Knights teams for dogs games.

[imported_Roopy4246]

1. Robbie O’Davis
2. Timana Tahu
3. Matthew Gidley
4. Mark Hughes
5. Craig Hall
6. Sean Rudder
7. Andrew Johns (c)
8. Josh Perry
9. Danny Buderus
10. Matt Parsons
11. Steve Simpson
12. Daniel Abraham
13. Ben Kennedy

Interchange:

1. Adam Woolnough
2. Matt Jobson
3. Luke Quigley
4. Todd Bates
5. Andrew Price

Simpson is still in doubt. I actually don't think he will play. Apart from that, there can be no excuses this week. We have our best possible side and are playing at home. Canterbury are the side to beat this year, so this will be a great indication of how much we need to do to win the title this year. In the same game last year the dogs won after the siren with a kick from the sidelines. My tip is that it will be a draw this year and Johns will pot a field goal to take the first 'golden point' win.

 

[imported_Roopy4246]

1. Luke Dureau
2. Michael Fortier
3. Gavin Quinn
4. Ryan Milligan
5. Justin Ryder
6. Michael Ennis
7. Chris Tyrie ©
8. Matthew Kennedy
9. Shaun Wallace
10. Reegan Tanner
11. Blake Mueller
12. Matthew Bartlett
13. Mark Jaques

Interchange:

1. Paul Hampson
2. Ben Hopper
3. Cheyne McIntyre
4. Chris Hunt

The premier league team will probably cop a hiding. Looking through the lineup I think only Gavin Quinn and Justin Ryderwould be over 21, and they are only just over 21. Canterbury were the top team in the reggies last year and they have a near firstgrade side again, but i wouldn't mind betting the young Knights end up having more impressive careers than their opposition players have had.

 

[imported_Roopy4246]

The Flegg side;

1. Michael Young
2. Michael Doggett
3. Luke Mercer
4. Blake Tremain-Cannon
5. Ryan Woo
6. Brad Tighe
7. Robert Duffy ©
8. Ashley Cooper
9. Brad Wallace
10. Matthew White
11. Mitchell Parsons
12. Dane Tilse
13. Riley Brown

Interchange:

1. Scott Perrin
2. Murray Parker
3. Damien Frize
4. Michael Schultz
5. Chad Solman
6. Nathan McLoughlin
7. Todd Mulville

Both Canterbury and the Knights are doing well in Flegg. The Knights had their first loss to the unbeaten Wests by two points last week. I think they will play a good game for their first outing in front of the Marathon crowd this year. I'm looking for a big win.

 

[imported_Roopy4246]

The SG Ball side;

1. Sam Wooden
2. Matthew Cooper
3. Matthew Tredrea
4. Lloyd Russell
5. Timothy Walker
6. Leigh Abel
7. Scott Dureau ©
8. Kade Snowden
9. David Sainty
10. Daniel Vuk
11. Joel Marston
12. Joel Barton
13. Mitchell Ison

Interchange:

1. Luke Walsh
2. Brodie Hardman
3. David Geary
4. Joe Catt
5. Nic Andriessen

Kade Snowden moving from second row to prop is a move that had to come. He really looks the biggest and strongest forward in the Ball comp from the teams I have seen so far. He and Daniel Vuk make a formidable looking front row. David Sainty looks a very handy hooker as well. Leigh Abel now has 7 tries from 5 games. Following the very clever Scott Dureau around the park sure makes it look easy for him.

 

[imported_Roopy4246]

What a group of halfbacks we have at the moment. I think it is the first time I can remember that the halfback has been the captain in all grades.
Michael Hagan has been quoted as saying Johns is a once in a generation player, but I think Tyrie and Dureau will both give him some competition before they hang up their boots. Duffy isn't a bad kid either.

 

[Edwahu]

Roopy, do you know if the knights are holding any of their Flegg players back from first division untill the Flegg finishes, since its only a 10 weeks comp and is half over. I get the impression from the Raiders selections that they are more interested in winning the Flegg then starting well in the premier league and I was wondering if other clubs are doing simmilar.

 

[imported_Roopy4246]

There are several of the Flegg players who were first div players last season. I get the feeling that the premier League team is opporating on the barest numbers and that maybe half a dozen of the Flegg guys will join the squad later in the season. Michael Young and Luke Mercer are my tips, and both of them might even break into firstgrade before the year is out.

