Signings for next season

[jacko]

Heard there is also some guy in NZ they are very keen or signing and possibly another back from one of the Sydney sides. I think he was a lower grader

 

[roopy]

According to the Herald today the Knights have signed a centre/winger from the South Sydney premier League side named Kevin Henderson.

He is a big guy who can also play second row. He is the brother of roosters hooker Ian Henderson and comes from the central coast originally. The 21 yo was recommended to the club by David Fairleigh.

 

[rourkster]

According to the Herald today the Knights have signed a centre/winger from the South Sydney premier League side named Kevin Henderson.

He is a big guy who can also play second row. He is the brother of roosters hooker Ian Henderson and comes from the central coast originally. The 21 yo was recommended to the club by David Fairleigh.

I guess that means Richardson is well and truly retired now. Can you recall how this bloke went against us during the year Roopy?

 

[Bring it home Knights]

S Witt is a good buy.
When is Johns contract up?

Do you think the Knights will offer him a new contract when it's up for less money or the same, or one at all?

Same questions with Kennedy.

Both Johns and Kennedy have one year to run on their contracts.
Johns is a hard one to answer. Obviously, he is worth every penny we pay him, but the salary cap makes it near impossible to offer him the same kind of money for 2005. He has always said he would like to play in England before he retires, for Wigan, and I think he could make double the money we can give him if he decides to do that.

The money we now pay Johns could buy 2 star players or 4 good firstgraders in todays market - or more correctly, we could use the money to keep those players - like we wouldn't have to lose guys like Jobson, Quigley and whoever else we lose before next season.

WHY does the Salary Cap make retaining Johns hard? We can continue to pay him what we already do.. for another 2 or 3 years... We lost exported Rudder and are paying Robbie O (1/4) of what we used to AND MacDougall Match payments.. so WHY cant we keep players? Dont blame the Saalry Cap - Just poor management

Being an outsider looking in, this is where I think alot of the extra money has gone. Steve simpson, Most probably an increase in salary, josh perry an increase in salary, price is on 100K a year, we bought witt, abraham an increase. Then there's alot of the players that have come into 1st grade that will get pay increases. Lowrie, M kennedy, tanner, mueller, hall along with others. That's where alot of that 750K is going

 

[Kaz]

Just on Quigley, Gary Harley was saying on 2HD last night that the Broncos are not signing him, so the Knights are trying to work a way of keeping him at the club for another year so he can keep his profile up? Pretty ordinary when a young guy like him, who would be a better prospect than some first grade hookers going around can't secure a club because of the salary cap isn't it?

This is correct Tony

The Broncos lost interest in him when we signed Motu Tony.

The Broncos will probably use Michael Ryan as Hooker, with Motu the back up, Motu should be our 5/8.

 

[knights57au]

if macdougall and o'davis leave this i how i see our team shaping up next yr.

Hughes
Tahu Gidley Richardson Quinn


Kidley
Johns©

Kennedy
Simpson Abraham
Perry Buderus Parsons
Interchange:

Woolnough
Hall
Price
Newton

 

[tahu_is_da_best]

yay good news about quigley - he used 2 live a couple of houses up but he has now moved... i would love 2 c him play with the knights for another year or so........

 

[roopy]

An article from this mornings Sydney Herald saying we should keep Doogs, Robbie O and Quigley;

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/09/10/1063191456950.html

Our team is starting to look good for next season, but I still think we need a few junior backs to emerge next season for things to look really good. Riley Brown and Luke Mercer perhaps, or Blake Tremain-Cannon.

 

[roopy]

Premier League next year could look like;

Young/Salkeld
Henderson
Witt
Carmont/Brown
Tremain Cannon/Doggett
Brad Wallace/Ennis
Tyrie
Lowrie
Mueller
Bartlett
Matt Kennedy
Quigley/Ennis
Tanner

Tilse
Worth
White
Tolar

 

[roopy]

Premier League next year could look like;

Young/Salkeld
Henderson
Witt
Carmont/Brown
Tremain Cannon/Doggett
Brad Wallace/Ennis
Tyrie
Lowrie
Mueller
Bartlett
Matt Kennedy
Quigley/Ennis
Tanner

Tilse
Worth
White
Tolar

I believe Salkeld (Newcastle rep and country rep fullback) has signed. With Witt and the NZ halfback they are talking about it is hard to see where Tyrie fits into the picture. What a shame it would be to see Tyrie cut from the squad. I know that Easts were chasing him before this year, but his very ordinary year in Premier league might have convinced Ricky Stuart that Tyrie isn't the player he thought he was. In hindsight, Tyrie might have reason to regret being loyal to the Knights.

 

[Terminator]

Whats this George Carmont like Roopy, is he good enough to play in the NRL?

 

[roopy]

Whats this George Carmont like Roopy, is he good enough to play in the NRL?

