DT: Newcastle rift widens

[JJ]

'Don't take dummies'

Sound advice

 

[aqua_duck]

Starting 13 might be something like:

1. Kurt Gidley
2. James McManus/Akuila Uate
3. Wes Naiqama
4. Adam MacDougall/Luke MacDougall
5. Cooper Vuna
6. Jarrod Mullen
7. Luke Walsh
8. Mitchell Sargent
9. Danny Buderus
10. Ben Cross
11. Steve Simpson
12. Cory Paterson
13. Matt Hilder/Chris Houston/Zeb Taia

A few ifs, buts and maybe's in there. I'm sure I've missed some players though.

Seriously no one can say that the players we got rid of, we haven't signed a replacement of atleast equal ability. In the centres we've signed an experienced 1st grader in Wes Naiqama to replace brad tighe. How many people would take tighe over wes naiqama? Not many. We signed a country origin front rower in ben cross to replace 2 marsh mellows in perry and woolnough, we've signed some up and comers like Vuna, Taia, Houston, Wicks, Lulia, etc. We also have some guys in the lower grades who'll play 1st grade next year in Akuila Uate, Jacob Ling, Hanan Laban, Tim Natusch, Scott Dureau, and possibly Joel Edwards, Scott Dobbins, Callum Richardson, and Karl Johnson. In my opinion a good footy team is built on the back of 2 solid props, and good players in the key positions, fullback, 5/8th, halfback, and hooker, and in my opinion we've got most of those boxes ticked for next year

 

[Hurriflatch]

According to ch.10 tonight

- Milton Thiday has retired after getting a reduced offer for next year
- Smith is saying all he is doing is following orders from the Knights board
- Simpson said that everyone knew this was coming but it came quicker then they thought it would

 

[Aotearoa_NewZealand]

lol newcastle

 

[parra pete]

The Telegraph and Hadley derive much pleasure out of Brian Smith bashing.
I take no notice of either.
Brian Smith will have the last laugh..

 

[perverse]

anyone who thinks we wont be stronger next year than we have been this year is kidding themselves (wishful thinking from some parties perhaps?), and we were looking like quite the surprise packet this year until injuries ravaged us to the bone.

make no mistake - we're heading in the right direction.

 

[Raider_69]

A massive culture change was needed fo shore. It just got fast tracked by Joey's retirement. I mean, Mick Hagan's old tactic of picking #7 Johns, and the other 16 being always the blokes who played the week before who he made look good was a bit of a farce. Even their game plan, get it to Joey, Walsh and Mullen are good kids but they ain't him. They needed some drastic changes.

Looking at their 2007 roster, there's some blokes there I wouldn't feed let alone want on my team...

Riley Brown
Steve Gordon
Nathan Hinton
Josh Perry (and let me tell you, dropping a few Big Macs would do him the world of good, Dessy Hasler is going to train his a-hole into the dunes of Manly beach)
Todd Polglase (yep, he's a trier but he's a big hit magnet)
Kirk Reynoldsen (Love the beard, not much else going for him)
David Seage (can't stay on the field)
Kade Snowden (bloke lumbers slower than a 300 pound street hooker)
Reegan Tanner (is there a bigger nuffy in the game?)
Daniel Tolar (has the size, but you'd expect more from him now)
Matthew White (player, please)

Some of those blokes aren't up to it. They may have been good for the Cessnock Goannas or the Port Services Mudcrab pub side, but this is the NRL. Out of the mob there now, you'd keep Gidley, Buderus (although if he keeps his whinge fest up it's fair to say he's not as good as he once was), Bailey (if he could stop breaking like a piece of the local church's finest he'd be a terrific young lock or five eighth), Mullen, Walsh, Paterson (deadset superstar), Simpson, Royal (bloke busts his chops week in week out), Vuna (he defends like a used beat up Toyota Camry but runs like a cheshire cat on coals), Taia (cha ching superstar), McManus (seems to have a good attitude and good committment), Seuseu (kid wants to play it's fairly obvious he has something to him), they'll be fine. They have the core, Smith is right, they need to change the chocolate almonds hanging off the core to make it into a slick bag of M&Ms.

agreed
there is not one bloke the knights have let go that id like to see at my club... deadset a collection of the some of the greatest nuffies to ever play in knights jerseys

 

[Newcastlerabbit]

According to the Newcastle Morning Herald today, Burderus has changed his opinion.This time last week he offered his full support in behind the coach,and a week later he has changed his mind.What has changed within a week?

