NRLW GF Qualifier - Broncos vs Knights - 1:15pm Sunday 28 September - Suncorp Stadium

I'm more disappointed for women's rugby league in Newcastle as a whole than I am for the Knights as a club. I think it's great that you can now drive around on a weekend and see just as many girls games on as the boys. That wasn't a thing at all even 5 years ago and it does seem to have built a real foundation. I do wonder how much of that has been influenced by the Knights having a strong team and figures like the Southwells, and how a move like this might negatively affect it. It's a lot of weight to put on a 20-year old girl who's just doing what she thinks is the best move for herself but I do think there's a risk of it cutting the legs out from under the growth in the region. Hopefully not.

Any posts trying to downplay her or her form this year (today aside) are funny because you can go back before earlier this week and the same people will be talking about how good and important she is (rightly). She was the best halfback in the comp this year and that was the consensus on here until she hurt out feelings by leaving. Her kicking game won’t be replaced by anyone, and a team that already critically lacked attacking threats lost their biggest one. Figures to be a Vette-Welsh/Roche/Jones spine next year so good luck with that.

I'd say she'll play for the Knights again one day and have some sort of chance at redeeming herself here but it's a bitter ending for now. Comes off as incredibly soft and will possibly look even softer after next week. Extremely difficult to respect the decision from an objective competitive standpoint.

Colossal bed **** by the Knights on all fronts as well. They had Upton signed for three more guaranteed years; Southwell had this year and then an option in her favour for two more after that. How do you sign off on letting Upton walk for nothing in return "for" Jesse without at least getting her to commit beyond this season first? Braindead.
 
She’s definitely the best 7 in the comp. But no one is the best anything if they’re not 100% engaged. This season there was a clear vision to build everything around her, we came 3rd, the lower grade teams are great every year, couldn’t have made it any clearer that this is a good place for a young half… and she played like she doesn’t want to play for this team anymore.

I don’t think there’s a lot the club could have realistically done, did you maybe consider there’s a reason why no team ever gets anything in return when they “let someone walk” in the NRLW? “Hey, you, Brisbane player… wanna ditch your whole life for six months to come down to Newy and earn a barista’s salary?” The key part of these “swaps” in the NRL is a player on the other team who’s happy to move, it happens because the opportunity is greater financially etc if you crack regular first grade at your new team. Name a player on that Brisbane roster you think we could have gotten in exchange. Name one.
 
mullenmagic said:
I'm more disappointed for women's rugby league in Newcastle as a whole than I am for the Knights as a club. I think it's great that you can now drive around on a weekend and see just as many girls games on as the boys. That wasn't a thing at all even 5 years ago and it does seem to have built a real foundation. I do wonder how much of that has been influenced by the Knights having a strong team and figures like the Southwells, and how a move like this might negatively affect it. It's a lot of weight to put on a 20-year old girl who's just doing what she thinks is the best move for herself but I do think there's a risk of it cutting the legs out from under the growth in the region. Hopefully not.

Any posts trying to downplay her or her form this year (today aside) are funny because you can go back before earlier this week and the same people will be talking about how good and important she is (rightly). She was the best halfback in the comp this year and that was the consensus on here until she hurt out feelings by leaving. Her kicking game won’t be replaced by anyone, and a team that already critically lacked attacking threats lost their biggest one. Figures to be a Vette-Welsh/Roche/Jones spine next year so good luck with that.

I'd say she'll play for the Knights again one day and have some sort of chance at redeeming herself here but it's a bitter ending for now. Comes off as incredibly soft and will possibly look even softer after next week. Extremely difficult to respect the decision from an objective competitive standpoint.

Colossal bed **** by the Knights on all fronts as well. They had Upton signed for three more guaranteed years; Southwell had this year and then an option in her favour for two more after that. How do you sign off on letting Upton walk for nothing in return "for" Jesse without at least getting her to commit beyond this season first? Braindead.
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Maybe you should ask Jesse about all that.

Upton leaving was done for her benefit. They tried to build the club around Jesse and then she still walked out to play second fiddle

Think people have a right to be pissed off at her
 
For me, none of this is going to be solved until the competition expands in duration, not teams, and the players become full-time professionals.

IMO this should have happened at the last collective bargaining agreement. Yes it’s a big financial commitment, but it’s an investment for the future. And the competition had a lot of momentum, which seems to have stalled a bit, for me. Adding an extra 10 teams when the depth isn’t yet there to me is a worse use of money than giving the best resources to the clubs and players we already had. Make the product as good as it can be by giving the players the best chance, and the game will naturally expand.

But just my view on things!
 
Jessie could have been the second best 7 in Newcastle history behind the 8th immortal Joey John’s but this year like all have said she hasn’t put her foot foreward to develop and has stagnated along to the point of being pretty much disinterested

Taryn Aiken is currently the best 7 and will be the Dally M 7 in women’s this year and when you watched her play and the young sharks 7 they are way more on the ball than Jessie

Her strengths were always great running game near the line and big kicking game, both seemed to disappear once she realised she wanted outa here
 
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jamesgould said:
For me, none of this is going to be solved until the competition expands in duration, not teams, and the players become full-time professionals.

IMO this should have happened at the last collective bargaining agreement. Yes it’s a big financial commitment, but it’s an investment for the future. And the competition had a lot of momentum, which seems to have stalled a bit, for me. Adding an extra 10 teams when the depth isn’t yet there to me is a worse use of money than giving the best resources to the clubs and players we already had. Make the product as good as it can be by giving the players the best chance, and the game will naturally expand.

But just my view on things!
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You don’t need to add any disclaimer here, you are correct about this.
 
Newygirl said:
Unfortunately people who choose Newcastle never get the love of those that just happen to be born here for some reason
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It should not be like that at all. Many of our greatest players were not Newcastle born, Robbie O and Ben Kennedy to name just two, were exceptional players and are rightly remembered as Knights heroes.
 
jamesgould said:
For me, none of this is going to be solved until the competition expands in duration, not teams, and the players become full-time professionals.

IMO this should have happened at the last collective bargaining agreement. Yes it’s a big financial commitment, but it’s an investment for the future. And the competition had a lot of momentum, which seems to have stalled a bit, for me. Adding an extra 10 teams when the depth isn’t yet there to me is a worse use of money than giving the best resources to the clubs and players we already had. Make the product as good as it can be by giving the players the best chance, and the game will naturally expand.

But just my view on things!
Click to expand...
Absolutely, it should’ve been done at the last one. You have to spend money to make money. The cost wouldn’t have needed to be that significant if they’d just had 8 teams for a while.

The CBA runs out end of 27. So we’ve got 2 more years of this. In 28 they have to all be full-time professionals. They can’t keep running the comp like this. This would at least allow for some mid week or at Monday night matches, so there’s less clashing of games with the mens.

I appreciate it’s a difficult balance with the schedule. They want day games so kids can attend but kids also have their own sports to play on weekends so ultimately I don’t think it’s benefiting anyone having 11am etc games.

At the end of the day, the money will be made through broadcast rights and sponsorships so majority of games need to be at night.

Even before then the new CBA. Something needs to be done about the squad sizes. There’s too many injuries to not allow development players to play whenever the club wants
 
Make nrlw full time, make league 7 days a week, with the schedule including nrlw and nrl combined, just have to plan the year very well so teams get enough breaks
 
It's also annoying that they can't organise the draw better so that the girls get more games as the curtain raiser to the men's game. I realise it would mean some restructuring but the men's draw is pretty flawed anyway as sometimes teams are playing each other again only weeks apart.
 
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