We need athletes.
You can train an athlete to do most things pretty well.
All you need is a good dummy half and half back to steer them around.
Go to the USA and say to all the NFL cast offs, we will give you 250K a year to come to Australia and play a game.
Of those four?
Personally:
From the four, coaching is the least of our worries. Wayne Bennett couldn't name it work here (although I think he is massively overrated, and can only win when he has all the advantages already in place). I think Brown is up against it and is doing about as well as could be expected.
Our backline has points in them. They also leak points. With some space they could do better, but they never have it.
Our pack is capable of holding their own, in fits and spurts. We don't have a game breaker or anyone capable of creating much. A close second as our "biggest problem"
For mine, the spine is the biggest problem of the four. We have next to zero creativity or impact. Our 1,6,7,9 is the worst in the comp by a LONG way. I think Levi will be a good player - in about 3 years time. I don't think they rest are ever going to do much - Mullo is made of glass and goes missing. Hodko has a low ceiling and has proven incapable of doing anything unless he is behind a dominating pack. Gagai can't tackle and while a decent winger, is a sub-par fullback with little to no creativity.
None of the fill ins have shown anything worthwhile. Lamb maybe in a few years.
Ergo, we need a half and a fullback. Holmes and Hastings would both be big upgrades on what we have.
Everything else depends on those positions being filled.
Am I the only one who doesn't see much in Hastings?
Am I the only one who doesn't see much in Hastings?
Was having a discussion with a friend about the Knights earlier in the week, thought I'd get the viewpoints from fans who watch the team a lot closer than myself or him.
One of my big concerns for the Knights is that they've cut/lost so many experienced players. There's no doubt a lot of those players weren't up to scratch anymore, but is there a concern for you guys that while the young guys have far more potential, their growth could be limited without experienced players around to help them develop?
I feel that the Knights are treading that line between putting a broom through the place and cutting off their nose to spite their face.
Has management put forward any hints at recruitment? There isn't a lot of top shelf buys available, but there are some guys out there who might help to plug the gap in the team both talent wise and experience Getting that gamebreaker might prove impossible until some consistent competitive performances can be put together first.
Along a similar vein, surely the Knights won't let Ross/Rochow go? Are they close to re-signing or not? While they might not be stars, they're guys you can't afford to lose IMO.
Must admit I've taken a bit of a fascination with the Knights this year. In the modern salary cap era I didn't think it was possible for a team to fall this far behind the others (not trying to troll, it's a genuine fascination that makes me curious to watch the Knights each week). Having said that, it's not all doom and gloom. Consider yourself lucky you're not a Warriors fan.
It's awfully painful to be a knights supporter, if I was a douchebag I'd folow another team, but sadly I am loyal and subjet to ridicule at work consitantly.
We should only work on defence for the rest of the season. Don't care if we don't win another game. Would be happy to concede less than 2 tries a game for once
Does anybody know if we have a dedicated defensive coach and who it is? (I hope its not Bedsy)
This was one of things I thought Brown would focus on for this squad but it doesn't appear that we (as a club) have gone forward on this front all year.
My understanding is that defensive structures and plays are implemented across all grades, so that regardless of who you need to draw on from within the club to fill FG, the patterns, structures and processes are all the same?
If that is the case at Newcastle, then the structural defensive issues we seem to identify are as much a product of poor coaching, as they are of poor execution and that is something that should be addressed, regardless of how individuals go from week to week.