2019 will ultimately go down as a season to forget for the Newcastle Knights, with the club almost certainly on track to miss finals despite lofty pre-season expectations.
After a horror 1-5 start, a six-game winning run looked to have the side primed for an assault on the finals. But two wins from the last ten matches have doomed them to another season out in the cold, while also dooming coach Nathan Brown – who left the club earlier this week.
Whoever takes the reins next seasons will have one of the most exciting, but high-pressure, jobs going around in the NRL. Is this actually a finals-calibre side they’ll be taking over? What should their pass mark be?
We were joined on the Game of Codes podcast by Roar rugby league expert – and Newcastle tragic – Joe Frost tp run the rule over the Knights for next season.
Listen to the discussion:
Blessed by five Origin reps – Mitchell Pearce, David Klemmer and Daniel Saifiti of the Blues and Kalyn Ponga and Tim Glasby of the Maroons – this was supposed to be the year the Knights would finally return to the finals after a recent stretch of three wooden spoons.
Visit our Game of Codes hub to catch the full episode and be sure to subscribe and review on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or wherever else you’re listening.
Macho
Guest
Sorry for being completely off topic but was the anniversary game of the 1969 Souths Balmain GF played this year as the 50th anniversary or I have a feeling it was played last year in true RL style because it was the 50th year since 1969?
a
Roar Rookie
Surely the knights have to make the finals next year
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
If Manly and the Eels can battle for the spoon last year and make the finals this year then the Knights can do it next year. Ponga and Pearce don't need any more time to form any combinations. Plenty of teams win comps with completely new combinations all the time. Very few spines have been together for any great period when they win comps. The Storm are one exception. The Knights might need to accept less players the Chickens want to shuffle on however , hidden talent in the lower grades could be the way to go.
Bluester
Roar Rookie
The problems are Newcastle start and end with Mitchell Pearce. He is a woeful role model, a poor communicator, is selfish beyond reasoning and firmly believes he is untouchable. It's little wonder the Roosters got rid of him.