2024 Team

[alexwilliams_66692007]

Are you suggesting what I think you are?

Mrs Rivett has some explaining to do to Mr Rivett?

 

[Old dog]

Looking forward to our game against Roosters, assume Young will be selected right wing for them and Marzhew left for us, that’s a confrontation to get the juices going

 

[Knight Tales]

Nine reporting Brails ACL rehab to continue in the USA. It is 7 months now post. So hopefully he has some luck.

 

[Woosh]

As Knights coach Adam O'Brien readies his squad for their 2024 NRL campaign, his main dilemma, on paper at least, appears to be how he can replace Young on Newcastle's right flank.

The towering English import, who has joined Sydney Roosters on a lucrative four-year contract, scored 25 tries last season, many of them spectacular, shattering the club record in the process.

In his 51 top-grade games for Newcastle, Young crossed the stripe 43 times, at a strike rate of 84.3 per cent.

To put that in context, Akuila Uate scored 110 tries for Newcastle in 161 games (68.3 per cent), Timana Tahu posted 93 in 126 games (73.8 per cent), and Darren Albert managed 65 in 90 appearances (72.2 per cent).

In other words, statistics suggest Young rates as the most lethal finisher in Newcastle's history, and over the past two seasons, he has contributed roughly one-fifth of their overall try tally.

While it shapes as an impossible task to unearth a like-for-like replacement for a two-metre, 109-kilogram 22-year-old who is one of the NRL's fastest players, O'Brien has confidence in the options at his disposal.

"Clearly Dom has moved on and replacing him on that wing is a big one for us," O'Brien said.

"But we've got Kristian Mapapalangi doing great things at the moment.

"We've signed Tom Jenkins from Penrith and he's fitting in really well.

"And then we've got Enari Tuala, who is just Mr Dependable. He never lets you down, Enari."

Jenkins has joined the Knights on a two-year deal from premiers Penrith, where the presence of Brian To'o, Taylan May and Sunia Turuva restricted him to six NRL games over the past two seasons.

The 22-year-old might be inexperienced, but he has been described as a "long-term NRL player" by Newcastle football director Peter Parr, and he boasts a decent tryscoring ratio in his own right. His five tries in the top grade have come at an 83.3 per cent strike rate, and in 49 NSW Cup games he has touched down 40 times (81.6 per cent).

Mapapalangi, recently turned 21, debuted in the NRL last year, appearing in two games, only to suffer a shoulder injury that wrote off his entire 2023 campaign.

His efforts in the gym and on the training pitch suggest he is intent on making up for lost time and establishing himself as an NRL regular.

Tuala, now 25, is coming off a frustrating season in which he played only six NRL games and found it hard to crack a start in a high-quality backline.

But in his previous three years with the Knights, he strung together 66 first-grade appearances and scored 32 tries - the most by any Newcastle player.

The wildcard candidate is 22-year-old David Armstrong, who has been promoted to Newcastle's top squad after spending most of last season playing fullback in Newcastle's NSW Cup team.

Who will replace Dom Young on the end of Newcastle's backline?

Statistics suggest Young rates as the most lethal finisher in Newcastle's history.

www.newcastleherald.com.au

Mapapalangi early favourite to replace Dom Perignon?

 

[Dr Dr Gimedanews]

Who will replace Dom Young on the end of Newcastle's backline?

Statistics suggest Young rates as the most lethal finisher in Newcastle's history.

www.newcastleherald.com.au

Mapapalangi early favourite to replace Dom Perignon?

the great question is will he be Mountain Dew to Dom's Perignon

 

[Dr Dr Gimedanews]

Nine reporting Brails ACL rehab to continue in the USA. It is 7 months now post. So hopefully he has some luck.

At this stage it looks genetic. Some men just dont have the body for hard physical labor. It certainly hasnt been bad luck by ways of an awkward tackle etc.

 

[Knight Tales]

the great question is will he be Mountain Dew to Dom's Perignon

Everything Dom did last season was hardly the work of a kid looking to leave. So I find his whole signing with the Roosters a bit of a circus TBH. Time will tell if we can replace him. I am not going to say he will never be topped cos we simply do not know. Young Jenkins could be a gun for all we know.

The Panther system is highly unpredictable. I recall when Staines was regarded as the best young back Panthers had produced in two decades. Well for whatever reason it did not work out that way.

 

[slotmachine]

I am not going to say he will never be topped cos we simply do not know. Young Jenkins could be a gun for all we know.

Yeah I'll walk naked down hunter st if Jenkins is the top try scorer in the comp next year.

 

[Dr Dr Gimedanews]

unless the majority of the team improves on this season the loss of Dom Young will be significant.

I can think of more than 1 game where he won it for us, including the final, and highly debatable that any other athlete in the comp could have done the same.

 

[slotmachine]

I can think of more than 1 game where he won it for us, including the final,

Yeah I walked away from the home semi thinking our forwards got clowned by a second string raiders pack, and the only reason we got the W was a few moments of freak Dom.

 

[Woosh]

The old man is still the best dancer at the club.
KPP favourite part of Newcastle is not Fannys but Gags.

On KPP, a little birdie told me Frizell will be shifted to the left next year with KPP and Lucas on the right starting/bench..

 

[Knight Tales]

Yeah I'll walk naked down hunter st if Jenkins is the top try scorer in the comp next year.

Whatever you need to do to be happy.

 

[Kilkenny]

Everything Dom did last season was hardly the work of a kid looking to leave. So I find his whole signing with the Roosters a bit of a circus TBH. Time will tell if we can replace him. I am not going to say he will never be topped cos we simply do not know. Young Jenkins could be a gun for all we know.

The Panther system is highly unpredictable. I recall when Staines was regarded as the best young back Panthers had produced in two decades. Well for whatever reason it did not work out that way.

Thomas Jenkins is a good depth signing, unlikely to replicate the achievements of Dom Young, but has his strengths is a very good finisher and really good young bloke.

As fir Charlie Staines he was just another kid with promise, enjoyed a great debut, but was never rated as highly as you allude too. He didn’t quite fit into the Penrith system, was too slight and couldn’t deliver the metres bringing the ball back.

 

[Kilkenny]

You’ve also signed our Junior Kangeroo centre Wilson de Courcey who has been released early to join you guys immediately. Very highly regarded.

 

[Woody90]

If the young centre from Penrith asked for immediate release it gives the impression he’d fancy himself playing FG…which is a bit odd considering we have 2 established centres.

Can be play wing? Or maybe plan to play him centre and move Gagai to wing…he’d have to be good though to move one of our current centres.

 

[Dr Dr Gimedanews]

was too slight and couldn’t deliver the metres bringing the ball back.

by the looks of it that will be our lot next season. I dont see a big robust body among the candidates.

 

[Dr Dr Gimedanews]

If the young centre from Penrith asked for immediate release it gives the impression he’d fancy himself playing FG…which is a bit odd considering we have 2 established centres.

Can be play wing? Or maybe plan to play him centre and move Gagai to wing…he’d have to be good though to move one of our current centres.

this will be gags last season? or maybe he will go around again. I'm sure the young bloke will be eased into first grade.

 

[PhilGould]

De Courcey played Harold Matts last year so would only be 17 or 18 tops.

The rumour was he was moving to Newcastle anyway after finishing school for personal reasons so wouldn’t read too much into his sudden move and what it means for the first grade team.

 

[Woody90]

this will be gags last season? or maybe he will go around again. I'm sure the young bloke will be eased into first grade.

Yeah, just read he’s only 18 so that makes sense. Thought he was older/might be a FG chance this year from what I’d initially read but obviously not.

Might not even kick on. Certainly wouldn’t be the first kid to look like a gun junior but not make it in FG. Probably sought us out if he wanted to move up to Newcastle, not the other way around and probably why it’s immediate.

 

[Apey]

Yeah I walked away from the home semi thinking our forwards got clowned by a second string raiders pack, and the only reason we got the W was a few moments of freak Dom.

Our forwards getting clowned and our backline doing the work was a bit of theme throughout the year.