Season Preview (need your help)

J

JLA

Greg Smith
For the upcoming season, I plan to provide a comprehensive season preview for every team on The Roar. To gain the best possible insight into each team’s prospects, I want to hear directly from the fans. I welcome multiple responses to ensure a broad range of perspectives.

Key Questions for Newcastle Knights Fans:​


  1. Kalyn Ponga’s Impact: Kalyn Ponga is easily the best player on your team he is however missed some time with injury are you confident that you can cover him if his out for ?
  2. Forward Pack Leadership: With Daniel Saifiti leaving and Leo Thompson also departing, who steps up as the leader of the forward pack?
  3. Halves Stability: Since Mitchell Pearce’s departure, Newcastle has struggled to find a consistent halves pairing, particularly last season. Do you think they will settle on a combination this year, and if so, who will it be?
  4. Attacking Support for Ponga: Newcastle has often been overly reliant on Ponga in attack. Who do you think can step up to provide more attacking firepower alongside him?
  5. Bradman Best & Edge Dominance: Bradman Best is one of the most powerful ball-running centers in the league, but he battled hamstring issues last year. Does this appear to be an ongoing concern? When he and Greg Marzhew are fit, Newcastle’s edge attack is among the most dangerous—can they maintain that form?
  6. Breakout & Rookie Impact: Which player is due for a breakout season? Additionally, is there a rookie who could debut and make a significant impact?
  7. Squad Additions & Losses: Who is the best new addition to the squad? Conversely, who is the biggest loss?
  8. Team Weaknesses: What is the biggest weakness in the squad heading into the season? Do you see it improving as the year progresses?
  9. Squad Depth: How confident are you in Newcastle’s depth? Can the team cover for injuries to key players?
  10. Strongest Lineup: What do you believe is Newcastle’s strongest starting 17?
  11. Season Expectations: What would be considered a successful season for Newcastle in 2025? Conversely, what would be seen as a failure? Lastly, what is your overall prediction for this season?

I look forward to hearing your thoughts
 
Kalyn Ponga’s Impact: Kalyn Ponga is easily the best player on your team he is however missed some time with injury are you confident that you can cover him if his out for ?

Answer - I’m confident that without him we will be fine we can’t cover for his attacking impact but both Gagai and Sharpe can go back there and do a solid job

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Forward Pack Leadership: With Daniel Saifiti leaving and Leo Thompson also departing, who steps up as the leader of the forward pack?

Answer - I’d argue both have not been leaders anyway but I think it’s time for J-SAF to stand up, he is coming off a pretty good season and now’s the time he should take the next step

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Halves Stability: Since Mitchell Pearce’s departure, Newcastle has struggled to find a consistent halves pairing, particularly last season. Do you think they will settle on a combination this year, and if so, who will it be?

Answer - I fully believe in Gamble/Sharpe they compliment each other well with Sharpes pace and attack and Gambles also but can see the gaps I think they are the best of the rest and should be in round 1

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Attacking Support for Ponga: Newcastle has often been overly reliant on Ponga in attack. Who do you think can step up to provide more attacking firepower alongside him?

Answer - I think Sharpe at 6 will help a lot and that is why AOB has done this, Sharpe is a natural attacking footballer by having him in close it adds a layer of danger especially with his pace it’s unknown to defenders if he will use his pace and go through, pass to Ponga or cut him out to someone else.

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Bradman Best & Edge Dominance: Bradman Best is one of the most powerful ball-running centers in the league, but he battled hamstring issues last year. Does this appear to be an ongoing concern? When he and Greg Marzhew are fit, Newcastle’s edge attack is among the most dangerous—can they maintain that form?

Answer - to me it’s not a issue I think he will be fine but the combine form is a question mark, I feel like Marzhew is a slow starter and really bursts to live around the round 16 mark so if he can start firing from round 1 I think they will not only keep the form but go up an extra level.

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Breakout & Rookie Impact: Which player is due for a breakout season? Additionally, is there a rookie who could debut and make a significant impact?

Answer - my breakout is Dylan Lucas we know how good he is but he doesn’t seem to get the praise like others despite him doing the same if not more so I predict him to have a killer season where he announces him self as one of the elite second rowers.

