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Kurt keen to stay a Knight
By Philip Henderson
June 4, 2006
NEWCASTLE is expected to receive some much-needed good news this week with representative five-eighth Kurt Gidley set to re-sign with the NRL club.
After a troublesome fortnight both on and off the field, Gidley's signature will likely be a healthy boost to the Knights, who looked tired in last night's 38-22 loss to the Bulldogs and in much need of the bye next weekend.
"Everything's going to plan at the moment, so hopefully we can finalise a few things and try and sort a few things out, but its definitely leaning towards that way," Gidley said of remaining with the club.
"I've grown up in Newcastle and always played there, so it certainly would be disappointing if I had to leave."
Off contract at the end of the season, Gidley was likely to have been a major target for several rival clubs if he did not re-sign before the June 30 anti-tampering deadline.
The 24-year-old played his second representative game for New South Wales Country this season, and admitted the chance to keep playing beside champion Knights halfback Andrew Johns was a major factor in deciding his future.
The Knights have dropped from first to fifth after back-to-back losses the past two weeks, and looked decidedly flat in both performances against St George-Illawarra and the Bulldogs.
Things haven't been rosy off the field either, with incoming coach Brian Smith telling premier league coach David Fairleigh his services would not be needed beyond this year. Current Newcastle coach Michael Hagan, who will take over the reigns at Parramatta from 2007, admitted the Knights were far from playing near their best.
"I think we've still got a bit of work to do to make up a bit of ground against the teams that are sitting above us on the ladder at this point of the year," Hagan said.
Aside from resting niggling injuries, the bye will also give the Knights a chance to get some key players back on the pitch.
Fullbacks Milton Thaiday and David Seage are both due to return for the club's next match against New Zealand Warriors in Auckland, while halfback Jarrod Mullen should be back the next week. All three will no doubt lessen the load on playmaker Johns, who has had to carry more than his fair share in recent weeks with Gidley playing as a makeshift fullback and the likes of forward utility Todd Lowrie filling in at five-eighth.
foxsports.new.com.au
By Philip Henderson
June 4, 2006
NEWCASTLE is expected to receive some much-needed good news this week with representative five-eighth Kurt Gidley set to re-sign with the NRL club.
After a troublesome fortnight both on and off the field, Gidley's signature will likely be a healthy boost to the Knights, who looked tired in last night's 38-22 loss to the Bulldogs and in much need of the bye next weekend.
"Everything's going to plan at the moment, so hopefully we can finalise a few things and try and sort a few things out, but its definitely leaning towards that way," Gidley said of remaining with the club.
"I've grown up in Newcastle and always played there, so it certainly would be disappointing if I had to leave."
Off contract at the end of the season, Gidley was likely to have been a major target for several rival clubs if he did not re-sign before the June 30 anti-tampering deadline.
The 24-year-old played his second representative game for New South Wales Country this season, and admitted the chance to keep playing beside champion Knights halfback Andrew Johns was a major factor in deciding his future.
The Knights have dropped from first to fifth after back-to-back losses the past two weeks, and looked decidedly flat in both performances against St George-Illawarra and the Bulldogs.
Things haven't been rosy off the field either, with incoming coach Brian Smith telling premier league coach David Fairleigh his services would not be needed beyond this year. Current Newcastle coach Michael Hagan, who will take over the reigns at Parramatta from 2007, admitted the Knights were far from playing near their best.
"I think we've still got a bit of work to do to make up a bit of ground against the teams that are sitting above us on the ladder at this point of the year," Hagan said.
Aside from resting niggling injuries, the bye will also give the Knights a chance to get some key players back on the pitch.
Fullbacks Milton Thaiday and David Seage are both due to return for the club's next match against New Zealand Warriors in Auckland, while halfback Jarrod Mullen should be back the next week. All three will no doubt lessen the load on playmaker Johns, who has had to carry more than his fair share in recent weeks with Gidley playing as a makeshift fullback and the likes of forward utility Todd Lowrie filling in at five-eighth.
foxsports.new.com.au
