Sporting Declaration: Knights' trip to Bali is by the bye

The pile-on kicked off on Wednesday when the ever-forthright Phil Gould made his feelings quite clear about revelations that a handful of Newcastle players had travelled to Bali, with the approval of club management, during a 16-day hiatus between games.

"It wouldn't happen in my day ... I remember when I was a player and we had byes, [Canterbury coach] Warren Ryan used to flog us," Gould said. "It puts steel in your team, it puts steel in your attitude.

"You are paid to train and play, that's what you are paid to do. Find something else to do, find another job if you don't want this job."

Paul Kent on Foxtel's NRL 360 was quick to follow suit.

"It is a professional game and I get the need for players to get time away from the game," Kent said.

"But we are in the middle of the season and the Knights were given nine days off after the Parramatta game [a 43-12 loss] ... I think those nine days, eight weeks into competition, could have been better spent going and working on their game rather than holidaying in Bali or wherever else they've gone."

Queensland coach Billy Slater acknowledged there might be benefits in terms of freshening up but added: "I'm with Phil [Gould]. I think the risks around going to a country like Bali, they're way too big for me ... how many people go over there and get sick? And then they're in bed for five days."

Now these guys are entitled to their opinions and are highly paid to deliver them.

If they were inclined to sit on the fence, or scared to offend anyone, they would no doubt have to find a different line of work.

But there are probably a few points here that I've found myself pondering.

For starters, as well as being possibly the highest-profile analyst and commentator in rugby league, Gould also moonlights as Canterbury's general manager of football.

And last I heard, the Bulldogs have hardly been setting the world on fire since hiring the man they call "Gus" almost two years ago.

Maybe he's got another five-year plan, like he had at Penrith, which subsequently evolved into a 10-year plan.

Whatever the case, I wouldn't have thought he was in any real position to lecture rival clubs about how to run their operations.

Moreover, this group of Newcastle players are by no means trail-blazing pioneers in opting for a quick trip abroad mid-season.

Nathan Cleary travelled to Bali last year for a week after the State of Origin series decider.

(Gus might vaguely remember Cleary, if only because he sacked his father Ivan, who has since returned to coach the Panthers to back-to-back premierships.)

They're not even the first Knights players to travel overseas in bye week. I seem to recall Wayne Bennett advising his players to "get out of town" and freshen up during his three seasons at Newcastle's helm.

Giving players a week off to recharge their batteries and recover from any bumps and bruises is obviously a strategic decision Knights coach Adam O'Brien and his high-performance staff made in the pre-season.

Whether they're lying on the beach at Merewether, Coffs Harbour, Surfers Paradise or Kuta, does it really matter?

In saying that, the timing is awkward, to say the least. It is understandable that eyebrows have been raised after what O'Brien admitted was a "horrible performance" against Parramatta.

If they'd beaten the Eels, I doubt it would even rate a mention.

But they didn't, and suddenly the feelgood vibes emanating from the Knights during the early rounds of the season are fading fast.

After three consecutive defeats, Newcastle have slipped to 14^th on the competition ladder - the same position they occupied at the end of last season.

Before a ball was kicked this year, I wrote that the Knights had a remarkably favourable draw over the first six rounds, but then they would face a steep rise in class.

After a home game on Sunday week against Gold Coast - who last week upset Manly at Brookvale - they face in consecutive fixtures Cronulla (away), Manly (home), Brisbane (away), Sydney Roosters (home) and Penrith (away).

That's a make-or-break phase of the season for any team, and if the Knights play like they did against the Eels, they won't win a game.

I'd go so far as to say that if they can't beat Gold Coast next weekend, then any hope of them reaching the finals is null and void.

All of the accolades they received in the early rounds for their resilience and competitiveness will pretty soon disappear down the S-bend if their results don't start to improve.

And meanwhile, the wisdom of a handful of players to fly out for Bali, rather than staying in Newcastle to keep training with some of their teammates, will inevitably come under scrutiny.

I personally don't regard it as a big deal, but the aforementioned pundits have far louder voices and larger audiences than me.

And if the Knights happen to lose their first game back after the bye, there are no prizes for guessing what the narrative will be.

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