Trial 1: Sharks vs Knights @ Gosford, 1:45pm Saturday 17-Feb 2024
- Thread starter SF
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MMsharks
Great White
the Jets strong last year?
I thought they were
I thought they were
MMsharks
Great White
Shortfin Mako
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We seem to be asking the same question every year.
Yeah we say Nicho does too much but it’s telling when nobody is doing it.
Atkinson I thought looked like he could do our 6 role well still.
Any thoughts through second half…
(I already know score continues to deteriorate, was almost over when I accidentally saw score)
Could be wrong but I think Colquhoun was involved in a few restarts. Easy to fix but you have to do it if you wanna play NRL. Maybe Hazelton has too?
10 minutes into the second and I don’t know who our leaders are. I’m trying to see who is talking to the boys and nobody is standing out. Looks like maybe Jack is captain?
Hazelton now gone with a lazy swinging arm - played a lot of football in the heat and maybe too much trying to lead an outmatched middle.
12 men (don’t you stay at 13 in trials?) and virtually a jets side are being picked apart. Not their best 17 out there but a mismatch still with the likes of Soafitis, Crossland and Cogger all still out there. Think we have Oregon, Jack and Katoa? Oh and Talakai.
Now at the score I saw so I can enjoy our comeback in 4th quarter…
Okay pretty much **** all happened in last 20
I know it’s cliche but thinking back yeah I really don’t care about that trial
Starting strong was great but we were missing
1 Kennedy
-
3 Ramien
-
5 Mulitalo
6 Trindall
7 Hynes
8 BHU
9 Brailey
10 Rudolf
11 Nikora
-
13 Finucane
And Hunt
Basically didn’t even have a Sharks trial
Starting strong was great but we were missing
1 Kennedy
-
3 Ramien
-
5 Mulitalo
6 Trindall
7 Hynes
8 BHU
9 Brailey
10 Rudolf
11 Nikora
-
13 Finucane
And Hunt
Basically didn’t even have a Sharks trial
MMsharks
Great White
HaroldBishop
Megalodon
Pretty funny how The winner gets 100k yet the minor premiers only get 200k.
BlackWhiteBlue
Jaws
Really not fussed by the result or performance. Ive never taken much from trial games. I feel they are a useless necessity in the game.
1 thing i do worry about in terms of our depth is our allignment with Newtown rather than having our own reggies. Does this hinder the club depth and overall development of fringe and junior players? Would having a more complete squad and system be more beneficial?
1 thing i do worry about in terms of our depth is our allignment with Newtown rather than having our own reggies. Does this hinder the club depth and overall development of fringe and junior players? Would having a more complete squad and system be more beneficial?
As long as the Newtown coach (and to an extent, management) are on board I’m not sure there’d be any issue.
BlackWhiteBlue
Jaws
I just mean having a seperate reggies team limits our depth by having less available spots for non-top players. Meaning more players looking elsewhere, even for just having a reggies deal once they finish flegg.
Do we leave ourselves short in ways
Gards
Jaws
Was nice to get a good look at all the young potential whipping boys coming up through the system
Blayke Brailey can't play forever and he is big shoes to fill
Blayke Brailey can't play forever and he is big shoes to fill
HaroldBishop
Megalodon
Healey looked good
Tiger Shark
Jaws
Yeah I think he’ll be second behind Brailey soon when it comes to the hooker rankings.
egg
Jaws
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Only a trial , but I think we were all pretty much of the opinion that we had an abundance of budding stars waiting in the wings for an opportunity to shine NONE of them did .( Except Healy )
Yes , individually all would look better surrounded by an entire first grade team , but a few of the Knights looked VERY promising under the same circumstances as our youth yesterday. 《 their No1 outshined our No1 for example )
We all know a Penrith Cup squad in those circumstances yesterday would have still.aimed up and played to their structures / systems and put up a decent display.
For a Sharks feeder squad it was DISSAPPOINTING , like watching first grade last season with the same CRAPPY characteristics , stupid penalties , lack of ball control, stupid errors , poor discipline , poor kicking and poor defence.
IF you knew the Jets were going to play like that all year , you would get your money on them for the spoon.
Will now scroll backwards to see if Burgess has some words of wisdom about that game.
Yes , individually all would look better surrounded by an entire first grade team , but a few of the Knights looked VERY promising under the same circumstances as our youth yesterday. 《 their No1 outshined our No1 for example )
We all know a Penrith Cup squad in those circumstances yesterday would have still.aimed up and played to their structures / systems and put up a decent display.
