The pre-season 2026 thread

[Junior]

8. Jsaf
10. Saulo
11. Friz
12. Lucas
13. Mooney

14. Graham
15. Crouch
16. Hopwood
17. McEwen.

I don’t disagree with how good their playing ability is, but there is NO WAY in hell you can have a bench with so little experience in the NRL and expect to be anything but bottom two, you need to even it out.
Friz will stay as a middle on the bench IMO and i honestly think if you play Mooney, Saulo and Saf as run on then you’d have to expect Jones, Hola or Croker to be on the bench with Friz.

I do see Croker really doing a job at 13 week in week out, can remember his ball playing skills in cup and thru the pathways, shown glimpses of it in NRL, think it’s also his best pos.

 

[Beatell]

I don’t disagree with how good their playing ability is, but there is NO WAY in hell you can have a bench with so little experience in the NRL and expect to be anything but bottom two, you need to even it out.
Friz will stay as a middle on the bench IMO and i honestly think if you play Mooney, Saulo and Saf as run on then you’d have to expect Jones, Hola or Croker to be on the bench with Friz

It feels to me he’s assembling a pack for 2027 being cap sustainable. It’s very hard to build a team not only with Ponga on big money but now Brown also. I’m happier with this than overpaying for Hethro Elliot Frizz etc. I feel we will they will make huge gains this year at least we have players to come through and be stars we haven’t had that in a while outside our top few forwards.

 

[Grandpa Joe]

Yeah ideally if we can get have blokes like couchman, psaulo, jones, Croker taking up spaces until your hopwoods are ready for 2027/2028 happy days.

 

[Jar head]

I see a few posts with Harrison Graham as a bench option in our best 17. I thought he was outside our too 30? Isn't he on the supplementary list (I forget the name right now)?
I dont know much about him, does anyone on here have some insight?

 

[mozza]

We win 11 straight games against practically all bottom 8 teams bar a couple. It didn't matter what happened in the finals the club had its excuse to re-sign him, and they did.

World class revisionist history here. It was 10 wins in a row btw. The entire 2023 season was a massive fluke obviously. Scoring more points than any other team in the competition. Beating 4 out of the other Top 7 sides and losing to the top 2 sides by 1 and 2 points respectively.

 

[Roundtable]

Is the young gun Seve trainning with the FG squad? Thanks

 

[Krambach]

not going to stack up to the likes of haas, carrigan, Willson, etc. but should do ok and be cheap.

 

[Krambach]

It feels to me he’s assembling a pack for 2027 being cap sustainable. It’s very hard to build a team not only with Ponga on big money but now Brown also. I’m happier with this than overpaying for Hethro Elliot Frizz etc. I feel we will they will make huge gains this year at least we have players to come through and be stars we haven’t had that in a while outside our top few forwards.

Yeah. Even someone like McEwan if we start while he is cheap but if he starts demanding 600-800k at some point just sub in the next guy.

 

[Les Misérables]

World class revisionist history here. It was 10 wins in a row btw. The entire 2023 season was a massive fluke obviously. Scoring more points than any other team in the competition. Beating 4 out of the other Top 7 sides and losing to the top 2 sides by 1 and 2 points respectively.

My bad, you're right, AOB was a good coach.

 

[BETTERTHANLEGO]

On the subject a mate sent me these pics saying they are at an op shop on Maitland road

 

[mozza]

My bad, you're right, AOB was a good coach.

You’re the one who’s still obsessed with him dude. I didn’t even mention him. Talking down our great run that year just to hang **** on him is kinda weird.

 

[Les Misérables]

On the subject a mate sent me these pics saying they are at an op shop on Maitland road


View attachment 7895View attachment 7896

Can't give em away

 

[Owey]

Handy if you run out of bog rolls

 

[jamesgould]

On the subject a mate sent me these pics saying they are at an op shop on Maitland road


View attachment 7895View attachment 7896

Looks like they gave AOB bags like they give members caps! He's got enough to last a lifetime!!!

 

[Newygirl]

Wtf is this, actual updates on injuries, from the Knights?

Medical Update | Kalyn Ponga

nib Newcastle Knights captain Kalyn Ponga has returned to pre-season in a modified training program, as he progresses steadily through his rehabilitation from a Lisfranc injury.

www.newcastleknights.com.au

 

[frankLauda]

Just looking at the Raymond Terrace pics. Marzhew is looking fit. He is a specimen! I like to see him have a go as forward. Don’t know how difficult it would be to teach him to tackle?

 

[HarVeeGee13]

Just looking at the Raymond Terrace pics. Marzhew is looking fit. He is a specimen! I like to see him have a go as forward. Don’t know how difficult it would be to teach him to tackle?

 

[frankLauda]

Just thinking about Herthington going to the Storm. He and Elliott were pretty injury prone with us. Players at the Storm, wonder if they have less of an injury toll compared to other teams? Don’t know I think we are generally in the category of one of the worse teams with injuries.

 

[Grandpa Joe]

Just thinking about Herthington going to the Storm. He and Elliott were pretty injury prone with us. Players at the Storm, wonder if they have less of an injury toll compared to other teams? Don’t know I think we are generally in the category of one of the worse teams with injuries.

Than again we are light weights compared to souths.

 

[Brad tighe]

Just looking at the Raymond Terrace pics. Marzhew is looking fit. He is a specimen! I like to see him have a go as forward. Don’t know how difficult it would be to teach him to tackle?

He will look good at Perth bears