Rumoured Targets 3

[PhilGould]

Toohey's News

- The world's slowest moving train wreck continues with Luke Brooks still being central to the club’s plans, despite interest in both Tyson Gamble & Reueben Garrick.
- Gamble seems likely to happen with his competitiveness, defence and kicking game appealing to the Knights.
- Garrick is seen as a backup plan if the Brooks move again fails to eventuate. There’s still serious reservations internally about moving Kalyn Ponga to the halves.
- Jake Clifford’s future at the Knights also hinges on Brooks.
- With Hayden Knowles moving on the Knights are now paying out their second high performance manager in less than 12 months.

 

[mozza91]

Grim stuff. Pinning all our hopes on Brooks who’s likely staying at the Tigers.
You know we’re gonna have Tyson Gamble as our choice halfback next year. Thank Christ for the Dolphins otherwise the spoon is ours.

 

[Jono078]

Why are we paying out Knowles? Didn’t he decide to up and leave?

 

[SamSepi0l]

I'm glad there is some resistance to the KP to 6 idea somewhere.

 

[Spot On]

Nah, keep him at 1 and watch him dive on the ground after catching the ball, dish it off to the wingers when he should be returning the ball and getting k/o when he does have a run.

Unless he starts playing like a fullback then the club has little choice. Make him play 6 and get involved.

Will he be a success? f**k knows but he’s nowhere near the top fullbacks in the comp either so he’s hardly killing it at 1 considering he’s probably the highest paid or close to it.

Apparently a QLD superstar with talent like Ponga can do anything.

We’ll see.

 

[Old dog]

Forget Brookes, sign Garrick.
1 Garrick, 6 Ponga, 7 Clune/Gamble

 

[Apey]

I'm glad there is some resistance to the KP to 6 idea somewhere.

Not a fan?

I think he'd be a better 6 than 1.

 

[PhilGould]

 

[macavity]

Not a fan?

I think he'd be a better 6 than 1.

even if we don’t sign a replacement 1 I would be moving him. Let Hodgson and French battle it out for the jersey.

Defending in the front line lessens the ferocity of the collisions, kick returns and high ball work aren’t exactly his strong points, and being in the halves forces him to take control of the attack.

If he is our best player we have to live and die by his hand - this year has proven we have no other option.

if he can’t do it on the back of a rolling pack, he is all hype and we are in for a long 5 years.

 

[SamSepi0l]

even if we don’t sign a replacement 1 I would be moving him. Let Hodgson and French battle it out for the jersey.

Defending in the front line lessens the ferocity of the collisions, kick returns and high ball work aren’t exactly his strong points, and being in the halves forces him to take control of the attack.

If he is our best player we have to live and die by his hand - this year has proven we have no other option.

if he can’t do it on the back of a rolling pack, he is all hype and we are in for a long 5 years.

This reads as a fan fiction.
Where has this rolling pack been?
Are they going to be rolling on the back of an undersized 1 in French of Hodgson getting driven back 10m on kick returns?

In reality though, an actual player who did the reverse, Munster, said how much easier it was at fullback without the defensive work and responsibilities.

He's obviously a decent enough fullback for Billy Slater of all people to want to pick him there.
I'm not a fan of KP having to make 30 tackles (and likely missing 5) every week. He's shown he can be a class 1, but we're so fixated on the fact he isn't lifting a bottom 3 roster single handedly.

Maybe he just isn't the kind of player who can put a team on his back and carry his squad on his own.
Personally, I think he works best as a 2nd fiddle which is a concern when we've broken the bank to keep him.

 

[Spot On]

Put a team on his back???

How about start with returning the ball, you know, like a fullback. Get involved more. Have a decent crack. Grow a set and have a look at what a bloke like Dylan Edwards does during a game. Effort can lead to great things.

If you don’t want him in the front line making tackles he needs to do more than fall on the ground after catching a kick.

Billy Slater can rate whoever he wants. Gags still gets a start for QLD ffs. Ponga has a contract with Newcastle. He gets paid to play in this team every week. He made that choice.

It’s time he gets involved and has a go.

 

[Mr_Knightside]

This reads as a fan fiction.
Where has this rolling pack been?
Are they going to be rolling on the back of an undersized 1 in French of Hodgson getting driven back 10m on kick returns?

In reality though, an actual player who did the reverse, Munster, said how much easier it was at fullback without the defensive work and responsibilities.

He's obviously a decent enough fullback for Billy Slater of all people to want to pick him there.
I'm not a fan of KP having to make 30 tackles (and likely missing 5) every week. He's shown he can be a class 1, but we're so fixated on the fact he isn't lifting a bottom 3 roster single handedly.

Maybe he just isn't the kind of player who can put a team on his back and carry his squad on his own.
Personally, I think he works best as a 2nd fiddle which is a concern when we've broken the bank to keep him.

This basically sums up my view too. Ponga is often maligned for not carrying the team on his back and dominating but he's basically playing in a bottom 4 team and we are miles off the top sides in most positions. We've been relying on a reserve grade hooker giving slow service to our forwards for 3/4 of the season and ever changing reserve quality halves combos. Then there's the forwards themselves who haven't exactly showered themselves in glory... and that's before we get to the never ending crippling injury toll to most of our best players.

He's often getting the ball with little to no ruck speed and the defence is rushing up and flattening him as a result, which also makes the HIA risk worse.

If you put Ponga into any of the top sides he's a superstar, no doubt. Yeah some of that might come down to coaching and the system being implemented but just playing with better players week in week out too. It's no surprise that his best games this year have come at Origin level where he's playing with elite players and surrounded by legends of the game like Slater, Thurston & Smith for example.

