Sack Adam O'Brien

[Burwood]

He would. I just wonder if he has the patience when he has been at a club which is demanding success every year and can pretty much land any player they want.

It would be a big shift for him. But having said that, he’s been at the club before and he knows the challenges that would lay ahead. He’d definitely attract more players than AOB, though.

 

[Apey]

Kinda funny the Roosters are one of the only teams that rivals us for boneheaded errors though.

 

[ryan.a87]

Where’s this chat about Robson coming from?

mate we just assuming that he is going to be given the flick if they miss the 8 and knights might try and snap him up?

is he really that good of a coach? Or does he just have the advantage of uncle nicks sambreo?

 

[Woody90]

I can’t see him getting sacked anyway, but Robbo’s not the sort of coach we need IMO.

Like Apey said, our errors are a big problem needing fixing and the Roosters are consistently awful for that too. Their attack is also pretty up and down depending on the season despite having a significant amount of star players.

Robbo’s great at instilling a culture for players who are already basically a finished product to do their best, but doesn’t seem great at coaching guys who need work. We’re not close to a premiership window. We need a coach who is going to be prepared to work closely with all the young guys coming through and especially Brown and Sharpe on their individual development and Robbo just doesn’t seem like that coach to me. The Roosters mantra has been sign guys on big money but then cut them if they need any work. Most of our players need some work. Also poor Dom if that were to ever eventuate.

 

[HarVeeGee]

Also a lot of our fans hate AOB’s pressers and thinks he makes excuses. He’s got nothing on Robbo who’s one of the biggest crybabies we’ve ever seen when his team doesn’t get an absolute dream rails run from the officials.

 

[Knight Tales]

Dom has already proven it was not him at the Roosters IMO. He is staying on his wing in defence again. Competing on aerials. His yardage carries are up. You could see the anxiety in his game from day one at the Roosters. He looked like he was on the outer. He is home now. We know what we will get from him and that includes errors. But the good far outweighs the bad.

 

[Yosh]

Dom has already proven it was not him at the Roosters IMO. He is staying on his wing in defence again. Competing on aerials. His yardage carries are up. You could see the anxiety in his game from day one at the Roosters. He looked like he was on the outer. He is home now. We know what we will get from him and that includes errors. But the good far outweighs the bad.

He looks like the comp's best winger again.

 

[Alex28]

If we want AOB to start in 2026, you need to keep him there for the full year. Cutting him 8 rounds in ruins next season. Silly idea.

If there is the appetite to let him go at some point - just do it this year. Tell him now, get him to coach out the year, start the search for a new coach right now. Let’s stop wasting time.

 

[Mr_Knightside]

Yeah I really hate seeing coaches get sacked a couple of months into a season. Usually it’s because they’re on shaky ground already. But if they’re only barely hanging onto their job already then that’s a good sign that they’re not going to be there long term. Either move him on at the end of this season or keep him around for all of 2026.

I don’t really understand what he can do that will make the team improve next year though. It’s not like he can just “coach better” because I believe he’s doing that to the best of his ability every week. It’s true that injuries have played a part and he doesn’t really have the same cattle that some other coaches do but the apparent lack of any clear game plan on a week to week basis is glaring. We saw this last year and somehow it went backwards this year under the same coaching staff. So I don’t really understand how all of a sudden they make it better again, because that would involve going in the opposite direction of their current coaching philosophy (when it comes to attack) which I can’t see happening.

 

[mozza91]

Also a lot of our fans hate AOB’s pressers and thinks he makes excuses. He’s got nothing on Robbo who’s one of the biggest crybabies we’ve ever seen when his team doesn’t get an absolute dream rails run from the officials.

It would be hilarious to see him coaching one of the have nots with the inexplicably horrible calls that we cop. His red face would explode.

 

[macavity]

I know robbo was very highly rated when he was here. He can obviously coach. But it takes an absolute fiend to get the best out of a “have not” club like us. The raiders for example, perfect fit for Ricky, he can sell the joint and lives and breathes it. Not sure Robbo could be that for us. Selling the Roosters isn’t a sell job at all. The next coach needs to be our Ricky - someone who wants to build the joint and can convince others to buy in.

 

[Dr Dr Gimedanews]

AOB should be the coach next year, if he isn't I'll be very surprised. Wests Group manage the club so anything is possible.

Moving on AOB will only serve to confirm the "Knights basket case" media headline, destabilize the club at a critical juncture moving forward. It would be a media frenzy making recruitment that much harder.

Sully will have consulted with the head coach regarding the playing style, strength/ weaknesses, and vision moving forward - and attempted to recruit accordingly.

Change the coach and expect yet another reset.

Don't read too much into media fabricated headlines.