 

[imported_Roopy4246]

From the Knights site;

Kennedy to return for Bulldogs match

Tuesday, 8 April 2003 - Newcastle Knights

Knights' enforcer, Ben Kennedy, returns to the field this Friday night in the team's huge clash with the in-form Bulldogs at EnergyAustralia Stadium. Kennedy, who has missed three matches with a broken hand, has been named in a strong Newcastle line-up, looking to string consecutive wins together for the first time this year. In chasing a win over the Dogs, the Knights will also be looking avenge last year's one-point loss at home to the Canterbury team. In that game, billed by many as the match of the season, Bulldogs winger Hazem El Masri, kicked a goal from the sideline to snatch a last second victory for the Sydney-siders. This year, both teams are coming off big round four wins and looking to keep pace with the competition front runners. The Bulldogs put paid to the Eels on a rain soaked Telstra Stadium, while the Knights led 44-0 early against Melbourne Storm before finishing 44-28 victors. Knights' skipper Andrew Johns said today he expected a high quality game. "NSW selectors yesterday picked 13 players from these two sides in their provisional squad, and I think that is a fair indication of where the two teams stand in terms of quality." "On top of that the Bulldogs have a couple of Queenslanders and Kiwi internationals, so I think their players are finally getting the recognition their form deserves." "From our point of view, we are a month into the premiership and we’ve had time to iron out some of the bugs in our game, so I would expect us to be on-song on Friday night." "Certainly there is no doubt that the addition of BK (Kennedy) to the team is a big plus. On top of that, Matt Parson’s comeback game last week was a real plus and I’d be expecting him to have another big one this week." Knights officials are expecting a capacity crowd for the highly anticipated match, with all reserved seating sold out.

 

[imported_Brook]

Roopy, do you know if the knights are holding any of their Flegg players back from first division untill the Flegg finishes, since its only a 10 weeks comp and is half over. I get the impression from the Raiders selections that they are more interested in winning the Flegg then starting well in the premier league and I was wondering if other clubs are doing simmilar.

I can tell you thats definantly the case at Balmain, theres about 6 players set to moveup when flegg is finished and at least one who is really desperately needed by the premier league side (who have for the second year in a row lost their halfback in the preseason ) but I'm pretty sure they'll be making them sit tight until the Flegg finishes.

 

[Cronulla_Mania]

Yeh, with Anasta out, im more than worried about this one. Im still not convinced that we are playing well this year and this will be a true litmus test

I think this one will prove whether the dogs are foxing or are genuinely having some problems this year

Moffo

 

[imported_Roopy4246]

As i suspected, anything that kept Simpson out of a game had to be serious. After his MRI scan yesterday he was booked straight in for surgery, which he had today. He will be out for a minimum of 6 weeks.

 

[imported_E_A__]

Bugger. There goes 1/2 my VNRL comps. lol

 

[imported_Roopy4246]

A top game last night.
The dogs are definately a side that has players that can hurt you all over the park. The result last night could have gone either way really. Both teams made chances and were let down by the bounce of the ball.
The best part of the Knights game was the strength of the bench. For years the top forwards at the Knights have been doing a great job, only to see 10 or 15 points let in when the bench forwards get a run, but our young forwards this year are really going on with the job. Woolnough seems to be branded as a bench forward for life, having been a bench forward all through the lower grades, but the big guy comes on and the team shifts up a gear rather than going into hibernation, like we used to do when the big two (Perry and Parsons) went off. Young Price and Bates are both discards from other clubs, but they have stepped up to firstgrade beautifully. The really good news is that Matt Kennedy has also been great this year but couldn't get a bench spot, and we have Newton, Esatheo and Todd Lowrie all coming back from injury soon, not to mention Simmo now saying he hopes to be back sooner than six weeks.

In the backline, Hall is doing a great job, Hughes is back to being Mr reliable, Tahu is still having his early season brain explosions but shows signs of improving, O'Davis is playing as he does when injury free (the first few rounds every year), but the really great news is that Matt Gidley looks to have really benefited from his first off season in years by getting his pace back. I actually saw him run past a few players last night. Big Willie did the usual and tried out his defence, and came up with the usual result, a big fat nothing.

Johns is supposed to be scaling down his involvement early in games this year so he has more impact in the later stages of the games. He threw that plan out the window last night. He gave everything he had right from the kickoff.

 

[legend]

Roopy, I thought the Dogs overall were quite poor apart from Price who had a huge game. Mason had a shocker and the Dogs bench looked very ineffective. The one theings the Dogs did do well was their containment of Matt Parsons. They were up on him in a flash. The Dogs did well to stay within six points.

Newcastle will be there when the whips are cracking late in the season and with Simspon still to return, they have a powerhouse forward pack.

Kennedy had an almighty game and his run from the kickoff was awesome. He cut straight through the Dogs defence and that run lifted the team and they made 100 metres in that set.

Heaven help the rest of us if Macdougall comes back fit and healthy. The Knights depth is scary, especially in the forwards.

 

[imported_Roopy4246]

"The Knights depth is scary, especially in the forwards."

Those are words I never thought I would see while ever we are paying a fortune to keep Johns (he is worth every cent - and more).
I would love to say that the Knights are reaping the benefits of developing their own young players, but the three real heros of the moment are Price, Bates and Hall, who were developed by Canberra, Parramatta and Redcliffe in Queensland. Michael Hagan deserves a huge wrap for recognising the potential of these guys and giving them a lifeline at the Knights.

 

[Cronulla_Mania]

Well done roopy and the knights, it was a good game. You don't need McDrugall back, i think you have a find in Hall! Stand out player of the game last night, even though everyone was busy praising A.Johns

Cheers,
Moffo

 

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