Rookie - I’d give it to Matt Arthur yet to make his debut for the knights clearly but he is so good for such a young bloke when he gets his chance I guarantee he won’t give it back so he is ready.

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Squad Additions & Losses: Who is the best new addition to the squad? Conversely, who is the biggest loss?

Answer - Best squad addition has to be Schiller even though Arthur could have easily gone here as well, for mine that right wing is havoc for us and with Sharpe leaving it Schiller is the perfect replacement strong, fast good height he didn’t look good in the trial against the eels but he was outside a inexperienced centre and have no doubt he will look great outside Gags.

Biggest loss by default would have to be Leo you’d imagine he didn’t have a great season but he was a good player and with his age he would have to be the biggest loss.

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Team Weaknesses: What is the biggest weakness in the squad heading into the season? Do you see it improving as the year progresses?

Answer - I see our biggest weakness is our halves I like the combo of Gamble/Sharpe but there’s no hiding the fact that Sharpe will need time and Gamble is more used to being second of the ruck and not the first so I imagine it’ll take time and for that I’d say that’s the biggest weakness.

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Squad Depth: How confident are you in Newcastle’s depth? Can the team cover for injuries to key players?

Answer - it’s a weird one because 1-5 I’m convinced is covered same as 11-13 and 9 but I’m worried about 8,10,7 and 6 so I’m 50-50 on the cover for the whole squad.

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Strongest Lineup: What do you believe is Newcastle’s strongest starting 17?

  1. Ponga
  2. Schiller
  3. Gagai
  4. Best
  5. Marzhew
  6. Sharpe
  7. Gamble
  8. Saifiti
  9. Crossland
  10. Thompson
  11. Lucas
  12. KPP
  13. Cant
  14. Brailey
  15. Frizell
  16. Jones
  17. Croker
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Season Expectations: What would be considered a successful season for Newcastle in 2025? Conversely, what would be seen as a failure? Lastly, what is your overall prediction for this season?

Answer - To me personally I think we the squad we have and the depth and the draw I think we should finish comfortably 7th or better and that would be successful anything lower than that is a failure I’m sure I can say for most I’m tired of finishing 8th being lucky to scrape in and being a laughing stock of a club.
 
JLA said:
For the upcoming season, I plan to provide a comprehensive season preview for every team on The Roar. To gain the best possible insight into each team’s prospects, I want to hear directly from the fans. I welcome multiple responses to ensure a broad range of perspectives.

Key Questions for Newcastle Knights Fans:​


  1. Kalyn Ponga’s Impact: Kalyn Ponga is easily the best player on your team he is however missed some time with injury are you confident that you can cover him if his out for ?
  2. Forward Pack Leadership: With Daniel Saifiti leaving and Leo Thompson also departing, who steps up as the leader of the forward pack?
  3. Halves Stability: Since Mitchell Pearce’s departure, Newcastle has struggled to find a consistent halves pairing, particularly last season. Do you think they will settle on a combination this year, and if so, who will it be?
  4. Attacking Support for Ponga: Newcastle has often been overly reliant on Ponga in attack. Who do you think can step up to provide more attacking firepower alongside him?
  5. Bradman Best & Edge Dominance: Bradman Best is one of the most powerful ball-running centers in the league, but he battled hamstring issues last year. Does this appear to be an ongoing concern? When he and Greg Marzhew are fit, Newcastle’s edge attack is among the most dangerous—can they maintain that form?
  6. Breakout & Rookie Impact: Which player is due for a breakout season? Additionally, is there a rookie who could debut and make a significant impact?
  7. Squad Additions & Losses: Who is the best new addition to the squad? Conversely, who is the biggest loss?
  8. Team Weaknesses: What is the biggest weakness in the squad heading into the season? Do you see it improving as the year progresses?
  9. Squad Depth: How confident are you in Newcastle’s depth? Can the team cover for injuries to key players?
  10. Strongest Lineup: What do you believe is Newcastle’s strongest starting 17?
  11. Season Expectations: What would be considered a successful season for Newcastle in 2025? Conversely, what would be seen as a failure? Lastly, what is your overall prediction for this season?

