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Opinion
The Newcastle Knights ran out in front of 21,332 fans at home against the reigning premiers, the Penrith Panthers.
I didn’t expect them to win but I was hoping for all the money in the world that they’d put up a fight. Penrith ran to a 26-0 lead at the break and a 42-6 win.
Believe it or not, I still don’t think sacking the coach is the answer and look how well that’s gone for the Wests Tigers. They change their coach at the snap of the fingers.
I understand that fans want the Knights to win the grand final and I have said multiple times, we’re nowhere near premiership contenders.
I don’t like saying that, I didn’t want to say it but I’m not going to write a bunch of fairytale BS.
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s take a look at the big picture here.
There’s more to it when Adam O’Brien took over from Nathan Brown. I have gone over part of it before but I should summarise it just a bit more.
(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
What did Adam O’Brien have when he arrived?
A team built by Nathan Brown. A team with a lack of depth. Juniors who came through with a mindset of rebuilding instead of a winning culture.
I don’t know how long it will take for the Knights to be premiership contenders but I can see what the long-term plan is.
When O’Brien was learning from Craig Bellamy, he was learning from an elite system in the competition.
Melbourne are up there and they know how to be there. Bringing that to Newcastle won’t be an easy task.
With the signings we’ve made and are making, it not only gives our team some depth, but also makes our players have to earn their spot.
Fight for it, not just to earn it, but to keep it.
One player I can’t help but compliment is Dominic Young. The young Englishman plays with no fear and is not afraid to take risks.
Now, the long-term plan that I have mentioned before is to not only get players to build depth but also create the winning culture we once had into our juniors.
We have to make them understand the importance of playing for the town and becoming a premiership force.
I know I have been over this before but I have no fear in mentioning it so the fans can see the big picture.
All the online bashing about sacking the coach or players doesn’t make a difference. Our role as fans is to show the support to our team.
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