The pre-season 2026 thread
- Thread starter Billy
- Start date
slotmachine
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
This is also not a good thing. If we're being polite his general play kicking is inconsistent.
TheBatman
Ashley Gordon
Positive. She asks "It's your kicking foot, yeah?" She then continues to say "Will you be back to that kicking role this season?" Kalyn then answers and is, I think a bit confused indicating to me he's thinking will I kick the ball? Neither he nor the interviewer ever say goal kicking.
Ponga is contracted till 2027 with no player options and Sharpe is contracted until 2028.
Grandpa Joe
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
Sharpes exciting and boatloads of potential but are people going overboard aka Sione all over again?
His far from a finished product.
What side would he walk into a spine position pray tell?
Ok, that's fine, I can accept all that and I know he isn't the finished product, but there is PLENTY to work with there. However, you can replace Sharpe's name at the start of the post with Sandon Smith and the rest of the post still holds. I hope they both go on to be immortals in waiting by the end of their careers, but at the moment they are both just exciting prospects.
Compare and contrast their season last year. Both started the season at 5/8. Both had world class fullbacks in the side. Both sides attacks stunk early in the season. Teddy went on to be the Dally M player of the year, Ponga spent the first half of the season playing some sort of hybrid role and clogging things up before his second half of the season was a write off.
Sandon was much maligned early in the season by roosters fans. He had a break out game on Anzac day, so about 7 or 8 rounds in. Hugo then went past him and he was on the outer when Walker came back. He had a game towards the back end of the season where they tore the Storm to shreds on a Friday night, playing Sandon as the on ball half and he created a lot of space for his outside men. Fair dinkum, looked like the straightener in the 23 gf. That got a lot of people excited and rightfully so. Unfortunately it seems we will split our halves left and right, not play an on baller. He had some nice touches throughout the season and there is plenty to work with. But is talk of him being the messiah a little premmy?
With Sharpe, I don't think he was the Knights' biggest issue early on. I think it was Ponga. When KP did get out of his way, Sharpe had some nice touches. The kid is a footballer, he could play anywhere. The season and our halves were so disjointed last year, how does anyone expect a kid to stand out with the task he was given? Swap Sharpe and Ethan Strange last season and I reckon each teams results are exactly the same.
Truth is, I will trust whatever Holbrook has seen and worked on during preseason to carry us through the start of the year. I don't mind which one of these two wins the halves spot for round 1, I just hope they brain it. Smith has a couple of years on Sharpe and started to show some nice touches at times this year. To claim either is the finished product is way off the mark though. I would rather have both as options this year though compared to what we went in to last year with.
mullenmagic
Paul the Chief Harragon
He’d be the best fullback at the Bulldogs, Sharks (yes, over Kennedy), Storm (yes, over Fa’alogo), Eels & Dragons today. Dolphins, Rabbitohs & Manly is dependant on whether their existing big name fullbacks are now considered centres, but even still I’d have more faith in him than Latrell and Turbo holding up physically at this stage. Wouldn’t be above Weekes at the Raiders but he’s an example of the impact I’m confident Sharpe can and will have when he’s given the keys as a fullback somewhere.
I’m one who very much drags my feet on overhyping juniors and I say all of the above with little doubt in my mind. He’s not going to be a very good NRL fullback, he is a very good NRL fullback right now. The question is how good he can be in the halves, and from where I’m sitting he at least held his gloves up there last year in less than ideal circumstances.
I’m one who very much drags my feet on overhyping juniors and I say all of the above with little doubt in my mind. He’s not going to be a very good NRL fullback, he is a very good NRL fullback right now. The question is how good he can be in the halves, and from where I’m sitting he at least held his gloves up there last year in less than ideal circumstances.
Billy
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
We only have 4 halves as far as I know - Brown, Smith, Gamble and Sharpe. I have no idea who will be 7 and 6 in reserve grade, but they won't be firstgraders.
I don't want to wish injuries on anyone, but all 4 of those guys will be needed during the season for sure - and either Hunt or Votano might even get a run in 6 if we have as many injuries as last year.
I don't want to wish injuries on anyone, but all 4 of those guys will be needed during the season for sure - and either Hunt or Votano might even get a run in 6 if we have as many injuries as last year.
Celticman98
Adam Woolnough
Is Mitch Henderson still at the Knights with reserve grade?
Billy
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
The only name I've heard who might be training as a half in reserves is Ryder Williams - and he didn't set the world on fire in Flegg last year. Haami Loza and Jye Linnane are both gone and Henderson seemed to be out of favour at the end of last season.
Surely Hunter would be lining up in reggies?
Billy
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
Maybe - I don't know anything about Hunter and Graham other than one of them plays hooker.
Been watching Flegg games in recent weeks after watching all the games from SG down to A johns and Matty Hunter is a real stand out. Very classy half for the Eels last year who went up to Cup half way through season and had a big impact in those games too. He's definitely in Cup this year and been training with NRL all pre season. Wonderful pick up who will be a very handy player for us. Cullen Gray is probably the other half option (primarily 5/8) if Gamble is playing first, then it'd be Hunter 7 - Gray 6.
slotmachine
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
Agree 100%
He'd also be the best 5/8 at a few clubs where his role would be predominantly running.
