Rumoured Targets 3

[Knight76]

I have no doubt Brown and Moons are under no illusions on how bad Hodkinson is, but they can't drop him as we have no-one else.

 

[Sydney Knight]

Would be happy with Foran but don't believe after everything that's gone on in the last 18 months that he should command a deal as big as his Parramatta deal.

He still needs to prove he has his shit together over a longer period before he deserves that level of cash.

 

[mozza91]

I have no doubt Brown and Moons are under no illusions on how bad Hodkinson is, but they can't drop him as we have no-one else.

Pearsell does well in the NSW Cup. He gets involved and can create points. He couldn't be any worse than Hodkinson.

 

[macavity]

Pearsell does well in the NSW Cup. He gets involved and can create points. He couldn't be any worse than Hodkinson.

He was Hodko-level stinky at NRL level. Just persona-non-grata.

I still prefer Feeney in the halves - let Lamb push them around, let Feeney run.

 

[perverse]

He was Hodko-level stinky at NRL level. Just persona-non-grata.

I still prefer Feeney in the halves - let Lamb push them around, let Feeney run.

Feeney seemed worth another look at when not playing fullback. Absolutely dreadful at the back, but I think he's been a little hard done by in getting chances to play in his natural position/s.

What do we lose in giving Feeney a few weeks to maybe have a chance to revive his career? I don't believe we lose anything at all, and at least have something to gain.

 

[mozza91]

Feeney was atrocious in NSW Cup yesterday . Made an error with his first 3 touches. Pearsell has been outplaying him from what I've seen.

 

[Knight76]

I think what we lose is face with opposition players potentially considering signing with us.

We wouldn't lose anything on field, other than goal kicking but I'd like to see how lamb goes at this.

But, for a player on the outside looking in who we may be interested in. Two spoons in a row is bad enough, but dumping your half and captain doesn't show any stability and makes us look an even bigger basket case.

 

[macavity]

Feeney was atrocious in NSW Cup yesterday . Made an error with his first 3 touches. Pearsell has been outplaying him from what I've seen.

lol

stick up for the guy and...

 

[Noname36]

Seriously Feeney was horrendous in FG. I know not his preferred position but he completely capitulated and couldn't even handle the absolute basic elements of the game.

You could argue he deserves another chance but not unless he starts proving he does in NSW Cup.

Face it, Hodkinson isn't going to get dropped until we sign someone else (that or one of the other halves at the club have a really dramatic improvement) - and to be honest like Knight76 has already pointed out: actually signing that quality half will be a hell of a lot harder if Hodkinson is punted and it looks to potential signings like the task here would come with way too much pressure.

 

[Apey]

If Feeney does one or two good things a game he's just about ahead of Hodko for net input.

 

[perverse]

I think what we lose is face with opposition players potentially considering signing with us.

We wouldn't lose anything on field, other than goal kicking but I'd like to see how lamb goes at this.

But, for a player on the outside looking in who we may be interested in. Two spoons in a row is bad enough, but dumping your half and captain doesn't show any stability and makes us look an even bigger basket case.

Letting a busted has-been pretend to be a halfback makes us look like a basketcase. Winning games will do more than anything we do with Hodko for our optics.

You don't believe that any player in the NRL seriously wants to play with Trent Hodkinson at this stage? The media might want to suck his cock off all the time - but the players won't buy that bullshit for a second. No player in the NRL cares about what we do with Trent Hodkinson except for any potential half we might buy to replace him. Total strawman issue for mine, you're flat out inventing reasons to keep him around for some reason. Is it trying to defend Browns decision? I don't get it. Brown certainly isn't perfect, even if he has done a lot of good since arriving.

 

[perverse]

If Feeney does one or two good things a game he's just about ahead of Hodko for net input.

It honestly doesn't matter who it is. The Hodko/Brown/Keeping Hodko in first grade apologists love it when someone says the word Feeney because he was legitimately shocking playing fullback in first grade and is an easy target for ridicule... but at the end of the day it doesn't matter at all. No player that we promote could provide as little as Hodkinson. They'd have to let in 3 tries, create none - and then hog the ball and run out with a minute left to go with the game in the balance to match him for some games this year. I really do think we'd be better served with Barnett at 6 - that's not even taking the piss or hyperbolising. Lamb could continue to do what he does and Barnett has done more work as a halfback than Hodko anyway.