I look forward to hearing your thoughts
Click to expand...
1. Will Pryce is now the back-up fullback and while there have been some promising signs from him in attack, I don’t have the same confidence in him that I had in Fletcher Sharpe’s overall game. But really when Ponga’s been out, embracing a grinding playing style + other players lifting - particularly Bradman Best - has been what has won us games. I imagine that will continue.

2. In my opinion Jacob passed Daniel up as our best prop a few years ago and that has stayed consistent, and the main pack leaders for the last two years have been Tyson Frizell and Adam Elliott. But our best forward at the moment is Dylan Lucas and in the All Stars game he looked prime to go to another level.

3. Fletcher Sharpe has done almost all of the training at 6 over the pre-season and it seems like a lot of the planning for the season has been around helping Fletcher make that spot his own. The other halves spot is a toss up between Tyson Gamble and Jack Cogger. If it’s clear by the end of the season that Fletcher is our man at 6 going forward, that’s a mini victory. The club is pretty openly looking for a halfback to sign for 2026 at the moment, so it is very unlikely that our combination for 2026 is two players already at the club.

4. This question is the reason why Fletcher Sharpe is being played at 6. The club knows that the team is overly reliant on Ponga and they’re hoping that Sharpe can be a dangerous running 6 in the Ezra Mam mould.

5. Bradman’s issues are pretty common for really explosive athletes still learning about their bodies. Hopefully they’re behind him this year but I’m not a doctor.

6. Matt Arthur. Really really impressed with what I’ve seen and I expect if we need to use him in first grade due to injury to Brailey/Crossland, he’ll take that jersey with two hands and not relinquish it.

7. Best new additions are James Schiller and Matt Arthur. I don’t know that we’ve really lost anyone important, besides Leo but that’s next season.

8. Very inexperienced five-eighth defending in the line + uncertainty at 7. How well Sharpe adapts to that will have huge bearing on our season. Thankfully I think Lucas and Best are about as good as it gets defensively so they should help look after him.

9. Honestly our depth is pretty good, the issue is more that we have starting players in key positions who would be depth players elsewhere. But the depth behind the depth-standard players is pretty deep!

10. Andrew Johns first name on the team sheet at halfback, then Ponga at fullback, Buderus at hooker. Probably Ben Kennedy after that IMO but most Knights fans would name the Chief next. 😉

11. A home final, a finals win & clarity around at least one halves spot for 2026 is a good season. Sharpe making that 6 jersey his own in particular would be a difference maker because I think it will make the club more attractive for off contract halfbacks, and I think also it would give a lot of clarity in what we want in our #7 (assuming we lose out on the Dylan Brown sweepstakes).
 
JLA said:
For the upcoming season, I plan to provide a comprehensive season preview for every team on The Roar. To gain the best possible insight into each team’s prospects, I want to hear directly from the fans. I welcome multiple responses to ensure a broad range of perspectives.

Key Questions for Newcastle Knights Fans:​


  1. Kalyn Ponga’s Impact: Kalyn Ponga is easily the best player on your team he is however missed some time with injury are you confident that you can cover him if his out for ?
  2. Forward Pack Leadership: With Daniel Saifiti leaving and Leo Thompson also departing, who steps up as the leader of the forward pack?
  3. Halves Stability: Since Mitchell Pearce’s departure, Newcastle has struggled to find a consistent halves pairing, particularly last season. Do you think they will settle on a combination this year, and if so, who will it be?
  4. Attacking Support for Ponga: Newcastle has often been overly reliant on Ponga in attack. Who do you think can step up to provide more attacking firepower alongside him?
  5. Bradman Best & Edge Dominance: Bradman Best is one of the most powerful ball-running centers in the league, but he battled hamstring issues last year. Does this appear to be an ongoing concern? When he and Greg Marzhew are fit, Newcastle’s edge attack is among the most dangerous—can they maintain that form?
  6. Breakout & Rookie Impact: Which player is due for a breakout season? Additionally, is there a rookie who could debut and make a significant impact?
  7. Squad Additions & Losses: Who is the best new addition to the squad? Conversely, who is the biggest loss?
  8. Team Weaknesses: What is the biggest weakness in the squad heading into the season? Do you see it improving as the year progresses?
  9. Squad Depth: How confident are you in Newcastle’s depth? Can the team cover for injuries to key players?
  10. Strongest Lineup: What do you believe is Newcastle’s strongest starting 17?
  11. Season Expectations: What would be considered a successful season for Newcastle in 2025? Conversely, what would be seen as a failure? Lastly, what is your overall prediction for this season?

