Rumoured Targets 3

[Jono078]

We were competitive because of Mitchell Pearce, and every week this forum wanted him gone.

We have been trending downwards at an alarming rate, ever since AOB got here and 2/3rds of that time we had Pearce.

To hang all your hopes on Pearce or vice-versa - to blame everything on him, is completely ignoring a plethora of other issues.

 

[Yosh]

If our team was dependent on an injury prone 30 something year old halfback who had a history of off field incidents and a reputation of losing in the big moments, there is something else super wrong with that...

 

[aqua_duck]

I kid you all f**king not... On the back of Crossland's "good" game, AOB was asked if there's plans to keep him around for next year... and well... he confirmed they've agreed to terms and we'll have super Crossland on the books next year.

NRL Press Conference: Knights v Sharks - Round 25, 2022

Newcastle Knights and Cronulla Sutherland Sharks coaches and captains chat to the media after their Telstra Premiership Round 25 clash.

www.nrl.com

F.M.D. See you all in 2024.

we've set the bar so low for Crossland that any game where he doesn't drop the ball 3 times, throw 5 hospital balls and miss 10 tackles is q good game.
For almost every player in the squad, even the much maligned ones I can think of at least 1 thing that they're decent at with the exception of Crossland and Jack Johns

 

[NoSchitSherlock]

I was reading or hearing that Clune was brought in to give experience to Crossland in Reserved but then they both ended up in Firsts.
Seems odd to me.

 

[macavity]

Crossland and Gamble are basically the same player. Try hard but limited skills.

We dont need two, hell even one is too many.

we are going to roll in to next season with 4 NSW cup halves.

 

[slotmachine]

Johns, Mann, Simi, Crossland, Randall, cornering the market in "utilities".

 

[Jono078]

How’s our Jersey Flegg halves? They must be doing something right if the team is going so well?

 

[Bdubs]

Crossland and Gamble are basically the same player. Try hard but limited skills.

We dont need two, hell even one is too many.

we are going to roll in to next season with 4 NSW cup halves.

you could mount a good argument that some of them aren't even NSW cup standard halves

 

[Joel-22]

apparently Manly want to swap Garrick for Dom lol

 

[mozza91]

apparently Manly want to swap Garrick for Dom lol

They can have Crossland. Johns, Jones, Clune and Randall. Don’t even give us Garrick just take them.

 

[Yosh]

apparently Manly want to swap Garrick for Dom lol

Tell them they can have Tuala, Best and Gagai instead. 3 for 1!

 

[Mr_Knightside]

I know this won’t be a popular opinion, and I’m not keen on us keeping Crossland either, but our halves depth is probably the worst in the comp and it would be pretty risky to cut Crossland loose without having better players lined up to come in. The halves market isn’t exactly booming right now, and it’s all well and good to talk about potential targets but we have to convince them to come here and not blow our cap out of whack in the process. I don’t think Crossland is being re-signed as a first choice option and I have a feeling the club sees him as a reserve grader that they want to put some time into developing (especially given there were no reserve grade games for 2 seasons due to covid which looks to have held Crossland back a bit) and he probably played way more first grade this year than what the coaching staff would have expected.

I’m just playing devils advocate here because if we brought in a couple of quality halves then sure let’s not even consider keeping Crossland but there really aren’t many options at the moment and keeping him on a bargain basement deal for another year and waiting to see what we can do for 2024 might be a safer play.

 

[Yosh]

I'm not happy we ended up keeping him. However, if we were going to resign him, why not drop Milford as soon as we knew he was gone and play Crossland so he gain experience, confidence and synergy with the team? This frustrates me no end.

 

[Old dog]

Probably thought Crossland wasn’t needed as the had eyes on Brookes, Douhi, Hastings and along with having Clune and Clifford and Mann. That has changed with those three not likely for 2023 with some doubt about Clifford and Mann appears to have an ongoing injury.

 

[Jono078]

By the sounds of it, they’ve been negotiating with Crossland and that’s more likely meaning he’ll be here rather than Milford who was a guaranteed leave.

You watch, AOB will have a press conference next year where he says I can’t be tough on Crossland because it’s only his 3rd game in the halves in the NRL and all of us will be like well you had a f**kin opportunity to give him time instead you stuck with Milford who didn’t benefit us at all at the time.

 

[The Axe of Druss]

Agreed. It's tiresome.

In other news Bevan French made the Super League team of the year.

He joins other superstars, Shaun Kenny-Dowall, Ken Sio, Chris McQueen, Tim Lafai...

...and Brodie Croft

What a comp

 

[Burwood]

Hopefully Crossland can continue to develop. But he needs to do it in reserves, and he also needs to be played in the one position- not constantly shifting between halves, lock and hooker.

Hoy is a good example of a player who has taken a bit more time than some others to find their feet in first grade. Go back 6 weeks ago and Hoy was seen as an utter failure and someone who should be nowhere near the NRL. But I think he’s ended up as an adequate replacement since Ponga’s concussion. He’s not an NRL standard fullback, but will be the type of player who can do the job admirably for a handful of games to cover the first choice.

 

[slotmachine]

Hoy has always been able to make something happen, especially in reserves.

Crossland is a spud who looks ordinary in nsw cup. He got a month at 7 in ressies during the year and did absolutely nothing

 

[Apey]

Johns, Mann, Simi, Crossland, Randall, cornering the market in "utilities".

Train hard but arent actually good at any position?

Maybe a bit harsh on Simi.

 

[Yosh]

I definitely want to see more of Simi next season. Both in the sense that I feel like he has potential and I want to see him on the field in the last 5 minutes of a game when we're done by 40 points.