Round 1 Team

Les Misérables said:
IF Milford beats his charge he will replace Clune in the halves.

Milf was in good form towards the back-end of last season (after signing for Souths). From reports he has dropped a fair bit of weight with personalised high intensity training sessions. Milford remains one of the most talented play makers in the comp, people seem to forget what he can do, and he's only 27. I've long thought that he was about 5kgs too heavy since about 2015 and it has impacted his preferred playing style--being nimble. Notwithstanding a gross negligence to effort and professionalism over that period.
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So you'd go a guy with 7 years of the I don't give a ****s to a bloke who's been training the whole preseason with the crew. Not my choice but fair enough.
 
Clune for Pearce isn’t too bad, yes like most on here would prefer a higher quality half but let’s give him a chance to show us what he’s got. Pearce missed a lot of games in 2021 and had a few shockers when he played looking like he was passed it and his game in ESL was apparently poor so Clune is likely to be as good, even better than Pearce would have been.
As for Milford I would be happy for us to sign him on the cheap, 1 year, and see how he goes but he must perform to play 1sts, will likely start short on fitness so reserves would do and make him play well enough to oust Clune. Don’t want to see him here playing hot and cold and being auto picked as he is regarded as a marquee player.
Basically it will be up to Ponga, Gags, Clifford, DanS, JSaf, Klem and Frizzell to get us firing
 
I think people are really undermining the signing of Clune, hell I was even sceptical at first. But a good chunk of Dragons fans from what I’ve seen are disappointed to have lost him and even Joey has endorsed him as a solid half that’s been killing it at training recently. He really could end up being a bargain buy for us, maybe we should just give it a chance before we throw him to the curb.
 
Clune getting the gig is the least surprising news of the pre-season. Add it to the bulging file of evidence that they don't rate crossland.

Although I do think they will go with the crossland as bench utility, the coach does seem to rate his defence, he's played some hooker for us before and has been training at lock.
 
danknights said:
So you'd go a guy with 7 years of the I don't give a ****s to a bloke who's been training the whole preseason with the crew. Not my choice but fair enough.
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Merit being the rule, I'd go with Milford provided he is ticking the boxes.

Second chances can do a lot for a man. Milford was smashing the pokies in Brissy. Thought he was the man, had the world at his feet and a club willing to keep him on the roster for half efforts. Those types of circumstances can destroy careers. Now he's facing down the barrel of zero income, prison time and the destruction of everything he thought he had under lock and key. Honestly I'd be blown away if we didn't see a top flight Milford in 2022

Clune will do a job. I really like Clune. Think he'll outperform common expectations. But what he can offer the Knights is not in the same ballpark as Milford
 
I honestly don't think someone like Jamal Fogarty leaves Clune for dead from what I've seen, and Fogarty has been lauded as this huge off-season signing for the Raiders. He's a better player than most think.

On board with signing Milf, but as backup playing NSW Cup unless he demands selection.
 
danknights said:
Yep and I'm ok with it. Let him play some games in Knights colours before you start call him a "reserve grader"
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I'm more commenting on the fact he was signed as a backup. I'm not commenting on his ability. It's just not a great look that a guy signed as a back up is now going to be our first choice. Like we're going with plan B, the club was caught short. Can only hope that it doesn't look like plan B too when it's in action on the field.
 
Joshhh said:
I'm more commenting on the fact he was signed as a backup. I'm not commenting on his ability. It's just not a great look that a guy signed as a back up is now going to be our first choice. Like we're going with plan B, the club was caught short. Can only hope that it doesn't look like plan B too when it's in action on the field.
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You always need a plan B and C and D for a just incase. Plan B is the best at the minute. I'm willing to give him a shot as first cab off the rank. If say a Adam reynolds or Nate Cleary etc was willing to come here then sure I'd drop him for them.
 
Les Misérables said:
Merit being the rule, I'd go with Milford provided he is ticking the boxes.