For a Sharks feeder squad it was DISSAPPOINTING , like watching first grade last season with the same CRAPPY characteristics , stupid penalties , lack of ball control, stupid errors , poor discipline , poor kicking and poor defence.
IF you knew the Jets were going to play like that all year , you would get your money on them for the spoon.
Will now scroll backwards to see if Burgess has some words of wisdom about that game.
Last edited:
HaroldBishop
Megalodon
Sack 'em all
egg
Jaws
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Part of Zero Tackle Article
A halves battle, Young’s replacement and Cronulla’s errors: Five talking points from Knights vs Sharks NRL trial
Scott Pryde
"The walls had all been painted pink:" Jack Gibson was one of a kind
The Newcastle Knights have picked up where they left off at the end of the 2023 NRL season, crunching the Cronulla Sharks in their opening trial match by 44 points to 18.
In what was a performance where the Sharks will be concerned by a lack of fundemental skills on a scorching hot day in Newcastle, it was Newcastle players with plenty to prove who stole the spotlight in the big win.
Adam O'Brien's side, missing a handful of their likely starters in Round 1, but with enough playing to get a picture of their off-season, looked a solid outfit against an undermanned Sharks' team as they begin a season looking to back up the second half of 2023 which saw them surge from the bottom four to the top six.
Newcastle's halves battle no closer to being solved
The Knights had all three halves spend time on the field during the thumping of the Sharks on Saturday, and all three had nice moments, without doing a heap wrong.
Newcastle come into the new campaign without Adam Clune, but with a headache following the arrival of Jack Cogger on a long-term deal after he excelled as the back-up option at premiers the Penrith Panthers in 2023.
But mark the words - Cogger has not gone back to the Hunter to serve as a back-up option. Whether wearing the six or seven, he wants to be in the starting side.
What role will Kade Dykes play in 2024?
Kade Dykes comes into the 2024 campaign desperate to prove himself as an NRL level player after missing 2023 in its entirety thanks to an ACL injury sustained on the eve of the season.
The Sharks are yet to clarify if they have found a role at the top level for Dykes though. Able to play fullback and five-eighth, it appears on the surface that he is stuck behind William Kennedy and Braydon Trindall.
Trindall of course did his selection hopes no harm by playing an excellent game for the Indigenous All Stars alongside Cronulla halfback Nicho Hynes on Friday night.
Dykes ran out at fullback for the Sharks on Saturday in Gosford though, putting on some nice touches. In what was effectively his return to competitive rugby league, he was strong and the signs are he will only get better.
There is little to no doubt coach Craig Fitzgibbon needs to begin filtering youngsters into first-grade this year if the Sharks hope to hold any of them. Whether that is Kayal Iro, Dykes, Sam Stonestreet or a handful of forwards, the time has come.
How much of a concern is Cronulla's discipline?
Results may not matter during the pre-season unless you have a team gunning for the $100,000 cash prize that comes with winning the challenge element of the trial matches, but other factors certainly do.
Coaches want to see effort in defence, the structures they spent the off-season working on coming to light, and more importantly, discipline, both with and without the ball.
In Cronulla's case, that was non-existent on Saturday afternoon.
The men from the Shire completed at just 66 per cent for a total of 24 out of 36 sets, all up giving away the football 13 times, while they also missed a ridiculous 46 tackles and had a team tackle efficiency of under 85 per cent.
It might have been hot, and they might have had the relatively more inexperienced teams, but those factors are attitude issues across the squad.
It's not a concern yet, but it will be if a similar trend repeats next week when Cronulla with the Canterbury Bulldogs at Belmore on Friday evening.
Knights young gun waiting in the wings for Ponga problems
It seems to be an ongoing "what if" question at the Knights. What if Kalyn Ponga gets injured? What if he has more issues with concussion?
In previous years, it has been such a blow to the Knights that they have simply struggled in Ponga's absence. His excellent form during the second half of the 2023 season that ultimately coincided with Newcastle's meteoric rise up the ladder was proof enough of the influence he has over this side.
But coming into 2024, Newcastle have two more options at the back, with David Armstrong handed a Top 30 deal, and Fletcher Sharpe continuing to improve as he joins the development squad.
Sharpe was excellent on Saturday, making nine tackle busts and running for 120 metres as he put his hand up to be Ponga's second in command.
The youngster was matched by Armstrong though who had a try assist, made six tackle busts and made the most of his minutes on the park.
The duo are both relative unknowns when it comes to NRL level, and granted, it was against an undermanned Sharks' side, but positive signs certainly exist.
