Worst season in history

[Alex28]

There is no doubt what is going on off the field is having an effect on the players. I have no doubt the senior guys on the big money have debts and investments that depend on those salaries. For example Willie has put his Sydney property up for sale (of which he has a pretty big mortgage over).

We're all pretty quick to bag Boyd, but let's put ourselves in his shoes. You have a salary of say $50K p.a.. You are told that you will have to work for $30K because the guy who promised you the $20K has decided he isn't paying you that any more.

How would your attitude to work be? You might still work, but guaranteed you'd be pissed off and you wouldn't be 100% focused on the job.

Make that $20K $200K instead. How would you feel? I'm not shocked it hasn't been his finest year - we have no idea what debt and expenses he has on the back of that $200K.

You need to be certain on your future. You can't do your best work in a negative, uncertain workplace. That's what these guys have had to endure this year. I'm not shocked that this has happened. The sooner the NRL, HSG and the Members Club sign off on the future of the club the better. That then can't be an excuse.

 

[Jono078]

That is 100% true. Lot of external factors that have ruined an entire season for us. And the team is yet another year older next year.

 

[Swarzey]

It seems so many people aren't accepting the turmoil the club is going through with the ownership and payment disruptions as an excuse for poor form and thus such a shit year. Someone like Boyd, who I don't believe is loyal to the club, playing the way he is doesn't surprise me when he isn't being paid on time and being owed so much.

Now it's at a point where I believe they're too far gone to finish the year with any credibility even if in the next month stability returns to the club and the whole payment debacles are sorted. Unfortunately for the players, the thing that's impacting them most is out of their hands.

 

[Alex28]

Dillion from the Herald is tonight suggesting a deal is done and the club will be 100% owned by the NRL for the moment. How this affects the club will be interesting - to an extent the soul has already been sucked out of the club, but for now there are no excuses. Wages will be paid - time to start playing as a team without external worries and win some matches!

 

[eozsmiles]

It seems so many people aren't accepting the turmoil the club is going through with the ownership and payment disruptions as an excuse for poor form and thus such a shit year. Someone like Boyd, who I don't believe is loyal to the club, playing the way he is doesn't surprise me when he isn't being paid on time and being owed so much.

Now it's at a point where I believe they're too far gone to finish the year with any credibility even if in the next month stability returns to the club and the whole payment debacles are sorted. Unfortunately for the players, the thing that's impacting them most is out of their hands.

There was one of those sports science shows on ESPN (they're pretty good if anyone gets the chance to see one) and it was about a study done in the NBA about the impact of stress on performance. What it showed that is relevant to the Knights is that players also performed poorly when they were doing trade or contract negotiations. Put simply, they stress out until they're contract is sorted. And if you think about the Knights, where every player is concerned about getting paid this week, not to mention next year, it would be damn hard to expect the best of them.

 

[aqua_duck]

There was one of those sports science shows on ESPN (they're pretty good if anyone gets the chance to see one) and it was about a study done in the NBA about the impact of stress on performance. What it showed that is relevant to the Knights is that players also performed poorly when they were doing trade or contract negotiations. Put simply, they stress out until they're contract is sorted. And if you think about the Knights, where every player is concerned about getting paid this week, not to mention next year, it would be damn hard to expect the best of them.

Don't get me wrong it's definitely had a negative effect but when you lose 10 out of 12 games and you're only 2 wins are against teams 14th and 16th it goes beyond that

 

[Misanthrope]

I wonder if anyone here could stand on their own 10m line and be able to tell if a player is 1 foot behind their own 40m line. The blame first and foremost lies with the players not calling the 40/20 out to Darius because he clearly was not aware.

Darius was outstanding yesterday. Probably one of his best games for us. What he did yesterday in attack not one of our current squad would ever be able to pull off except maybe Mullen.

Regardless, his lack of urgency given the absence of a chase was a worry. Rather than nutting up, collecting the ball, and returning it against a lax Tigers' chase, he opted to instead let it roll dead.

If it hadn't been a 40/20, he'd have let our pissweak forwards hit it up from within our twenty rather than just reel it in himself and gallop 15-20 metres upfield?

I'm not saying he isn't a great talent and that he doesn't do great things, I'm just highlighting another example of his lazy attitude. It was the same lazy attitude that gifted Mannering a try last week because he couldn't have been arsed picking up the ball.

 

[Nuffy]

There is no doubt what is going on off the field is having an effect on the players. I have no doubt the senior guys on the big money have debts and investments that depend on those salaries. For example Willie has put his Sydney property up for sale (of which he has a pretty big mortgage over).

We're all pretty quick to bag Boyd, but let's put ourselves in his shoes. You have a salary of say $50K p.a.. You are told that you will have to work for $30K because the guy who promised you the $20K has decided he isn't paying you that any more.

How would your attitude to work be? You might still work, but guaranteed you'd be pissed off and you wouldn't be 100% focused on the job.

Make that $20K $200K instead. How would you feel? I'm not shocked it hasn't been his finest year - we have no idea what debt and expenses he has on the back of that $200K.

You need to be certain on your future. You can't do your best work in a negative, uncertain workplace. That's what these guys have had to endure this year. I'm not shocked that this has happened. The sooner the NRL, HSG and the Members Club sign off on the future of the club the better. That then can't be an excuse.

I'd make the point that 1/3 of my remuneration is at risk every year and there has been years where I've got nothing through no fault of my own. You suck it up and get on with it and it makes you singularly focussed on your performance and leaving no stone unturned to try and ensure you exceed expectations constantly.

Do you think that sponsors will be lining up to top up TPA's based on the performances they are seeing?

