R1 // Panthers 30-8 Knights @ Sportingbet // Sat 4.30pm

[Noname36]

Dudes, Saints supporter, not trolling I promise and for obvious reasons a great fan of Bennett. But as an outsider I had you blokes down as facing a pretty tough season. It looks like you've got a few forwards (a couple of them bought from us) who are getting a bit old and your main signing was Dobson who, the best you can say, played well in a reserve grade standard comp over in the UK. Plus, I thought when Boyd left us, he was poised to become one of the top few players in the game and he just hasn't reached that level so far with the Knights.

What do you reckon watching the team week in, week out? Concerned or optimistic?

When we can get our important players (including Boyd) on the field? Very optimistic. It's a nice change as a Knights fan.

We need a new young prop no doubt, but Packer was that for us. Bennett has said straight out that he recognises that we need a replacement for him but there's nothing really available for this season.

 

[Rod]

Dudes, Saints supporter, not trolling I promise and for obvious reasons a great fan of Bennett. But as an outsider I had you blokes down as facing a pretty tough season. It looks like you've got a few forwards (a couple of them bought from us) who are getting a bit old and your main signing was Dobson who, the best you can say, played well in a reserve grade standard comp over in the UK. Plus, I thought when Boyd left us, he was poised to become one of the top few players in the game and he just hasn't reached that level so far with the Knights.

What do you reckon watching the team week in, week out? Concerned or optimistic?

Scott and Smith are the farthest thing from being a problem for us. They turn up every week and put in. The Dad's Army stuff mainly came about through Buderus and Gower being there last year but it seems people still like to say it this year for some reason, I guess because a couple of other older blokes like Mason are still around.

My main concern right now is getting our spine back to health in the short term and staying within reach of the eight until Mullen returns, so we don't have too much ground to make up when he does.

 

[slotmachine]

If we don't get murdered by injuries, 6th-10th.

Don't have the squad to win it all.

 

[Noname36]

Scott and Smith are the farthest thing from being a problem for us. They turn up every week and put in. The Dad's Army stuff mainly came about through Buderus and Gower being there last year but it seems people still like to say it this year for some reason, I guess because a couple of other older blokes like Mason are still around.

My main concern right now is getting our spine back to health in the short term and staying within reach of the eight until Mullen returns, so we don't have too much ground to make up when he does.

Exactly. If we could have an entire pack of Jeremy Smiths and Beau Scotts I would be a very happy supporter. The only one that I think might have played one season too many is Mason, but when you hear all the young blokes constantly talking about how he fires them up then I can understand why he's still considered such a valuable member of the pack.

 

[Blues Riff]

Really? Most other sides would have smashed us by 40 or 50 if you're being realistic. The Knights played so bad in the first half combined with injuries to several key players and their most influential player already out and Penrith were still behind at half time. At that stage I would have been horrified as a Panthers supporter.

Newcastle completed 43% of their possession in the first half and played like an under 8's side in the second half minus all key playmakers and forwards in the centres resulting in one of the most inept performances of any side in the last 5 years. Wow, I'm in shock at people thinking Penrith were that good. Soward and Wallace should have orchestrated 50 points for their side.

We would have. We were just as bad as Newcastle in the first half with completions and had a try disallowed. Penrith weren't great but it was a good first effort for our new players.

 

[perverse]

I'm not worried about our squad outside of injuries. We've got a team that can go deep, remember we've got a lot of young forwards ready to push into first grade... surely we can unearth what we need up front by mid-season. We need Korbin Sims to step up big time. It's a long year, and a slow start for us was all but assured once Mullen went down, let alone the travesty that was Saturday afternoon.

We'll bounce back and bounce back well once the ship settles, the main question in my mind is whether that bounce will be enough, and whether it will come early enough for us to salvage the season.

 

[timka4]

If we don't get murdered by injuries, 6th-10th.

Don't have the squad to win it all.

I think we can go dam close and if riding on momentum can go all the way. Our 'full' 17 fit and healthy is very strong, 1 game from the grand final last year. We got dominated up front but that was without Snowden and buderus, think we got a great chance as long as injuries dont hit us

 

[slotmachine]

Would take a huge amount of luck. Don't have the quality of the top sides, especially in the spine. I would kill for the rabbits 1, 6, 7 & 9.

