A great year for the Knights

[imported_Roopy4246]

I have to say that I thought the Knights would struggle to make the eight this year, but they managed to end the season on equal top points.
At the begining of this season I thought the Knights forwards would be too weak to compete with the best sides because of the loss of a few older guys. It looked like we only had two props in Parsons and Perry, who were of first grade standard.
In the backs we had several aging players who looked like they needed replacing.
Over the course of the year things went from bad to worse in as far as keeping the established stars on the field, but every time someone got injured a young guy stepped up to fill the breach.
The result of all this is that the knights will have true depth for the first time I can remember next season. When all the players are on deck there might not be places in first grade for guys like Hughes, Quinn, Kurt Gidley, Adam Woolnough, Julian Bailey and maybe a few others. Guys like O'Davis, McDougall, Matt Gidley and Tahuetc will have to fight for their spots as well.
To add to the guys who have proven themselves at first grade level this year, there are at least three or four young guys who will be deserving of first grade starts from this years Flegg and first div sides. The hardest thing for Hagan next year will be cutting the player list down to 25.

 

[imported_midas]

a great year?Jeez,Roopy- talk about rose coloured glasses!Premiers last year and knocked out in the second round of the finals.Parra were runners up last year and knocked out in the first round of the finals.Despite their injury toll,Id have to say it was a really lousy season and the Knights were only one week better.

 

[imported_Roopy4246]

"a great year?Jeez,Roopy- talk about rose coloured glasses!Premiers last year and knocked out in the second round of the finals.Parra were runners up last year and knocked out in the first round of the finals.Despite their injury toll,Id have to say it was a really lousy season and the Knights were only one week better."

It's all a matter of perspective. I'd say that parra had a poor season because they had a team that seemed to have the world at their feet at the beginning of the season and were not able to live up to that potential, but the knights looked to have over achieved last season and I could only see them going downhill and into a rebuilding phase. As it happens, while Parra failed to live up to their potential, the Knights were able to rush through a rebuilding phase that should have taken several seasons and can look forward to having a really competitive side next season. Guys like Woolnough, Kurt Gidley, Daniel Abraham, Clint Newton, Anthony Quinn, Trent Esatheo and even Tahu, Simpson, Perry and Buderus are all just kids with years of improvement in them.

Maybe this wasn't the best year for results (although breaking 700 points for the second year in a row and finishing on equal top points weren't bad things) but the team is in great shape for next season. I can't wait.

 

[tim hates you]

Mate, I could've sworn you were saying pre-season you were gunna knock up back to back premmys - never remember any talk of missing the eight...

dog

 

[imported_midas]

Over achieved? The side contained Johns,Kennedy,Buderus,Gidley,MacDougall,Tahu.O,Davis-all internationals.The only player in the twilight of his career was Peden (although you,d never know it.)
None of this is meant to denigrate the Knights but anyone who considers they had a great year posesses a degree of optimism I wish I posessed.
I would even tend to be a little pessimistic about the fact that they consolidated the theory that they can,t win without Johns.

 

[imported_Raidpatch]

Mate, I could've sworn you were saying pre-season you were gunna knock up back to back premmys - never remember any talk of missing the eight...
I'm with you BulldogTim (or whatever you're calling yourself this week).
I'm sure I read Roopy posting that before the start of the 2002 competition.
Funny.....
Raidpatch.

 

[El Duque]

This could go along with that other great claim made after the loss to Brisbane at ANZ

"For those now writing the Knights off, all I can say is we will be better for having played at that level, especially the young guys, and you can all pencil your teams in for a loss at Marathon, because we won't be beaten at home this year, not by Brisbane and not by anyone else"

Now hom many home games did they lose??
I think it was three plus they had the game handed to them by Billy when they played an at times 10 man Parra side.

 

[imported_Roopy4246]

Here is the pre-season look I had at the Knights. I admit that I was saying we could have a good year (although i was very careful to never claim we could go back to back), but that was more about talking up our chances than anything. I was very much concerned about the number of players who were 'getting on'.

http://groups.msn.com/legendsworldofsport/general.msnw?action=get_message&mview=0&ID_Message=23874&LastModified=4675361157846583131&all_topics=1


As with most seasons, Newcastle went great at home this year. the only two regular season losses I can remember were the One point loss to the years best team (dogs) and a loss to the Warriors when six players were stood down for SOO.

Players at the Knights who are in their last few seasons include O'Davis, Parsons, Kennedy, McDougall, Peden and even Johns. That's about a million dollars worth of talent.

 

[El Duque]

But you said they would not be beat by anyone.No excuses.

 

[imported_midas]

A Million dollars worth of talent!.The rest must be starving because Joey would be on half that.