 

[Allstar Knights]

Regardless, his lack of urgency given the absence of a chase was a worry. Rather than nutting up, collecting the ball, and returning it against a lax Tigers' chase, he opted to instead let it roll dead.

If it hadn't been a 40/20, he'd have let our pissweak forwards hit it up from within our twenty rather than just reel it in himself and gallop 15-20 metres upfield?

I'm not saying he isn't a great talent and that he doesn't do great things, I'm just highlighting another example of his lazy attitude. It was the same lazy attitude that gifted Mannering a try last week because he couldn't have been arsed picking up the ball.

The kick was first placed pretty close to the sideline. No way should he play at that if it wasn't a 40/20 and risk going out.

I'm no fan of him either but you're being very harsh imo.

 

[Nuffy]

Regardless, his lack of urgency given the absence of a chase was a worry. Rather than nutting up, collecting the ball, and returning it against a lax Tigers' chase, he opted to instead let it roll dead.

If it hadn't been a 40/20, he'd have let our pissweak forwards hit it up from within our twenty rather than just reel it in himself and gallop 15-20 metres upfield?

I'm not saying he isn't a great talent and that he doesn't do great things, I'm just highlighting another example of his lazy attitude. It was the same lazy attitude that gifted Mannering a try last week because he couldn't have been arsed picking up the ball.

I just saw another replay of Boyds effort and he was very close and coasting, he had no idea it was a 40-20 and if he did then he was deliberate in not contesting it, which makes things worse.

Boyd was so close, if he wanted to, he could have taken it or it was so close to the sideline, he could have taken it standing outside the field of play.

On the kick it was pretty arsy, it lands very close to the sideline, on another day it was out on the full but summed up the luck that the tigers enjoyed on Sunday.

 

[RHCP]

Winger should have been there. Not many fullbacks stop a good 40/20 attempt when they're the only players back.

Gidley lost us the game, not Boyd.

 

[The Showstopper]

I thought Brook's kick was near perfect. Boyd would only have been able to tap it back in field at best.

 

[eozsmiles]

Don't get me wrong it's definitely had a negative effect but when you lose 10 out of 12 games and you're only 2 wins are against teams 14th and 16th it goes beyond that

I also think there is more to it, plus personnel issues.

One thing I think about is if for example Boyd is "coasting" because he isn't getting paid, then maybe other players are upset at that, it pisses the coach off, things start to spiral out of control. The Knights have a few cast offs and bad boys in the squad, it's possible that with things going bad, there is some bad habits being reborn. Anything could be going on in the squad at the moment.

The main point I was making was that some fans are saying the players should "man up" and it might not be that simple. There are other studies to do with away games and other stuff that show players are affected by off-field drama more than they are given credit for. The usual methods of attitude adjustment might not work in the current environment. If you threaten to drop Boyd, he might say thankyou lol.

And that's without getting onto the question of playing ability. If the whole club is stressed and lacking motivation, it doesn't matter who the players are.

 

[Noname36]

^ To me the stress about what's going to happen is the biggest thing that would be impacting on the players. The not getting paid thing is just a symptom of the underlying issue.

A lot of these blokes don't know where, if at all they'll be playing next year. The ones not off contract aren't free from worries either. We saw in 2007 what happened when a lot of players were getting the tap on the shoulder. It wasn't just the players leaving that dropped their bundle, but the ones staying on did too. Huge changes were happening, their mates were all getting moved on. It's tough.

I know for me personally when I have uncertainly over something big in the back of my mind (and their career and future livelihood is a huge issue) it's pretty much impossible to put all those niggling thoughts to the side and just focus on the job at hand. I mean in less that half a season a lot of these blokes might not have income. A lot of them are older and have families. It's a huge worry.

 

[macavity]

I think a couple of arsey wins last year have skewed our expectations. We made the final four but we were never a top 4 team. The fall hasn't been as far as it seems.

 

[whistler]

I think a couple of arsey wins last year have skewed our expectations. We made the final four but we were never a top 4 team. The fall hasn't been as far as it seems.

Which wins were ''arsey''? The finals wins? Imo while we absolutely dominated the dogs and were easily the better team against the storm, there was nothing ''arsey'' about them just simply playing to our potential at the right time.

 

[Joker's Wild]

I think a couple of arsey wins last year have skewed our expectations. We made the final four but we were never a top 4 team. The fall hasn't been as far as it seems.

I doubt anyone was under the impression we were a top 4 team last year. We were however certainly a top 8 team.

Going from 5-8th down to 15th (lucky not to be 16th) is a fair slide in anyones book

 

[Nuffy]

I think a couple of arsey wins last year have skewed our expectations. We made the final four but we were never a top 4 team. The fall hasn't been as far as it seems.

This. Our run late last year papered over the cracks, we were ordinary for much of last year and 2 weeks covered up the reality.

Overall the team has been rubbish for a quite some time.

The comparison between us and a team like Penrith couldn't be starker, they had a 5 year plan and have been working to that, we've had a decade to get our sh*t together and we are in more strife now that arguably we've ever been.

 

[TheFrog]

One thing I think about is if for example Boyd is "coasting" because he isn't getting paid,

If Newcastle players are not getting paid the NRL should be ashamed.

These footballers are fulfilling their end of the bargain by playing every week so the NRL can have its product on Nine and Fox and not get sued to oblivion, it should be looking after the people providing the show, even if only a fraction of the full amount. Take it out of the club's grant if necessary.

 

[slotmachine]

I think a couple of arsey wins last year have skewed our expectations. We made the final four but we were never a top 4 team. The fall hasn't been as far as it seems.

Well said.

We were a 6th-10th looking side last season, and the same this year. Until the series of dramas, that is.

We were lucky to even play finals last year. The panthers found a way to lose the game at hunter stadium 8-6. If they won, they were in and we were out.