SG Ball GF: Knights v Bulldogs @ St Marys

M

Ms.Nobody

Banned
Our boys have qualified! What a fantastic achievement.

They will play the Bulldogs.

I'm hearing gun half Kurt Mann needs a clearance this week and might play. That would suck for Tom Rouse who was fantastic last week. Maybe we shouldn't change a winning side?

Anyway, kickoff is at 3pm I think this Saturday... will have updates for you all.

Team named later this week.
 
Rouse has been good judging by everyone's updates, but he's no Kurt Mann. If Mann is fit, he should be in the team definately, he's a game changer.
 
Mann should only play if he's 100%.
We lost the Flegg final in 2006 because we rushed in a half fit Luke Walsh.

Having said that, a broken jaw won't have stopped him training much, although he might have found it hard keeping up the diet - especially the steaks.

Clydesdale and Mann are a great combination, and having Rouse in form at 5/8 is good as well.

Mann can make something of nothing and puts questions to the defence all game. If there's half a gap, he's through it. He scored 7 tries in the 5 games before he was injured, including 3 doubles, and most of them were simply from putting on the afterburners and going through gaps that no one else even saw. The guy has serious acceleration. He is also in everything all game. He covers a lot of ground and backs up every half break.
Rouse is a very decent halfback and he has the best kicking game in the side, but Mann is a gamebreaker and a star.

Our other strength is our forwards. I don't think guys like Savin and Maa have been fit, but I can see those two and big Rob Mason, Enileko and Steele all putting their bodies on the line in a big game. Roose has also been fantastic all season at lock.

Pat Mata'utia will also step up for a big game. I expect him to go for a lot of powerful runs and be nearly impossible to stop near the line.

If Jeremy Maa can get himself half fit he is our other game breaker. He scored 5 tries in our first two games, and they were basically all barge over tries where a couple of props couldn't stop him from 10 out. He hasn't played much in recent weeks, but if he has a good 30 minutes in him, that might be enough.

Nick Ritter is an unsung hero of the season. Tall, athletic centre who has scored his share of tries, but his real talent is goal kicking. He knocks them over from anywhere at about 80% i reckon, which is top shelf for under 18s.

We have had a great buildup with 3 hard games against quality opposition in the last 3 weeks, with the Parra game really being the best contest of the finals - probably a higher standard game than the GF promises to be.
The doggies have had two soft games. This week they had a 50 point walkover of 8th placed Canberra.

If they win this game they get to go up to Queensland to play the Qld champions, and many of them will be walk up starts for the NSW u18s if they win that game.
 
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Last Knights team to win an SG Ball title in 2004 (to show how many of winning junior teams go on with it)

1. Terence Seuseu
2. Lloyd Russell
3. Ben Farrar
4. Stephen Gordon
5. Tim Walker
6. Jarrod Mullen
7. Luke Walsh
8. Robbie Dormand
9. Matthew Green
10. Larry Taufua
11. Kade Snowden
12. Brendan Hlad
13. Joel Barton
Interchange
14. Jacob Ling
15. Matthew Cooper
16. Cory Paterson
17. Leigh Abel
18. Brian Clarke
19. Joel Marston
20. Kevin Martin
21. Scott Dureau
22. Nic Andriessen
 
They named Kurt Mann in number 23.
I don't know if that means he is a small chance of playing, or they have just named him so he has his name on the grandfinal team list.

1. Pat Mata’utia
2. Napoleon Utai
3. Josh Allison
4. Nick Ritter
5. Lachlan Shipard
6. Chad Chandler
7. Tom Rouse
8. Michael Steele
9. Adam Clydsdale
10. Rob Mason
11. Jake Lawrence
12. Ben Roose
13. James Elias

14. Will Clarke
15. Jayden Eneliko
16. Jeremy Ma’a
17. Jackson Hill
18. Ned Nissen
19. Jayden Rosberg
20. Jason Savin
21. Jack Jones
22. Sam Keenan
23. Kurt Mann
COACH: Phil Williams
 
Jnorwich said:
Mann has got the all clear with his X rays wonder if he will get a spot in the team? They need him
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It's a difficult decision for the coach.
Perhaps they'll put him on the bench and use him as an impact player.
The zip and speed he has would be very useful when players are getting tired.

I think the side can win without him - they have won 6 games in a row without him, including knocking over the next best side in the comp last week.
If Mann is fit and ready to go he will add a lot to the team though. He is the most dangerous attacking player, and equals Clydesdale as the hardest worker.
 
Surely you have to play him, even coming off the bench.

No disrespect the the guys that have continued with the team though.
 
Apart from Mann the side is 100% Hunter juniors, and I see in the Herald today that the Newcastle under 18s side has made the grandfinal of the country championships for the first time since the Knights started using all the best under 18s for SG Ball - Basically Newcastle could be the city and the country under 18s champions of NSW in the same year - and if the Knights boys win they get to play the Qld champions next week I think to be the undisputed best in Australia.
 
Yeah it is defiantly going to be a hard decision for the coach. He was in good form till he suffered the broken jaw. I wonder which guys from ball will go into the 20's? I think Mann might get a start in the next couple of weeks. He is far to good to be playing local league.
 
Jnorwich said:
Yeah it is defiantly going to be a hard decision for the coach. He was in good form till he suffered the broken jaw. I wonder which guys from ball will go into the 20's? I think Mann might get a start in the next couple of weeks. He is far to good to be playing local league.
Click to expand...
If Roberts stays in firstgrade you would think Mann would get the 7 in NYC. He played Qld cup last year, so NYC is about the level he is used to.
I think Pat Matautia is physically ready, but not sure there is a spot for him.
NYC really needs some hardworking forwards, so i'd put Roose and Steele in the squad, but not sure they'd get many games. Lawrence is probably a year too young, and Maa is not the sort of player they need and well short of fit enough.
 
The team can win without him but the Bulldogs have been a very good side & will be a big challenge. If Mann plays, i'd put him on the bench because he wouldn't be at full fitness but he'd be bloody keen to get out there! Him coming on fresh when the forwards are tired would be a massive advantage.
 
I can find an article that says Johns and Mullen both gave a pep talk to the country boys before their game, but i can't find a result.
 
Good article in today's herald about the game.
It was basically an interview with coach Phill Williams who coached the 2004 side and is coaching this side.
He talked about 10 players from the 2004 side going on to firstgrade and how this side has as much committment.
He also seemed to imply that Mann will play.
 
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