Panthers v Broncos preview
4 hours ago | Rhys Sullivan
A season with so much promise was dealt several body blows before a
ball had even been kicked in 2010 for the Newcastle Knights. Despite
making the finals for the first time in several years in 2009, the
Knights were some experts tip for the wooden spoon. The Novocastrians
continued to fight every step of the way in 2010, claiming some handy
scalps before eventually missing the finals.
When Danny Wicks was arrested and charged with possessing drugs just
before Christmas last year, it would mark the beginning of a dark cloud
that would hang over the club for the whole of the 2010 season. It
would be through none of their own doing, but many Knights players
would be subject to allegations of being linked to Wicks and his drug
network. A matter of weeks before the opening round of the competition,
the club suffered another significant hit when Chris Houston resigned.
Such was the swiftness of Houston's decision to part ways with the
club, the Knights were in no position to attempt to cover both spots on
the playing roster with similar-type players and subsequently would
have to fast-track and unearth some talented youngsters into the first
grade squad.
With those drug allegations still hanging over the club, the Knights
ran out onto ANZ Stadium in round one and came up with one of their
best performances of the season against the Canterbury Bulldogs. The
Bulldogs were amongst one of the pre-season favourites and to claim
such a scalp so early was a promising sign for the Novocastrians. Young
Fijian flyer Akuila Uate opened his try-scoring account and it would be
a sign of things to come as he equalled Timana Tahu's all-time try
scoring record over the course of the year, finding the line 21 times.
A matter of seven days later, the Knights would race out to a
commanding 14-0 lead over the Melbourne Storm, only to suffer what
would become the norm throughout the season and leak points at a
worrying rate when the game was there for the taking. It would be one
of many games decided by single-figure margins that would ultimately
cost the Knights a finals spot.
When they were good
It's difficult to go past their victories over Brisbane - the first
time since both sides came into the competition where the Novocastrians
were on the right end of the scoreboard on both occasions. The 30-22
victory over the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium in Round 8 would be one of
the very few times when they would defend their line with purpose and
refuse to concede points after trailing 22-12 at the break. What was
more surprising was the fact it was six days after arguably their worst
performance of the season at Toyota Park. Later in the season when the
team were playing with a freedom not seen since the days of Andrew
Johns, the red-and-blue faithful were treated to a 44-18 hammering of
the Broncos, not to mention a 32-14 victory over Manly and a thoroughly
impressive 30-6 demolition of the Bulldogs.
When they were bad
The Round 7 trip to Toyota Park was the most disappointing. It's not
uncommon for the Knights to lose in the Shire, but the way in which it
was done was all the more disappointing for the faithful who made the
trip down the F3. At the time, the Sharks were sitting in last position
with one hand on the wooden spoon, but proceeded to whack the Knights
fairly around the backside and send them back up the freeway looking
for answers.
The most embarrassing defeat without doubt was the 52-18 capitulation
in the Nation's Capital. At one stage the Raiders were outscoring the
clock as they raced to an astonishing 52-0 lead after just 48 minutes.
It was a type of performance that even the most ardent Knights fan
would have been forgiven for switching the television off at this
point. Only for the Raiders deciding enough was enough did the Knights
manage to score the final 18 points of the game, as their club-record
71-6 defeat to the Broncos in 2007 loomed large.
When they could have been better
There were several games scattered throughout the year that would
emphasise the Knights lack of composure when the game was up for grabs.
The Easter Monday Miracle, as it could be dubbed, saw the Knights
explode out of the blocks and lead 24-6 just after halftime, only to
concede a try right on full-time and suffer a heartbreaking 34-30 loss
to the Panthers. Several weeks later it was a case of Deja Vu, but this
time it was the Titans turn to break the hearts of the Novocastrian
faithful. Despite a refereeing error costing the Knights a fair try
when they led 30-22, the Titans would register a remarkable 38-36
victory.
Where to in 2011
Despite many pundits' predictions of the Knights struggling to be a
force once again, it is not all doom and gloom in the Hunter. The
acquisition of Dragons' duo Neville Costigan and Beau Henry, alongside
Steve Southern, Siuatonga Likiliki and Kyle O'Donnell will give the
Knights a sprinkling of new talent they perhaps need. The spine of Kurt
Gidley, Isaac De Gois and Jarrod Mullen gives the Knights plenty of
cause for optimism. Problems may arise, however, if the inevitable
injury count rises as has been the case in recent years and the
halfback conundrum facing the coaching staff could well play a major
role in determining how the Knights fare throughout the season. The
Knights did show glimpses of their ability throughout 2010 to compete
with the best teams in the competition; it is just consistency that
coach Rick Stone must find a formula for.
Best lineup for 2011
1. Kurt Gidley 2. Akuila Uate 3. Junior Sau 4.Adam MacDougall 5. James
McManus 6. Jarrod Mullen 7. Beau Henry 8. Evarn Tuimavave 9. Isaac De
Gois 10. Antonio Kaufusi 11. Cory Paterson 12.Neville Costigan 13. Zeb
Taia
Interchange: 14. Matt Hilder 15. Dan Tolar 16. Richie Fa'aoso 17. Joel Edwards
2010 stats
Wins: 10
Losses: 14
Position: 11th
Home Record: 6 wins, 6 losses (=10th)
Away Record: 4 wins, 8 losses (=13th)
Best Winning Streak: 3 (Rounds 15-18, bye Round 17)
Longest Losing Streak: 4 (Rounds 2-5)
Players Used: 28
Tries Scored (after 26 rounds): 86 (13th)
Tries Conceded (after 26 rounds): 102 (14th)
Top tryscorer: Akuila Uate (21 tries)
Top pointscorer: Kurt Gidley (134 points)
Player of the Year
Matt Hilder