Phoenix Crossland discussion

Joshhh

Joshhh

Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
Phoenix Crossland.png


Knights player #310
Knights debut: vs New Zealand Warriors, Round 16 2019
 
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21 years old.
I'm happy with his progress as a footballer, but his he can't seem to lock down a position just yet.
This pre-season has been his first where he has been uninjured the whole time and it sounds like he has been one of our best trainers.
Last year I wouldn't have thought he had the strength and fitness to play hooker, but after 2 trial games, he clearly does now.
His profile has said he's 183cm and 86kg since he was 18, but i'd guess 186cm and 93kg now.
His fantasy points average tell a story.
2019 - avg 2.0 fantasy points
2020 - avg 13.8
2021 - avg 38.9

It would be nice if he finally locks down a spot and gets a role to play other than Mr Fix-it this year, but right now it seems like he'll be cover for injuries for Clune, Clifford, Randall and Mann, without having a clear role for himself.
 
I was very impressed with his performance last night. His defence was strong, he ran the ball a number of times and made plenty of metres andhe set up a try with a kick. His decision making was also good.

He is no longer the forum whipping boy and no one wants rid of him anymore.
 
When Brailey is back next year he will be our best utility.
He defends as well as anyone in the side.
He can fill any of the spine positions except fullback.
He even did some time at centre when Bradman got an early mark after origin and did fine.
He has spent time at lock and did fine.
He could step in and replace nearly anyone and do OK.

I think he'll be in the side next year, and where he plays will depend on who gets injured.
 
Billy said:
When Brailey is back next year he will be our best utility.
He defends as well as anyone in the side.
He can fill any of the spine positions except fullback.
He even did some time at centre when Bradman got an early mark after origin and did fine.
He has spent time at lock and did fine.
He could step in and replace nearly anyone and do OK.

I think he'll be in the side next year, and where he plays will depend on who gets injured.
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Hooker brailey doesn't make it through a season lol
 
Honestly couldn't he happier for him has had the boot put into him by just about everyone not just here on the forum.

He is reaping the rewards of hard work and determination.

Was chatting with a mate last night who knows a bit about footy and doesn't even support the knights i ask what he thought of leo Thompson said he had potential then in the same breath said how Pheonix is playing.
 
Has genuinely looked sharp out of 9 since the Bulldogs game. Maybe finally getting a game where we got properly on the front foot gave him the reps he needed for penny to drop on that count, his decision-making was so strong last night, we don’t have all the space we created on the edges if he makes the wrong call about how long to hold the ball out of dummy half before passing.

Last night was his best game in first grade. I now see why the club didn’t panic when Brailey went down. He must have been showing really good signs in training & now it’s finally translating onfield.
 
I admire the kids tenacity, in the face of vocal criticism, being dropped, reallocated a position, at one stage not having another contract, he has stuck at it. Slowly he's seeing the rewards of hard work, and chasing his dream.

He's only just turned 23 so hopefully he will carve out a successful career for himself.

Bravo young man bravo
 
I've always felt he was hard done by when he didn't have a set position. I can't imagine how hard it is a fledgling first grader to just be put into the team as a temporary fill in and be expected to 'own' the role. It's so good to see him playing better and better each game. On another note I still think Tex Hoy had a similar situation going on where he didn't have a set position and suffered as a result.
 
Let Brailey go and give Crossland the 9 permenantly he is already playing at least as good as Brailey he's cheaper and always on the field .
 
I think we all forgot that in general your "breakout stars" that take the NRL by storm as 18,19 year olds ie Greg Inglis, Latrell Mitchell, Nathan Cleary etc are generational talents and your standard first grader generally takes a few seasons to adapt. With that in consideration as well as the fact Phoenix hasn't really had a run in one position consistently up to this point it's easy to see why he struggled.

I for one am glad he's found a home for himself at 9 and think he's in the conversation for most certainly being our most improved this year but even up there in the chat for our best in general.

Edit: best is probably a bit generous, but definitely one of our most consistent
 
I gave him the wrap to bump the thread but yeah I'd urge a pumping of the breaks here.

We have Brails locked in for the next two seasons. Best case scenario for next season is Brails stays fit for once and Crossland spells him for 20-25 mins a game while providing handy utility cover at the same time.

Brails should be done as an 80 minute player at this stage, we've seen a noticeable performance drop off in Brails post-injuries and that could well be accentuated again next season. Putting his body through 80 minutes every week would be very negligent of us, take 55-60 and let Phoenix cover the rest.
 
I
MullosLefttoRight said:
I gave him the wrap to bump the thread but yeah I'd urge a pumping of the breaks here.

We have Brails locked in for the next two seasons. Best case scenario for next season is Brails stays fit for once and Crossland spells him for 20-25 mins a game while providing handy utility cover at the same time.

Brails should be done as an 80 minute player at this stage, we've seen a noticeable performance drop off in Brails post-injuries and that could well be accentuated again next season. Putting his body through 80 minutes every week would be very negligent of us, take 55-60 and let Phoenix cover the rest.
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would agree with this. Brails (when fit) offers more nouse from hooker at the moment but I can definitely see a world where Crossland becomes our bench hooker / utility until Brailey’s contract is up then steps into the full time hooker role. He’ll be 25 by then and have a lot more experience in the position.
 
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