2025 pre season thread

jamesgould said:
Yeah I think that's true, but also when I listen to him really talk about the game on Freddie and the Eighth and Immortal Behaviour, it seems like he does communicate the intricacies of the game very well. I guess there's an aspect of being able to lead a horse to water but can't make it drink. Things he could see and decisions he could make in a split second, other players just can't.
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yeah 100% agree, theres are reason the greats are so great hey.
 
Seano said:
20 odd years ago. Matty Johns has long since avowed coaching (see the link I posted earlier) and rejected all offers including recent calls to take on the blues.

And again, the dig at the Knights was that they don't do specialist coaching and don't employ people like Andrew Johns. But the Knight do specialist coaching and until recently Andrew Johns was employed by the club in that role.

Why is it OK to post these constant nonsensical digs at the Knights but calling them out gets flamed? Is he your mate?
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I just didn’t find it that nonsensical, I think getting club legends involved is a good thing for a mentoring and coaching role, especially amongst the next generation of players.

And inaccurate criticism of Joey on a Knights forum is always going to get a response haha.
 
jamesgould said:
I just didn’t find it that nonsensical, I think getting club legends involved is a good thing for a mentoring and coaching role, especially amongst the next generation of players.
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No one is arguing against getting club legends involved. The argument is that the Knights already do and have done for years. He's not tapping some font of mystical power that the Knights are missing out on, he's constantly sledging the club for not doing stuff that if he was paying any attention at all he'd know they already do.

jamesgould said:
And inaccurate criticism of Joey on a Knights forum is always going to get a response haha.
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There was no inaccurate criticism of Joey. All I did was agree AJ was no saint and he wasn't, He's owned his mistakes, which include his falling out with Timana, IDK why it's suddenly controversial to point to the factual record. It does not take away at all from his achievements in the game.

But if "inaccurate criticism" is an issue where were you when it was being claimed the Knights are poorly run, or that the centre of excellence is not a good thing because it includes public money or that or that making the top 8 isn't an achievement only to be banging on the next day about the Bulldogs' great achievement in making the top 8, or that the NRLW team's achievements are meaningless, or that Wests missed the boat on signing Gould as CEO...a complete fanfic fantasy that the Knights missed the boat on prising Gus out Sydney and his media commitments, or that Gus is doing Moneyball analysis of the player market that the Knights apparently aren't doing, instead of just paying market value for players while letting juniors walk..

I could go but I'm not sure that "accuracy" is that important really.
 
BTW. If I'd posted half the (fact-free) digs at the Dogs on a Dogs forum that this bloke has posted about the Knights not to mention digs at other Knights fans (not just me) I'd probably have a hit out on me by now. In fact, knowing Doggies fans as having spent some time in that area I probably already do just for thinking it.
 
Seano said:
No one is arguing against getting club legends involved. The argument is that the Knights already do and have done for years. He's not tapping some font of mystical power that the Knights are missing out on, he's constantly sledging the club for not doing stuff that if he was paying any attention at all he'd know they already do.


There was no inaccurate criticism of Joey. All I did was agree AJ was no saint and he wasn't, He's owned his mistakes, which include his falling out with Timana, IDK why it's suddenly controversial to point to the factual record. It does not take away at all from his achievements in the game.

But if "inaccurate criticism" is an issue where were you when it was being claimed the Knights are poorly run, or that the centre of excellence is not a good thing because it includes public money or that or that making the top 8 isn't an achievement only to be banging on the next day about the Bulldogs' great achievement in making the top 8, or that the NRLW team's achievements are meaningless, or that Wests missed the boat on signing Gould as CEO...a complete fanfic fantasy that the Knights missed the boat on prising Gus out Sydney and his media commitments, or that Gus is doing Moneyball analysis of the player market that the Knights apparently aren't doing, instead of just paying market value for players while letting juniors walk..

I could go but I'm not sure that "accuracy" is that important really.
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Seano said:
BTW. If I'd posted half the (fact-free) digs at the Dogs on a Dogs forum that this bloke has posted about the Knights not to mention digs at other Knights fans (not just me) I'd probably have a hit out on me by now. In fact, knowing Doggies fans as having spent some time in that area I probably already do just for thinking it.
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Ahh well, each to their own on all these things. :)
 
People you need to understand 90% of the nrl have tried or currently use drugs. It didn’t make Joey any better or worse. I think if you gave truth serum to most greats the exception of maybe cooper cronk they’d admit to taking drugs on a regular or social basis.


A lot of these guys have comorbidity which leads to some of the decisions they make. Just like in society.
 
Brad tighe said:
People you need to understand 90% of the nrl have tried or currently use drugs. It didn’t make Joey any better or worse. I think if you gave truth serum to most greats the exception of maybe cooper cronk they’d admit to taking drugs on a regular or social basis.


A lot of these guys have comorbidity which leads to some of the decisions they make. Just like in society.
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Well they're just young kids with a huge amount of disposable income as well. Who are idolised by people. And play a sport that rewards taking risks. It's like society but on steroids, to use a poorly chosen metaphor.
 
Although it could be argued that managing injuries/mental health is definitionally performance enhancing, I don't actually think Joey did anything wrong either. But that's not where society is currently at.

I believe there should be a wider debate about the place of drugs in sport for the management of pain, injuries, mental health and even recreation and for a discussion of their place and management in society generally. And also that the great man is 100% right that there's a place for medical marijuana.

But unfortunately the war on drugs rages and until some politician has the guts to admit that they can't stop an industry worth billions so it time to find a better way not much will change.
 