Stranger things have happened though.

 

[perverse]

Would take a huge amount of luck. Don't have the quality of the top sides, especially in the spine. I would kill for the rabbits 1, 6, 7 & 9.

Stranger things have happened though.

Our spine, fully fit, is as good as any on their day. If you weren't crusading against Tyrone you'd probably agree.

We're lacking a big prop and a strike backrower before we're lacking in the spine.

Did he bum your missus or something? There's nothing wrong with Tyrone if Mullen is playing. He's not a dominant half that will steer a team, but he's a great opportunist and has made some very big plays to win us games in the past. He's taken more pressure off Mullo than any half previously, and it'll take far more than a nice face-ball to Scott for Dobson to displace him in the team.

 

[slotmachine]

Our spine, fully fit, is as good as any on their day.

You wouldn't find many neutral fans sharing that opinion.
Personally, I rate them in the tier below manly, roosters, storm and rabbits.

Wayne won the comp with similar quality at the dragons I suppose.

 

[perverse]

You wouldn't find many neutral fans sharing that opinion.
Personally, I rate them in the tier below manly, roosters, storm and rabbits.

Wayne won the comp with similar quality at the dragons I suppose.

You're completely wrong. Roberts gets wraps all over the forum. He gets a few mentions here: http://forums.leagueunlimited.com/showthread.php?t=432039 ... and is generally just held in pretty high regard for a young half. What really impresses me about Tyrone is how much his defence has improved since hitting grade. He was a turnstile when he first debuted... but has really tucked in and improved in that area out of sight.

Tyrone aside - you're stuck with Boyd, Mullen and Gids/Clydsdale long term to try and discredit. The only gimp in there is Gids for mine, and I reckon he'll do a pretty decent job if he ever gets more than 10 minutes of footy under his belt. Mullen and Boyd are pure class and wouldn't look out of place in any team in the NRL, and there are certainly worse hookers than Gids all things considered.

You're totally wrong for mine, not just in your own opinion, but in the opinion you seem to think that neutral supporters have. A lot of clubs would kill for a young half as talented as Roberts. Most neutral supporters rightly point to our aged pack of forwards as the reason why we can't go all the way... and not so much due to their age, but more due to the lack of x-factor and a need for another bloke with size up front. Mullen and Tyrone are capable of bringing home a trophy, but Mullen is the key... Tyrone is just a sideshow. That's fine, to be honest - Mullen is good enough. We within this forum are Tyrone's harshest critics. His lack of ability to take a game by the scruff of his neck is concerning, but most halves in the NRL without their key playmaker are the same. The truth is that clubs can't afford to hold onto 2 top line halves forever... there aren't many teams in the comp with 2 halves that can both control a game of footy.

 

[slotmachine]

I'm not sure why you keep focusing on Roberts?

If you think neutral fans rate boyd, Mullen, roberts, gidley as equal to gi, keary, Reynolds, luke, or Slater, hampton, cronk, smith, or Stewart, foran, dce, ballin I think we're done here.

 

[Yosh]

I'm with Pers on this one. Our spine is as good as any but we're definitely short in the forwards department. We got some toilers but no striker backrowers nor a real dynamo frontrower. If Korbin Sims comes to the fore this year and really has a break out year in the front row and we do sign that mystery striker backrower, we'll go deep into the finals again this year. Keeping everyone else on the paddock is a give too.

 

[Joker's Wild]

I'm not sure why you keep focusing on Roberts?

If you think neutral fans rate boyd, Mullen, roberts, gidley as equal to gi, keary, Reynolds, luke, or Slater, hampton, cronk, smith, or Stewart, foran, dce, ballin I think we're done here.

They dont have to equal them, they just have to come close, which they do

You act like they are Moltzen, Roberts, McCrone and Keating

 

[Pugzley]

Sorry if late, but good game fellas. If only Knight could have kept up the pressure in 2nd half.

 

[Swarzey]

I'm not sure why you keep focusing on Roberts?

If you think neutral fans rate boyd, Mullen, roberts, gidley as equal to gi, keary, Reynolds, luke, or Slater, hampton, cronk, smith, or Stewart, foran, dce, ballin I think we're done here.

