The Newcastle Knights’ season is going from bad to absolute hell. With just five wins and eight losses, including only one win from the past nine games, they sit 14th on the NRL ladder at the season’s halfway mark.
During the last nine games Rick Stone’s team have lacked the desire to be competitive, and the want to be successful.
Across all grades this season the Knights have shown themselves to be mentally weak, lacking the necessary mental fortitude and discipline to even compete. It is nowhere near good enough.
Tyrone Roberts is one example of this. His body language is soft as butter and he is scared to put his body on the line. This is not good enough for someone who has shown flashes of becoming a formidable talent. Roberts must be more confident, show a bit of mongrel and start running the ball fast and straight. Start being the tough, mean guy, not the soft, nice guy.
At just 23 years old, Joseph Leilua has all the talent in the world, however he has shown a very unprofessional attitude to his career as a rugby league player, with his all-round fitness and commitment under a huge question mark.
Leilua needs to listen to people of authority and realise his potential. Show some responsibility, discipline and respect for yourself and your team, and things might start looking better.
Kurt Gidley is another player struggling to make an impact this season. Gidley would know that his body is simply not up to demands of being a professional NRL player on a consistent basis anymore. He is simply having more bad days than good, and it’s time to step aside.
Stepping aside is also what Chris Houston and Clint Newton should do. Houston has shown very little impact, desire or leadership for someone with the experience that he has. Newton seems to want to be a bit-part player who spends the majority of his time in reserve grade. If that’s the case, he can go too.
Beau Scott has been a rough, tough and imposing player throughout his career, but he has been slow and unimposing in recent weeks, lacking his normal focus. Scott is a much better player than that. It is his responsibility to inspire his teammates, particularly the younger ones. Stand up and show your true colours before you leave the club at season’s end.
Jeremy Smith, Kade Snowden, David Fa’alogo and Tariq Sims are not putting in their best effort each and every week either. All four need to start leading this forward pack and team by example. So far none have even come close to doing this.
However, the person who deserves the vast majority of blame for the club’s current state is coach Rick Stone.
Stone looks to have no clue how to coach a professional rugby league team. He lacks leadership and motivational skills, as well as the guts to make tough decisions to ensure the success of the Newcastle Knights, both in the present and in the future.
As I said in an article about a month ago, “Right now, considering the talent he has at his disposal, Rick Stone is the worst coach in the NRL.”
He has more than confirmed my claims since, only winning one game out of the four games, including losing the last three games. Rick Stone is truly the worst coach in the NRL at this very moment.
It is time for the local media, journalists and writers in Newcastle to stop treating this man and this club like a protected species, and start making everyone at the Knights accountable for their actions and performances.
The people of Newcastle and its surrounds are too scared and tense to speak up about their true feelings about the club’s current state, and their thoughts on the coach.
The only option the Knights have is to remove Rick Stone as coach. He simply cannot handle the responsibilities and demands of being a first-grade coach.
Stone must go! That is the only option.
Nick
Guest
What does you following a good path in life have to do with the article or any of the points raised mate? If you want to be a sports writer, you're always going to get people that disagree with your points/articles or maybe the angles you take. You're no doubt a talented man, but there's no need to get overly defensive. Just engage.
Ryan Eckford
Roar Guru
Count the number of times that the letter "I" has been used in this article, and then comeback to me saying that this article of mine is a personal vent.
Ryan Eckford
Roar Guru
For the record, I am NOT a Newcastle Knights fan. A neutral person trying to find a good path in life.
GTW
Guest
Is the author a very disgruntled Knights fan, or a reporter? It makes a difference. The rant does sound a hell of a lot like myself bleating about a number of Raiders players and their relationship with David Furner some years ago. It's marvelous the difference 2 or 3 years makes. David Furner was and is a champion, and I'm sure Stone should be held in high regard in the Hunter, but when you lose the dressing room and players stop displaying their ability, things have to change, and it's usually goodbye coach.
pjm
Roar Rookie
Tariq could of been playing Origin this year if he stayed at the Cowboys.
Alex L
Roar Rookie
Honestly it's absurd to blame Stone for this year, the list is shockingly in need of a rebuild (Bennett brought in a lot of players who either have been or need to be moved on) -- losing Mason, Boyd, Tahu, and several journeymen was a good start, the overload of average back row forwards needs to be looked at and Newcastle could certainly do worse than trying to sign a couple of quality props and a lock under the age of 35.
