Jaelen Feeney could start the season as Newcastle fullback

[aqua_duck]

Good to see us go from one play maker (maybe half a play maker in Mullen) in the spine to 2-3. I never saw Mullen as much of a ball player and Kurt was more of a small lock played in different positions with his heart on his sleeve.

With Feeney and Hodgkinson in the spine, that makes 2.5 genuine playmakers. I think we could be much more dangerous in attack this year. Also if Levi gets to start, he's pretty dangerous out of dummy half.

Yep, definitely a spine that is more in line with what the rest of the NRL is fielding these days. I expect Feeney to make a few errors but I hope they persist with him for atleast half the season because if the switch pays off we've have ourselves a genuine ball playing fullback who's actually tall and fast as well

 

[Still Nutty]

Yep, definitely a spine that is more in line with what the rest of the NRL is fielding these days. I expect Feeney to make a few errors but I hope they persist with him for atleast half the season because if the switch pays off we've have ourselves a genuine ball playing fullback who's actually tall and fast as well

absolutely give him a good run at the role- Feeney indicated in a recent interview that 'Mick Potter has been spending quite a bit of time supporting his transition to a fullback'. ...and again, just loving what I see as all the 'little' things Brownie seems to be doing right.

Not expecting miracles, but I see Brown doing more in 12-18 months than Bennett ever did for this club...the fit just seems so right

 

[K-Man]

absolutely give him a good run at the role- Feeney indicated in a recent interview that 'Mick Potter has been spending quite a bit of time supporting his transition to a fullback'. ...and again, just loving what I see as all the 'little' things Brownie seems to be doing right.

Not expecting miracles, but I see Brown doing more in 12-18 months than Bennett ever did for this club...the fit just seems so right

Totally agree. Brown gives off all the right vibes. I don't know how it will all translate to on field performance, but feeling like the coach 'gets it' is a nice way to start a new era.

I don't think he's under much internal or external pressure (other than what he places on himself) either. Everybody knows we've lost a truckload of experience from a roster that already picked up the wooden spoon. Our marquee signing probably wasn't even wanted by many clubs anyway.

I think Brown knows that if he drags us off the bottom of the table he's already succeeded. If he gets us into, or even close to, the top 8 then I believe he's done a brilliant job.

Full strength I give us a hope. We'll do plenty of dumb things along the way but at least there's some talent and spark in the spine for once. The really big worry is depth in all areas. We have none. Any more than a couple of injuries here and there and it really drops away fast.

Pat and Chanel, Ross, Pearsall, Freeman, Safiti x 2, Fitzgibbon etc are all pretty much next in line. Could be a lot of debuts, which is exciting for the future, but doesn't necessarily auger well for wins on the board this year.

 

[Mr_Knightside]

Totally agree. Brown gives off all the right vibes. I don't know how it will all translate to on field performance, but feeling like the coach 'gets it' is a nice way to start a new era.

I don't think he's under much internal or external pressure (other than what he places on himself) either. Everybody knows we've lost a truckload of experience from a roster that already picked up the wooden spoon. Our marquee signing probably wasn't even wanted by many clubs anyway.

I think Brown knows that if he drags us off the bottom of the table he's already succeeded. If he gets us into, or even close to, the top 8 then I believe he's done a brilliant job.

Full strength I give us a hope. We'll do plenty of dumb things along the way but at least there's some talent and spark in the spine for once. The really big worry is depth in all areas. We have none. Any more than a couple of injuries here and there and it really drops away fast.

Pat and Chanel, Ross, Pearsall, Freeman, Safiti x 2, Fitzgibbon etc are all pretty much next in line. Could be a lot of debuts, which is exciting for the future, but doesn't necessarily auger well for wins on the board this year.

Great post!

I agree completely, I will consider 2016 a success if we can just compete hard every week for 80 minutes, we probably won't make the 8 but if we can learn to stay in games for longer and push teams harder then it'll show some improvement, and hopefully Brown can pick up a few decent signings for 2017 as well. Or maybe even some mid season bargain buys for 2016 too.

 

[Noname36]

I hope Feeney at fullback works...mainly because it means we can get rid of one of Uate/Ross/Chanel from the side.

I'd still ideally have Gagai there though if we could grab another centre.

 

[Still Nutty]

I hope Feeney at fullback works...mainly because it means we can get rid of one of Uate/Ross/Chanel from the side.

I'd still ideally have Gagai there though if we could grab another centre.

That's the dilemma though...whilst Gagai is probably our best option at fullback in front of Feeney, he is also our best option at centre.

On that basis, at least if Feeney offers us a solid cover for the fullback until he develops into the role (I think he has he potential to be more than solid, given time), then we can strengthen our backline options because the gulf between Gagai and Sione as our '2nd best' centre is still significant at this stage, although I do at least think they can make a reasonable combination in those roles as this year develops.

 

[The Showstopper]

Feeney has to find a way to succeed there. We have to also be fair and leave him there for the year. No matter what. He needs to be able to make errors and learn from it.

