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Rumoured Targets 3

Knight Tales

Bench
Messages
3,001
To be fair, the making excuses could also be applied to our coach sometimes.

Pryce has definitely got talent. I like that he has both a left and right step. Still definitely very raw though and we’re going to need to put in a lot of work with him. I wonder if he signed up being told he’d be playing fullback…

He could do very well as a running 5/8 with time…not sure where that leaves Gamble though. I just love that bloke. Definitely not super skillful but his enthusiasm is very valuable.
I disagree. He is being punished for leaving. Pryce is in and out of that side every other week. O’Brien can coach. The other fella has the deepest squad in the ESL.
 

PhilGould

Bench
Messages
3,459
Had a bit of a career resurgence with the Tigers last year after being out of the league for a couple of years but hasn't carried that over to the Bulldogs. Another average utility but only signed for the rest of the year at least.
 

Rod

Bench
Messages
3,726

New deal for Frizell is official. Signed for 2024 + player option for 2025 + mutual option for 2026.
I like this, especially the options which give both parties some flexibility if need be.
 

Woody90

Juniors
Messages
2,216
I like this, especially the options which give both parties some flexibility if need be.

Me too. Unknown numbers aside, it’s a smart “we love you and you’re playing great but you’re getting old and we can’t predict how fast you’ll decline” contract.

At least we know why it took so long to announce now. So many options.
 

perverse

Referee
Messages
26,686

New deal for Frizell is official. Signed for 2024 + player option for 2025 + mutual option for 2026.

oprah-player-options.png
 

Mr_Knightside

Juniors
Messages
2,357
Nu Brown is a good player. Hasn’t played as many NRL games as he should have but definitely a good option to have in an area of weakness for us. I don’t expect AOB to change a winning side especially given that Crossland has been solid and consistent for us but Brown does give us depth if we need it.
 

Knight Tales

Bench
Messages
3,001
Crossland has copped plenty in here (me included) but the fact he stood up against a relentless football side and showed some real smarts around the ruck is nothing to do with being solid. That is progress. The kid can play. It just took time and regular footy. If he keeps going then Brailey is no guarantee of starting next season. May be blessing in disguise cos he is on plenty and a lot of sides need A dummy half. His injury history is reaching the point where we can no longer carry it either. Big choices to be made.
If by some chance we make the 8 that is 3 out of four seasons we have made it under Obi. The style of footy we are playing is attractive to potential signings. It is not really about results now. We are going up against some very desperate sides who are under a lot more pressure than us. I just hope we can play the same positive footy every week and be threatening for 80 mins. Show that we are on an upward curve.
 
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Mr_Knightside

Juniors
Messages
2,357
Yeah I agree, I still think Brailey is the no.1 hooker at the club and his leadership is underrated but if he goes down injured again (which is likely) then Crossland is a guy who we may feel a lot better about having on the field in future.

TBH I’m starting to feel like the problem is not that Crossland is the backup but more that our first choice hooker (who’s in good $$$) isn’t able to stay fit.
 

Burwood

Bench
Messages
4,979
That is progress.

And let’s be honest, that’s what fans want to see. O’Brien has copped it in recent years for not being able to improve players, but we are finally starting to see progress in the squad.

For some it’s been improving defensively (Gagai, Best), for others it has been developing skills for a particular position or role in the team (Crossland, Ponga). But the progress is there.

This side has the hallmarks for a team Newcastle can get behind- not much razzle dazzle, but a lot of heart and punching above their weight against the big clubs in the comp. Not too dissimilar to Canberra in some regards.
 

Woody90

Juniors
Messages
2,216
And let’s be honest, that’s what fans want to see.

100%. Tbh I don’t really care about making the finals this year, I just want to see us continue to improve. So far this year to me we definitely have, but it will be hard to maintain that belief if we completely drop our bundle for the last rounds of the year. That certainly doesn’t mean needing to win every game, but we at least need to beat Dolphins/Dogs/Dragons comfortably and put our best foot forward against Canberra/Souths/Sharks regardless of results. 3 wins and some extra competitive performance won’t get us to the finals, but it will at least give us some confidence moving into next year considering we were expected to get the spoon this year.

I hear a lot of people say that our squad will be in much worse shape next year but I don’t see it. Yes Dom is a big loss, but at the end of the day a winger isn’t going to determine whether the side plays well or not. A good winger can make a good side even better, but they’re not going to save a bad side, likewise a bad one isn’t going to bring down a good team.

The only other loss may be Fitzgibbon, but if KPP plays to half of his potential he won’t be. We’ll also have the luxury of doing an entire pre-season with Ponga at fullback and we’ll be in an even better position if we can somehow get Brailey through a few more games. I don’t think it’s a sure thing that the squad will be significantly worse next year. It might be better but of course injuries will play a role there.
 

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