Let's be honest its time for our team for 2021!

The Artist Formerly Known as Aku'd said:
I’m going to put this here before having a forum holiday.

It was a year of improvement, false dawns and frustrating typical Newcastle dribble mixed into the standard rollercoaster ride that is being a Knights fan. Case and point today’s game.

Many will argue we have made progress. I would agree and call it slight progress. With the signings and an extra year experience for a lot of the class of 2016 I was expecting a little more. Injuries certainly saw to that and the standard attitude issue that’s starting to become very hard to shake no matter what we change. Is it some kind of witch craft?!?

AOB doesn’t look like the answer but it’s too soon to judge. We cannot just expect every Bellamy student to be the next Bellamy. How AOB couldn’t get us up against the Titans to secure a home final ultimately cost any success we was going to have. What on earth happened there?

Sadly next year we will have an inferior squad to half a dozen or so teams. Arguably inferior coaching staff too. So I expect much of the same and believe a finish of 7th or 8th would be another decent outcome for this roster. Souths, Raiders, Eels, Storm, Roosters, Panthers and GC I think will have the right mix of talent, coaching ability and brand of footy. Cannot see us having much luck against these teams.

However, we can only try. And wish for luck. We’ll need it. And........we also need new halves.....lols
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Geez, I get your probably a bit drained after that game like all of us, but geez writing AOB off already as not the answer is a big call. Almost CBM like.

We have certainly made progress and a team needs to build and learn what it takes throughout a season to maintain the intensity and not only make the finals, but continue through them.

We have been winning spoons and this is our first year we have turned it around and made the required progress forward. Next year we should be better for the experience of this season and as long as we recruit well, should hit the ground running, and hopefully narrow the difference between our worst and best more towards our best.

Lets also keep in mind it is AOB's first full year in charge of a team, he would be learning as well and will be better for this years experience. Throw in Covid and our injuries to key positions and we have plenty of experience gained
 
Kurriboy said:
Geez, I get your probably a bit drained after that game like all of us, but geez writing AOB off already as not the answer is a big call. Almost CBM like.

We have certainly made progress and a team needs to build and learn what it takes throughout a season to maintain the intensity and not only make the finals, but continue through them.

We have been winning spoons and this is our first year we have turned it around and made the required progress forward. Next year we should be better for the experience of this season and as long as we recruit well, should hit the ground running, and hopefully narrow the difference between our worst and best more towards our best.

Lets also keep in mind it is AOB's first full year in charge of a team, he would be learning as well and will be better for this years experience. Throw in Covid and our injuries to key positions and we have plenty of experience gained
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I don’t know how to highlight it but I said in my post which you quoted from “it’s too soon to judge.”

Also in my game day post I stated I will save my final thoughts for the end of next year as this year was a “settler” for AOB. So I’m honestly unsure where I have supposedly written him off as you have noted.

I am not an emotional poster, but like many I believe the team and it’s management has been average to ok. A six out of ten. I also think it’s fair for any fan or pundit to question and critique why the team failed to get up against inferior opposition to secure a home final. And then, there was today.

Improvements are good, however if they’re as slight as this year we’ll be waiting another 10 for a Premiership. Playing an extra week of footy and finishing a couple of places above rabble is hardly a big advance.
 
There is obviously a major issue with Peace, he may just be carrying an injury. Whatever it is needs to be resolved before next season.

We also need a genuine 5/8, hopefully Crossland or a new buy can fill this role for us.

The other main issue I see is our soft defence. To be blunt our defence is woeful.
 
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O'Brien and Pearce in the press conference put it down to injuries to key players and a different spine week after week.
They seemed disappointed but a bit upbeat about next year still.
 
need kick-*** halves another good back-rower and a harder edge, tough gritty non-flashy and unfashionable but guys that will work the house down for the full 80... Randall and Jones for more games next year...
 