Unfortunately the Knights have invested almost 3 million in their FB and 5/8.
Kurriboy
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
Sharpe is a cracking fullback, unfortunately he came along at a time when we are all in on Ponga.
We signed Sandon, and Brown. Brown a 5/8th and on big money is going to be playing in the halves for sure. Sandon a half and I expect will start in the 7 for the season, but sharpe being a runner and better suited to 5/8th would mean playing Brown to 7 and Sharpe in the 6 which isn't an encouraging situation. Ponga in that case would need to play more of a half creative role if that were to work.
To balance the team it would seem some sort of magic Ponga disappearing act would be required to get Sharpe to the 1, and use Ponga money to shore up other areas. But again we are all in on Ponga.
How it's going to work I guess we are going to see with Holbrook but sharpe isn't going to be happy playing wing or wherever he is going to play if he can get spine money elsewhere. Another team will head hunt him. I believe Holbrook has said Sharpe isn't going to play wing, so Centre perhaps?
We signed Sandon, and Brown. Brown a 5/8th and on big money is going to be playing in the halves for sure. Sandon a half and I expect will start in the 7 for the season, but sharpe being a runner and better suited to 5/8th would mean playing Brown to 7 and Sharpe in the 6 which isn't an encouraging situation. Ponga in that case would need to play more of a half creative role if that were to work.
To balance the team it would seem some sort of magic Ponga disappearing act would be required to get Sharpe to the 1, and use Ponga money to shore up other areas. But again we are all in on Ponga.
How it's going to work I guess we are going to see with Holbrook but sharpe isn't going to be happy playing wing or wherever he is going to play if he can get spine money elsewhere. Another team will head hunt him. I believe Holbrook has said Sharpe isn't going to play wing, so Centre perhaps?
HarVeeGee13
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
There's a sort of weird mix of exaggerating other people's takes (Sandon Smith is the messiah? Who's saying that or anything close?) and misleading flattening of data (by the round 8 "breakout game" Roosters attack was about the 12th best, averaging about 18PPG, ours easily the worst, 10PPG. Sam Walker's return and Fletcher Sharpe's season ending injury happened around the same time and the Roosters attack had improved to 6th best/25PPG by then. Ours had improved to still dead last, 14.5PPG). Also this may read as editorialising, but the Roosters difficulty of schedule is usually one of the highest in the comp, whereas we had a famously soft draw and still couldn't score a root in a brothel.
Can attribute the difference to whatever you like and I'm not going to pretend the Chooks roster isn't better, but I think it's misleading to sort of handwave it all as "both attacks stunk, Sandon struggled, Hugo went past him" etc etc etc. Feel free to disagree but I mean yeah their fans maligned him, they're also very demanding of young players where Knights fans tend to be forgiving by comparison. He copped it for not being Sam Walker, we love Fletcher because he's exciting and a local, I'm not sure we would have been as rough on Sandon if he came through our system. But yeah if the argument is "they were both starting halves in teams that didn't do well in attack, therefore", I don't think the data actually suggests that the Chooks were bad in attack with him starting for them, let alone that they were even close to as **** as us.
On the flip side, it's not like we get to have the two of them swap clubs and re-do the whole season in a sort of double blind test to see if the Knights are better with Sandon and the Chooks are better with Sharpe, so I'm not about to say "Chooks attack was pretty good, therefore Sandon good". Just by eye test I think there's a lot of stuff we'll want our other half to do when Brown and Ponga are at 6/7 and 1 that Sandon has the best skill set on the roster for, and I was impressed by how he put that skill set into action at his last club. Don't have a better argument than that or a bunch of numbers to throw at you to support it. 100% agree that he's not about to come in and be Mitchell Moses - he's still very young and learning to be consistent. Just feel like I've seen enough to suggest he's already a pretty capable NRL half and I have optimism he can develop into a good one.
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frankLauda
Mark Hughes
Yeah agree, the eye test shows he’s got potential. He’s had some good games and I like the way he wants his hands on the ball, and creates, runs is elusive. He is definitely not the second coming of Joey. He still young, learning, will have some average games. But I think it was a shred signing from POS.
You have a preference for Smith that is clearly expressed. That's one thing. The messiah comment came from reading those who are giving up on Holbrook if he decides to go with Sharpe in the halves. I've been quiet comment wise for months listening to the same voices go on and on like they know better then the guys who are at training day in and day out. Comments like "it is plain to see" who should play half and "Holbrook is another AOB if he goes with Sharpe". What absolute BS. Are young players suddenly incapable of developing? Who is really impressing at training? I really, really hope Smith is an out and out success here and as I said I have a lot more hope then last year. It is good to have exciting depth. We lost three key attacking players last year in Ponga. Sharpe and Lucas and had nothing left in attack. If those three are out this year we will still have a functioning team. But I am also aware that Trent Robinson wasn't sold on the idea that he could get more out of Smith. Not that I'm a massive fan of his. It doesn't surprise me that he believes he needs DCE instead of being able to develop Hugo or Smith in to an nrl half when I see the finished product Mitch Pearce was given the tools he started with.