At the start of every year, I tend to see posts on Knights fans pages about how it’s our year.
I get the idea of high hopes and wishful thinking, but as harsh as this sounds, we are nowhere near premiership contenders yet.
I even have made some claims about us being a top-four team and I remember back in 2018, I said we would win the competition in 2021, so I guess I was wrong.
I do take full responsibility for being a protagonist with the wishful thinking.
A lot of blue-pill fantasy wishing for us Knights fans isn’t exactly unhealthy because it gives us hope. Hope is a great thing.
Realistically, we don’t have what it takes to compete with the top teams at this current point in time.
Will we one day? We will.
When? I don’t know.
Do I believe we will make the finals? Absolutely, but I can’t see us winning the big one this year.
Believe it or not, I actually want to be wrong but our chances of winning the 2022 premiership exist just as much as Jackie Chan’s stunt double.
(Photo by Ashley Feder/Getty Images)
I know a lot of Knights fans will be pissed off reading this and I’ll take all the heat for it.
We have the team that is good enough to play in the NRL, we have a great coaching staff on the rise and even some of our old boys can teach our young lads about the Newcastle winning culture.
The depth we have is quite good and in just about every position, we have back-up players to come up if needed. They will be able to do so in their respective positions.
While I won’t deny losing Mitchell Pearce and Connor Watson is a massive blow, we have up-and-coming halves who can be brilliant for our team and a few utility players like Kurt Mann who can be a valuable asset.
Connor Watson and Kurt Mann both have great playmaking abilities but Mann’s got perhaps the best torpedo bomb in the game.
One thing I do see is the one Knights player our fans just have to hate because it’s popular. Well, not all our fans but the ones who tend to say he’s not a quality NRL standard player.
Now riddle me this, how do you know who is a classified NRL standard player if you never played in the NRL or coached in the NRL?
Adam O’Brien has got better qualifications to coach at that level than I do so I trust his judgment.
(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Andrew Johns is back home and he can teach our halves some valuable lessons, which will benefit them.
He has played 249 more games at first grade level than just about everyone who is reading this article.
We aren’t near premiership contenders but we’re not rebuilding anymore, that stage is all said and done.
I have seen some signs of the Newcastle winning culture for our team last season and even in the 2019 and 2020 seasons.
With most of our losses last year, we fought to the death but came up short and even in some of our close wins, we fought just as much and came away with the desired result we wanted: a win.
I stand by saying I want to be wrong about us not being premiership contenders this year. I would love for us to win the grand final but we’re still a long way off.
Roarers, what do you think? Are the Knights potential contenders or do they have work left to do?
Pommie
Guest
We were 2 wins above the bottom 8 how is that lucky?
Briss
Roar Rookie
King I think your spot on the money. Hope is what drives every nrl fan and member to turn out every week to chear on their side, hope is what allows everyone to dream of bigger things and access what else is possible. The nrl powers that be would have us all to believe that every side has an equal chance of standing on that stage in October after winning the dance. But realistically if your not the storm, Panthers, roosters or (coin toss) Rabbitohs any other teams you aint getting close, but I'll stick with HOPE so that won't eventuate and and a different side can knock these heavyweights back down the pecking order. It's like the old adage the rich get richer and the rest get the picture. I for one am sick of looking at that dreary old picture.
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
Anchoring our beliefs to what happened in the past is fraught with peril.
souvalis
Roar Rookie
That’s funny. The 2012 side were awful so therefore it follows the 2013 must be too.
