packo
:) (:
Yeah 100% right, you start losing faith in the coach, especially when guys like Herman and Guerra are left out of the team.
Players with poor attitude/effort
- Thread starter luke46
- Start date
Yeah 100% right, you start losing faith in the coach, especially when guys like Herman and Guerra are left out of the team.
I'm a bit of a Gavet fan, sure he looks like a ticking time bomb and gives away silly penalties, but I think all teams need someone with a bit of mongrel, and seeing someone run the ball with such intent must rub off on the other players. I just think he needs to be managed so he's not on too long so he won't have a brain snap.
Ak-47
Dairi Kovae
I said at the start of the year, worked well last year with Barnett lock and Guerra on the edge. I thought Pearce and Guerra combined really well in that area.
Unfortunately playing Guerra as a middle forward all year taking its toll on the old fella cant see him staying on long term.
Grandpa Joe
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
Your mistaking mongrel for dumb thug. He intimidates no one.
Joshhh
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
Newcastle star Kalyn Ponga admits he got ‘thickshake’ comment wrong, rejects Nathan Brown lost playing group
Newcastle superstar Kalyn Ponga has admitted he got his “strawberry thickshake” comment wrong but rejected suggestions former coach Nathan Brown had lost the playing group after their disastrous Round 23 game against the Wests Tigers.
With two rounds remaining, Brown and the Knights parted ways immediately after the disappointing result, just days after both parties announced the coach would be leaving at the end of the season.
Rumours of player unrest have swirled, as well as criticism from former players, including rugby league Immortal Andrew Johns who claimed Knights management had “sabotaged” the team’s finals chances with their handling of the coaching situation.
To make matters worse, Ponga was criticised for the remarks following Brown’s announced departure which came across as disrespectful in the eye of fans and experts.
“I can understand the way I came across,” Ponga told Fox League.
“I spoke to Browny before that interview and he addressed the playing group and said don’t make it a big deal, he’s come to terms with it. He was pretty positive in the way he addressed us. He just said don’t make it a big thing in the media, we’ve got a job to do.
“Me being me, I came out, made that comment probably at the wrong time in the wrong manner. It’s just been taken a bit out of perspective.
“Browny’s done a lot for me and after that interview I spoke to him again and he sort of addressed me and said look kid, I understand our relationship. He’s been awesome to myself, my family, my mum, dad, little sister. His family is also close to me.
“He knew it wasn’t disrespectful, but that wasn’t the way it came across.”
Ponga said he’d learned a lot after the horror week in Newcastle.
“Personally, it’s been a learning curve,” Ponga said.
“I think when you’re questioned about your playing ability and the way you play, I can cop that. When you’re questioned about your integrity, who you are as a person, it doesn’t only affect you but also your parents.
“My mum and dad were pretty disappointed. My mum razzed me a couple of times which is fair. They know what I’m like as well and they know that whatever I say I never mean to be disrespectful to anyone. That’s just who I am. At the end of the day, they knew that.”
Despite the team’s capitulation against the Tigers, Ponga backed Brown’s relationship with the Knights players.
“Nathan’s been with the playing group from day dot,” Ponga said.
“He’s been part of the group through pre-season, through a lot and as all playing groups we had a chat to ourselves internally.
“He never lost the group. That wasn’t the case at all.
“We knew we had two weeks with him and that we had a job to do and that was sort of the way he’d been preaching it as well.
“We were disappointed with the game. A lot of questions, not a lot of answers to that performance. We were disappointed and we just said stay close as a group as you want to, you don’t want to fall apart as a group.
“I haven’t been exposed to anything like this.”
https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nr...p/news-story/6632ee72e77eb7616185da39a7a13a46
This season will hopefully be a massive learning curve to the still very young Ponga, I don't think he's a bad kid at all, but just needs to be careful with what he says in the media. Everything you say will get spun into a headline & next time he will hopefully know how to handle it better.
Newcastle superstar Kalyn Ponga has admitted he got his “strawberry thickshake” comment wrong but rejected suggestions former coach Nathan Brown had lost the playing group after their disastrous Round 23 game against the Wests Tigers.
With two rounds remaining, Brown and the Knights parted ways immediately after the disappointing result, just days after both parties announced the coach would be leaving at the end of the season.
Rumours of player unrest have swirled, as well as criticism from former players, including rugby league Immortal Andrew Johns who claimed Knights management had “sabotaged” the team’s finals chances with their handling of the coaching situation.
To make matters worse, Ponga was criticised for the remarks following Brown’s announced departure which came across as disrespectful in the eye of fans and experts.
“I can understand the way I came across,” Ponga told Fox League.
“I spoke to Browny before that interview and he addressed the playing group and said don’t make it a big deal, he’s come to terms with it. He was pretty positive in the way he addressed us. He just said don’t make it a big thing in the media, we’ve got a job to do.
“Me being me, I came out, made that comment probably at the wrong time in the wrong manner. It’s just been taken a bit out of perspective.
“Browny’s done a lot for me and after that interview I spoke to him again and he sort of addressed me and said look kid, I understand our relationship. He’s been awesome to myself, my family, my mum, dad, little sister. His family is also close to me.
“He knew it wasn’t disrespectful, but that wasn’t the way it came across.”
Ponga said he’d learned a lot after the horror week in Newcastle.
“Personally, it’s been a learning curve,” Ponga said.
“I think when you’re questioned about your playing ability and the way you play, I can cop that. When you’re questioned about your integrity, who you are as a person, it doesn’t only affect you but also your parents.
“My mum and dad were pretty disappointed. My mum razzed me a couple of times which is fair. They know what I’m like as well and they know that whatever I say I never mean to be disrespectful to anyone. That’s just who I am. At the end of the day, they knew that.”
Despite the team’s capitulation against the Tigers, Ponga backed Brown’s relationship with the Knights players.
“Nathan’s been with the playing group from day dot,” Ponga said.
“He’s been part of the group through pre-season, through a lot and as all playing groups we had a chat to ourselves internally.
“He never lost the group. That wasn’t the case at all.
“We knew we had two weeks with him and that we had a job to do and that was sort of the way he’d been preaching it as well.
“We were disappointed with the game. A lot of questions, not a lot of answers to that performance. We were disappointed and we just said stay close as a group as you want to, you don’t want to fall apart as a group.
“I haven’t been exposed to anything like this.”
https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nr...p/news-story/6632ee72e77eb7616185da39a7a13a46
This season will hopefully be a massive learning curve to the still very young Ponga, I don't think he's a bad kid at all, but just needs to be careful with what he says in the media. Everything you say will get spun into a headline & next time he will hopefully know how to handle it better.
Grandpa Joe
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
Big concern about young Kalyn is his media work in general, not good when he should be focussed on us.
Yes his a top kid, but no two ways its not in our favour. Especially being Sydney based when it comes to his retention.
Yes his a top kid, but no two ways its not in our favour. Especially being Sydney based when it comes to his retention.
Joshhh
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
Mate, long term it's gonna be a challenge to keep him either way, we have to compete with the successful teams & ever growing money every time he's off-contract.
What we do know, is that he's here for the next 2 years & that is the most important thing right now, trying to capitalize on him, Pearce, Klemmer etc. while they're in their prime & try to win a premiership. If we can't, it will be such a waste of rare talent that we've brought together.
Kurriboy
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
Not having a go at you, but I love how people see a contract term and actually believe the player is here for 2 years.
Not if he decides he doesn't want to be he won't be. Contracts don't mean anything anymore.
The only thing that will keep KP here is if we are competing for a title.
Which is exactly why Brown was flicked in my opinion.