Knightmare
Coach
- Messages
- 10,716
I virtually just walked through the door after walking out of Jupiters' here on the Goldy after the Broncos went 28-18 up. Last time I walked out of a game early was back in 2007 when Penrith thrashed us at home with a weakened team. Yeah this is a rant, but what of it? I'm a patient person with no time for glory hunting or plastic support, but even I have my limits.
I'm done for this season. Hopefully come 2016 something will change- perhaps the board will wake up to the fact that recruitment from outside the Hunter fishbowl is actually a done thing these days? Perhaps recruitment (and results) will reflect this new-found attitude at last? But I'm not hopeful. Anybody calling me fair-weather can shove it. I stayed until the final buzzer back in 2002 when Cronulla put 50 on us. I did the same in 2007 when the Broncos scored with virtually every set of 6 in the Suncorp massacre. I handed Brian Smith a note offering my support back at the NRL fan-day in '08 after certain media hacks hauled him over the coals with every bullshit smear they could use against him for doing exactly what f**king job has needed to be done for the past 15 years. I've faithfully attended whatever games I could make up here in SEQ, and back in Sydney/ Newcastle when I'm down that way.
So I've endured a lot, but tonight was the last straw. I expected them to derp it up. Even cruising at 18-6 I wasn't confident. Then Jack Reed scores and the rest felt oh-so-inevitable. I sat there for the next 15 minutes, my patience tested. Then they scored that try to go 10 points ahead and I just thought "What's the f**king point?"
I can tolerate losses. I can tolerate being a shitty team. What I can't take is the complete lack of care displayed time and again- not just this season, but seemingly 4 out of every 5 seasons since 2001. I don't know why, but there seems to be a huge disconnect between the attitude on here and the attitude I see from so many of these useful idiots, content to paint their faces and take a million selfies at the game every fortnight with the same old "Bad luck boys" lip service and tolerance of a new 80-minute instalment of mediocrity. The Knights board should spend less time casting an eye over these people, and more time on here. I'm not even joking. This place is a breath of fresh air- but that's the problem. You know why?
Because if I were to vent my thoughts at the club or these fans, they would turn away and say something like 'Who does he think he is? He's not even from round here!' Right there. It's evident in the direction (or lack of direction) the club takes. It's evident in their almost decidedly mediocre approach to chasing the ultimate goal. Season after season after season. Too many people in the club, to this day, are still filthy with the likes of Warren Ryan, Brian Smith and even Wayne Bennett- heck, even Tinkler was bold enough to try and turn this place around. His judgement may have been a bit off ultimately, but at least he tried!
Unlike this current mob, who care about nothing but working alongside their old mates week in, week out. Who cares about showings like tonight? Who cares about a complete lack of heart from the players? Who cares about the fact that, aside from Premiership virgins Cronulla, North Qld, Gold Coast and the Warriors, only Parramatta and Canberra have longer Premiership droughts than us? As long as it's all local boys with their job in the NRL, all is good with the world, right?
Growing up, I was proud to support the Knights. It wasn't about supporting a successful team- if I just wanted to back a good team I would've jumped on the Raiders or Manly or the Broncos back in the 90's. It was about being proud to follow a team with a reputation throughout the League as being a side full of guts, who understood that it was about wearing the colours with pride and representing their town. It was reciprocated in the fans, too- remember the bus/ train loads who'd flock to Sydney every second weekend? We were "everybody's second favourite team". No matter what ground in NSW- Penrith or the SFS or even a day-trip down the Hume to Canberra- you'd see full bays of us, decked out in red and blue, there to lend full voice to the boys, who would (often) repay the effort by getting a win on the road, or at least doing everything they could to achieve it.