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
The Chooks were -164 in 2012 .
souvalis
Roar Rookie
So to answer the question 'Why cant they win' your answer is they had a -143 last season and therefore no chance next year. OK fine, from your actual observations of them in game time what specifically accounted for that negative, what areas of the field let them down too often, specifically ?
mushi
Roar Guru
How many spine combinations for the rest of the comp? I’d imagine the roosters and storm sported a few given it was a historicyear for injury rates. I’d be surprised if that adjustment flatters them. They haven’t been a top third attacking team at any point in the past 5 years so assuming it was just availability of players seems unfounded. Even magically just giving them the 8th best attack they’re still negative. Fact is -143 is a rubbish football team.
souvalis
Roar Rookie
15 different spine combinations, same number as spooners. Tex Hoy your fullback, Mann /Clifford at 6, Green /Crossland at 7. Tells the reason of why their attack was so bad and the key reason for that f/a. Pearce only played 40 and as stated Ponga 50 % of regulation season allowing those miserable combinations that unsurprisingly couldn’t produce tries. Likewise line and tackle breaking key edge Fitzy only got on for 40% and Best missed 1/3 of the season. Almost by default J. Saf wins clubs best player yet only ran on with the starters 10 times. A good player but no where near best in a fit squad, nor is that 428 ‘for’.
mushi
Roar Guru
Prior year’s Fa is a better indicator of the next year’s Wins than prior year’s Wins or ladder position With a -143 the knights will need a metamorphic improvement to be in the mix this year. Figure this: In over 1900 minutes of footy their scoreboard reads 1 point worse than the Dragons.. Who had the better off-season, the knights or the Dragons? Which pundits have the Dragons with even the upside of being an elite team?
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
If I was a Knights fan I'd be clutching on to the chance that the club could win the title in 2022. If it's only one in a hundred, why not hope for a win? Have a magic run with injuries and the emergence of a couple of stars and a few players having their best-ever season, then the club is an outside chance.
mushi
Roar Guru
They were -143 in for and against, worse than the Dragons and closer to the Broncos than Titans. They’re the worst finals team in close to 20 years. They massively over achieved (got lucky) to make up the numbers in the 8 last year. Which is unlikely to repeat. Ponga playing all year just takes them to a long shot at average.
Danielle Smith
Editor
Yeah I'm pretty sure it's only a 2 days a week gig? You probably will see him!
Tony
Roar Guru
Johns won't be there too often. I reckon I'll be able to spot him at Bronte Beach on most days
Albo
Roar Rookie
My assessment of the Knights chances in 2022, are top 8 chances at best. They have a good strong pack, with half an x-factor player in Ponga, but with a very limited backline despite the addition of Gagai this year. For mine, they lack any creativity in attack with only Ponga inconsistently adding a bit of flair to an ordinary attack. Best is a capable running back occasionally , but limited in his vision. The halves have yet to offer any confidence in being able to steer this ship around the park. It will need a huge improvement from the likes of Clifford , Mann & Crossland for this team to threaten the top sides. I am just not sure they have that capability ?
Danielle Smith
Editor
I agree, we are no where near the top. Big, strong pack, but besides Gagai quite inexperienced backs and still no concrete halves pairing. Yes, Joey has played 249 more NRL games than me. But he's success record as a halves coach isn't anything to brag about. The old saying "just becasue you were a great player doesn't make you a great coach" - I hope he can pass on his wisdom but we would be silly to think that it will be automatic. We are still a good few years off being a real premiership threat.
Redcap
Roar Guru
Seems like you're kind of having an argument with yourself in this piece, your Majesty. :happy: The Knights have a good pack of forwards. With the exceptions of Best and Ponga, a pretty ordinary set of outside backs. I'm not sure what to make of the halves yet. Will the loss of Pearce be liberating for the younger halves, or leave a significant void? I can see them finishing around 6th or 7th again, but don't see the sort of upside to challenge the current heavyweights.
souvalis
Roar Rookie
Why didn't you specifically state the reasons why they can't win ? Pack still looks equal to any other, possible best center pairing in the league, Ponga plays more than the 50% of games he did last season. Halfs ? Iffy but not hopeless.
The King of the World
Roar Guru
I chose not to name and shame out of respect and courtesy sir.
Phil
Roar Rookie
A nice article from a passionate fan, the type of fan every team needs. Just a couple of points; who is the player many love to hate because he's not a NRL standard player? You say one has to have played NRL standard to recognise a NRL standard player, or coached such players. Don't you think many years of watching the game gives fans a pretty good idea if a player is of NRL standard or not?