I look forward to hearing your thoughts
Click to expand...
Others will have you covered on the answers, but good on you for reaching out and doing some research to get a comprehensive and accurate article. Some of the season previews and podcasts we've seen here recently have been atrocious! Make sure to come back and provide a link when the article is finished, too! :)
 
1. KP out.
I’m a bit worried if KP misses a chunk of games. Fletcher Sharpe would have been his backup. But you don’t want to move him from six IMO. So Will Pryce is his backup at this stage, but from seeing him in the last trial does not instill me with confidence. Conner Votano could be a bolter as backup FB. Also Gagai can do a job there.

2. Forward pack leadership.
Well Leo is still here for this year. You like to hope he puts in, I can’t see why not. Dan Saffiti was let go by the club because he was overpaid and underperforming for his price tag. J saf has been better than him the last two seasons. Frizzel is a leader, and Elliot also does a lot of talking. So DSaf leaving does not effect forward leadership at all.

3. Halves stability
Yes how halves have been a concern. There’s no denying it. I’m glad the coaching staff are taking a punt on Sharpe. He has a lot of upside. He’s going to have to work out his game, particularly defence but I’m confident he will come good. He has a mullet and he’s from Cessnock! Note. A John’s was a Cessnock boy.

7 will be Gamble, yes he is not an elite half but he has a lot of good attributes that he brings to the side. Barring injury I don’t think AOB will change these two this year.

4. Attacking support Ponga
Well we have a pretty handy backline, in particular Gagai and Best. Also Fletch Sharpe will be the other attacking threat, I have no double about that.

5. Best and injury
Best is arguably in the top 3 centres in the game IMO. He’s going to take his game to another level this year. I’m confident the worst of his injury history is past him. I’ve heard it in interviews, he understands that he should not play if he has a niggle. He knew he was not right after Origin 3, but said he was to the coaching staff. He is aware of that now.

6. Breakout player and rookie
I have to say Dylan Lucus, there's been talk that he will be an origin player in the future. I don’t doubt that.

Rookie Matt Arthur. If there’s an injury for either Braily or Crossland, this kid will come in and kill it. He looked so good in the trial. Crafty 9.

7. Additions and Losses
Additions Schiller and Arthur. Losses - I don’t consider DSaf as a loss. I would say Enari Tualer. He is a handy backup/fringe FGer that can do a job in the backs. So we will miss him for depth.

8. Biggest weakness
In the beginning, I’m concerned about the halves, but if they stay on the field I feel/hope they will come good. Depth if we have a lot of injuries is another concern.

9. Top 17
1. KP
2. Schiller
3. Gagai
4. Best
5. Marzhew
6. Sharpe
7. Gamble
8. J Saf
9. Crossland
10. Leo
11. Lucus
12. KPP
13. Elliot

14. Brailey
15. Frizzel
16. M. Cocker
17. B.Jones
18. Hastings

10. Expectations
If we have a good run with injuries we make week two finals. If it goes paired shaped with the halves, heaps of injuries 9th - 10th. A lot of pundits say we are in spoon contention, maybe my bias, but I don’t believe we will be in the bottom 4.
 
Last edited:
frankLauda said:
I honestly did not know he would use our forum names and has not really edited any of it. I hope D-saf does not try and hunt me down! 😂
Click to expand...
I was expecting him to write it up just using your comments as background info too haha. Maybe he ran out of time! 😂 But it reads really well, good job guys - you’re a credit to Marathon Stadium haha. Probably a better read the way he’s done it!
 
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