2019 NIB Knights

Interesting. Any tips for being this low on the ladder? Do I reach for the razor blades, or is it going to get better?

Pieman wrote:Its no different to our last 10 years or so mate, its the donkey fans I would be looking for.

It is disappointing though, we have a great roster but just simple mistakes fuck us. If connor watson catches the ball at the start of the game he scores and then I have no doubt its a different game.

I still stand by saying brown made odd coaching selections throughout the first few rounds, and still is making them. He has assembled a great roster then uses his players poorly and makes shit selections for the team. I mean fuck, when has James Gavet been a starting quality first grade front rower?? If I am selecting the side I am making quite a few changes.

They spent the entire off season with ponga at 6 and its fucked up their attack. They are now trying to figure out how to go back to how it worked last year with him at 1, but they are struggling. The didnt spend time working out options or working out how to get him over to the right hand side of the field. We have ramien over there who is a fucking tank and needs early ball but he doesnt get any. Even selections like Matutia / Glasby starting over blokes like Guerra and Barnett was odd.

Klemmer
Buhrer (or any other lower grade hooker - sign Segy FFS Brown)
Saifiti
Fitzgibbon
Barnett
Ese Ese

Pearce
Crosslands/Mann
Lee
Moga
Ramien
Hunt
Ponga

with
Watson
Glasby
Gavet
Sione

6 is an issue, but its worth giving the young bloke a crack considering Watson is no good there and line is worse.
9 is a bigger issue, fucking sign Segy. Ross retired, use his money. Levi is not a first grade standard hooker.

These are things we knew before the start of the season but were not addressed. Brown recurited some names but never address our biggest needs - hooker and 6.

I would fucking LOVE for us to bring sheens in as coach and either shift Brown to the footy manager role or whatever, or sack him all together and bring sheens or toovey on as head coach. The cattle is there for the most part but fark me in 2 crucial positions we are just about the worst in comp.

Give Mann a crack at 6, he cant be any worse than watson or lino.

Honestly, the Ponga to six thing was a massively mistake and one coaches continue to make with players that show a little bit of balls skills when at FB cause of the transition Lockyer made. But he made it after a number of years at FB, not half a season.

Brown won't last till Origin. But also,I look at that line up, and honestly, though the Eels are hardly star studded, I'd only get excited if we signed Klemmer or Ponga.

dasherhalo wrote:Interesting. Any tips for being this low on the ladder? Do I reach for the razor blades, or is it going to get better?

Unless you are prepared to become a bitter simpleton with an incurable case of tall poppy syndrome......I'm not 100% sure you should be asking for Pieman's coping mechanisms mate

Ice wrote:

Honestly, the Ponga to six thing was a massively mistake and one coaches continue to make with players that show a little bit of balls skills when at FB cause of the transition Lockyer made. But he made it after a number of years at FB,  not half a season.

Brown won't last till Origin. But also,I look at that line up, and honestly, though the Eels are hardly star studded, I'd only get excited if we signed Klemmer or Ponga.

A common error people make when they mistakenly assume decent players (like say Ponga and Hayne) are close to the calibre of an all time great like Lockyer

dasherhalo wrote:Interesting. Any tips for being this low on the ladder? Do I reach for the razor blades, or is it going to get better?

just surround yourself with loved ones mate, getting out in the sunshine helps

its not like Ponga was playing poorly at 6.

It was more that we didnt have anyone even remotely close to being a first grade standard 1 to replace him. I have no doubt that ponga will make an excellent 6 one day - but only if there is also an excellent 1 to cover him. There was literally no reason to move him this early in his career though, it was a fucking dumb decision from brown and it may very well cost him his job.

Another thing that annoys me about his selections is his use of players he has got from other clubs. Eg - glasby. He is using him as a starting prop or lock. He was never asked to do that at melbourne, spent most of his time coming from the bench and playing in the middle of games, not at the start. He got him because he comes from a winning culture and then uses him in a role that he rarely was requried to do at the storm.

He is using Gavet as a starting prop - the bloke has never been anything more than a back up impact prop, fringe first grader at best. He is asking him to do a role he has never had to do before.

Levi has never been a reliable first grade starting hooker - and he is asking him to play that role. He is using buhrer as a bench hooker.... In what world is he a bench hooker (que NSW jokes). He is a back rower that is well and truely past it. Use him as a back rower, not a hooker - what the fuck is he offering from the bench. If he must be there, use him as the starting hooker and have levi come on and run heaps when he gets on.

Ramien was close to the best centre in the comp last year, but he rarely gets the early ball he needs close to the line, in order to be effective.

Sione is not a starting back rower. Use him off the bench and to cover in the centres if there is an injury.
Watson is not a starting first grader, stop fucking using him like he is a superstar.

Fitzgibbon is a young gun back rower.
Barnett is a decent middle forward yet he was on the bench.
Guerra was still a good edge or lock before the injury, yet he was on the bench.
Moga is a good player but he isnt getting a start yet.
Ese Ese was the next big thing but he is barely getting a run.
Its as if the captaincy has fucked pearce up too - again proven he cant handle pressure.

