2023 Preseason thread.

Only Knight to be named in the 20 stars for 2023 on NSWRL site so far - Fletcher Sharpe.
Article doesn't say he is still young enough to play SG Ball in 2023 and hasn't got to train with firstgrade.
He needs to build up a lot to be strong enough to tackle seniors, but if he can keep the speed and fitness that sees him pop up everywhere and never stop running as he builds up, I'd say he'll be our answer at fullback by 2024.

www.nswrl.com.au

20 Stars for 2023 | Fletcher Sharpe

Fullback Fletcher Sharpe has been in and around the Newcastle Knights system since 2020 where he started in the Harold Matthews Cup.
www.nswrl.com.au www.nswrl.com.au
 
Latest training photos (last session for 2022) show Simi at an outdoor gym session.
He doesn't seem to have any strapping on his shoulder, so it either wasn't as bad as thought, or he is just doing leg work.

320884322_845755953396394_4025286375515208905_n.jpg
 
Article about Jacob Saifiti.
Says he wants to start.
Praises Klem and says his leadership will be missed, but hopes to step up in that department.
Says him and Daniel talked about the WC and decided they wanted a really good pre-season instead.
Says they weren't very fit at the start of last season and it showed.

www.newcastleherald.com.au

Jacob Saifiti primed to finally establish himself in the Newcastle Knights' starting pack

"Obviously I want to be starting next year with Daniel."
www.newcastleherald.com.au www.newcastleherald.com.au
 
They both need to have big season's but I'm not real confident. I think that style/type of middle is slowly being phased out in favour of smaller agile type middle's. Especially defensively, gee I hope I'm wrong
 
On JSaf starting.
I think it will be more important than ever to keep one of the twins on the field at all times in 2023.
They both should be 60 minute props if the second half of our pre-season goes well and we can get them up to career best fitness, so they'll get time on the field together, but we don't have any other big, experienced props, so Jake needs to come off the bench I think.
If we don't pick up anyone else, I'd have Croker as the other starting prop. He has always been a starting prop for long minutes all through the grades, and he looks fit enough to do it in firstgrade now.
 
Billy said:
On JSaf starting.
I think it will be more important than ever to keep one of the twins on the field at all times in 2023.
They both should be 60 minute props if the second half of our pre-season goes well and we can get them up to career best fitness, so they'll get time on the field together, but we don't have any other big, experienced props, so Jake needs to come off the bench I think.
If we don't pick up anyone else, I'd have Croker as the other starting prop. He has always been a starting prop for long minutes all through the grades, and he looks fit enough to do it in firstgrade now.
Click to expand...
Yes, I think the prestige of starting needs to take a back seat to looking at minutes played for props these days when looking at their worth to the coach.

If JSaf is a 60 minute prop though and doesn't start, it means he is coming on first change after 20 and playing the full second half? If the Safs are going to play a full 40 at some point in the match, you could start both, have one play 40 in the first half, replace the other after 20 and give him the full second half. That would mean 1) both Safs start and finish games and 2) you only need one other prop capable of doing two 20 minute stints in the squad. Coupled with Elliot playing close to 80 and Brailey playing 80 it doesn't leave many minutes for the other benchies. Maybe you look for more quality then quantity from the Safs and Elliot then?
 
Elliott’s lock minutes for Canberra were between 50-70 usually, but Sticky is weird with his rotations, eg he’d do stuff like have Adam play 55 straight then never come back on. I can imagine him playing first 30/last 30 for us, but maybe playing prop or on the edge for parts of those stints.

Hetherington if he’s not on an edge is capable of starting, and I think averages about 30-40 minutes as a prop in his career. If he’s capable of playing on an edge he can likely do more than that in the middle though.

If Mann/Gamble are training as utilities they’ll get time at lock, but maybe 20-30 mins instead of using them for most or all of the game - that simply wasn’t working, and unless you have a guy physically built for big lock minutes like Yeo or Murray, you only really want the extra ball player on when the sting has been taken out of the game.

So out of 240 middle minutes, that’s about 120 accounted for when we’re at full strength. It’s not inconceivable that the Safs do all those minutes, but that leaves you with two unused forwards on the bench. I reckon they will play more like 45-50 each.
 
Billy said:
www.newcastleherald.com.au

Newcastle Knights coach Adam O'Brien reaches a pivotal point

MIDWAY through last NRL season, amid mounting media speculation about the prospect of Kalyn Ponga switching to five-eighth,...
www.newcastleherald.com.au www.newcastleherald.com.au

Article where Robert Dillon (reporter) talks about all the conversations he's had with O'Brien about Ponga moving to 5/8, and says O'Brien has never been keen.
He also makes the interesting claim that last time Ponga moved to 5/8 it was at his request so that his mate Connor Watson could play fullback.
He says that O'Brien is now apparently going that way, despite always being against it and us having no credible fullback options.
Click to expand...
Sounds about right...

The club and coach don't have a say, Ponga runs the show
 
So they usually cut the squad down after the Christmas break.
It will be interesting to see how many of this list make the cut.

Oryn Keeley
Chris Vea'ila
Kobe Rugless
David Armstrong
Tevita Toloi
Max Bradbury
John Toleafoa
Ben Talty
Riley Jones
Mitch Henderson
Toni Tupuluia
Ethan Ferguson
Myles Martin
Tom Cant

I expect about half of those will go back to the part time squad, and we can assume that any of those we see after Christmas have been training really well.
 
Last edited:
Billy said:
So they usually cut the squad down after the Christmas break.
It will be interesting to see how many of this list make the cut.

Oryn Keeley
Chris Vea'ila
Kobe Rugless
David Armstrong
Tevita Toloi
Max Bradbury
John Toleafoa
Ben Talty
Riley Jones
Mitch Henderson
Toni Tupuluia
Ethan Ferguson
Myles Martin

I expect about half of those will go back to the part time squad, and we can assume that any of those we see after Christmas have been training really well.
Click to expand...
The good thing is I could make a case for most of them staying on going by last years form.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top