IMO). Votano is still the big unknown but you’d swear you were watching the love child of KP and Matt Burton when you see him in full flight. And I don’t think it’s totally out of the question that KP could move there again given how dominant he became as a playmaker in the games which mattered (I personally think we need to just leave him at 1 and find halves to compliment him).

Phoenix is proven as a guy who can do a job for a very good team at 9 and we’ll have two very sharp young attacking hookers fighting for the 14 jersey.

Halfback is the eternal question mark. But I tell you what. I’m glad we’re not still stuck with Mitch Pearce.

In Cogger’s second go at it he was the pick of the bunch in the end (yes I know he wore 6, but he was playing halfback). Played well last night besides giving away the seven tackle set.
 
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Just watched a clip from Billy slaters podcast. Stating the obvious, he said we need a spine shake up. But as HVG comments I think we are good except for a “quality” 7, that has eluded us for so many years.

I’m assuming the best and most achievable option will be Pezet. Although I would hope we make a play for Hunt next year, if there’s truth in the dragons letting him go. Ideally we get both. Or Pezet for 26.

I put Hunt now in the Reynolds, Townsend, category. Back end of there career, but quality and experience which is what we need. Sign him on a two year deal. But can we afford him? And would he want to come here?

The rest of the squad I’m happy with. I like the look of Sua. Frizz moves into the front row I say. We need to extend Brodie Jones, Leo, and hopefully Croker.

Schiller, Arthur (14) are good buys to come into the squad. Gags I would say one more good year, Schiller could take his spot next year.

Getting, DSaf, Braily and Hastings off the books needs to happen to upgrade the likes of Leo, etc, and get that 7.

amp.nine.com.au

'That's an issue': Slater's concern over Knights roster

'Don't have that quality in their key positions'
amp.nine.com.au amp.nine.com.au
 
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Is Hunt better than Brailey and at what cost. The reason for offloading Brailey is to ease salary cap which doesn’t happen if sign Hunt which will likely be for two seasons while Brailey only has one to go.
Don’t sign Hunt, retain Brailey and see how Arthur goes
 
Frank McWilliams said:
Is Hunt better than Brailey and at what cost. The reason for offloading Brailey is to ease salary cap which doesn’t happen if sign Hunt which will likely be for two seasons while Brailey only has one to go.
Don’t sign Hunt, retain Brailey and see how Arthur goes
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Those suggesting Hunt are looking at him to play 7, not 9. Either way, it's a hard no for me.
 
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