Having an immortal along with Bedsy, Robbie O and Matty each running half a dozen drills a year in a program dedicated to specialized spine positions just makes sense.

Penrith have a specialized "Halves Academy " . A program dedicated to spine players. Cleary, Luai, Edwards are all graduates with 4 in a row.

It's another recruitment tool.

Case in hand Pezet.

Melbourne Storm - tuition with Cooper Cronk. Current Daly M medalist, and eventually playing alongside (currently Munster but insert superstar name)

Newcastle Knights - tuition with ....... . . Current fringe first grader, and eventually playing alongside ( Gamble - or insert fringe first grader )

Nathan Cleary had Maloney to ease his way into first grade.

The Knights need to try to make themselves a more attractive destination by any means necessary.
 
jamesgould said:
Well they're just young kids with a huge amount of disposable income as well. Who are idolised by people. And play a sport that rewards taking risks. It's like society but on steroids, to use a poorly chosen metaphor.
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I won’t name names for legal reasons but i was part of a group that investigated ice use across Australian society and there was current NRL players who occasionally used crystal meth. But in society lawyers are on it cops are on it just about everyone you’d think wouldn’t be on it is.
 
Albus Miles said:
Having an immortal along with Bedsy, Robbie O and Matty each running half a dozen drills a year in a program dedicated to specialized spine positions just makes sense.
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IDK what part of Joey was coaching at the club and quit recently for health reasons, Matty hasn't coached in decades and doesn't want to coach is hard to understand. Bedsy is still involved with the club and as far as I know, Robbie O is a personal trainer and hasn't worked with an elite NRL team in decades. Any suggestion that Knights don't get legends in to address the team is laughable nonsense.

Albus Miles said:
Penrith have a specialized "Halves Academy " . A program dedicated to spine players. Cleary, Luai, Edwards are all graduates with 4 in a row.
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And the Knights have specialised coaching which until recently featured Rugby League Immortal Andrew Johns. They can call it the Hogwarts academy for all I care the Panthers are not alone in having specialised development programs.

Albus Miles said:
It's another recruitment tool.

Case in hand Pezet.
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Are you seriously implying that Pezet knocked back $2.5m and a walk-up start in first grade because the Knights don't have a fancy title for their halves development program? Well, that's an Ok Champ right there.

Albus Miles said:
Melbourne Storm - tuition with Cooper Cronk. Current Daly M medalist, and eventually playing alongside (currently Munster but insert superstar name)

Newcastle Knights - tuition with ....... . . Current fringe first grader, and eventually playing alongside ( Gamble - or insert fringe first grader )
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Cronk hasn't been at the Storm for years, if he's doing any development work it's with Sam Walker at the Roosters.

And yes everyone knows the Knights have a problem in the halves. We're hardly the only club in this boat. We're not going to fix it by calling our specialty programs fancy names, we're going to fix it as Penrith actually did by fixing our junior development, recruitment and retention. It's not a short-term fix.

Albus Miles said:
The Knights need to try to make themselves a more attractive destination by any means necessary.
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Whilst recruitment is important the Knights are not going to recruit their way out of trouble (and I doubt the Dogs will either in the end). The Knights are always going to be up against it being a regional club and generally having less third-party money than the glamour clubs.

Our best teams, our premiership teams were chockful of Newcastle talent, particularly in key positions and recruitment covered the gaps. We probably wouldn't have won in 2001 if we had not picked up Ben Kennedy after he got himself into bother in Canberra.
 
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mozza said:
‘Bro Joey admitted taking eccies and coke before every single game. He should never been made an immortal. Alfie was better anyway!!!!!!’

Source: A bloke on FB with a Nissan Skyline as his profile pic who graduated from the school of hard knocks and university of life.
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Alfie was a good player in a terrific team, but Joey was better than Alfie in every aspect of the game.
I have watched the game for over 65 years now and Joey Johns was the best 7 to ever play the game in that time, and along with Wally Lewis were the best two footballers I have ever seen, including modern day players like Cleary, even though Joey talks Nathan Cleary up as better than him at this stage of his career.
Joey changed so many aspects of how the game is played during his playing career.
What he does off the field is his business and had nothing to do with his immortal status, which he earned by how he played the game.
 
Seano said:
BTW. If I'd posted half the (fact-free) digs at the Dogs on a Dogs forum that this bloke has posted about the Knights not to mention digs at other Knights fans (not just me) I'd probably have a hit out on me by now. In fact, knowing Doggies fans as having spent some time in that area I probably already do just for thinking it.
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The Shakespearean era had Romeo and Juliet. In 2025 we get Seano and Albus... :lol:
 
Seano said:
BTW. If I'd posted half the (fact-free) digs at the Dogs on a Dogs forum that this bloke has posted about the Knights not to mention digs at other Knights fans (not just me) I'd probably have a hit out on me by now. In fact, knowing Doggies fans as having spent some time in that area I probably already do just for thinking it.
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Do the dogs have a gaol membership option so they can attend the games in the year they are actually out of prison?

Membership pack options include a sharpened spoon and fridge magnet for making pruno, and the bumper sticker that says I bend for everyone.
 
Kurriboy said:
Do the dogs have a gaol membership option so they can attend the games in the year they are actually out of prison?

Membership pack options include a sharpened spoon and fridge magnet for making pruno.
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I got caught in gridlock driving through Belmore just after the Dogs last semi-final win, I'm just glad my car wasn't one of the ones they decided to dance on.
 
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