Hlad or Vaughn?

[roopy]

Brendan Hlad was in our great 2006 Jersey Flegg side, keeping Pato on the bench from memory. He went to Penrith and won two Flegg titles I think as a prop, and in 2007 he was bashing Joel Edwards and Sione Tovo all over the park and was probably the best prop in the Jersey Flegg comp.
Last year he went to Castleford, but was replaced by some nuffy named Mitchell Sargent halfway through the season. He is currently playing for Cessnock.

Danny Vaughn is a huge guy who used to star in the Knights NSW cup side, before being signed by Melbourne, where he has spent 3 years nursing injuries. He is currently playing for Macquarie.

We can get either of these guys, or maybe both, for Walshy's money, and prop up our prop stocks.

I'd go for Hlad. He might take a month or so to get up to speed, but he is a 22 year old prop who is at least as good as Timmy, Joel and Sione, and has played for years with Pato, Scotty, Mullo, Jimmy, Aku etc.

 

[aqua_duck]

Hlad played for nsw at various age levels. Not sure about his size though

 

[roopy]

Hlad played for nsw at various age levels. Not sure about his size though

Tolar sized - maybe a few kg bigger - and sometimes went a full game on the field at Flegg level.
Vaughn is Cross sized and an impact player.

 

[macavity]

both - they would both be on peanuts.

could there be an NRL quality halfback floating around somewhere?

 

[roopy]

both - they would both be on peanuts.

could there be an NRL quality halfback floating around somewhere?

Guy named Carney up in queensland somewhere - loves a drink i've heard.

 

[macavity]

you know what, if we could actually get him registered, I would be all for it...

if only to piss off skeepe and r69... ;-)

 

[reginald.p]

6. Bird
7. Rogers

Will be our halves next year

 

[macavity]

lol

lay off that crack pipe, reggie.

on the issue of halves:

I reckon this guy would make a handy 7 for us.

 

[Frederick]

You think he's got the organisational skills to be a top line halfback? I would've thought that, like Lockyer, he would make a better running 5/8

 

[Whats Doing]

We need a decent half back and have needed one for 2 years

 

[macavity]

he is a big talker - i would give him a shot.

throw 380k at him IMO

 

[aqua_duck]

I'd rather Ben Hunt than Karmichael

 

[Spike]

Michael Monaghan?

 

[Karmawave]

Why all this talk about needing another halfback!

We have a superstar right here in our own backyard - Scott Dureau! ;-)

In all seriousness, I don't think Smith has a good enough relationship with Tim Smith or Michael Witt ( the former ended Smiths Parra career, the latter had a fallout with Smith ) for them to turn up at the Knights, but you never know...

I think K Hunt is an exceptional footballer, but I highly doubt that he would want to play for a coach like Smith - too different personality wise to attract Karmichael to the Knights. No way. As much as it would be great - not a hope in hell. This is the same guy who doesn't even like watching rugby league and other than video tapes of the Broncos games doesn't watch footy at all, and he would want to be coached by B Smith? :lol:

There are quality young halves around. Kieran Foran down at Manly is a great young rep footballer in the halves, however I'd say he is being groomed to take over from Orford, and I'm also unsure of his contract status.

Also Ben Hunt as mentioned above.

There's plenty of skill around, and our best hope might be enticing one of these talented young halves from another club to Newcastle simply because an Orford might play a year or two too long and keep them from a first grade start at their current club.

Ironically, alot like what happened when we had to let Kimmorley and Rodwell go to other clubs.

Love him or hate him, Kimmorley's career has turned out pretty OK...

If we can do that with a Kieran Foran or someone similar, it would work out nicely for the Knights I am sure. It seems the only real option at the moment, because I cannot see the Knights spending big money on a huge name.

 

[roopy]

You can't attract big name players to Newcastle - basically because they all have funny ideas about the town.
We are a small chance with Hunt because his cousin, Harmony Hunt, is in our lower grades and can tell him it's not that bad a place to live.
Smith can spot an under rated lower grader - and they are our best chance - Ndaira is probably an example of an under rated guy who Smith could get a lot out of - he is barely bigger than Walsh, but is muscle from head to foot and has explosive power. People say he isn't being looked at as a halfback, but i saw him play halfback for Lebanon in the World Cup qualifying series, and he tore up against sides like Wales and Samoa and was named man of the series and had the commentators fantasizing about how well he would go in the ESL as a halfback.
He has a kicking game and takes on the line with explosive speed and power, which is at least a weapon Smith will use as part of a gameplan at some stage.

 

[Karmawave]

You can't attract big name players to Newcastle - basically because they all have funny ideas about the town.

And the negative perception of our coach...

 

[roopy]

And the negative perception of our coach...

I disagree.
Smith has definately attracted more players than Hagan ever did, and many think Smith has taken a hell of a lot of guys from fringe firstgraders to super stars.
Smith won't get established stars - no one will - but Smith is one of the coaches most likely to attract guys like Houston, Wicks, De Gois, Ndaira - basically guys on the verge of making the grade.

 

[Karmawave]

I disagree.
Smith has definately attracted more players than Hagan ever did, and many think Smith has taken a hell of a lot of guys from fringe firstgraders to super stars.
Smith won't get established stars - no one will - but Smith is one of the coaches most likely to attract guys like Houston, Wicks, De Gois, Ndaira - basically guys on the verge of making the grade.

The guy is a shoe in year in year out for ' coach I'd least like to play for ' on the RLW players poll.

Not only does he win them every year, he wins them by a big margin.

Perception is unfortunately reality in many ways Roopy.

He might attract fringe first graders, and some might argue have to OVERPAY for them as well, but he is hardly a coach players are running out of their way to play for here in Newcastle.

 

[roopy]

The guy is a shoe in year in year out for ' coach I'd least like to play for ' on the RLW players poll.

Not only does he win them every year, he wins them by a big margin.

Perception is unfortunately reality in many ways Roopy.

He might attract fringe first graders, and some might argue have to OVERPAY for them as well, but he is hardly a coach players are running out of their way to play for here in Newcastle.

When he approaches a unwanted lower grader and says he sees potential for firstgrade - they fall over themselves to join a coach who has turned 50 fringe players into millionaires.
They might not like him, but they jump at the chance to play for him.
Each year he has been here we have seen guys like House, Taia, Wicks, etc make the grade, but we have also seen guys like Burnham, Ben Taia, Byron Ford, that big prop from Manly, etc etc who don't make the grade.
I estimate 15 or 20 fringe firstgraders have come to Newcastle just to play with Smith - 5 or 6 of them like Taia, Houston, Ciraldo, Lulia etc will make the grade.

 

[Karmawave]

Some people might say the players who you term fringe first graders, are actually discards at other clubs and if not taken on by the Knights, might be playing park footy somewhere else.

As far as I'm aware, we paid overs for Houston, Wicks ( especially Wicks contract ), Luke MacDougal, and even De Gois ( who is a fine player but we really had to break the bank to get him to the Knights ).

For every Houston, Lulia, Taia and Wicks, I'd sure like to be able to attract one Gareth Ellis instead.

Or better still, have more success at identifying and retaining some of our gun juniors that got away such as Greg Bird and Anthony Tupou. ( not that those situations are Smiths fault )

And in the end, nothing changes the fact Smith is still the most unpopular coach in the NRL amongst players overall. RLW polls might be annoying to some, but the results don't lie.