There needs to be changes, small tweaks and then we will be fine but fuck me dead he cant just pick the same team week in week out and expect them to perform.

Oz Sport Mad wrote:

Unless you are prepared to become a bitter simpleton with an incurable case of tall poppy syndrome......I'm not 100% sure you should be asking for Pieman's coping mechanisms mate

What do you mean? I never take shots at the roosters or storm?

Oz Sport Mad wrote:

A common error people make when they mistakenly assume decent players (like say Ponga and Hayne) are close to the calibre of an all time great like Lockyer  

Indeed it is.

Ice wrote:

Indeed it is.

people also forget that lockyer was a 6 before he came into first grade. Hayne was a fullback or winger. Ponga has always been a fullback even in his union days and came into grade on the wing, and its unknown as to whether he will be a good 6 later in his career.

Who else has moved from fullback to 6 in their careers? Josh Hoffman? lol

Pieman wrote:

people also forget that lockyer was a 6 before he came into first grade. Hayne was a fullback or winger. Ponga has always been a fullback even in his union days and came into grade on the wing, and its unknown as to whether he will be a good 6 later in his career.

Who else has moved from fullback to 6 in their careers? Josh Hoffman? lol

Ponga
Hoffman
Norman - I will accept if you don’t accept that one 
Wighton
Munster
Moylan 
Barba - again see Norman rules 
Carney - I’m almost certain he played fullback at the roosters 
Te Martin
Cody Walker

Hoffman could barely be classed there too MF!
Munster never established himself as the fullback .. he played there when slater retired or was injured. He has played heaps more 6 in his career than 1 (but he is also the best 6 out of that group)
Wighton has made a fist of it this year too, then again he was never a great fullback in the first place and his best position still prob is centre.
Martin is there coz of injury
Walker is a pretty great 6
Carney did play a season of fullback, lost the GF playing there didnt he?

Levi had a career game, about fking time mate.
Him getting on the front foot really set the speed of the game and Parra struggled to recover.
Him going forward early meant the markers were more wary, allowing the forwards to get a bit of momentum, which meant pearce could play on the front foot too.
Gavet back to the bench helped as well, scored with his first touch.
Watson actually caught the fkin ball.

Next week will be the real test, if we lose we are back to square 1 and the pressure is right back on Brown.

With this talk of Mitchell maybe leaving the roosters (Its prob total BS) but fark me it would be good to get him back to his Jr club.

Buy him as a 6 or fullback. Would fucking love that

a good win against a very bad warriors team. But a win is a win. Levi looks like a totally different player, which in turn makes Pearce a more dangerous player etc.

Looks like brown is trying Levi at 9, Mann at 6 watson at 14. That is the best lineup for the club at the moment until we can get a better 6.
Harris-Tavita anyone?

Well done Knights, knocked over a protected species last night, I couldn't be happier.

I’ve never seen so many people who tipped a losing team so happy. Well done Newcastle

I dont think I have seen newcastle play that well for well over a decade. The passion from the crowd was outstanding too... absolutely brilliant.

In saying that, the roosters didnt have their hooker, halfback, lost their 6 pretty early on...
We did lose our very in-form hooker pretty early on too tho.

The roosters looked very out of sorts last night and the knights had the best game they have had in prob 10 years. Still, was fucking awesome

Jeez brown has changed the team around a lot this week.... whats doing!
Watson
Hunt
Mann
Ramien
SKD
Lino
Pearce
Gavet
Levi
J Saifiti
Fitzbiggon
Matutia
Klemmer

Buhrer
Eseese
Saulo
King

Guerra
Jones
Hoy
Moga

Surely the simple move is to just bring Moga in on the left wing and leave the back line as is?? Watson has been awesome at hooker.... him and Levi should be sharing the job, surely. Klemmer should be starting at prop with Guerra at lock, Jacob Saifiti on the bench.

Some odd selections!!

well last night was a thing..... Played like shit for the most part - coupled with a howler from the bunker and boom what a shithouse loss.

Far far too many mistakes in crucial periods, not enough running from dummy half.
Watson had a good running game but aside from running he doesnt offer anything else. I genuinely prefer Mann at 1 over him, and I hate mann at 1.

Hopefully next week ponga is back and we end up with the Levi, Pearce, Mann, Ponga spine that worked so well, with Watson at 14.

Buhrer... he has been a good bloke and above average player over the years but fuck me he is not a starter in this league any more. He can not move sideways any more and they targeted him a fair bit last night.

Gavet... fuck me dead... what a bonehead unnecessary play. Him doing that fucked us over. I would drop him for next week after that. It wasnt that bad in the big scheme of late hits, but the crackdown has started so dont fucking do it for a few weeks. It will be shit tho when the next 30 dont get binned.

I'd take Josh Reynolds and play him at 6. For cheap of course.