Anyone - it doesn't matter. Knight76 and No-Name are running with the idea that there is no better option in our entire squad to put in the halves except Hodkinson. My assertion is that you couldn't pick a player in our squad that could do more harm than what is already being done, and that you may as well have a gamble at this stage because nothing is going to change.

You wouldn't even notice that he's gone except that our left side fringe defence might tighten up a fair bit. He doesn't do enough

 

[Apey]

I think the stability angle putting off potential recruits angle is complete nonsense tbqh.

 

[Glendale]

I think the stability angle putting off potential recruits angle is complete nonsense tbqh.

Yep, it's not instability turning these blokes away so far. We pulled our offer to Scott after his ACL, Storm were desperate to keep Finucane after losing Proctor and Harris so they paid big, the 'Thoroughbread TPAs' snatched Bird. The only one who we chased who wasn't real keen was Prior, and meh, we probably dodged a bullet there anyway.

 

[Spot On]

From the little I have seen of Feeney I have thought he looked like a bush footballer.

I'm that f**king pissed off with what I've seen from our captain that I would happily support Brown starting Feeney next week just to advertise to all Newcastle supporters that he is on the same page as us.

 

[Caped Crusader]

We lose plenty by bring in Feeney for Hodko

Jaleen is a shit defender and can't goal kick. We'd be much worse off as our bigger issue isn't a lame halfback, it's a serious lack of go forward

I'm a huge Hodkinson hater ftr

 

[Hello, I'm The Doctor]

I think a loy of you are being way too pesimistic about just how far the team has come...

We are competitive and even on top for large sections of our games, thanks to some brilliant defence and our runners giving us a good role when we have the ball.

For me, our entire problem is that we cant convert our assendency into point, and at the end if the day the scorelibe is what people remember.

And THAT is almost entirely down to how shit Hodkinson is; a decent half (like Foran) would worry the defender enough to draw a few in then get the ball out to the edges. Trent does none of this. (His determination NOT to get involved means we are attacking with only 12 guys more often than not)

I honestly think we would gain more from a back rower in the 6 than what trent gives us now; we would tighten our defence and we wouk have an extra runner in attack

Im also sort of inclined to suggest moving Gags to 6 to get him more touches, but maybe its better nit to mess with the one strike player we have ATM....

 

[Knight76]

Letting a busted has-been pretend to be a halfback makes us look like a basketcase. Winning games will do more than anything we do with Hodko for our optics.

You don't believe that any player in the NRL seriously wants to play with Trent Hodkinson at this stage? The media might want to suck his c**k off all the time - but the players won't buy that bullshit for a second. No player in the NRL cares about what we do with Trent Hodkinson except for any potential half we might buy to replace him. Total strawman issue for mine, you're flat out inventing reasons to keep him around for some reason. Is it trying to defend Browns decision? I don't get it. Brown certainly isn't perfect, even if he has done a lot of good since arriving.

But of course you have all the answers, did you lodge your resume with the Knights when Bennett left? lmao.

For the record I hate hodkinson, can't wait to see the back of him, but your assertion that simply replacing Hodkinson for Feeney is going to have us winning games just seems so easy. I wonder why Brown hasn't done such an obvious move. If you feel so strongly about this, turn up to a game and go along to one of those member forums that are being run before the game.

Brown must be such an inept coach if he can't see such a simple change will turn the entire team around and have us winning again.

No, I don't think any player in the NRL would want to play with Hodkinson. Who says Brown and moons are telling prospective players they will have to. Hopefully, they are looking for a half replacement to come in and replace him. Oh wait, they freaking are, they offered a bunch to bird, rumored to be looking at Foran now!

Maybe, they are telling prospective signings that they are not considering Hodkinson our half beyond this year. Maybe they have already had that hard talk with Hodkinson behind the scenes and told him he won't be our half next year, that he should look to ESL or to medically retire. How the f**k would you or I know.

 

[NoSchitSherlock]

Phffft on Feeney. He was a total nightmare last game. Sooner we ditch him the better.
All we really have left for this year, other than Hodko, is Randell. It's a toss up between ho and hum.

 

[Alex28]

If I was looking to come to the club, and saw that they dropped their half for a nobody I'd be thinking that the club is a massive shitshow and wouldn't give us another thought.

If we had a Nathan Cleary killing it in the lower grades? Sure. But we don't.

We have to play the patient long game that we started this year when we underspent our salary cap for a reason.