Mr Goanna said:
need kick-*** halves another good back-rower and a harder edge, tough gritty non-flashy and unfashionable but guys that will work the house down for the full 80... Randall and Jones for more games next year...
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Knights haven't offered Randall a contract for next year.
 
AOB doesn’t look like the answer but it’s too soon to judge.
Looks to me like you already have judged him..
This coach has got us into the finals in his first year after taking over a basket case . Had 10 weeks at home doing nothing thanks to china . We had more long term injuries than any other team and a lot of travel , personally i think he has done a great job under the circumstances .
Thank christ you dont run the club mate ..
 
Ethan your endorsement of AOB would be supported by the vast majority of us on this forum.

AOB has not only taken the club back to the finals for first time since 2013, but is changing the culture of our club that has accepted mediocrity for far too long. It appears to be a task similar to turning the Queen Mary, a continual work in progress which he will ultimately achieve as our younger generation come through and the new culture of striving for excellence is ingrained into their DNA. We need to be patient and support the coach, as it currently appears to be two steps forward and one step back.

My biggest concern is the Storm trying to recruit AOB to replace Bellamy. When the Broncos tried to recruit Bellamy around 12 months ago to replace Bennett, it was stated that AOB would replace Bellamy. Hopefully, with AOB having recently purchased a house in Merewether it is a strong indication he wants to be here for the long term. The combination of AOB/Buderus and the financial stability of the Wests Group provide a bright future for our club.
 
Gardner has already said the team is keen on having discussions with him in the offseason about the possibility of an extension. So we’ll see what becomes of that.

Either way the team has him for another two years barring some catastrophic start to 2021 I can’t see him being under any sort of pressure for the time being.

We’re not the Roosters who have an unlimited salary cap of talent so we can’t really afford to start the season slow with a few losses like they do and before last year it was only really 2015 where we had a solid start to the season before fading.

The standard has been set however, top 8 and playing finals football so hopefully the team improve on that next year.
 
And that R_A is the reason why Ponga needs to have shoulder and other minor surgery done a..s.a.p. It is the Knights that pays his wages and deserve to be his first priority and not this SOO crap.
 
Wally said:
Ethan your endorsement of AOB would be supported by the vast majority of us on this forum.

AOB has not only taken the club back to the finals for first time since 2013, but is changing the culture of our club that has accepted mediocrity for far too long. It appears to be a task similar to turning the Queen Mary, a continual work in progress which he will ultimately achieve as our younger generation come through and the new culture of striving for excellence is ingrained into their DNA. We need to be patient and support the coach, as it currently appears to be two steps forward and one step back.

My biggest concern is the Storm trying to recruit AOB to replace Bellamy. When the Broncos tried to recruit Bellamy around 12 months ago to replace Bennett, it was stated that AOB would replace Bellamy. Hopefully, with AOB having recently purchased a house in Merewether it is a strong indication he wants to be here for the long term. The combination of AOB/Buderus and the financial stability of the Wests Group provide a bright future for our club.
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Dead right mate.
 
R_A said:
Gardner has already said the team is keen on having discussions with him in the offseason about the possibility of an extension. So we’ll see what becomes of that.

Either way the team has him for another two years barring some catastrophic start to 2021 I can’t see him being under any sort of pressure for the time being.

We’re not the Roosters who have an unlimited salary cap of talent so we can’t really afford to start the season slow with a few losses like they do and before last year it was only really 2015 where we had a solid start to the season before fading.

The standard has been set however, top 8 and playing finals football so hopefully the team improve on that next year.
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Yeah i would think we will improve next season .
 
If we are after a 5/8 it will be an experienced guy who is ready to run on the field and take charge if needed.
If you want a young project player - none of them are any better bets than Crossland and Hoy, who are already signed.
Matt Burton looks the best young guy at the moment, and he only got a run for NSW under 20s last year because Crossland was unavailable because he was in the 21 man squad for firstgrade that weekend.
 
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