O'Davis has a say

[Newie is God's Country]

Robbie will be waiting by the phone for a call up like he has for the last five years.

 

[Knightmare]

Back when I was 15-16 I used to swear by the "locals are a priority" idea and loved that the Knights seemed to live by it, but as I've got older and seen guys like Perry and Newton underachieve in the red and blue, I've come to the opinion that attitude towards playing for the Knights is more important than if a player is a local or not.

The last of our originals (Tony Butterfield) was from Penrith and came to the Knights largely due to a chance meeting with foundation coach Allan McMahon at Central station one night in 1987 (from 'Our Town. Our Team' by Neil Jameson), Marc Glanville, arguably the best player to not turn out for NSW in the 90's, was from St George, hell, our first captain was a Kiwi (heard of Sam Hauwahau before?) If the club does as Robbie 'O (Qlder) is suggesting, than players like him might never get the chance to shine for Newcastle, while average 1st graders take it easy knowing that because they grew up in Cardiff or Mereweather or Maitland that they'll still get their yearly paycheque from the club.

I remember when Brian Smith arrived at the club I told him in a letter I gave him (long story there!) that what mattered most to myself and the majority of people who paid to watch the Knights year after year, was knowing that the team representing Newcastle had rolled their sleeves up and given it their best effort, even though they might not win all the time. This was a quality lacking noticeably in the last few years under Hagan, but now in 2010 I am glad to say that the current Knights team play every bit like what I hoped for back in early 2008- and it's a legacy that Smith gave us.

Indeed, watching the Knights these days is like watching the Knights back in the early years- a group of players, many of them Kiwis and Islanders, as well as a few that aren't rated by other clubs- trying their guts out virtually every weekend. We might not boast the starting line-up that a side like the Storm have, but you can't fault them on passion or effort. In a few short years, I have gone from watching Knights games with one eye covered hoping "Man, I hope Joey doesn't go down/ we don't get a thrashing today!" to watching every week thinking "If we get a decent run with the refs and have no major injuries, we're in with a real chance here." And that's how it should be.

 

[B-dos]

its not exactgly fair to name a team of all the players we've had to let go as proof some sort of home-grown policy would ensure that team would be playing for us today.

we had to let players like kimmorley go because we couldnt fit them under the cap. Ennis left because he had no chance of a run on spot

looking back in hindsight does nobody any good especially when the idea is so unrealistic

in addition, we let some players go like Lowrie and Perry who never hit their straps at our club. if you ask me we need to look at why these players seem to hit their straps after leaving our club?

is it becasue they are now forced to step up as they no longer have the 'jobs for the boys' safety net that has kept them in FG so long at the knights?

 

[Johns Magic]

Kade Snowden - no better than anyone we have here

:lol::lol::lol:

 

[roopy]

The only 'job for the boy' problem we had was that we stuck with a dud coach for a very long time.
We ended up with a generation of local players who didn't reach their potential at the Knights because the coaching wasn't good.
If if can be put down to anything, it is that the local press won't say a bad word about our coach, because they rely on him for easy copy in the sports pages.
The local journos would have to work twice as hard if the coach didn't give them a story and a bunch of quotes 4 or 5 times a week.
The Hagan era left us with a bunch of overpaid and underperforming locals because they were poorly coached.

We have won two grandfinals with largely locally produced players - and they are the guys who lift when playing the big games for the town.
We won't win another grandfinal till we have a group of players who will put their bodies on the line in the big games because they are doing it for more than a paycheck.
As already shown in this thread, at any given time there are roughly two teams of Newcastle juniors in the NRL across the various clubs, so we produce more than enough players to have a largely local side - we just need to get the systems at the club right for us to keep the right guys and to coach them properly.

 

[Nuffy]

The only 'job for the boy' problem we had was that we stuck with a dud coach for a very long time.
We ended up with a generation of local players who didn't reach their potential at the Knights because the coaching wasn't good.
If if can be put down to anything, it is that the local press won't say a bad word about our coach, because they rely on him for easy copy in the sports pages.
The local journos would have to work twice as hard if the coach didn't give them a story and a bunch of quotes 4 or 5 times a week.
The Hagan era left us with a bunch of overpaid and underperforming locals because they were poorly coached.

We have won two grandfinals with largely locally produced players - and they are the guys who lift when playing the big games for the town.
We won't win another grandfinal till we have a group of players who will put their bodies on the line in the big games because they are doing it for more than a paycheck.
As already shown in this thread, at any given time there are roughly two teams of Newcastle juniors in the NRL across the various clubs, so we produce more than enough players to have a largely local side - we just need to get the systems at the club right for us to keep the right guys and to coach them properly.

I think that is a nice summation.

I would however add that our region doesn't seem to engender loyalty or a desire to stick with the team or just as importantly, a desire to return to play for the club.

I don't know why, but players rarely want to come back to the club.

Look at some of the former Knights or Novocastrians,

Bird,
Tupou
Ennis,
Tahu,
Kimmorley,
Mason

All have changed clubs recently and no one of them showed an interest in returning here as their first choice.

We also seem to have to pay overs to keep the team together, that may seem far fetched but I base that purely on the quality of our roster vs other teams considering we all operate at the same cap.

 

[Alex28]

:lol::lol::lol:

If that's the only one we disagree about then I'll take that as a compliment.

Snowden is yet to prove himself as a quality front rower. He was average in a team of duds last year. I can't say I'd swap him for any of our top 4 or 5 to be honest. That may change in time, but it may not either.