Contrast that to now, and saying you support the Knights is more or less a source of shame and pity. The good old days I mentioned are long behind, and instead the team is now known as little-more than a rabble full of also-rans, just another fixture in the NRL season schedule for away fans. We're virtually irrelevant to the wider NRL scene, outside of our supporter base. People can hate on Canterbury, Manly, St George or Souths all they want, but at least those teams are usually relevant- even if they're having a shit season, they're still a focal point. I wish I could follow a team as relevant to the wider Rugby League community as that. I'm not going to say they're even relevant in the Hunter- most of the 13-25 year olds can't be bothered with this club- their hometown club. The same local club the generation before them were famously passionate about- but is it any wonder why it's come to that? Supporting the Knights, wearing merchandise and going to games showing your support is seen as peculiar and (to be honest) more than a bit uncool. The kid who stays inside 12 hours a day playing W.O.W or Skyrim is higher up on the social scale than the kid who wears his jersey, takes his flag to the game and declares his support for the Knights on social media. When it comes to the modern NRL, we rival the Newtown Jets for relevance- but even then lack the 'hip' appeal. I'd like to say I'm joking, but it's not too far off the truth. Going to games isn't fun. Watching them usually leads to feeling as if I've wasted 2 hours of my life. The thing is: I could tolerate all of this if the club at least gave a shit about trying to be successful. Following the team back in 2008-09 was a highlight (under Brian Smith) because although the Knights weren't on the same level as Manly or Melbourne, they at least had a dig, and often got a result from it.
But these days, predicting our season is like predicting what colours each Wiggle will take to the stage in. If more of the faithful stopped acting like we were just 'unlucky' every game like tonight and started demanding accountability from the club, maybe things would turn around? Maybe the board would listen to these people based on their postcode? But for the meantime, looking at the upcoming fixtures each weekend feels near pointless- Souths or Cronulla or Brisbane or Melbourne or Penrith- who cares? Only similar rabble like the Tigers look beatable compared to us. That's not something to celebrate!
I really, truly hope that there will come a time where the board and the players are not necessarily local or from the old boys network- but they reflect the ethos those old boys played under: Be the player the bloke next to you wants to play with. That's all I ask and (evidently) what a lot of other people on here ask for. For now though? I'm almost relieved having reached this point where I truly couldn't give a shit about the remainder of our season.
Wayne Bennett is on the flight home to Brisbane right now, reclining in his comfy seat 10,000 feet up, looking out over the darkened sky and quietly pleased he chose the path he did last year. Far down below, however, I'm willing to bet Allan Macmahon is turning in his grave...
I'm done for this season. Hopefully come 2016 something will change- perhaps the board will wake up to the fact that recruitment from outside the Hunter fishbowl is actually a done thing these days? Perhaps recruitment (and results) will reflect this new-found attitude at last? But I'm not hopeful. Anybody calling me fair-weather can shove it. I stayed until the final buzzer back in 2002 when Cronulla put 50 on us. I did the same in 2007 when the Broncos scored with virtually every set of 6 in the Suncorp massacre. I handed Brian Smith a note offering my support back at the NRL fan-day in '08 after certain media hacks hauled him over the coals with every bullshit smear they could use against him for doing exactly what f**king job has needed to be done for the past 15 years. I've faithfully attended whatever games I could make up here in SEQ, and back in Sydney/ Newcastle when I'm down that way.
So I've endured a lot, but tonight was the last straw. I expected them to derp it up. Even cruising at 18-6 I wasn't confident. Then Jack Reed scores and the rest felt oh-so-inevitable. I sat there for the next 15 minutes, my patience tested. Then they scored that try to go 10 points ahead and I just thought "What's the f**king point?"
I can tolerate losses. I can tolerate being a shitty team. What I can't take is the complete lack of care displayed time and again- not just this season, but seemingly 4 out of every 5 seasons since 2001. I don't know why, but there seems to be a huge disconnect between the attitude on here and the attitude I see from so many of these useful idiots, content to paint their faces and take a million selfies at the game every fortnight with the same old "Bad luck boys" lip service and tolerance of a new 80-minute instalment of mediocrity. The Knights board should spend less time casting an eye over these people, and more time on here. I'm not even joking. This place is a breath of fresh air- but that's the problem. You know why?