 

[Noname36]

Feeney has to find a way to succeed there. We have to also be fair and leave him there for the year. No matter what. He needs to be able to make errors and learn from it.

While we defiently need to give him time a full year is ridiculous if he's not showing any improvement. He's never played in the position before - we should know well before a year whether he'll be capable of getting there or not.

 

[Burwood]

There's no reason why he can't serve his apprenticeship in NSW cup if he isn't yet up to nrl standard.

 

[perverse]

I can't imagine him surviving more than 3 or 4 terrible performances in a row. The pressure builds pretty quickly in the NRL. If he can string together some good games in between, we'll probably persevere with him, and probably rightly so if he shows glimpses. As has been said, he's basically never played fullback, and to go straight to NRL level is a really tough ask. If he does handle it, he's definitely a keeper I think... because he'll continue to improve for years as he learns the nuances of the position.

He'll probably have a lot more post-debut improvement in him than a kid that's been playing fullback through the juniors. He's got all the right assets and skills to do it, he just needs to put it all together and be f**king keen about it.

Also, the high ball may well be his real test. I would imagine in-goal positioning won't come immediately, either... we'll probably concede a few more tries that could have been saved by a real fullback.

 

[perverse]

There's no reason why he can't serve his apprenticeship in NSW cup if he isn't yet up to nrl standard.

That may well happen, I could also see Gagai and him switching to see if that works. I do think there's an NRL player in Feeney, but I'm not sure what his position is. Fullback seems to be a great first position to try him in. He could also be a 5/8th... I don't see him as a halfback, which is weird because that's where he's always played to the best of my knowledge. To be honest I think it's one of his worst positions, because he just loves to run the ball - almost exclusively.

 

[Johns Magic]

I'm sure he'll be fine.

Michael Morgan was an overnight success going from being half to a fullback at NRL level.

I don't know how much fullback he had played previously but my impression is none.

Obviously if he is half that good we will be lucky but I don't see a year of errors and blunders as a prerequisite to becoming a decent fullback.

If you have the ball skills to be a halfback for QLD U20's I imagine you have the hand-eye to catch a bomb. I know Albert Kelly was a brilliant player who struggled under the high ball but I think he had head-noises about it all, partly because he was a midget at NRL level. Feeney I don't expect to have the same issues.

I can't wait to watch him.

Levi, Mamo, Feeney are the three most exciting things to happen to this club in a long time for me. Looking forward to Lamb eventually as well.

Such a shame on Tapine. I had a lot of hopes pinned on him. But I forgot we can't have nice things.

 

[aqua_duck]

I'm sure he'll be fine.

Michael Morgan was an overnight success going from being half to a fullback at NRL level.

I don't know how much fullback he had played previously but my impression is none.

Obviously if he is half that good we will be lucky but I don't see a year of errors and blunders as a prerequisite to becoming a decent fullback.

If you have the ball skills to be a halfback for QLD U20's I imagine you have the hand-eye to catch a bomb. I know Albert Kelly was a brilliant player who struggled under the high ball but I think he had head-noises about it all, partly because he was a midget at NRL level. Feeney I don't expect to have the same issues.

I can't wait to watch him.

Levi, Mamo, Feeney are the three most exciting things to happen to this club in a long time for me. Looking forward to Lamb eventually as well.

Such a shame on Tapine. I had a lot of hopes pinned on him. But I forgot we can't have nice things.

I was a big Tapine fan but I'm very excited about the Saifiti boys

 

[slotmachine]

Not often you get giants like the Safiti boys with huge motors.

 

[Caped Crusader]

I'm less and less excited about Mamo the more I see him play. The kid just seems so limited

I really hope Feeney works out at fullback. We need another playmaking weapon at the back, badly.

 

[macavity]

I'm less and less excited about Mamo the more I see him play. The kid just seems so limited

I really hope Feeney works out at fullback. We need another playmaking weapon at the back, badly.

sometimes you don't need to do everything, as long as you can do some things really well.

I don't think he has a high ceiling as a fullback, but he could be a rep quality winger.

 

[PhilGould]

sometimes you don't need to do everything, as long as you can do some things really well.

I don't think he has a high ceiling as a fullback, but he could be a rep quality winger.

Could he though? I'd rather have him on the wing than at fullback but I can't really see him being great on the wing either. Big wingers are going to have a field day against him.

 

[slotmachine]

sometimes you don't need to do everything, as long as you can do some things really well.

I don't think he has a high ceiling as a fullback, but he could be a rep quality winger.

Rep? Not a chance. Maybe 20 years ago.

 

[Caped Crusader]

Well, technically rep starts at CvC so its tough to say he wont be a rep winger

But i doubt we'd see him in a NSW jumper anytime soon. If ever

 

[macavity]

Could he though? I'd rather have him on the wing than at fullback but I can't really see him being great on the wing either. Big wingers are going to have a field day against him.

He is strong and has good acceleration and change of direction. He may also have a field day against big wingers.

And the bar to rep on the wing isn't the highest is it? McManus, Turner, Merritt, Aku...