R13 | Knights 22-44 Raiders @ Hunter | Saturday 3.00pm

[Noname36]

I understand it would not sit well with some but he seems way too comfortable.

The moment Mullen is fit he'll be back in the starting side...just as he should be.

He wasn't in good form before he was injured, but Jeez, it had nothing to do with him not having guts. If there's one thing you can always expect from Mullen it's effort and toughness.

Saying he should lose his spot because a rookie half had one half decent game is silly and frankly insulting to a bloke that's played a major role in the majority of the wins we've been able to scrape together post-Joey.

 

[hennypenny]

I'm glad tui is getting another chance and were better off with Roberts out of the side

 

[Allstar Knights]

I'm not Mullen's biggest fan, but I have no doubt his long kicking game and ability to get quality ball to his outside men would've been enough for us to beat the Warriors last week.

 

[Swarzey]

The moment Mullen is fit he'll be back in the starting side...just as he should be.

He wasn't in good form before he was injured, but Jeez, it had nothing to do with him not having guts. If there's one thing you can always expect from Mullen it's effort and toughness.

Saying he should lose his spot because a rookie half had one half decent game is silly and frankly insulting to a bloke that's played a major role in the majority of the wins we've been able to scrape together post-Joey.

It's hard to argue that he wasn't getting back into form before his injury. I would bet we would have defeated the Cowboys too on ANZAC Day if he remained on the field and probably defeated Brisbane too. I don't think people realise his value to the side; everything in attack comes from him. Not our fullback, not our hookers and certainly not Roberts.

Tui played well, but f**k me, one game and people think it's enough to unseat players. Just like Redman.

 

[1qaz]

I don't think people realise his value to the side; everything in attack comes from him. Not our fullback, not our hookers and certainly not Roberts.

Tui played well, but f**k me, one game and people think it's enough to unseat players. Just like Redman.

Stats tells a different story.
This season, Knights has averaged 15.3 a points game when Mullen has played a full game.
Without him Knights has averaged 17.2

 

[perverse]

What about every other year he's played, 1qaz? What story do those stats tell? What about our win percentage with and without Mullen - any time during his career including this year? What story do those numbers tell? The truth is that even when Mullen has a quiet game or "goes missing" - he still does more for the team than Tui, Roberts and Randell combined - and on both sides of the ball too.

Conventional wisdom until this season was that we simply couldn't compete without the bloke. Apparently that has all changed this year because his form is down.

When you have muppets like Trent Hodkinson walking out into the market with their hands out asking for $700k+... and we're paying Mullen $575k... I don't know why the f**k people complain. Mullen is one of the only blokes in the squad who actually stuck by us for unders on his market value, too - yet he cops it more than most. I just don't get it - he's not even our highest paid player. People get upset that he didn't live up to his potential without accepting that we've still got at least 1 competent half at the club.

 

[Swarzey]

Stats tells a different story.
This season, Knights has averaged 15.3 a points game when Mullen has played a full game.
Without him Knights has averaged 17.2

That's nice.

Now, how about you go dig up some stats over the last four/five years and it will most likely shit on your perspective.

 

[perverse]

I also think you'll find that with a sample size of 12 that the difference between 15.3 and 17.2 points scored per game is either statistically insignificant or extremely minor, too.

 

[1qaz]

What about every other year he's played, 1qaz? What story do those stats tell? What about our win percentage with and without Mullen - any time during his career including this year? What story do those numbers tell?

I don't bet on the Knights, so never kept a database on them.
An interesting stat this season though is Mullen is the 2nd worst miss tackles percentage in the team missing a tackle every 4.6 tackles.
BJ is the worst with a miss every 4.3 tackles..

 

[1qaz]

Sorry forgot Aku.
He misses a tackle every 2.3 tackles.

Not saying Mullen is the worst half going around. However, he's not the super play maker that the Knights fans are making him out to be.
Get him to do the long kicks, and direct the team around.
Thats what he's best at.

 

[perverse]

I don't bet on the Knights, so never kept a database on them.
An interesting stat this season though is Mullen is the 2nd worst miss tackles percentage in the team missing a tackle every 4.6 tackles.
BJ is the worst with a miss every 4.3 tackles..

I'll save you the time with your databases - our win percentage without Mullen is totally abysmal - and apparently you've forgotten that in the space of a few months.

Seriously though - what is your plan without Mullen? Here's another stat for you - we've only won 1 game without him this year. What's your plan without him - if you want him gone? There's a lot of whingers around here, myself included, but at least we try to discuss a solution. I'm getting sick of reading about people bitching about Mullen when they have absolutely no better options.

In Mullen we have - even at his worst - a solid, NRL competent half that was locally bred. A very, very rare breed indeed, he's the only one we've produced since Andew Johns in the mid-90's - yet whenever the guy stumbles form wise - you've got half the city trying to chase the guy out of town. I don't get it. I don't envy the guys career at all - looking back in retrospect he never had a chance of reaching his potential at our club for any number of reasons.

I'm also very skeptical of missed tackle stats when ineffective tackles, completed tackles and attempted tackle numbers aren't in the equation. Missed tackles - by themselves - are meaningless as a number. As a percentage of tackles attempted it becomes more meaningful... and grouped with ineffective tackles also paints a picture... but regardless, I think you'll find those numbers are way up on Mullens usual defence. As I said, and everyone is aware, he's well down on form this year.

For example - a half that attempted 10 tackles and misses 5 is still a better defender than the half that attempts 3 tackles and misses 3.