Not many neutral fans have a solid opinion though. They tend to feed off the media darlings and tend to mock you when a player unknown or hardly known to them comes up in a discussion. Had something similar today at Uni with a fickle Storm fan who rated Hampton as a future superstar.

 

[chrisD]

I doubt any neutral fans consider the spine your problem. It's about on par with the premiers.

 

[Dave_]

I doubt any neutral fans consider the spine your problem. It's about on par with the premiers.

Newcastle doesn't have any problems with the roster, 3rd last year speaks for that. We're a good prop short but we all know why that is and we're in the market for a quality one now. The only problem we have is being the most unlucky club with injuries of the past 10 years.

 

[perverse]

I'm not sure why you keep focusing on Roberts?

If you think neutral fans rate boyd, Mullen, roberts, gidley as equal to gi, keary, Reynolds, luke, or Slater, hampton, cronk, smith, or Stewart, foran, dce, ballin I think we're done here.

You don't need an all-star international quality spine to win premierships. Some genuine class in there helps, but trophies have been won without it. Our boys are good enough, in my opinion. They rarely make brainfart errors (with the exception of Gidley, but he can be good when he strings games together, too) - and in Mullen and Boyds case, they are absolutely rep quality anyway. There is enough class and nous there to win a premiership, especially with the tools they have at their disposal in our backline. Mullen is a proven and now consistent match winner. Boyd has become somewhat his partner in crime in his years being here... their chip and chase combo has reaped rewards on several occasions, not to mention their work linking up in the backline. Tyrone is an opportunist, plays a lot of what is in front of him (which is remarkably refreshing, in my opinion), and keeps getting better on both sides of the ball for mine. He doesn't have to be a traditional, "steer the team around" type of halfback, Mullo is our man there... he has the sublime kicking game and the vision, he's reading games better than ever now.

I really think Gidley is the only person in our spine that warrents any pressure - and the only guy a neutral supporter might point out as a weakness, but surely he can do the job of a hooker and do it well enough. He looked fine until he had to move to fullback on Saturday. If he gets his game down to providing qualtiy service, running from dummy half often and tackling like a maniac then he will be more than enough.

The reason why I focused on Roberts is because I know you don't rate him particularly, you've made it abudantly clear in the past. If I'm wrong about that, please call me out. I'd love to know what else you find horrible about our spine.

Being a tier below Manly, Roosters, Storm and Rabbits (I would argue heavily against the Roosters) in the spine is hardly something to be ashamed of. Should every other team just not show up if their spine isn't as good as those 3? We have far more glaring weaknesses and deficiencies than our spine. It's sorted, and hasn't been a real issue for a while imo. Actually, I think it's still improving with both it's combinations and their individual games as they play more and more together, too.

Another thing to consider is that Clydsdale will probably see a lot more footy this year. This kid is a real talent, and is going to add a lot to us from dummy-half. Gids isn't getting any younger or less injury prone, and I think Bennett has already shown his hand in picking Waddell in round 1. We're going to see a dummy-half on the bench this year to try and wrap Kurt in cotton-wool a bit where possible and give him less minutes to play.

Our threequarter line warrents little discussion, it's one of the best in the League and the envy of most teams.

Changes I could imagine seeing over the course of the season that would help us where we really need it would be:

- A young prop stepping up and filling a void in our pack. Be it Sims, Toka, whoever... we just need another dimension to our prop rotation, because Willie is pretty much completely over the hill now. Willie reminds me of Ben Cross, but with about half the effort at the moment. He's very top heavy and easy to take down when he hits the line. Seems to tip himself over half the time. Little impact.

- Finding a strike backrower. We need a Josh Papalli, a Jason Taumalolo, a SBW, a Watmough, a Dave Taylor (when he's putting in), A Sam Burgess... just a forward who is a legitimate threat with the ball in hand, really. Someone with some size and ball skills. McKinnon isn't that. Rochow isn't that. Scott and Smith aren't that. Basically, I think we need to bring this in from the outside. Sims may be able to be something like that, i'm not sure... I don't know his game very well... but he can't be the prop we need and the backrower too... or worse, he may not live up to the hype anyway and be no better than what we've got already.

 

[Apey]

The only problem we have is being the most unlucky club with injuries of the past 10 years.

Over-exaggeration. Other clubs have had similar injuries. Our roster is not as good as some claim it to be. We over-achieved last year.