Yeah there's some stuff there that he can improve on, and him being made captain was a mistake imo, but ultimately he's a player who's being hamstrung by being in a team of plodders most of the time.

 

[perverse]

Is it a common thing at other shit teams in the NRL for their best player to take the blame for the rest of the team playing like a bunch of dead shits around him? Or is that a unique to us? No-one could carry the mess that was this year. The squad and coach have been taking the piss.

There are definitely times he can do better, but he did improve as the year wore on.

Regardless of all that, honestly, I can't blame the bloke for dropping his head a bit at times and not going full tilt. The quality around him is so dreadfully poor. None of you seem to have been in a workplace where you're surrounded by plonkers, because it is highly demotivating having to constantly carry all the dead weight around you. Human psychology can't be baked down to "you're getting paid for it - do it". You need the right support around you too or you won't perform to your capacity. It's honestly an infant's take on the situation to just look at the paycheque in a vacuum and expect more without considering the context. He's got a squad that sucks and a coach that doesn't seem to be able to coach around him, and he's not going to rise above all of that by himself. The rest of the team and the club are letting him down as much or more than he is letting them down.

I've said it before and will again - our biggest problem with Kalyn is we made him captain. He's not suited to it, not yet anyway. He needs guidance and leadership as much as any other player on the team right now. We can only hope he grows into it from here, because the club seems set on it. It was too early at the very least, and he may never grow the right personality traits to pull it off. Either way, if we could put enough help around him the problem is moot. He'd be killing it.

 

[macavity]

This reads as a fan fiction.

Fan fiction? What the f**k?

I believe KP would be more valuable to the team as a 6 than a 1.

I believe it is easier to find a competent 1 than 6.

Plenty of "smaller" fullbacks get sets off to a good start - Dylan Edwards and Bailey Hodgson are the same height and Hodgson is a good off-season from being a similar weight FFS. Bevan French is a bit shorter, but he has good footwork - works for Paps, Drinkwater, Reece Walsh. And neither of them could be much worse than KP under the high ball, he is pretty ordinary.

We can't all have a Turbo, Teddy or Latrell.

When our prop rotation isn't constantly playing off the back foot due to poor spine play, they roll forward nicely and give space. Our issues (in attack at least) are all about the spine, not the engine room.

Munster is a good example of why KP should move. Yeah, he might have more fun playing 1, but he is more valuable to the team playing 6. We need more work from KP, not less.

As for the defence, it's a trade off for the extra kms a fullback has to cover. He will be fine, particularly if he commits to putting a few extra kg on over the off-season.

These are opinions. Not "fan fiction". You can disagree with someone without being a dick.

 

[PhilGould]

If people are upset about Ponga’s kick returns don’t get your hopes up for French, he's a huge negative with yardage plays in general. Still no idea how we can look around at the size and athleticism of modern day wingers and think he’ll be effective in that role even if only as depth. IMO he’s a backup fullback or nothing, and I'd rather see Hodgson in that role if he can stay intact.

Hodgson actually does punch above his weight in that area from the few games I’ve seen though obviously it’s a very small sample size. Not a huge metre eater but good leg speed and had a knack of getting to ground for quick play the balls despite his size. He has only played 4 or 5 games total since being here though. I’ve said before I wouldn’t be shocked if he’s released back to England before next season but if he’s still here he needs to worry about staying on the field in NSW Cup before factoring him into first grade plans.

 

[Loose Cannon]

If people are upset about Ponga’s kick returns don’t get your hopes up for French, he's a huge negative with yardage plays in general.

Agreed, but I assume his paycheque may reflect his ability in this area.

 

[Spot On]

Fan fiction? What the f**k?

I believe KP would be more valuable to the team as a 6 than a 1.

I believe it is easier to find a competent 1 than 6.

Plenty of "smaller" fullbacks get sets off to a good start - Dylan Edwards and Bailey Hodgson are the same height and Hodgson is a good off-season from being a similar weight FFS. Bevan French is a bit shorter, but he has good footwork - works for Paps, Drinkwater, Reece Walsh. And neither of them could be much worse than KP under the high ball, he is pretty ordinary.

We can't all have a Turbo, Teddy or Latrell.

When our prop rotation isn't constantly playing off the back foot due to poor spine play, they roll forward nicely and give space. Our issues (in attack at least) are all about the spine, not the engine room.

Munster is a good example of why KP should move. Yeah, he might have more fun playing 1, but he is more valuable to the team playing 6. We need more work from KP, not less.

As for the defence, it's a trade off for the extra kms a fullback has to cover. He will be fine, particularly if he commits to putting a few extra kg on over the off-season.

These are opinions. Not "fan fiction". You can disagree with someone without being a dick.

Post of the year.

Well said.

 

[NoSchitSherlock]

If we go Gamble I reckon defence would be a plus over having Ponga battle it out in defence. I don’t reckon Ponga would be up to it.
Ponga essentially up at 6 in attack then drop him back.
Not sure what Gamble could really offer in attack though.
At least we are looking at options.

 

[Jono078]

Tyson Gamble is undefeated with the Broncos this year, 8-0.

Fair for everyone to have their own opinion but I've paid close attention to him this year and really like what I see.

I'd much rather him than Brooks. I think he's a much better fit for what we're looking for and need. Oh, and he won't break the bank. I see him as a very low risk acquisition with plenty of potential upside for the whole team.

 

[Yosh]

Gamble would be on much less than Brooks. Cost benefit makes Gamble the better Gamble.