 

[Johns Magic]

If that's the only one we disagree about then I'll take that as a compliment.

Snowden is yet to prove himself as a quality front rower. He was average in a team of duds last year. I can't say I'd swap him for any of our top 4 or 5 to be honest. That may change in time, but it may not either.

I couldn't disagree more to be honest.

He would be our first front-rower picked and it wouldn't shock me at all to see him in a NSW jersey this year.

 

[perverse]

If that's the only one we disagree about then I'll take that as a compliment.

Snowden is yet to prove himself as a quality front rower. He was average in a team of duds last year. I can't say I'd swap him for any of our top 4 or 5 to be honest. That may change in time, but it may not either.

wtf? snowden was like... the sharks shining light last year. one of the few positives they had. he was an absolute beast for them.

you must have been watching a different snowden to the one i saw...

 

[roopy]

The Sharks learnt the secret to Snowden finally, and that is the big bastard thrives on work.
He was the same with us in the juniors every year - at the start of the year you wondered what the fuss was about as he seemed an ordinary player, but the more game time he got the better he got, till he was terrorising teams for 80 minutes at the end of the season.
He will start slow again this year, but they should flog the big bastard - he thrives on it.

 

[roopy]

I think that is a nice summation.

I would however add that our region doesn't seem to engender loyalty or a desire to stick with the team or just as importantly, a desire to return to play for the club.

I don't know why, but players rarely want to come back to the club.

Look at some of the former Knights or Novocastrians,

Bird,
Tupou
Ennis,
Tahu,
Kimmorley,
Mason

All have changed clubs recently and no one of them showed an interest in returning here as their first choice.

We also seem to have to pay overs to keep the team together, that may seem far fetched but I base that purely on the quality of our roster vs other teams considering we all operate at the same cap.

I've been thinking about that, and i've decided our major problem is that EAS and our training facilities are all in the worst part of our region - the 1930/50s built 'working class' suburbs.
The boys really don't need to go to EAS except to play, so moving training to somewhere nice would mean players could make there homes in a better place.
Every time i suggest a location people focus on how the local fish shop is no good or whatever - so just leave it that our region has dozens of nice suburbs and towns, and we should find a way to provide a lifestyle that would attract players, rather than the situation we now have where players need to either travel long distances daily or live in the cheap suburbs.

 

[perverse]

i bet the curfew doesn't help.

young people aren't looking for nice green meadows and happy family areas. they're looking for places where they can have a bit of fun, drink some piss and chase some tail. newcastles image is also very bogan and unattractive.

 

[roopy]

i bet the curfew doesn't help.

young people aren't looking for nice green meadows and happy family areas. they're looking for places where they can have a bit of fun, drink some piss and chase some tail. newcastles image is also very bogan and unattractive.

We obviously need to find what players want, but i have a feeling it would be bogan heaven where they all get to live in MacMansions on new estates, have a holden ute and a harley in the garage etc etc.

 

[Hanscholo]

Dont recall people being that flash on the side choc full of personality in 2005. Personally i couldnt give a flying crap what some nub from newcastle thinks.

I'd like a good football side. A side that I can enjoy watching play, that plays good, hard football. I dont care where they are from. The instant they put their jumpers on they are playing for Newcastle, and that is all that should matter. It's amusing that the poker machine / golfer has managed to whip up this frenzy because his mediocre talent of a son didnt have his career spoon fed to him.

We have the makings of a handy side there right now. If we have the local talent to slot into the side now and becoming contenders then sure, that would be great...but who's to say that is going to happen. We have a really good pack of forwards, even with the st geroge pair gone. We have some talented backs as well. Glaringly, we have no half back worthy of the title, and we arent looking to get the right kind of outside backs into the side. Again...dont care how we do it, lets build on what we have and glaringly....we arent.

 

[B-dos]

I'd like a good football side. A side that I can enjoy watching play, that plays good, hard football. I dont care where they are from. The instant they put their jumpers on they are playing for Newcastle, and that is all that should matter.

100% agreed. the local boys fantasy needs to be buried once and for all if we are to begin operating like a successful club.

 

[Newie is God's Country]

100% agreed. the local boys fantasy needs to be buried once and for all if we are to begin operating like a successful club.

Agreement seconded. Maybe we should start looking to the ESL for players. I am sure there are topline players over there who would kill for a start in the NRL.

 

[perverse]

Agreement seconded. Maybe we should start looking to the ESL for players. I am sure there are topline players over there who would kill for a start in the NRL.

Sam Tomkins, Richie Myler or Kyle Eastmond. i would take any of these 3 in a heartbeat... but particularly the first 2. super talented halves.

 

[roopy]

In the year we got the wooden spoon we still got decent crowds.
Last year we made the 8 and crowds all over the NRL were on the rise, except for us, where we are experiencing an alarming slide in crowds.
The people of Newcastle aren't flocking to see players they don't relate to.

 

[B-dos]

well roopy our stadium was a disgrace

and the rise of pay tv and match schedules has a major impact on crowd figures

heres my super philosophy - the people of newcastle will be more than happy to 'relate' to players and a team that wins games regardless of whether they are from kurri or gympie.

 

[roopy]

well roopy our stadium was a disgrace

and the rise of pay tv and match schedules has a major impact on crowd figures

heres my super philosophy - the people of newcastle will be more than happy to 'relate' to players and a team that wins games regardless of whether they are from kurri or gympie.

It was a record year for crowds - except for us.