 

[Bicey_18]

lol newcastle

Intelligent response there...... Moron

 

[Aotearoa_NewZealand]

Intelligent response there...... Moron

Infighting really helps bond a team, especially when they dont even look close to winning another game this year. I.E. - LOL

 

[Apey]

Infighting really helps bond a team, especially when they dont even look close to winning another game this year. I.E. - LOL

It was bound to happen.

In that case, I'd rather it happen now when this season is over, and be over all the fighting for next season when we may actually have a chance :-s

 

[The Informer]

Smith is a first rate clown, and Newcastle will learn the hard way. The reason that it all fell apart so quickly at Parra last yr was that the players had all had enough, he'd worn them down and they were more than happy to see the end of him. The mind games, the crap insulting man management, not knowing who plays, who doesn't, the over looked juniors, the list goes on. But the biggest issue is the silly mind games and shocking leadership that he displays.

You could pick any club list and play games suggesting this guy can't play, this guy should go, etc. Sure, the Knights might well have needed change and rotation, but there is a way and a how. There are plenty of quality coaches past and present who can handle it without it all falling like a pack of cards, Bennett and Sheens have been doing it for the last 20 yrs and managed it successfully (and not had to hide behind the "board told me" garbage).

Many of them might have been ready to be moved on, but one thing they have had, in spades, is a strength of mateship and harmony. Smith has done a wonderful job at enhancing that, not.

Half the players at the Eels, and ex players (and there became many of them in his time there) are pissing themselves laughing at the moment at the goings on at the Knights, they’ve seen it all before. Being bombarded with sms messages and pressure, the arrogance, the not knowing who or what was happening any week. The guy has a massive insecurity complex that he can’t manage, but direct it onto those he is in charge of.

Look what happened within weeks of his departure? All Taylor did was reintroduce the basics, named a team and stuck to it, actually trained them in their role all week, built a focus to game day based on everyone knowing who was what and what their role was, and provided an approachable environment and some confidence. All pretty basic stuff, but the basics of a sensible team environment with some constructive leadership.

And don't think this is just the cleansing and clean out period. This is just the start.

The guy is a first class nutter. He will put the Knights back 5 yrs.

 

[Mr Saab]

The Telegraph and Hadley derive much pleasure out of Brian Smith bashing.
I take no notice of either.
Brian Smith will have the last laugh..

Smith will never win a 1st grade title.

 

[parra pete]

Neither will Ray Hadley

 

[Mr Saab]

Ooooooooook.
Raaaaaay doesnt actually coach.
He is a leading sports and current affairs radio personality. Some like him some dont, but he is at the top and has achieved it all.

 

[parra pete]

He only thinks he knows more about coaching than a bloke who has been in the coaching game for about 20 seasons...He is good at character assasination

 

[Mr Saab]

Granted, Raaaaaay goes hard when talking about Smith, but Hadley aside, Smith will never win a comp

 

[parra pete]

That's your opinion. I hope he does, he deserves one. He is the most maligned coach in the history of the game. His bedside manner may not be the best, but he has improved every Club he has been at in terms of structure.

 

[roopy]

The very first decision Smith made at the Knights was to sign up our entire Flegg side of 2006 except for 2 blokes - and 6 of these kids have played firstgrade and the majority of the 2nd placed PL side are made up of Flegg guys from last year and the year before.

More of them like Dureau, Natusch, Laban, Ling and a few others will be giving these new imports plenty of competition for FG spots next year.

He has let a lot of deadwood go and cherrypicked 7 or 8 young guys he thinks will come on - but he is also giving every junior with talent in Newcastle a crack at the bigtime as well.

 

[Mr Saab]

No question. He did well at the Dragons in his tenure, and turned the eels around from genrally pathetic 1987-1996 to generally contenders almost every yr 1997-2005.

He may "deserve" to win a comp, but its not happening