Toohey did say “watch this space” so I’d say it’s a good chance and we’re just waiting for a domino or two to fall
2022 Knights Recruitment & Retention Thread
- Thread starter HarVeeGee13
- Start date
HarVeeGee13
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
Could probably add the likes of Connelly Lemuelu & Mawene Hiroti to that list, big bodies who carry the ball well & can play both centre & wing, and who might not be priorities at their current clubs. I like Tesi Niu as a player with a lot of potential too but his defence needs a lot of work... like a lot a lot. Like more than Kotoni Staggs a lot.
Of course the player who leads all centres in the comp for run metres is... Dane Gagai. Another guy who plays centre & wing who would help us get out of our own end (I will never give up on Dane
).
Grandpa Joe
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
Turned out well for mine always has a go unlike the other 2.
HarVeeGee13
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
Yeah I’m not a big Sivo guy, bit of a one way player like a few of those Parra guys. Ravalawa has been surprisingly good lately though for a guy who was a bit of a meme for a while there.
The Artist Formerly Known as Aku'd
Adam MacDougall
And it’s very acceptable to change what was not your decision in the first place (as some have done). We live in such a liberal world these days. Isn’t it terrific.
The Artist Formerly Known as Aku'd
Adam MacDougall
Lordy! You back. Welcome. We lost a lot of games with you gone.
The Artist Formerly Known as Aku'd
Adam MacDougall
The irony is that there was zero irony in my message. Hey Julia, does my forum name make me an artist in real life?? I’ve always been told I’m a creative type. I can paint an awesome dog. And a fish. I’m very good at painting fish.
I always struggle to get a fish that will hold still while I'm painting it
Lefty
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
He has talent and I was sorry to see him get sacked. But where would you play him?
danknights
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
I'd gladly say bye to Pearce and green for an Adam reynolds.
Ethan
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
I liked the look of Pythian he was or is a talented player and i would put him at 5/8 , skill wise he looked to have it all.
I dont know that much about him but but from what i saw of him he looked good .
If you wanted to buy Reynolds Pythian would still be affordable anyway , he would be cheap for the first and maybe second year if he worked out . I would be confident that he would .
I dont know that much about him but but from what i saw of him he looked good .
If you wanted to buy Reynolds Pythian would still be affordable anyway , he would be cheap for the first and maybe second year if he worked out . I would be confident that he would .
Still_Nutty
Josh Smith
I always thought Phythian had talent to burn but he had 2 things against him - he was prone to injury (couple of ACLs from memory) and he had some off field issues that saw him turfed from the Knights for a second positive test to recreational drugs back in 2018.
He's had a decent run since returning to the field as an Intrust Super Cup Grand Final winner at 5/8 with the Burleigh Bears in 2019...
My personal opinion is that I would consider him as a pie and coke (pardon the reference) option if we wanted to give ourselves a cheap project player back up....BUT I sincerely doubt Gardiner and Co would go back to him with the history he's had.
HarVeeGee13
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
Based on who’s contracted next year, and discussion around who’ll be re-signed, the spine is set:
1 - Ponga
6 - Clifford
7 - Pearce
9 - Brailey
And then injury cover:
Mann - First drop in the halves and at hooker, fullback at a pinch
Hoy - First drop at fullback, cover at five-eighth
Watson - Set position (lock) but covers hooker, five-eighth, fullback at a pinch but IMO he’s bad there
Hodgson - Fullback
Sasagi - Extra cover in the halves, hooker, possibly fullback at a pinch
That’s 9 players covering those spots. I can see Mann or Sasagi getting a regular spot when not covering injury though, in the centres.
Realistically do we think there’d be a desire or need to bring more cover off the scrap heap, over the top of other guys we’ve already got in the system?
Haven’t even mentioned Crossland and Randall yet, the former I think will be leaving the club and the latter an outside chance of a top 30 deal. Then beyond them I’d be willing to bet money on Camroux, Mitch Black and/or Luke Huth being among the development contracts. Mac Baker making a strong case for one too.
No on Phythian.
1 - Ponga
6 - Clifford
7 - Pearce
9 - Brailey
And then injury cover:
Mann - First drop in the halves and at hooker, fullback at a pinch
Hoy - First drop at fullback, cover at five-eighth
Watson - Set position (lock) but covers hooker, five-eighth, fullback at a pinch but IMO he’s bad there
Hodgson - Fullback
Sasagi - Extra cover in the halves, hooker, possibly fullback at a pinch
That’s 9 players covering those spots. I can see Mann or Sasagi getting a regular spot when not covering injury though, in the centres.
Realistically do we think there’d be a desire or need to bring more cover off the scrap heap, over the top of other guys we’ve already got in the system?
Haven’t even mentioned Crossland and Randall yet, the former I think will be leaving the club and the latter an outside chance of a top 30 deal. Then beyond them I’d be willing to bet money on Camroux, Mitch Black and/or Luke Huth being among the development contracts. Mac Baker making a strong case for one too.