Because if I were to vent my thoughts at the club or these fans, they would turn away and say something like 'Who does he think he is? He's not even from round here!' Right there. It's evident in the direction (or lack of direction) the club takes. It's evident in their almost decidedly mediocre approach to chasing the ultimate goal. Season after season after season. Too many people in the club, to this day, are still filthy with the likes of Warren Ryan, Brian Smith and even Wayne Bennett- heck, even Tinkler was bold enough to try and turn this place around. His judgement may have been a bit off ultimately, but at least he tried!
Unlike this current mob, who care about nothing but working alongside their old mates week in, week out. Who cares about showings like tonight? Who cares about a complete lack of heart from the players? Who cares about the fact that, aside from Premiership virgins Cronulla, North Qld, Gold Coast and the Warriors, only Parramatta and Canberra have longer Premiership droughts than us? As long as it's all local boys with their job in the NRL, all is good with the world, right?
Growing up, I was proud to support the Knights. It wasn't about supporting a successful team- if I just wanted to back a good team I would've jumped on the Raiders or Manly or the Broncos back in the 90's. It was about being proud to follow a team with a reputation throughout the League as being a side full of guts, who understood that it was about wearing the colours with pride and representing their town. It was reciprocated in the fans, too- remember the bus/ train loads who'd flock to Sydney every second weekend? We were "everybody's second favourite team". No matter what ground in NSW- Penrith or the SFS or even a day-trip down the Hume to Canberra- you'd see full bays of us, decked out in red and blue, there to lend full voice to the boys, who would (often) repay the effort by getting a win on the road, or at least doing everything they could to achieve it.
Contrast that to now, and saying you support the Knights is more or less a source of shame and pity. The good old days I mentioned are long behind, and instead the team is now known as little-more than a rabble full of also-rans, just another fixture in the NRL season schedule for away fans. We're virtually irrelevant to the wider NRL scene, outside of our supporter base. People can hate on Canterbury, Manly, St George or Souths all they want, but at least those teams are usually relevant- even if they're having a shit season, they're still a focal point. I wish I could follow a team as relevant to the wider Rugby League community as that. I'm not going to say they're even relevant in the Hunter- most of the 13-25 year olds can't be bothered with this club- their hometown club. The same local club the generation before them were famously passionate about- but is it any wonder why it's come to that? Supporting the Knights, wearing merchandise and going to games showing your support is seen as peculiar and (to be honest) more than a bit uncool. The kid who stays inside 12 hours a day playing W.O.W or Skyrim is higher up on the social scale than the kid who wears his jersey, takes his flag to the game and declares his support for the Knights on social media. When it comes to the modern NRL, we rival the Newtown Jets for relevance- but even then lack the 'hip' appeal. I'd like to say I'm joking, but it's not too far off the truth. Going to games isn't fun. Watching them usually leads to feeling as if I've wasted 2 hours of my life. The thing is: I could tolerate all of this if the club at least gave a shit about trying to be successful. Following the team back in 2008-09 was a highlight (under Brian Smith) because although the Knights weren't on the same level as Manly or Melbourne, they at least had a dig, and often got a result from it.
But these days, predicting our season is like predicting what colours each Wiggle will take to the stage in. If more of the faithful stopped acting like we were just 'unlucky' every game like tonight and started demanding accountability from the club, maybe things would turn around? Maybe the board would listen to these people based on their postcode? But for the meantime, looking at the upcoming fixtures each weekend feels near pointless- Souths or Cronulla or Brisbane or Melbourne or Penrith- who cares? Only similar rabble like the Tigers look beatable compared to us. That's not something to celebrate!
I really, truly hope that there will come a time where the board and the players are not necessarily local or from the old boys network- but they reflect the ethos those old boys played under: Be the player the bloke next to you wants to play with. That's all I ask and (evidently) what a lot of other people on here ask for. For now though? I'm almost relieved having reached this point where I truly couldn't give a shit about the remainder of our season.
Wayne Bennett is on the flight home to Brisbane right now, reclining in his comfy seat 10,000 feet up, looking out over the darkened sky and quietly pleased he chose the path he did last year. Far down below, however, I'm willing to bet Allan Macmahon is turning in his grave...
Last edited:
