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http://www.theherald.com.au/news/lo...ghts-return-to-roots/2332098.aspx?storypage=0
Knights return to roots
BY BRETT KEEBLE
22 Oct, 2011 04:00 AM
THE Newcastle Knights will play in the NSW Cup next season under their own name after two years as the Central Coast Centurions.
It will be the first time since 2008 that the club field their reserves in the second-tier competition, known previously as Premier League and First Division, as the Knights.
Rick Stone, who will return from holidays on Monday to begin duties as Wayne Bennetts assistant, said Knights owner Nathan Tinkler and the Hunter Sports Group want to bring the clubs NRL, NSW Cup and National Youth Cup (under-20) teams under one banner.
Stone said some minor details were still being finalised for the name change but the Knights were proceeding with plans to recruit players, including Newcastle and Hunter Rugby Union Anderson Medallist Mark Wade, to their feeder squad.
The Centurions have played most home games at Morry Breen Oval at Kanwal but Stone said the Knights were investigating several Newcastle venues and, where possible, wanted to play all three grades at Ausgrid Stadium.
The main thing is we want to get back into Newcastle and play in Newcastle colours, first and foremost, hopefully at a Newcastle venue possibly at the stadium but if not, somewhere locally, and see if we can get a bit of a niche support base around that, Stone said.
We want to make sure the public perception and the players perception is theyre playing for Newcastle, in Newcastle colours, with a Newcastle badge. That will give them a massive lift.
After speaking to Nathan, Wayne, [Knights chief executive] Matt Gidley and [HSG chief executive] Troy Palmer, we want to have a strong presence in second grade.
Blokes like Marvin Filipo and Ryan Stig have been graduates from there this year and were getting close to finalising those same sort of second-tier contracts with blokes like [Centurions forward] Warren Schillings, and Mark Wade from rugby union.
Weve put a couple of offers to those sort of blokes to give them a chance to train full-time with us over summer, and if theyre not picked for first grade theyd go back and play NSW Cup.
The physicality of the NSW Cup is good for the young players coming through, as we saw this year with Pete Matautia, Zane Tetevano and blokes like that coming out of the 20s.
They definitely benefit from playing some time in the NSW Cup before they go into the NRL.
The Centurions were formed in 2010 through a joint venture with the Country Rugby League after the Knights drafted their surplus players back to Newcastle Rugby League clubs in 2009 through the player placement program.
Stone said the Knights would continue to foster rugby league on the Central Coast through that regions own junior representative teams, then steering them towards the Knights once they graduated into the senior ranks.
Knights NSW Cup coach Rip Taylor and assistant Ian Bourke will hold an information meeting at Ausgrid at 6pm on Tuesday for interested Newcastle Rugby League players who have had representative experience or performed at a high standard in first grade for their clubs.
We want to challenge some of the younger blokes in the area to see if theyve got what it takes to take the next step, Stone said.
We want to continue to look at that niche of players in that 21 to 25 age bracket, who still have some aspirations of having a crack and getting an opportunity to train at the Knights in front of a head coach like Wayne Bennett.
It gives them an opportunity to state their case and show what they can do.
If youre in second grade and youre shooting the lights out every week, something will happen.
Stone said scheduling three games at Ausgrid on the same day would only be feasible on Saturdays, not Friday, Sunday or Monday, but the Knights were exploring that option.
Knights return to roots
BY BRETT KEEBLE
22 Oct, 2011 04:00 AM
THE Newcastle Knights will play in the NSW Cup next season under their own name after two years as the Central Coast Centurions.
It will be the first time since 2008 that the club field their reserves in the second-tier competition, known previously as Premier League and First Division, as the Knights.
Rick Stone, who will return from holidays on Monday to begin duties as Wayne Bennetts assistant, said Knights owner Nathan Tinkler and the Hunter Sports Group want to bring the clubs NRL, NSW Cup and National Youth Cup (under-20) teams under one banner.
Stone said some minor details were still being finalised for the name change but the Knights were proceeding with plans to recruit players, including Newcastle and Hunter Rugby Union Anderson Medallist Mark Wade, to their feeder squad.
The Centurions have played most home games at Morry Breen Oval at Kanwal but Stone said the Knights were investigating several Newcastle venues and, where possible, wanted to play all three grades at Ausgrid Stadium.
The main thing is we want to get back into Newcastle and play in Newcastle colours, first and foremost, hopefully at a Newcastle venue possibly at the stadium but if not, somewhere locally, and see if we can get a bit of a niche support base around that, Stone said.
We want to make sure the public perception and the players perception is theyre playing for Newcastle, in Newcastle colours, with a Newcastle badge. That will give them a massive lift.
After speaking to Nathan, Wayne, [Knights chief executive] Matt Gidley and [HSG chief executive] Troy Palmer, we want to have a strong presence in second grade.
Blokes like Marvin Filipo and Ryan Stig have been graduates from there this year and were getting close to finalising those same sort of second-tier contracts with blokes like [Centurions forward] Warren Schillings, and Mark Wade from rugby union.
Weve put a couple of offers to those sort of blokes to give them a chance to train full-time with us over summer, and if theyre not picked for first grade theyd go back and play NSW Cup.
The physicality of the NSW Cup is good for the young players coming through, as we saw this year with Pete Matautia, Zane Tetevano and blokes like that coming out of the 20s.
They definitely benefit from playing some time in the NSW Cup before they go into the NRL.
The Centurions were formed in 2010 through a joint venture with the Country Rugby League after the Knights drafted their surplus players back to Newcastle Rugby League clubs in 2009 through the player placement program.
Stone said the Knights would continue to foster rugby league on the Central Coast through that regions own junior representative teams, then steering them towards the Knights once they graduated into the senior ranks.
Knights NSW Cup coach Rip Taylor and assistant Ian Bourke will hold an information meeting at Ausgrid at 6pm on Tuesday for interested Newcastle Rugby League players who have had representative experience or performed at a high standard in first grade for their clubs.
We want to challenge some of the younger blokes in the area to see if theyve got what it takes to take the next step, Stone said.
We want to continue to look at that niche of players in that 21 to 25 age bracket, who still have some aspirations of having a crack and getting an opportunity to train at the Knights in front of a head coach like Wayne Bennett.
It gives them an opportunity to state their case and show what they can do.
If youre in second grade and youre shooting the lights out every week, something will happen.
Stone said scheduling three games at Ausgrid on the same day would only be feasible on Saturdays, not Friday, Sunday or Monday, but the Knights were exploring that option.