 

[imported_Roopy4246]

OK, I'll send back my crystal ball, it's obviously faulty.

I'll still never bet against Newcastle at home. It takes a bloody good or lucky side to overcome our homeground advantage.

 

[El Duque]

Or an egomaniac referee to keep it only three losses this season.

 

[imported_midas]

Never mind ,Roopy,we have more pressing matters to deal with .This weekend I am forced to barrack for the Warriors and the Broncos-shit! I think I,ll follow the Metro Cup next year.

 

[Willow]

"It takes a bloody good or lucky side to overcome our homeground advantage."
Thanks Roopy. I take it you consider Saints to be a 'bloody good' side then... having beaten the Knights in Newcastle on four out of five occasions in the last four years.
Cheers.

 

[imported_eels fan...]

Why is everyone jumping on gRoopy for? Sheesh, your all bloody savages! About the only bad call he made all year was K.Gidly being a star. That little boy would be lucky to crack a spot in a Tigers team. It never fails to amaze me the power nepotism can produce.

 

[imported_Roopy4246]

"About the only bad call he made all year was K.Gidly being a star. That little boy would be lucky to crack a spot in a Tigers team. It never fails to amaze me the power nepotism can produce."

OK, I'll bite again. Maybe I could rename this the roopy fishing thread (everyone gets a bite).
I have to admit that I have been disappointed with how slowly Kurt is developing, but someone pointed out the other day (on the Knights board) that Kurt has just about had the least amount of development work done on him of any player in the NRL, and definately any player who has pretentions at being a playmaker. Kurt was too small to make any junior sides for the Knights. He played all his junior footy for Central Charlestown. That means that while guys like Braith Anasta, Clint Newton, Daniel Abraham, Adam Woolnough and other guys his age were getting to go on trips with the junior Kangaroos and were getting the finest apprenticeship possible, Kurt was getting a run round the park two afternoons a week with someone's dad as the coach. It probably was nepotism that got Kurt his start with the Knights Flegg team at the start of last season, but he kept his spot by the obvious talent he showed from the first time he touched the ball. I watched him most of last season and he often looked like he didn't know where he should be on the field. A lot of that was the way he was shifted from position to position and grade to grade all season, but a lot of it was also that he was actually a guy who didn't have a clue what to do. All he had was a truckload of natural gifts and no idea how to use them. Despite that, he was close to uncontainable in Flegg and first div. He ended his first season as only one of two players in the entire comp to score more than a try a game.
This season he got to play a fair amount of first grade. Again, I thought, he was out of position more times than anyone has a right to be, and he made dozens of rookie errors at different times, but another thing he did was to improve nearly every time he played. He ended up with seven tries and seven dally m points. Not a bad effort for a guy who still has a HUGE amount of learning to do.
In this day and age we have become used to guys coming into first grade like Anthony Quinn and Greg Bird, guys that are still teenagers but are near faultless in their techniques because of years of top class coaching as they come up through the junior ranks, but Kurt Gidley has more natural talent than a dozen Anthony Quinns and just needs to get a few years of experience to show it.

 

[imported_JoJo]

I won't restate anything - i'll just say 'ditto' to the above statement of Roopy with relation to Kurt Gidley.

 

[imported_eels fan...]

I wouldn't have even given Kurt a second look once thefad of his last name wore off. The only reason I did search for him in the half dozen or so games I saw him in was the fact you raved about him &believing you know more than little about the Knightsfigured he would show a little something. I'm sure he did carve them up in the lower grades & bush league but he earns his money in 1st Grade so thats where I base my assessment from. Last weekend I thought epitomised both his season & that of the Knights. Kurt was lost under that kind of pressure, he was out played in every aspect of his game & looked like nothing more than fish out of water & the Knights performance as whole wasn't much better. By no means do I think he is useless, just that at the momment he isWAY out of his depth.

Plenty have said, & continue to,they aren't a 1 man side but for me the proof is in the record, what is it now 3 from 12 in the last 2 years?

 

[Willow]

"I wouldn't have even given Kurt a second look once thefad of his last name wore off. "
It can't be easy for the lad but he didnt have nearly as hard as Mark Gasnier did, who btw is living up to the family name well.

Roopy, good luck to Kurt and the Knights in 2003.

But the fact is there are lots of players in the lower grades carving them up. This weekend, Saintsare well represented in the 2nds and 3rds... one team are defending premiers and the other team are minor premiers.

I can list a number of lower grade players for Saints who are in tremendous form... most of whom you've never heard of. But making the jump to the big league is sometimes too much to ask... or at the very least, the promotion has been premature.