What's new
The Front Row Forums

Register a free account today to become a member of the world's largest Rugby League discussion forum! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Newcastle Knights 2019 Team

Mr_Knightside

Juniors
Messages
2,375
Personally I think Barnett would benefit from getting a spot on the bench. He has some really big upsides to his game such as his aggression, late footwork and offloads but he lets himself down with regular errors at crucial times and also seems to fade in and out of games.

The advantage of having him on the bench is we could get 30-40 quality minutes out of him per game without having him run out of gas and making errors due to lack of concentration. I don’t have any stats on this but since we signed him it’s seemed like he’s been playing around 60-80 mins each week which means he’s too susceptible to making poor plays.

Also I’m really looking forward to seeing Klemmer, Gavet and Barnett roughing up opposition teams and bringing a bit of agro which we haven’t had in so long. Hopefully some of that rubs off on the Saifitis as well which would be downright scary to opposition teams.
 

slotmachine

First Grade
Messages
7,418
People have very short memories. Apparently sione is guaranteed a spot and Barnett is in cup.

2017 sione played whole season in the forwards and didn't do much, Barnett won player of the year.

Barnett didn't get an off season last year due to shoulder reco, and now he's written off. I think with more help and playing less minutes he's going look pretty good, especially ball skills/footwork if he's not getting mugged as soon as he catches the ball.
 

Yosh

Coach
Messages
11,940
People have very short memories. Apparently sione is guaranteed a spot and Barnett is in cup.

2017 sione played whole season in the forwards and didn't do much, Barnett won player of the year.

Barnett didn't get an off season last year due to shoulder reco, and now he's written off. I think with more help and playing less minutes he's going look pretty good, especially ball skills/footwork if he's not getting mugged as soon as he catches the ball.

I personally feel Sione has a considerably higher ceiling than Barnett. I can't back it up with stats and what not but the good old eye test wise, I feel he is much more dynamic and runs lines better and has more in his locker overall both in offense and defense. He can also cover the backs so if I had to carry one of them on the bench, I would have to go Sione each and every time.

I want to see Sione have a bit more freedom to roam and hit holes running off Ponga or Pearce. I think he could score 10 plus tries this year as an impact forward off the bench.
 

Mr_Knightside

Juniors
Messages
2,375
https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nr...n/news-story/8882a248862e77d15ea61a0b5bdf4f9e

Geyer has seen enough in 2018 to suggest that if the Knights can stay injury free, they can challenge the top sides next season.

“They can invite themselves into any war and stay with the big guns because they have so much artillery to fight back it’s not funny,” Geyer said.

While I’m hopeful that we are challenging for a top 4 spot by end of year I think MG is overrating us a little bit, he also thinks Brown should be sacked if we don’t make top 4 which I think is ridiculous.

Considering we have had another year of massive player turnover it will still take some time to gel. Simply writing all those names down on your team sheet each week doesn’t guarantee you a win in the NRL. Ponga has only played about 2 games at 5/8 and Watson hasn’t played a full year at FB either. Then there’s the matter of our forward pack working together to produce consistency across the 80 minutes and with so many new forwards this will take time as well.

As far as I’m concerned while we might have a top 4 side on paper (according to some pundits anyway) I think top 8 should be the goal and we can build up to a goal of top 4 in 2020 when these guys have played plenty of footy together. If we miss out on the top 8 in 2019 with the squad we’ve got then there should be questions asked of Brown, I’m not saying that he should be sacked but some serious questions should be raised.
 

Spot On

Coach
Messages
13,902
No doubt Brown will be under massive pressure should the team fail to make the 8.

If Woolfe can improve the defence to a competitive standard then we should be sweet.

Geyer says a lot of stuff that shoots well past the mark. But obviously top 8 is the minimum expectation for us this year.
 

Knight Vision

First Grade
Messages
5,066
I agree top 4 might just be beyond us next year, top 8 is very realistic , but on paper the team could beat anyone on the day if the team clicks and individually everyone is on song.

If healthy at the business end of the season we could go deep into the finals.
 

Yosh

Coach
Messages
11,940
We came 11th so there is no way anything less than 8th should be unacceptable. I'm a Brown fan and want to see him succeed here but our squad has improved considerably and should be doing better than three spots higher on the ladder.

My heart says we will come second or third but I think more realistically we should finish fourth or fifth.
 

aqua_duck

Coach
Messages
18,635
Sounds promising

https://www.newcastleknights.com.au/news/2018/11/20/omeley-backs-bradman-to-be-the-best/

Mark O’Meley has predicted Bradman Best will make his first grade debut next season after the Newcastle Knights teenage sensation was selected in the Australian Schoolboys to tour England.
Been watching him play for the Australian schoolboys side over in England (we've got 4 boys in the side) and he just looks a cut above even though he's a year younger than most of the guys in the team.
For those who haven't seen him play he reminds me abit of Josh Morris.
 

Yosh

Coach
Messages
11,940
Been watching him play for the Australian schoolboys side over in England (we've got 4 boys in the side) and he just looks a cut above even though he's a year younger than most of the guys in the team.
For those who haven't seen him play he reminds me abit of Josh Morris.

From the pictures it looks like he is built like Chief! He isn't actually that big right? Or is he?
 

aqua_duck

Coach
Messages
18,635
From the pictures it looks like he is built like Chief! He isn't actually that big right? Or is he?
It's always hard to tell but he's definitely powerfully built, if I had to guess I would say he'd be about 185cm and around the 95kg mark
 

aqua_duck

Coach
Messages
18,635
He's only 17 so you'd think he's still got a fair bit of growing to do.
Yeah definitely. He'll most likely end up well over the 100kg mark (Josh Morris is listed as 184cm and 98kg).
What I like about him is he looks like he knows how to use his size, runs straight and hard when he's taking hit ups in his own half and uses power and pace in attack (doesn't dance around or round side ways).
 

slotmachine

First Grade
Messages
7,418
Toohey has an article in the paper today, Jacob wasn't part of the best 17 as it was.

Main points of contention are
- Lee/Ross on one wing (likely Lee)
- bench utility (likely Mann)
- Sione/Barnett on the bench
 

Latest posts

Top