 

[ryan.a87]

AOB should be the coach next year, if he isn't I'll be very surprised. Wests Group manage the club so anything is possible.

Moving on AOB will only serve to confirm the "Knights basket case" media headline, destabilize the club at a critical juncture moving forward. It would be a media frenzy making recruitment that much harder.

Sully will have consulted with the head coach regarding the playing style, strength/ weaknesses, and vision moving forward - and attempted to recruit accordingly.

Change the coach and expect yet another reset.

Don't read too much into media fabricated headlines.

I feel like if it was a media beat up (wouldn’t put it past them)

Parr or Gardner would have come out the day after the first article hit and garunteed AOB would be here next year

 

[Dr Dr Gimedanews]

I feel like if it was a media beat up (wouldn’t put it past them)

Parr or Gardner would have come out the day after the first article hit and garunteed AOB would be here next year

the club shouldn't stage a media conference in reaction to a media headline - nor should Ponga. Do the Storm every headline Bellamy is leaving?

The media has a job - generate clicks - the end. If there isn't a story make one.

Not 1 source for the AOB is being sacked narrative? Ball Boy's sister, Parr's next door neighbors uncles friends brother in-law ?

"There's an internal push" "Barring a late season run" blah blah blah.

No source No specifics Not anything. I'm not sure which is worse, that media now reads like a 1980's grandma gossip magazine or that Australian culture has sunk so low that people believe it.

 

[Dr Dr Gimedanews]

I feel like if it was a media beat up (wouldn’t put it past them)

Parr or Gardner would have come out the day after the first article hit and garunteed AOB would be here next year

Just seen this - about 4.30 min mark. That's enough said. The club shows strength and doesnt jump at silly media shadows.

Great news also Gardner gone.

https://www.newcastleknights.com.au...dBf4t3c4aZeo7V23Kt_aem_y-XHLleTuHFoqFMlTchapg

 

[Woody90]

Just seen this - about 4.30 min mark. That's enough said. The club shows strength and doesnt jump at silly media shadows.

Great news also Gardner gone.

https://www.newcastleknights.com.au...dBf4t3c4aZeo7V23Kt_aem_y-XHLleTuHFoqFMlTchapg

I’d take Parr’s comment there with a grain of salt because he doesn’t say AOB isn’t going anywhere, just that he hadn’t heard anything from the board. Even if he did know something it’s not like he’s going to announce it answering a journo’s question. It was the perfect way to handle it. If AOB does end up getting sacked he’s got plausible deniability that he was unaware at the time of the presser.

 

[perverse]

Oh good, as long as it doesn't look like we're a basketcase to the media then all is well. Splendid.

 

[Dr Dr Gimedanews]

I’d take Parr’s comment there with a grain of salt because he doesn’t say AOB isn’t going anywhere, just that he hadn’t heard anything from the board. Even if he did know something it’s not like he’s going to announce it answering a journo’s question. It was the perfect way to handle it. If AOB does end up getting sacked he’s got plausible deniability that he was unaware at the time of the presser.

perfect post - so a media announcement would have had the same response - and the circus continues. Further diminishing the brand image.

 

[jonno_knights]

The media is going to make any small clubs not performing look like basket cases. It's their job to drum up controversy.

Clubs obviously have friends/enemies in the media, and it shows in the stories they write and who they target. You only have to watch shows like 360 to see who is aligned with who. Like tonight they had a dig at Cariannis saying he was close to AOB, and he was basically saying none of the reports are backed by hard facts, and its all Chinese whispers. That was backed up by Parr being tight lipped on both Ponga and AOB situations. No doubt the club is reviewing both those situations, they wouldnt be doing their job if they weren't. If they've come to a decision, and the media knew, they wouldnt be changing their story every couple of days.

There's obviously something happening behind the scenes, but i feel like the club isnt as leaky to the media as we have been in the past. Either no decision has been made yet, or if it has been made, the majority of media are none the wiser.

There's also the possibility that decisions have been made, and parties have been informed, and NDAs / CA's are in place given the money at stake in AOBs potential payout and potential lost revenue if fans react negatively. It might just be a case of a business being run like a business.

 

[The Axe of Druss]

There's obviously something happening behind the scenes, but i feel like the club isnt as leaky to the media as we have been in the past. Either no decision has been made yet, or if it has been made, the majority of media are none the wiser.

There's also the possibility that decisions have been made, and parties have been informed, and NDAs / CA's are in place given the money at stake in AOBs potential payout and potential lost revenue if fans react negatively. It might just be a case of a business being run like a business.

Or...the club is taking the actions we would want them to by reviewing the coaching situation and looking at options if needed. I very much doubt a solid decision has been made on AOB just yet, at least as far as 2026 is concerned