No on Phythian.
MattyM
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
If those four can stay injury free in 2022 that is one tasty looking spine.
I agree with you, but where do you think Hodgson fits in long term, just cant see him arriving on the back of being a permanent back up player? Another year NSW Cup 2022 and then moving too ??? Has there also been any speculation on what we've offered Clifford, long term deal I'm presuming, 3/4 years?
The Artist Formerly Known as Aku'd
Adam MacDougall
That’s two season ending injuries coming in round 2 now!
The Artist Formerly Known as Aku'd
Adam MacDougall
I think Mann has looked the goods at 5/8 so far. I may have had the blinkers on last year but his kicking game looks pretty good!
Billy
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
I'm amazed by what Mann has done since we signed him.
He had spent years as a back 5 player for various clubs and his record showed he was only good for about 10 tackles a game.
Learning to tackle in the middle, learning to kick, developing playmaking skills and pretty much being a leader are all things I wouldn't have believed he was capable of when we signed him, even though Brownie signed him as a backup hooker and was the only one on earth that saw that in him (to be fair - Brownie thought everyone might go OK at hooker).
The guy who played yesterday is not a guy any of his previous coaches would recognise. Kurt was a fringe wing, centre or fullback on a very good day.
He had spent years as a back 5 player for various clubs and his record showed he was only good for about 10 tackles a game.
Learning to tackle in the middle, learning to kick, developing playmaking skills and pretty much being a leader are all things I wouldn't have believed he was capable of when we signed him, even though Brownie signed him as a backup hooker and was the only one on earth that saw that in him (to be fair - Brownie thought everyone might go OK at hooker).
The guy who played yesterday is not a guy any of his previous coaches would recognise. Kurt was a fringe wing, centre or fullback on a very good day.
Billy
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
Musgrove played some wing in the juniors, but 99% of his games were at centre, because he isn't that fast.
Dom Young is full of confidence and is clearly a great talent. His defence reminds me of the Saifiti brothers when they first played under 18s for us. They had got away with just using their big wingspan to grab guys running past and it took them till they did a firstgrade pre season to learn that they had to move their body and hustle a bit in defence. Dom just needs to get the feet moving and dive to make tackles. Once he does that the big unit will cover a lot of area in defence.
Mac Baker is pretty small, but doing his best Matty Bowen impersonation in reserve grade. He's been one of our best so far. I assume the Roosters let him go because he is small. He seems to have been a star in under 20s.
Ben Talty has a very similar skillset to a young Fitzgibbon, down to the really poor hands. He scores a lot of tries and bombs quite a few as well.
Zane Camroux looked good in the reserve grade highlights last week.
Hodgson might be anything. If his uncle is anything to go by, he might have a big motor, strong defence, good vision, and we know he has a great running game (from the highlights), so he might make a livewire little 5/8. Or maybe he has none of his uncles qualities and might be a small winger. We'll know by the end of the season I suppose.
I'm not going to speculate on Sasagi again. I think ever man and his dog can see he has the makings of a fantastic footballer, but no one knows what position. I don't think even he knows.
Hoy would be a pretty decent prospect at fullback if we didn't have our best player already there.
Crossland showed yesterday that he can kick. I didn't see it, but by the numbers, he still kicks the hell out of the ball. He needs to spend some time in reserves doing a lot of kicking. His big boot and his energy are his best assets, but for some reason he never gets a chance to kick in firstgrade.
Dom Young is full of confidence and is clearly a great talent. His defence reminds me of the Saifiti brothers when they first played under 18s for us. They had got away with just using their big wingspan to grab guys running past and it took them till they did a firstgrade pre season to learn that they had to move their body and hustle a bit in defence. Dom just needs to get the feet moving and dive to make tackles. Once he does that the big unit will cover a lot of area in defence.
Mac Baker is pretty small, but doing his best Matty Bowen impersonation in reserve grade. He's been one of our best so far. I assume the Roosters let him go because he is small. He seems to have been a star in under 20s.
Ben Talty has a very similar skillset to a young Fitzgibbon, down to the really poor hands. He scores a lot of tries and bombs quite a few as well.
Zane Camroux looked good in the reserve grade highlights last week.
Hodgson might be anything. If his uncle is anything to go by, he might have a big motor, strong defence, good vision, and we know he has a great running game (from the highlights), so he might make a livewire little 5/8. Or maybe he has none of his uncles qualities and might be a small winger. We'll know by the end of the season I suppose.
I'm not going to speculate on Sasagi again. I think ever man and his dog can see he has the makings of a fantastic footballer, but no one knows what position. I don't think even he knows.
Hoy would be a pretty decent prospect at fullback if we didn't have our best player already there.
Crossland showed yesterday that he can kick. I didn't see it, but by the numbers, he still kicks the hell out of the ball. He needs to spend some time in reserves doing a lot of kicking. His big boot and his energy are his best assets, but for some reason he never gets a chance to kick in firstgrade.