Half settled: Smith hedges his bets with playmakers
PRIMARY playmaker Jarrod Mullen has been named to start the season wearing Newcastle's famous No.7 jersey, but coach Brian Smith is yet to settle on his halves for the opening-round game against Canberra at EnergyAustralia Stadium on Saturday night.
Twenty-year-old Mullen, who represented NSW at halfback in the opening State of Origin game last season, will be partnered at five-eighth by converted back-rower Chris Bailey.
But Smith has included Scott Dureau on a seven-man bench to cover all contingencies.
Six off-season recruits former Dragons Wes Naiqama, Chris Houston, Danny Wicks and Keith Lulia, ex-Titans and Sharks utility Matt Hilder and journeyman prop Richard Fa'aoso have been included in a 20-man squad to be officially announced today.
Naiqama will start in the centres and Houston in the second row. Hilder, Wicks, Fa'aoso and Lulia were named on the bench in a squad containing few genuine surprises.
As the Knights try to establish a new identity in the post-Andrew Johns era, Smith said the halves would be a work in progress as the season unfolded.
Smith said 2007 halfback Luke Walsh was still in the mix, although Walsh could be released to French-based Super League club Catalans Dragons on a short-term loan.
"I'd be surprised if he doesn't figure at some stage sooner rather than later," Smith said.
"I think we'll end up using all those guys as the season rolls on. I don't think anyone's got a mortgage on it. And to be absolutely honest, there's still a little bit of work before the end of the week before we finally decide on how that's going to be for Saturday night.
"We're still considering it. The kicking game is an issue for us, so we just want to work out a few things and what we're thinking about Canberra, so we'll just reserve the option to make an adjustment if we think it's necessary."
The Newcastle squad is: Kurt Gidley, James McManus, Wes Naiqama, Adam MacDougall, Cooper Vuna, Chris Bailey, Jarrod Mullen, Dan Tolar, Danny Buderus (c), Jesse Royal, Chris Houston, Zeb Taia, Steve Simpson. Bench: Matt Hilder, Cory Paterson, Richard Fa'aoso, Danny Wicks, Scott Dureau, Matt White, Keith Lulia (three to be omitted).
Smith expected several players, including Walsh, Ben Cross, Mitchell Sargent, Luke MacDougall, Cameron Ciraldo and Aku Uate, would be in first grade before too long.
Cross is recovering from wrist surgery and Sargent from double pneumonia.
Jesse Royal and Dan Tolar will start the season in the front row on Saturday in their absence.
"Everybody understands with the front-rowers that there's going to be different blokes at different times, but we feel like Jesse and Dan deserve their start," Smith said.
"Both of them have hardly missed a session all pre-season, their training has been excellent and I think everybody's happy to give them a shot at the first go in the eight and ten."
Canberra coach Neil Henry will name his team today but is believed to have settled on Terry Campese and Todd Carney in the halves and a back line of William Zillman, Adrian Purtell, Phil Graham, Joel Monaghan and Colin Best.
The make-up of the pack is less clear as four forwards are awaiting injury clearances.
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