ROUND 1 - Knights V Warriors - Friday 3 March, 6:00pm - Sky Stadium, Wellington

C'mon don't you know front rowers just shouldn't pass! AOB had been to 4 grand finals mate. You can't beat that for experience. You've really got took at the top teams and go hmmm ok both frf and the lock ball play to an extent. Not Newcastle.
I just posted on on a Facebook page and I’ll post the same here, I can’t wait to see him win another 4 as an assistant as another club. We are the laughing stock of the game at the moment
 
I think both Safs struggle to make a top 8 teams starting side. Definitely not a top 4 team. I can’t blame them I really struggle to remember in the last 10 years a junior we’ve developed in our club (not one that’s left) that is topline. We just don’t have the systems in place for them apparently.
Problem is in the pathways junior systems we have north coast bulldogs which covers Forster through to woolgoolga
Central coast roosters
Northern tigers which is upper hunter area deman scone etc

We have Newcastle Maitland area knights
We used to have much bigger recruitment area
Much smaller pool for juniors
 
Problem is in the pathways junior systems we have north coast bulldogs which covers Forster through to woolgoolga
Central coast roosters
Northern tigers which is upper hunter area deman scone etc

We have Newcastle Maitland area knights
We used to have much bigger recruitment area
Much smaller pool for juniors
I think we have juniors with massive potential but just never hit the highs. Bradman Best should be doing everything he can to get to Melbourne Panthers or Roosters. He will double his value.
 
The team's always lacked cohesion. For me it's been more of a ponga show the a knights show. It's time to take off the kayln glasses, the team is nothing without him and everything with him. Fine for him to be brilliant but we need to get him some time and space. I just watched the game and to be that flat and fine on both sides the ball it calls to whether we have actually been doing attack numbers at training. I see conservative mid 2000s storm play here which just won't fly, especially at Newcastle.

Brailey doesn't engage markers strike 1. One off the ruck strike 2. Slow PTB. Strike 3. Those things need 110% improvement to shake any sort of leg. Double down that sentiment with a weak plan and your destined to fail. Halves can't work off the back of no forward momentum but they need to call the shots first and foremost.
 
Yeah and both used more as impact players for short minutes at Origin level too. Unfortunately we pay Daniel in particular like he’s James Fisher-Harris.
We do that because we don't have any depth at prop. (We don't really have depth at any position, but I'll limit this comment specifically to our front row stock)
 
I’m surprised the boys came out with looking fresh and scored first after defending for 35mins of the 1st half. Last year that would have meant warriors would have lapped us heavily in 2nd half. I’m going to take more positives out of it then negs. Miller’s timing was out in attack. But his energy was high and lots of talk.

Hastings and Pong had some good moments but pretty rusty. More games they play the better.

Safs second stanza much better. Middle D from all was pretty solid except for 1st half where warriors got a big role on.

Brailey disappointing, needs to be way more energetic and getting forwards on the ball.

Overall, almost came away with the win with Pong, but not meant to be. We need to improve and quickly to get a few early points.
 
The team's always lacked cohesion. For me it's been more of a ponga show the a knights show. It's time to take off the kayln glasses, the team is nothing without him and everything with him. Fine for him to be brilliant but we need to get him some time and space. I just watched the game and to be that flat and fine on both sides the ball it calls to whether we have actually been doing attack numbers at training. I see conservative mid 2000s storm play here which just won't fly, especially at Newcastle.

Brailey doesn't engage markers strike 1. One off the ruck strike 2. Slow PTB. Strike 3. Those things need 110% improvement to shake any sort of leg. Double down that sentiment with a weak plan and your destined to fail. Halves can't work off the back of no forward momentum but they need to call the shots first and foremost.
In relation to the question i asked you the other night… this could be your time brother! 😁
 
The team's always lacked cohesion. For me it's been more of a ponga show the a knights show. It's time to take off the kayln glasses, the team is nothing without him and everything with him. Fine for him to be brilliant but we need to get him some time and space. I just watched the game and to be that flat and fine on both sides the ball it calls to whether we have actually been doing attack numbers at training. I see conservative mid 2000s storm play here which just won't fly, especially at Newcastle.

Brailey doesn't engage markers strike 1. One off the ruck strike 2. Slow PTB. Strike 3. Those things need 110% improvement to shake any sort of leg. Double down that sentiment with a weak plan and your destined to fail. Halves can't work off the back of no forward momentum but they need to call the shots first and foremost.
Yep , everyone knows with our one out style opposition know you stop Ponga you stop Newcastle . I don't blame him for his injuries . During Covid when there was limited entry . Sat on the fence a few times , remember say to my mate Ponga must be made of rubber. Was continually getting smashed .
 
We do that because we don't have any depth at prop. (We don't really have depth at any position, but I'll limit this comment specifically to our front row stock)
Certainly didn’t help that Elliott is clearly way short of a run - given his minutes tonight and AOB moving him to lock and Kurt to Frizell’s spot on the edge, I do expect him to start at 13 eventually. He’s that 60+ minute grafter in the middle. Had a shocker tonight but he was so good at Canberra and I expect improvement.

I’m not the first to observe this but someone needs to put their hand up to be a starter over one of the Safs, so we can always have one on the field. Dunno who. Hetherington?

But yeah we need to find a way to reinforce the forward depth on the cheap to balance out how overpaid the top-liners are. I’ve heard some rumours about how much Souths are paying their top line forwards and it blew my mind (T Burgess & Jai Arrow both on around $7-800K for a start), the thing that saved them from utter cap mismanagement is that they found okay do-a-job guys on near minimum so they always had good depth, eg Mark Nicholls, Jacob Host, Hame Sele, etc. Also Cody Walker takes an insane discount when he should be a million dollar player out of gratitude for them giving him his shot.
 
Maybe AOB has them playing to a plan, play that bad that no one poaches any more of our players. To be quite honest I wouldn't mind if someone took the whole team, coach included.
 
@HVG - Croker seems to me to be a player that to get the best out of him he needs to play most of the game. Maybe we get lucky with him coming good this season as a starter on the cheap.
 
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