Where do we start when analysing the big positives to come out of the 2018 season for the Newcastle Knights?
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The brilliance of Kalyn Ponga, the buy-in and influence of Mitchell Pearce, the incredible support from the NRL’s most loyal fan-base and the financial stability, professionalism and confidence generated by new owners Wests Group.
And that’s just scratching the surface.
What about the continued emergence of youngsters like Daniel Saifiti, Lachlan Fitzgibbon and Herman Ese’ese and the over-all quality of the club’s newest recruits.
Then there was the promising signs shown below NRL level with the club’s three junior teams all making grandfinal qualifiers and the Jersey Flegg Under 20’s side winning the minor premiership.
So what went right for the Knights in this season just gone?
Plenty. So here is our Top 8 positives of 2018.
1: Kalyn Ponga
We can’t go past the kid whose name has been on the lips of every NRL fan this year.
To think two years ago when the club made him the “richest teenager in rugby league”, there were those calling his deal “outrageous” and “over the top”.
Those same critics are now saying the Knights got him for a bargain after he lit up the premiership with his dazzling footwork and ability to create something out of nothing.
Who can forget his Origin debut for Queensland?
And it was only injury that robbed him of the Dally M Medal after he clinched The Players’ Champion award.
Knights legend Andrew Johns has labelled him a “once-in-a-generation” player. And he is at the Knights for at least the next three seasons.
2: Mitch Pearce
The stars aligned when this bloke unexpectedly came on the market and his signing single-handedly justified the savage salary cap overhaul presided over by Nathan Brown and Darren Mooney.
Heralded by Knights life member and former chairman Michael Hill as the club’s greatest signing since Ben Kennedy, Pearce’s passion, resolve, winning culture and influence made him an inspirational leader.
You felt the Knights were a chance whenever he led the side out and his buy-in of both the city and the club and what the Knights stand for, after such a painful exit from the Roosters, has been phenomenal.
3: Wests Group
Finally, a professionally run, financially secure, local ownership foundation to build an NRL powerhouse from.
Wests have a history of turning whatever they touch to gold and no one is more passionate about this city and its success than CEO and chief deal-maker Phil Gardner.
Gardner places a high demand on hard work and performance, and has already shown at football department staff level that no one is above accountability.
Wests’ long overdue involvement breeds confidence and the club’s engagement with fans has never been greater.
4: The fans
Widely acclaimed as the most loyal in rugby league, success-starved Knights supporters came out in the droves to watch their team play.
It didn’t matter that the NRL lumbered the Knights with more graveyard time-slots [6pm Friday] than any other club, they still turned up in big numbers.
Newcastle finished with the second highest average crowd attendance [behind Brisbane] of 18,974, up 21.48 per cent on the previous year.
In total, 227,682 fans streamed through the turnstiles at McDonald Jones Stadium despite the fact the side won just four of their 12 home games throughout the season.
5: The recruits
The Knights were painstaking with their recruitment but it paid off – the club didn’t sign a dud although we didn’t get to see hardly anything of centre Tautau Moga before his season-ending injury in round 4.
Backrower Aiden Guerra didn’t miss a game and was an inspirational figure both on and off the field.
Young prop Ese’ese was among the side’s best every week and is only getting better, winger Shaun Kenny-Dowall was another to not miss a game and was a great contributor on and off the field, and while Connor Watson battled injuries, his quality was evident in a lot of games.
Veteran props Chris Heighington and Jacob Lillyman were probably more influential off the field then they were on it but still left a mark, while the signing of largely unheralded hooker Slade Griffin proved to be a masterstroke before he was cruelly cut down late in the season by injury.
And the positives weren’t just centred around the players the Knights signed.
Some of the high-profile players they missed out on – namely Matt Scott, Jack Bird and Kieran Foran – had seasons to forget at their various clubs.
6: The locals
The continued development of younger players like Fitzgibbon, Saifiti and Mitch Barnett was a further highlight, as was Sione Mata’utia overcoming his concussion nightmare.
Fitzgibbon still has some defensive issues to work on but few if any backrowers in the game have improved more than he has in the space of a couple of seasons under coach Brown.
He runs as good a line as anyone and being fed by the likes of Pearce and Ponga certainly helps.
Big “D Saf” took a while to get going after off-season shoulder surgery but some of his performances towards the back end of the season had future representative written all over them.
Barnett still has some rough edges to smooth over but he is developing into a quality forward.
Was there a player under more emotional and mental pressure going into a season in the NRL than Sione Mata’utia?
His career was under a cloud during the off-season because of his spate of head knocks.
And even when he was given the all-clear, he still had to deal with the demons surrounding what would happen if his concussions continued.
Couple that with his move from the back-row to the centres and the added defensive burden that brought and it’s little wonder he had an up-and-down year.
But he finished the year off strongly and earned himself a new deal with the club.
7: The kids
No one from the junior ranks made a bigger impression than 20-year-old prop Pasami Saulo, who looks a great prospect and was rewarded with three NRL games off the bench.
But with Todd Lowrie’s Jersey Flegg side winning the minor premiership and a strong junior development program being run by Scott Dureau, there is plenty more to look forward to.
8: No spoon
Enough said.
Your verdict
- Watching Kalyn Ponga, the professionalism that Wests bring and the reconnection with the fans who have been taken for granted for the previous 5-6 years. As a Perth-based member, I’m stoked. (@mickskehan)
- The right people are getting in the right roles with the right attitude. Brown’s contract, Wests’ takeover, great recruitment, combinations building, positive attitude. (@EmmaCam52191673)
- When Brownie f#&*!>*$g roasted Wayne Bennett. (@leightonwallis)
- The hope of avoiding a 4th spoon was legitimately replaced with the expectation of making the 8. Injuries aside, that would have been achieved. (@Wobbles08)
- We have a much improved line up, players who seem 100 percent committed to the club, big crowds. (@CarlieAnnM)
- Ponga and Pearcey- worth every cent. Lachlan Fitzgibbon becoming the next Steve Simpson. Daniel Saifiti improved again after a slow start. (@mickmaher83)
- Some great improvements in 2018. The new recruits- Pearce and Ponga, our local juniors with Fitz, DSaf and JSaf, Sione. Great crowds and atmosphere and most importantly, Wests and Our Town/Our Team feeling is back. Bring on 2019. (@ChrisMaddocks3)
- Crowds. With Pearce playing, we were a force. Ponga pure superstar. (@Trent_Colley)
- New ownership has to be number 1 as it sets our future up followed by Ponga and Pearce. (@Gebbs84)
- Recruitment translating to results through a culture change. And WESTS taking over. (@rarewhitebear)
- Ponga, Pearce, crowds and Wests professionalism. (@rourkster)
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