Second chances can do a lot for a man. Milford was smashing the pokies in Brissy. Thought he was the man, had the world at his feet and a club willing to keep him on the roster for half efforts. Those types of circumstances can destroy careers. Now he's facing down the barrel of zero income, prison time and the destruction of everything he thought he had under lock and key. Honestly I'd be blown away if we didn't see a top flight Milford in 2022

Clune will do a job. I really like Clune. Think he'll outperform common expectations. But what he can offer the Knights is not in the same ballpark as Milford
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I understand what your saying to a point, I just don't hold Milford on the same pedestal as you which is cool. Yeah he could potentially play the house down but I just see him as cashing it in till he moves on. Expectation is not what pushes Milford to succeed.
 
1 Ponga (c)
2 Tuala
3 Gagai
4 Best
5 Young
6 Clifford
7 Clune
8 Klemmer
9 Randall
10 D Saifiti
11 Frizell
12 Jones
13 Barnett

14 Mann
15 J Saifiti
16 Saulo
17 Johns
18 Momoisea
 
I'm quite happy Pearce is gone and Clune is replacing him, I hope he kills it.

So glad those pathetic bombs are gone...
 
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danknights said:
I understand what your saying to a point, I just don't hold Milford on the same pedestal as you which is cool. Yeah he could potentially play the house down but I just see him as cashing it in till he moves on. Expectation is not what pushes Milford to succeed.
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I mean you're not wrong, Milford is hardly the complete half.

I think I like what I think he'll bring to our team. Specifically, he'll take eyes off Ponga when running plays. The problem Ponga has had the entire time he's been at the club is the bloke passing him the ball is not a significant running threat. It's hard to bluff a defender who knows that your 1st, 2nd and 3rd best option is taking the ball to the line then passing straight to Ponga. Invariably Ponga is left no time or space to create anything. Our answer to that problem has been to give him early ball, which gives him time but allows the defenders to shift.

Milford would change that. The inside defenders (the ruck/markers) would need to work harder to protect the A and B defenders, because Milfords 1st option is to run. If the centre wants to rush Ponga, they'll leave a hole for Milford to go short to Frizzel at the line who will have at best a single defender to beat because of the attention of Milford.

Changes everything.
 
Yeah the balance of the team would be better with another dangerous running option in the halves, or a dangerous running hooker, a Cook or Grant type. Clifford will have to fill that void to a fair extent, and to be fair he has shown a decent running threat. It’s not the best part of his game though.
 
Clifford is only a running threat close to the line because of his size imo. He's hardly going to burn you on the outside or turn you inside out like an athletic running half would.
 
To be fair you could say the same thing about Cleary. Doesn’t really matter how you get over the line, the try is always worth four points.
 
Absolutely. But speaking within the context of my earlier comment re Milford attracting defenders due to his agility, Clifford doesn't offer nearly the same although he may find the line from time to time he doesn't attract defenders like Milford, or Cleary for that matter.
 
Joshhh said:
I've gotta say it's a bit of a poor effort that Clune is going to be our starting halfback for 2022. He was a reserve grade signing, supposed to be as a back up. Then Pearce left so Clune had to fill the void for pre-season which is fair enough. But it always felt like that it was just in the mean time and the club would get someone. But now here we are, about to go into the season proper, left with Clune as the first choice half?
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He'll only be there until we manage to sign someone better.
 
Anyone read the recent interview with KP. I think he said 4/5 times over about being FB "this season". I've not read anything yet which has convinced me more that he will be in the halves next year. Pearce leaving was NOT in the Knights plans and this 22 season we'll struggle due to needing a half for a season and a season only, hence my acceptance in Milford's arrival as he'll no doubt fill the void for 22 season. I wouldnt rule out KP transitioning this season if Hodgon goes well.
 
Well as i said my St George mate reckons Clune has all the skills and defends well too and that was before working with Johns . So im hoping we wont want to buy someone else and imo if he does play well we have the team to give this comp a shakeup.
I know its an IF but if they play anywhere near there best and as a team then we will have a very good side that will trouble most teams .
We dont lack talent thats for sure
 
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