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Trent Hodkinson

Spot On

Coach
Messages
13,898
I'll be honest. Most games last year, I think I missed about 5. This year, all. I try to watch all the NRL games tbh.

.....and you've forgotten to mention Trent's highlights from this year's games that have really grabbed your attention mate. What are the things he consistently does well to contribute to the team?
 

Hardcore_Fan

Juniors
Messages
1,489
The thing is, this season, our forwards have been laying a decent platform for Trent. We don't have trouble making metres up the middle.

Then hodkinson will either get tackled on the last or pass it to a back rower to kick it on the last.

If we are on the attack in the opposition 20, hodkinson either goes missing or just plays easy predictable options.

Hodkinson can't defend, last week he let in 2 try's that were simple tackles or reads of the play.

Anyone who is surprised by this has not got a clue about rugby league.
 

perverse

Referee
Messages
25,828
For the Newy fans, do you reckon that's it for him or will he get another run??
Hard to say, will depend on how the kids go. If we go better without him, or even get a win over the next few weeks, I don't see him returning for a while.
 

Spot On

Coach
Messages
13,898
The big picture for Brown is the 600K contract Hodko has for next season. Now, at a guess, I would say that if Hodko can't sprinkle some fairy dust on his "chronic" knees then this is the start of the end.

Bit like Kade Snowden getting thruogh the preseason last year, playing a few minutes in R1 and never returning.
 

Glendale

Juniors
Messages
879
Brown is the first coach the Knights have had in the last 10 years with the balls to make calls like this. It is long overdue.
 

Pedge1971

First Grade
Messages
5,898
I don't think he's any good, if I had to bet now I'd say he's not a good coach
but I'm not concrete on that and I accept that given the state of his squad he needs more time to show his wears

Yeah fair enough. Agree he needs to be given the chance to win with his team. To his creditnhe came in with a mandate to get rid of dead wood and he has done that.

He will be judged on his ability to put together a team from here with some signings and development of some of the kids there now and start winning games.
 

Noname36

First Grade
Messages
7,067
He will be judged on his ability to put together a team from here with some signings and development of some of the kids there now and start winning games.

See this is what is difficult.

Brown is trying his hardest to land some quality additions to the squad in the positions it needs. He went after Scott, he went after Foran, he went after Bird, etc. At the end of the day though he can't force them to sign, and honestly we can't even compete financially with the Dogs and Broncos throwing around TPAs like they do (it's been pretty well reported that we had Bird until the Broncos came up with a massive TPA). He managed to get Ponga though which was a very good signing.

All Brown can really do at the moment is hope that a couple of players might sign on and in the mean time do the only thing he can really control - and that's get his side competing and playing as well as they can. That he's doing. That Knights squad has absolutely no business getting close to anyone and they've been in all bar one game this year and should have won a lot more but were 1-2 quality players off that.
 

Life's Good

Coach
Messages
13,971
Brown is the first coach the Knights have had in the last 10 years with the balls to make calls like this. It is long overdue.
He is cleaning up a lot of sh*t. Trying his hardest to go after the right players. He has the team playing to the best of their talent. A couple of decent signings will help turn the ship around.
 

Pedge1971

First Grade
Messages
5,898
See this is what is difficult.

Brown is trying his hardest to land some quality additions to the squad in the positions it needs. He went after Scott, he went after Foran, he went after Bird, etc. At the end of the day though he can't force them to sign, and honestly we can't even compete financially with the Dogs and Broncos throwing around TPAs like they do (it's been pretty well reported that we had Bird until the Broncos came up with a massive TPA). He managed to get Ponga though which was a very good signing.

All Brown can really do at the moment is hope that a couple of players might sign on and in the mean time do the only thing he can really control - and that's get his side competing and playing as well as they can. That he's doing. That Knights squad has absolutely no business getting close to anyone and they've been in all bar one game this year and should have won a lot more but were 1-2 quality players off that.

Dont disagree with you mate. But the reality is it isnt just money. Players would rather play at other clubs if the coin is matched. Some of that is the coaches Bellamy, Hasler, Bennett etc.

As much as I dont rate him Ricky Stuart has managed to do that at the Raiders and they were not far ahead of us at the time.

Brown needs to land some players but I believe he needs a few years to do it as well given what he inherited.
 
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Noname36

First Grade
Messages
7,067
Dont disagree with you mate. But the reality is it isnt just money. Players would rather play at other clubs if the coin is matched. Some of that is the coaches Bellamy, Hasler, Bennett etc.

