Rumoured Signings

[Captain Apollo]

The Knights keep going for the short term fix by signing the "big name" player out there, regardless of whether they are the correct fit for its current squad, than being more strategic. Its modus operandi reminds me of my club during the worst of the transit lounge years in the 1980s.

 

[Bazal]

The Knights keep going for the short term fix by signing the "big name" player out there, regardless of whether they are the correct fit for its current squad, than being more strategic. Its modus operandi reminds me of my club during the worst of the transit lounge years in the 1980s.

I don't think the target is specifically wrong. Nothing says they don't sign DylBro AND a cheaper organising half like Fogarty let's say. I also don't know what their junior halves stocks look like, but they have a lot of shit halves in the books too and likely can't get rid of all of them as well so that's a factor. Brown is coming into his peak years and is a very good player, plus his effort areas are Gutho esque.

What's mental though is a ten year 13 million dollar deal. Holy shit. I rate DylBro hugely and I think that's absolutely mad. Assuming it's from next year he'll be 35 when it ends. So either you're paying 1.3 mill for a 35 year old running half...or you stack the early years and really blow the arse out of your cap.

 

[Woody90]

The Knights keep going for the short term fix by signing the "big name" player out there, regardless of whether they are the correct fit for its current squad, than being more strategic. Its modus operandi reminds me of my club during the worst of the transit lounge years in the 1980s.

What are you talking about? The Knights one area of need is a half that can take pressure off Ponga. He wouldn’t be my first choice of targets but there’s SFA available. They tried to sign Pezet but he wasn’t keen. Who else can the club sign that’s going to make a difference?

The club obviously also don’t want to offer that much money or that length of contract, but that’s what you have to offer players to go to Newcastle. That’s what the bottom line is. They take a risk in Brown (Peter O’Sullivan seems to think he’s worth it) or be content finishing in the bottom half of the 8 for the next decade.

 

[Captain Apollo]

What are you talking about? The Knights one area of need is a half that can take pressure off Ponga. He wouldn’t be my first choice of targets but there’s SFA available. They tried to sign Pezet but he wasn’t keen. Who else can the club sign that’s going to make a difference?

The club obviously also don’t want to offer that much money or that length of contract, but that’s what you have to offer players to go to Newcastle. That’s what the bottom line is. They take a risk in Brown (Peter O’Sullivan seems to think he’s worth it) or be content finishing in the bottom half of the 8 for the next decade.

You just diagnosed the problem, the lack of an organising half. Dylan Brown is not an organiser. He's more a ball runner. Yes, he may be all that's available, however does that mean he's the right fit for what is needed? In my opinion, no. Have a look at the Roosters, needed a hooker so they signed Brandon Smith and look how that worked out. He didn't fit what the side needed, so now they are looking to get rid of him.

Sometimes sitting pat can be a better long term move than going out and signing the only available "big name" at a position of need on a long term deal. O'Sullivan is good at what he does, but that doesn't mean he's perfect either.

 

[Woody90]

You just diagnosed the problem, the lack of an organising half. Dylan Brown is not an organiser. He's more a ball runner. Yes, he may be all that's available, however does that mean he's the right fit for what is needed? In my opinion, no. Have a look at the Roosters, needed a hooker so they signed Brandon Smith and look how that worked out. He didn't fit what the side needed, so now they are looking to get rid of him.

Sometimes sitting pat can be a better long term move than going out and signing the only available "big name" at a position of need on a long term deal. O'Sullivan is good at what he does, but that doesn't mean he's perfect either.

Re the organising half, I do agree that in an ideal world that if we could find an organising half that was also a running threat that’s exactly what the team needs. If we had a 6 like Brown though who can actually offer an additional running threat to Ponga, all of a sudden someone like Cogger who can organise well (but can’t engage the line) becomes a very serviceable option where his role is just to organise. Our issues in the halves is that we’ve been carrying both a 6 & 7 that offer no individual threat so Ponga gets targeted. Listening to a lot of talk from the club about Fletcher Sharpe’s ability to talk and football IQ, I personally suspect that he might be seen as a genuine long-term halfback option (but that will take a while).

Realistically, if the Knights want a chance of opening any type of premiership window, they need to do it while Ponga is still around. It’s ok to say sit back and wait for an elite organising half to become available, but realistically how long do you wait for something that’s unlikely to come along anyway.

I don’t think people that support the teams in the capital cities, especially the big clubs, fully understand how difficult it is for clubs like Newcastle or Canberra to recruit top line players. They’re fighting in a completely different recruitment environment. The only reason we got Ponga was because we took a risk that the rest of the NRL called us crazy for at the time. If the choice is to roll the dice with Brown who could take some pressure off KP or sit around and wait for the perfect option that realistically won’t ever happen I know what my choice would be…however there will be a heap out there (even some Knights supporters that agree with you).