A halves battle, Young’s replacement and Cronulla’s errors: Five talking points from Knights vs Sharks NRL trial
Scott Pryde
"The walls had all been painted pink:" Jack Gibson was one of a kind
The Newcastle Knights have picked up where they left off at the end of the 2023 NRL season, crunching the Cronulla Sharks in their opening trial match by 44 points to 18.
In what was a performance where the Sharks will be concerned by a lack of fundemental skills on a scorching hot day in Newcastle, it was Newcastle players with plenty to prove who stole the spotlight in the big win.
Adam O'Brien's side, missing a handful of their likely starters in Round 1, but with enough playing to get a picture of their off-season, looked a solid outfit against an undermanned Sharks' team as they begin a season looking to back up the second half of 2023 which saw them surge from the bottom four to the top six.
Newcastle's halves battle no closer to being solved
The Knights had all three halves spend time on the field during the thumping of the Sharks on Saturday, and all three had nice moments, without doing a heap wrong.
Newcastle come into the new campaign without Adam Clune, but with a headache following the arrival of Jack Cogger on a long-term deal after he excelled as the back-up option at premiers the Penrith Panthers in 2023.
But mark the words - Cogger has not gone back to the Hunter to serve as a back-up option. Whether wearing the six or seven, he wants to be in the starting side.
What role will Kade Dykes play in 2024?
Kade Dykes comes into the 2024 campaign desperate to prove himself as an NRL level player after missing 2023 in its entirety thanks to an ACL injury sustained on the eve of the season.
The Sharks are yet to clarify if they have found a role at the top level for Dykes though. Able to play fullback and five-eighth, it appears on the surface that he is stuck behind William Kennedy and Braydon Trindall.
Trindall of course did his selection hopes no harm by playing an excellent game for the Indigenous All Stars alongside Cronulla halfback Nicho Hynes on Friday night.
Dykes ran out at fullback for the Sharks on Saturday in Gosford though, putting on some nice touches. In what was effectively his return to competitive rugby league, he was strong and the signs are he will only get better.
There is little to no doubt coach Craig Fitzgibbon needs to begin filtering youngsters into first-grade this year if the Sharks hope to hold any of them. Whether that is Kayal Iro, Dykes, Sam Stonestreet or a handful of forwards, the time has come.
How much of a concern is Cronulla's discipline?
Results may not matter during the pre-season unless you have a team gunning for the $100,000 cash prize that comes with winning the challenge element of the trial matches, but other factors certainly do.
Coaches want to see effort in defence, the structures they spent the off-season working on coming to light, and more importantly, discipline, both with and without the ball.
In Cronulla's case, that was non-existent on Saturday afternoon.
The men from the Shire completed at just 66 per cent for a total of 24 out of 36 sets, all up giving away the football 13 times, while they also missed a ridiculous 46 tackles and had a team tackle efficiency of under 85 per cent.
It might have been hot, and they might have had the relatively more inexperienced teams, but those factors are attitude issues across the squad.
It's not a concern yet, but it will be if a similar trend repeats next week when Cronulla with the Canterbury Bulldogs at Belmore on Friday evening.
Knights young gun waiting in the wings for Ponga problems
It seems to be an ongoing "what if" question at the Knights. What if Kalyn Ponga gets injured? What if he has more issues with concussion?
In previous years, it has been such a blow to the Knights that they have simply struggled in Ponga's absence. His excellent form during the second half of the 2023 season that ultimately coincided with Newcastle's meteoric rise up the ladder was proof enough of the influence he has over this side.
But coming into 2024, Newcastle have two more options at the back, with David Armstrong handed a Top 30 deal, and Fletcher Sharpe continuing to improve as he joins the development squad.
Sharpe was excellent on Saturday, making nine tackle busts and running for 120 metres as he put his hand up to be Ponga's second in command.
The youngster was matched by Armstrong though who had a try assist, made six tackle busts and made the most of his minutes on the park.
The duo are both relative unknowns when it comes to NRL level, and granted, it was against an undermanned Sharks' side, but positive signs certainly exist.
Sparkles
Jaws
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It was interesting to hear that Fitz and O'Brien apparently had a gentleman's agreement about the 'squads' they would play/interchange against each other. Did we underperform? Was Fitzy intentionally running our weaker options against their stronger players to battle harden them ? Did Fitz get totally pantsed?
Or was it the other way around?
They probably started twice as many players likely to have a round 1 jersey but we went 12-nil up
Maybe O’Brien slipped on his agreement to manage his stronger side against our more inexperienced one once we pantsed him early