And the club being unattractive makes landing those signings even harder. I'm surprised the negotiations got as far as they did actually and that they managed to sign Ponga.

You mention Bennett but the irony is in all of this is that Brown has got this team competing a hell of a lot harder than Bennett did at the club - Bennett just had a better roster.
 

Pedge1971

First Grade
Messages
5,898
And the club being unattractive makes landing those signings even harder. I'm surprised the negotiations got as far as they did actually and that they managed to sign Ponga.

You mention Bennett but the irony is in all of this is that Brown has got this team competing a hell of a lot harder than Bennett did at the club - Bennett just had a better roster.

Agreed. But like it or not for a player it seems Bennett Broncos > Bennett Knights > Brown Knights.
 

Pedge1971

First Grade
Messages
5,898
And the club being unattractive makes landing those signings even harder. I'm surprised the negotiations got as far as they did actually and that they managed to sign Ponga.

You mention Bennett but the irony is in all of this is that Brown has got this team competing a hell of a lot harder than Bennett did at the club - Bennett just had a better roster.

Btw - watxhing the post match interview with Ponga tonight probably indicates a lot. The kid is 19, well spoken and clearly has a brain. Has a life outside footy.

Not many if any in the nrl with that and the talent. He is coming for a lot of not footy and money related reasons.
 

Noname36

First Grade
Messages
7,067
Btw - watxhing the post match interview with Ponga tonight probably indicates a lot. The kid is 19, well spoken and clearly has a brain. Has a life outside footy.

Not many if any in the nrl with that and the talent. He is coming for a lot of not footy and money related reasons.

If the Bird debarcle showed me anything it's that Ponga didn't sign on for the money. With how many clubs/codes were after him Newcastle wouldn't be in the race if it were down to money.
 

davi

Juniors
Messages
1,932
Trent Hodkinson future is up in the air. Pretty much everything that has been said on this forum has be confirmed. What hasn't been added is well liked and respected around the club. It's unfortunate the dilemma he and the club are facing.

Newcastle captain Trent Hodkinson dumped for the Knights clash with Cowboys in Townsville
Barry Toohey, The Daily Telegraph
April 21, 2017 10:43am
Subscriber only

STRUGGLING Newcastle captain Trent Hodkinson’s future at the club is under a cloud after he was sensationally dumped from the Knights side to take on the Cowboys on Saturday night.

Newcastle’s highest paid player did not make the trip up to Townsville with the rest of the squad on Thursday.

Knights coach Nathan Brown said Hodkinson’s form was down, and added his axing would provide a chance to test a new halves combination.

“He’s a touch down on confidence and we’ve got some other options we want to have a look at,” Brown told Sky Sports Radio on Friday morning.

“We’ve got a lot of big recruitment decisions we’re in the midst to trying to make.”

It is understood Hodkinson was pulled aside by Brown early in the week after a disappointing performance in the loss to the Sydney Roosters and told he would not be playing against the Cowboys.

A couple of poor defensive reads cost the Knights two tries and his overall involvement was down.

Highly respected and liked at the club, The Daily Telegraph understands he copped the decision on the chin. He did not train with the NRL squad on Wednesday with utility Jaelen Feeney, who did make the Townsville trip, likely to be brought into the final 17 in his place.


While coach Brown hasn’t been afraid to make the tough decisions in relation to players since he joined the Knights, sacking his captain from the side just eight weeks into the season will be viewed as one of his biggest calls.

But outside of his goalkicking, the former NSW halfback, who helped guide the Blues to their last Origin series win in 2014, has struggled this season with a chronic knee injury that he has carried since his days at the Bulldogs.

The club nursed the 28-year-old through pre-season training in a bid to give him every chance of returning to his best in 2017 after he battled for most of last season.

But he appears to have lost even more speed and has noticeably left most of the on-field kicking responsibilities to teenage five-eighth Brock Lamb.


Where his axing leaves Hodkinson’s future at the club is up in the air.

He is earning more than $600,000 this season and still has a year to go on his contract with the cap increase certain to see his earnings rise even further in 2018.

“The problem is there is no suggestion his knee is going to get any better which is the frustrating part for him,” a club source said.

Lamb is expected to fill the halfback duties against the Cowboys and is also likely to be the new goal-kicker."

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...e/news-story/f684c3214d3fb3c704a0086c47e4e078
 

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