Memo Brian Smith

[~knights~]

bails to centre .doogsgone
wes to wing.....mcmanus gone
kurt ...f/b

dureau mullen back to halves ...we win
easy really

are you serious?
Mcmanus was easily our best back today

and wes was awesome

 

[Newie is God's Country]

We are a sensational squad. We towelled the self proclaimed toughest pack in the comp. Our versatility is amazing and I think Wes has the fullback spot covered in the shortterm. Gidley was brilliant from halfback today and for mine will get the nod for origin 1. Keep him there. He guides us superbly and frankly I think some people here can't accept they are wrong about him going to halfback. He killed the roosters today. Dureau will have to make way for Mullen. Bails to centre alongside Lulia. Lulia also made up for the last few weeks. He was tops.

 

[Johns Magic]

We are a sensational squad. We towelled the self proclaimed toughest pack in the comp. Our versatility is amazing and I think Wes has the fullback spot covered in the shortterm. Gidley was brilliant from halfback today and for mine will get the nod for origin 1. Keep him there. He guides us superbly and frankly I think some people here can't accept they are wrong about him going to halfback. He killed the roosters today. Dureau will have to make way for Mullen. Bails to centre alongside Lulia. Lulia also made up for the last few weeks. He was tops.

We must've been watching different games because besides enthusiasm I saw nothing that Gidley offered to the halfback spot over Dureau

 

[Avenger]

Whats happened to Luke Walsh and Mullen ?

 

[Johns Magic]

Whats happened to Luke Walsh and Mullen ?

Mullen injured

Walsh PL

 

[Avenger]

Walsh is not a bad player. Is he out of form or not Brian's type of player ?

 

[antonius]

We are a sensational squad. We towelled the self proclaimed toughest pack in the comp. Our versatility is amazing and I think Wes has the fullback spot covered in the shortterm. Gidley was brilliant from halfback today and for mine will get the nod for origin 1. Keep him there. He guides us superbly and frankly I think some people here can't accept they are wrong about him going to halfback. He killed the roosters today. Dureau will have to make way for Mullen. Bails to centre alongside Lulia. Lulia also made up for the last few weeks. He was tops.

You are kidding, halfback organises the plays, tell me why we were lost on last plays throughout the first half. Our kicking game was crap, Kidley is not an organiser, he never has been and he never will be. We won today because every player put in, how you can attribute the win to Kidley is beyond me.

 

[perverse]

those of you saying kidley was ok at half know absolutely nothing about the game of rugby league. gidley can bring his enthusiasm to our team from his best position - fullback. he also brings an actually useful game of football with him from there. kicking was dreadful today. organisation was poor. we got over the line with raw enthusiasm and drive. we wanted it far more than they did.

NSW would get absolutely toweled with gidley at halfback. it would be embarrassing and may destroy his confidence and ruin him at club level - much like it did to mullen last year.

 

[Bicey_18]

Smithy is copying off Brownie , deserves newcastle right, always watching and following what the dragons do

Your right.. Smith is definently copying Brown I mean our results are an indication that we are playing like the dragons... :crazy:

 

[jimmyo]

The first game when he came back from injury we went close to winning, and he would have been largely responsible. We were way under strength, had no luck during the game and the Tiges put on a couple of tries in closing minutes. Final scoreline did not reflect the game; and certainly not Bailey's efforts in the #6. I highly recommend you watch the bigpond video--round 13. In fact, I think you'll find the highlight reel alone will show him being the major playmaker for two of our best tries all season. (Neither from close to the line btw.)

He copped another injury two rounds later, and then finally came back into a team that was going through a terrible time. Badly depleted through injury and affected by the personnel shake-up and all the shocking publicity. And Bailey himself was reported to have been rushed back underdone out of desperation. And I still thought that he had a class look about him at various times.

I'm not saying he's a "playmaker" in the sense you might be referring to. He doesn't have the organising skills or versatility of Mullo. He's great at hitting a gap, he's got a step, a dummy, an offload and a great cut-out pass. Mullo's got other things like a kicking game of course, switches in plays and a variety of linking skills with outside backs that make him a complete 5/8.

If Mullo proved he could handle centre, I don't mind your idea of Bails in the 6 and Mullo out wider (coming in for last tackle kick options of course, as Pika mentioned). Dureau-Bailey do seem to have a complementary skill set.

I still think Dureau/Mullo is going to be our best option in the halves. But I think Bailey should be clear next choice at 5/8. And I do believe he should be somewhere in the top 17 even when all hands are on deck.

Yeah you're spot on here, every game he's played he looks a top class player much like his brother.

 

[Hanscholo]

Some poor last tackle options in the first half. Other than that Gidley and Bailey were superb. No doubt we lack polish on our last tackle option without Dureau.

 

[Whats Doing]

those of you saying kidley was ok at half know absolutely nothing about the game of rugby league. gidley can bring his enthusiasm to our team from his best position - fullback. he also brings an actually useful game of football with him from there. kicking was dreadful today. organisation was poor. we got over the line with raw enthusiasm and drive. we wanted it far more than they did.

