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Match Discussion: Round 20 vs Canterbury @ McDonald Jones Stadium, New Lambton

Who will win? Round 20: Newcastle v Canterbury

  • Newcastle Knights 13+

    Votes: 1 25.0%
  • Newcastle Knights 1-12

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Draw after Golden Point

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 1-12

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 13+

    Votes: 3 75.0%

  • Total voters
    4
  • Poll closed .

Alex28

Coach
Messages
11,775
No, we really don't

We have 4 players with origin experience in the pack. An Origin fullback and centre

Payton has proven that you can do a lot with an attitude shift and a focus on toughness, especially in defence

We lack standards and someone driving them, not cattle
We clearly do not have a batch of juniors coming through like the Cowboys do. Flogging them in the off season has helped them, but their junior development over the last few years and set this season up.
 

Alex28

Coach
Messages
11,775
disagree

Ponga, Dom, Saifitis and Klem are quality.

the rest are not.

Frizz and Gags have both fallen off a cliff this year. Brailey has looked terrible since he come back too. Best is always injured and out of position in defence.

hard to find another worth feeding.

Elliot, Heatherington and the two poms are a start. But we need two first grade halves at minimum.
Little hard on Frizz and Brailey, but can’t argue with the rest.
 

macavity

Referee
Messages
20,318
Exactly. We aren’t suddenly going to have blokes like Nanai, Luki and Cotter just appear. We have no one ready.
 
Messages
1,923
Look, of course we could improve and bring in better players but the current ones we have aren't a team that should be sitting 14th. The reason they are is 100% coaching

Are we really saying Pearce and Watson were the difference between 7th and 14th? Let's be honest with ourselves here
 

Alex28

Coach
Messages
11,775
Look, of course we could improve and bring in better players but the current ones we have aren't a team that should be sitting 14th. The reason they are is 100% coaching

Are we really saying Pearce and Watson were the difference between 7th and 14th? Let's be honest with ourselves here
I’d say yes.
 

macavity

Referee
Messages
20,318
Look, of course we could improve and bring in better players but the current ones we have aren't a team that should be sitting 14th. The reason they are is 100% coaching

Are we really saying Pearce and Watson were the difference between 7th and 14th? Let's be honest with ourselves here

don’t get me wrong, I reckon we won’t win another game. I don’t see how a coach survives heading into an off season on 10 straight floggings.

but changing the coach without improving the cattle isn’t going to get us much further up the ladder.

We always greatly over-rate our players. 7th was probably over-achieving and a lot have gone backwards since.

and I’m not sure any coach can turn around such a toxic lack of belief and effort in a group. Needs a broom through the place.
 
Messages
1,923
don’t get me wrong, I reckon we won’t win another game. I don’t see how a coach survives heading into an off season on 10 straight floggings.

but changing the coach without improving the cattle isn’t going to get us much further up the ladder.

We always greatly over-rate our players. 7th was probably over-achieving and a lot have gone backwards since.

and I’m not sure any coach can turn around such a toxic lack of belief and effort in a group. Needs a broom through the place.
And start with who and then bring in.....who?

We need to fix the issue with the head coach before we have any hope that bringing in good players will help. If the attitude amongst the group isn't fixed it'll just poison the new guys
 

Alex28

Coach
Messages
11,775
Then you're blind to the other issues amongst the playing group and in the club
For all of Pearce’s faults, he provided leadership and wouldn’t have tolerated the crap we’ve been dishing out this year.

It’s almost like the players on field are relieved there isn’t anyone keeping them honest out there.

Connor was much more influential in the playing group than we think. Set an example that others followed.
 

Jono078

Referee
Messages
21,112
Call me crazy but I believe what AOB says in the post-game conference. Maybe that's why he's still in the job.

I really hope the year doesn't end any uglier but no doubt 2023 is do or die for him. No matter the cattle, there has to be signs our style, mentality and resolve as a group has improved.

Our current roster should not have the all-time worst home season results and league-wide worst defence and attack, which by default means worst for and against.
 

slotmachine

First Grade
Messages
7,152
They aren’t putting in.

They've quit on the coach. Telling them to stop being a bunch of soft cocks isn't going to achieve anything when they're no longer listening.

You could parachute Paul Green or anyone in and you would see a massive improvement overnight just because it's a new voice. Whether or not they keep listening is a different question.

Unless you think he's gods gift to rugby league it's easier to ditch the coach than turn the squad over.
 
Messages
2,562
Didn't catch the game live so just watched the lowlights. That entire last 10 minutes on their goal line was truly bottom of the barrel stuff. It looked as though it was their first ever game of Rugby League.

Surely this week is it for AOB...
 

Knight Tales

Juniors
Messages
2,343
Green is every chance. I thought due to the KP issues from 2018 it was never going to happen but I will be surprised if Parr does not push hard for him to be our coach. It won't be straight away but if they deem O'Brien's coaching has caused our issues rather than a player revolt then a brave man would bet against it becoming reality.
 
Messages
1,923
explain it like I’m 6…

All I can take from what you have said is the coach is the problem.
- Poor standards amongst the playing group
- Lack of basic attacking structures
- Accountability for loses are non existent
- Defencive structures lacking rigidity and any sort of resilience
- Coaching structure is not consistent through the lower grades to firsts


A lot of that falls into the coach.
 
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