 

[Swarzey]

When you have muppets like Trent Hodkinson walking out into the market with their hands out asking for $700k+... and we're paying Mullen $575k... I don't know why the f**k people complain. Mullen is one of the only blokes in the squad who actually stuck by us for unders on his market value, too - yet he cops it more than most. I just don't get it - he's not even our highest paid player. People get upset that he didn't live up to his potential without accepting that we've still got at least 1 competent half at the club.

When you have guys like Hodkinson, J. Reynolds, Sandow all on 500k, it's puzzling and depressing that people think we're overpaying Mullen. Considering what he's able to do without the resources of some particular halves (Maloney, Pearce, A. Reynolds, Keary [LOL]), I can't say enough about his value to the side. There's a lot of overpriced, over hyped players running about in the competition and Mullen doesn't even come close them.

And the whole "No other club will take him" is based off media speculation or the lack of it to say. Difference with Mullen to most halves is that he isn't public about his contract situation. When his contracts come up there's little to no talk about him leaving because he hardly tests the market, he doesn't send his manager out to talk to other clubs. Cronulla is the only club in recent memory that had any discussion and even that I personally had no f**king idea about until he resigned with the club. The Knights don't put pressure on him to "earn a contract" because year in and year out he is far from the issue that plagues the club and he wins us more games than he does lose them.

Happy to admit I'm a Mullen apologist.

 

[1qaz]

Sorry forgot Aku.
He misses a tackle every 2.3 tackles this season....

Not saying Mullen is the worst half going around. However, he's not the super play maker that the Knights fans are making him out to be.
Get him to do the long kicks, and direct the team around.
Thats what he's best at..

 

[slotmachine]

Well we're going into 2016 with nine or ten proven NRL quality players, and Mullo is the only half, so if he's not an answer (of sorts) I'm not sure who is.

If he had of played for the Storm he would have got 10+ Origin games imo.

Edit. He can't organise squat. He's said time and time again he's not a half. If you try and get him to do it everything is pre-meditated and he plays like arse.

Nice passing and running game, good long kicking. If he was playing in a side with Cameron Smith to pull the strings he'd have had a long rep career.

 

[perverse]

Sorry forgot Aku.
He misses a tackle every 2.3 tackles this season....

Not saying Mullen is the worst half going around. However, he's not the super play maker that the Knights fans are making him out to be.
Get him to do the long kicks, and direct the team around.
Thats what he's best at..

Who is running around calling him a superstar?

 

[slotmachine]

He looked good when buderus was running the show.

 

[Swarzey]

Sorry forgot Aku.
He misses a tackle every 2.3 tackles.

Not saying Mullen is the worst half going around. However, he's not the super play maker that the Knights fans are making him out to be.
Get him to do the long kicks, and direct the team around.
Thats what he's best at.

Of course he's not because he has to carry incompetent halves. He was f**king brilliant towards the end of 2013 when not just the side, but Roberts was playing good football and he didn't have to rely on Mullen to hold his hand. There's a reason he came fourth in the Dally M poll (bias or not, legit or not it's a fact) JUST behind Thurston and Carney.

Name me a player, a halfback, a five-eight that isn't Thurston that can lead the side, spark the creaitivty, determine the direction, set up each and every play AND play out of his skin. He's overworked. I'll probably get shit on here but f**k it, Gidley was his best halves partner for the last few years. He took the responsibility off his hands and held organise the side and it's a damn shame for 2012 and most of 2013 we never got to see the combination develop.

He has a phenomenal kicking game, he has a left to right pass that is unmatched in the NRL, he can have a brilliant running game that I feel we're going to see more of when he returns. But everything that he can do is compounded by carrying halves partners.

 

[perverse]

Well we're going into 2016 with nine or ten proven NRL quality players, and Mullo is the only half, so if he's not an answer (of sorts) I'm not sure who is.

If he had of played for the Storm he would have got 10+ Origin games imo.

Edit. He can't organise squat. He's said time and time again he's not a half. If you try and get him to do it everything is pre-meditated and he plays like arse.

Nice passing and running game, good long kicking. If he was playing in a side with Cameron Smith to pull the strings he'd have had a long rep career.

This! The bloke is all ball skills, but little vision. Has all the ability, but has never really known when to use what. Unfortunately for him, vision is pretty much the key skill of a halfback... which is why he'll never be one.

The sad thing is we haven't even found a bloke like Jeff Robson to partner him in nearly 10 years. Apparently the combination of being able to tackle at NRL level, and do very simple halfback play are as rare as hens teeth... yet over the past couple of years I've noticed that every club has managed to find a halfback without shit between their ears except for ours.

I agree with you on the Gids thing, Swarzey. Outside of Roberts hot run in 2013, Gids has been Mullens best partner periodically... for no other reason than he has to worry about less.

 

[1qaz]

Who is running around calling him a superstar?

Swarzey.
Mullen would do well in the Storm system next to Cronk.
But not as the main playmaker.
Mullen has good long kicking game but his attacking kicks are average at best.
He puts up terrible bombs, he struggles to get repeat sets. Every now then he does put in a good little kick for Uate.
He has a beautiful right left to pass but hardly uses it. But apart from that his passing game is solid at best.
I'd still take him over Hoddkinson as Mullen is more talented.
In saying that if the scores were tied, give me Hodkinson.
Mullen has always struggled with this part of the game.

 

[Swarzey]

Swarzey.

*shrugs*

So be it.