The step up in class from the real NRL to the NRL is huge. A few examples would be Craig Hall being far, far above the standard of the real NRL last year, and being just firstgrade standard for the Knights (after an off season of NRL training, which would have improved his strength and fitness by a huge amount) and Dean Amos, who scored 19 tries in 10 games in the real NRL this year, and about 3 tries in about 10 games for the Knights Premier League team.
Having said that, Carmont is young, big, fast and best of all, he has a very high work rate in a game (I have heard all this, haven't seen him play). Carmont sounds like he could be a Mark Hughes in the making (Hughes was pulled out of the Kurri Kurri senior team).
An off season of proper NRL style training could see him progress as rapidly as Hall, or he might need to find his legs in the Premier League side for half a season or so.
The worst thing that could happen is that he dosen't improve, which would probably see him drop out of Premier League after a dozen games or so.

 

[Terminator]

Thanks Roopy.

 

[roopy]

The picture is getting clearer for next season.

We have signed O'Davis - lost McDougall, and according to Brett Keeble in the Herald yesterday we could still sign Dorn, Richardson, Carmont and Salkeld and the NZ Union halfback.

Looking at next season, we actually need more regular open age players than we had this season because we have a Flegg team for the entire season next year, so most of the guys who played Premier League this year will get a start next season, with some of them dropping back to Flegg. I think they may cut only Smith, Bates, Maddison and maybe Quinn, Jaques, Tyrie and if they are really harsh, Mueller. All the other guys should stay. Guys like Brown, Young, Tilse, Ennis, Tolar, White, Worth, Mercer, Doggett, Tremain-Cannon and Bartlett are all available for Flegg because they have put the age limit for Flegg up by one year, so those guys are assured a start even if they don't make Premier League again next year.

The guy who will be the hardest decision for the coach to keep or let go is Tyrie. If they are signing as many as three other guys to play halfback (Dorn, Witt, NZ half) there is really no place for him, but he is a guy who has looked good for years and was starting to look good again after taking the best part of the season to get used to the pace and physicality of seniors football. It was just the end of last season when we had articles in the Herald about how Ricky Stuart approached Tyrie after a game and wanted him to move to the Roosters and Hagan assured him that he had a big future at the Knights. I really hope he can get a start elsewhere if we cut him, because I can remember how he looked as dominant as Andrew Johns in the Flegg side in 2001 when he had a really strong forward pack in front of him (Esatheo, Matt Kennedy, Lowrie, Woolnough, Quigley, Mueller, Jaques). This year our young forwards have been outplayed in most games by older and more experienced guys, so Tyrie has not had much of a chance to impress.

 

[Danish Moo Cow]

Tyrie hasn't impressed because he is simply an ordinary player.

I wonder if Ben Walker would be interested in playing a year with us... He's a lot better with a half-decent half inside of him and even had a few moments this year. Definetely not a waste of a footballer either.

 

[Bring it home Knights]

We should have a great team next year.

Back line players.

Odavis, Hughes, Quinn, Hall, M Gidley, Kidley, Richardson [hopefully], Tahu.

Halves.

Johns, Dorn, Kidley, Witt.

Hookers.

Buderus, ennis, Quigley

Forwards.

Parsons, Perry, Woolnough, Estatheo, Price, Newton, Kennedy, Simpson, Abraham, Lowrie, Tanner.

It's a team with alot of depth. IMO, we need another 110kg forward in the team, we tended to loose alot when our starting props went off.

 

[roopy]

It's a team with alot of depth. IMO, we need another 110kg forward in the team, we tended to loose alot when our starting props went off.

I think Matt Kennedy could be the prop we need off the bench by next season. He has a lot of skill, and I think most of the young forwards will come on during this off season.

Tanner and Lowrie have both developed heaps this year, but I see them both as backrowers, while I often mistake Kennedy for Josh Perry now, although he still needs to put on a bit of size and strength to really be a josh clone. Kennedy has a lot more ball skills than Perry as well, and this will be a bonus as he becomes a firstgrade regular.

 

[antonius]

On paper it's not a bad looking team, I still think it is lacking in the backs, apart from Tahu, Kiddley, and of course Johns, it's a bit bland. I'm hoping with Hall becoming full time he will be a Doogs like centre/winger to give us a bit more spark. We need one or two of our younger tried forwards from this year, to become solid bench players, Parsons is a bit pedestrian at times, and is a good impact player, but we need a couple more perry type forwards. Besides which Pasrso hasn't been to reliable injury wise this year and that doesn't look like changing next season.

 

[Missa]

whats the story with dorn and richardson????are they signing with us?

 

[rourkster]

Tyrie hasn't impressed because he is simply an ordinary player.

I wonder if Ben Walker would be interested in playing a year with us... He's a lot better with a half-decent half inside of him and even had a few moments this year. Definetely not a waste of a footballer either.

Well DMC, Roopy's assessment of Tyrie was obviously the better thought out than simply labelling him ordinary without justification. He has represented NSW U/19's and has previously been approached by the Eels and Roosters. He must have something going for him.