NSW would get absolutely toweled with gidley at halfback. it would be embarrassing and may destroy his confidence and ruin him at club level - much like it did to mullen last year.

Whilst your opinion is respected, to say that peoples opinion who thought that Kidley's display at half today shows that they no nothing about the game of rugby league is ludicrous.

There have been many a champion halfback that were never brilliant organisers. Mortimer, Morris and Toovey to name a few. It is what they bring to the team that matters and not be steretyped as having to be an organiser.

What Gidley brought to the team was brilliant in terms of having the side play up tempo and getting the forwards over the advantage line. Sure he was caught in a tackle on the wrong play a couple of times and sure his kicks mayt not have been the best but I don't see Mullo's kicking game much better either and I have seen some of the better kickers in the game kick balls down the throats of fullbacks.

You need to have a look at the total package and what he brought to the knights today, I doubt we would have won if he did not play at half today. I am not suggesting he is SOO at halfback but give credit to his performance today and the energy he brought to the team around the ruck area.

 

[BeeeeeRad]

After today i say Kirt Gidley is a GREAT playmaker, but not from halfback. Dont get me wrong he didnt have a bad game or anything but the way he played he looked like he was still playing at fullback at times and his kicking game wasnt Halfback like ethier. He is an excellent FB and can create trys from there why not have a natural 7 in and gidley at 1 for an extra playmaker out there.

 

[Serc]

I completely agree with antonius and perverse here - and yet I gave Bails and Gidley a point each in KOTW. Have a think about it (good hint below)

I think if we had any of Mullo/Dureau/Walsh in the #7 today and still had the same go forward (perhaps not possible to have both) we would've almost stuck with the Roosters in the 1st half, and completely obliterated them throughout the 2nd half. Given we scored 32 points with an inept kicking game and not having a clue in the oppositions 20 half the time, 50+ would've definitely been on the cards.

 

[Serc]

One other thing I'll add - is that dummy half game plan is certainly one to keep up our sleeve should we need it later in the season. Kidley made 105m from halfback today :lol: Bailey made 92 from 5/8th as well!

Update on that - the NRL site now has Gidley at 132m (with 25 tackles!) and Bailey at 113m and 15 tackles....those are very passable stats for a starting prop!

Also worth mentioning is McManus with 193m!!! Though that figure would be slightly inflated by that break he made up the middle.

Also on the metre eating game plan the total metres for all runs has been changed to:
Roosters: 1228m
Knights: 1740m

If you were just loking at these sorts of stats we were incredible today!

 

[Alex28]

Unfortunately I see no spot for Bailey:

Halves - Mullen and Dureau.
Lock - Simpson
Centre - Maybe...but I'd suggest Naiqama and McManus (with maybe Uate on the wing). Macdougall will keep getting picked but shouldn't be.
Bench - with Hilder being picked having Bailey on the bench as well loses a bit of size that we badly need.

A shame really...

 

[Misanthrope]

What'd you expect with Dureau and Mullen out you f**ken whinger.

That's the second inflammatory post I've seen by you in threads this evening. Cool it.

 

[Johns Magic]

3. Lulia
4. Naiqama
6. Mullen
7. Dureau
8. Royal
10. Cross
11. Simpson
12. Houston
13. Bailey

14. Fa'aoso
15. Sargent
16. Paterson
17. Hilder

With Wicks and Taia very unlucky to miss out

Or even

3. Lulia
4. Mullen
5. Naiqama
6. Bailey
7. Dureau
8. Royal
10. Cross
11. Taia
12. Houston
13. Simpson

14. Fa'aoso
15. Sargent
16. Paterson
17. Hilder

That's what I'd be looking at

 

[Newie is God's Country]

those of you saying kidley was ok at half know absolutely nothing about the game of rugby league. gidley can bring his enthusiasm to our team from his best position - fullback. he also brings an actually useful game of football with him from there. kicking was dreadful today. organisation was poor. we got over the line with raw enthusiasm and drive. we wanted it far more than they did.

NSW would get absolutely toweled with gidley at halfback. it would be embarrassing and may destroy his confidence and ruin him at club level - much like it did to mullen last year.

Like I said. You can't handle the fact Kids made the doubters look daft today. It is quite funny how Ricky Stuart (merely the national coach) told Bellamy (merely the best coach in the game) to pick him at half. Clearly Stuart and Bellamy are just nuffy coaches aren't they. You are hilarious mate. Bellamy knows absoluitely nothing about the game or Stuart for that matter hey. What with having made five out of the last six grand finals between them. Clearly amateur stuff. :sarcasm:

 

[Johns Magic]

Like I said. You can't handle the fact Kids made the doubters look daft today. It is quite funny how Ricky Stuart (merely the national coach) told Bellamy (merely the best coach in the game) to pick him at half. Clearly Stuart and Bellamy are just nuffy coaches aren't they. You are hilarious mate. Bellamy knows absoluitely nothing about the game or Stuart for that matter hey. What with having made five out of the last six grand finals between them. Clearly amateur stuff. :sarcasm:

Bellamy has never said or given any idea that he rates Kidley at half