Arnold Krewanty
Guest
They said the same about Phil Stubbins at the Jets... If a coach loses the playing group, it's pointless to stick around.
Jamieson Murphy
Roar Guru
I agree, Ricky Stuart and Ivan Cleary are both coaches who had difficulties in their first season, but success in the following seasons.
Dogs Of War
Roar Guru
I think once they clear out some of the non contributors like Gidley they will have the room to be able to accommodate the next generation coming through. This is where the second tier cap affects clubs, Newcastle really should be allowed to blood some of the youth coming through, but you can't without getting into trouble. Maybe a rule that you can blood guys under 23 with no penalty or something, it would still prevent clubs stockpiling good players in the lower grades.
Arnold Krewanty
Guest
Ryan, before you go publicly knocking your club again, go watch the boys run around in the NSW Cup. It is a very talented team, with a good chance of making the GF for the 2nd year running. The 20s have been weakened this year because the cream of last year's outstanding team is now in NSW Cup - that being said, Both Cogger and Brock Lamb in the 20s are the future of the club, and deserve an audience. 1st grade has some issues with confidence & structure atm, sure - most clubs do when they are on a losing streak!. Rick Stone may not be the man to lead them, but the Knights board is beholden to the NRL, and the NRL would not be interested in paying out a coach's contract. I expect Garth Brennan will come in once Stone's contract end's
zim
Guest
Sacking the coach in his first year is a waste of time as then you have to start all over again. He needs at least 2 and realistically 3 years to get the team going how he wants. A lot of people were calling for sticky's sacking last year but look at him now. The knights haven't played bad in everyone of the last 9 games. They just haven't had that game breaker to get them over the edge when they should have won on a few of those occasions. Not being able to take anything positive out of those games and offering no points of improvement other than sacking the coach is clearly a vent.
Rodney
Guest
I can hardly blame stone for the roster he inherited. Wayne ran the team on empty for 3 years, with no clear direction for the future. Hiring umpteen 30+ year olds for one year swansongs leaving the current roster depressingly barren after the first team. And then as an added kick in the teeth we start with a stunted cap (like parramatta) because we're left to pay off the Broncos star fullback. And the players he did resign seemed to be in spite of the upcoming talent. James McManus extended in 2013 through 2016 despite the 3 Matuatia brother and Mamo coming up through the ranks. Uate similarly was given a long term deal despite the depth in backs we were obviously going to have Given the cattle on the park can we expect a much better position, especially considering the injuries to Jarrod Mullen and Robbie Rochow.
The eye
Guest
If it was totally about the players then every coach would be on the same pay packet..
Johnnyball
Guest
Send a pebble to do a stones work.....sigh
Harvey Wilson
Roar Rookie
Totally agree, I think the coach is just a scapegoat. If you don't have the players, what can they do.
Gus Paella
Guest
Fair enough, so Uate will be 28 this year and Gagai has some form, hard to rebuild a team around though. Do you think the list is overrated?
The eye
Guest
Bennett wasnt 'gotten rid of'..how annoyingly ignorant..he quit !! His media release at the time : "First and foremost, I am not comfortable with the performance of the team over the three years and I take full responsibility for that," He admits not doing a good job and didnt want to put anymore time into the club.. There are excellent players at the club who just arent performing for Stone..
DingoGray
Roar Guru
Oh how quickly it turns, so everyone thinks getting rid of Bennett and things would improve.... Here we are what 13 weeks later........ That saying about Polishing a t*(d????
The eye
Guest
When in optimal form top 10 :Gagai Uate Mcmanus BJ Mullen Gidley J Smith both Sims Scott Snowden..Rochow borderline but usually starts when fit..Sione M..potentially Only a sprinkling of those are playing anywhere near what they are capable of.. As for spine Gagai's been exceptional..Tyrone like BJ has been stripped of all confidence..and though no champion Cldesdale just bangs away in the center.. Coach has a good squad that isnt playing for him,,the team is better than this..
Jamieson Murphy
Roar Guru
Dane Gagai and Aku Uate would be in the top ten in their positions. Aku is tied 3rd on the ladder for most tries (12) and Dane Gagai has been killing it at centre and fullback (hence the call up to QLD Origin as 18th man).