2019 NIB Knights

ryno_ wrote:


This is a sinking ship looking worse and worse.

Pieman wrote:

Losses: Gagai.
Gains: Handful of nobodies.

ryno_ wrote:

Losses: Gagai.
Gains: Handful of nobodies.

One of your best Sideshow Ryno

We've signed Slade Griffin from the Storm to a two year deal. It's a take it or leave it signing. If not more he's going to come from a culture of winning and another top 4 signing

Milchcow wrote:

If nothing else he'll contribute more than Kostjasyn, who I assume he is a replacement for.

Yeah fill in hooker and lock - which we could need.

It's not going to be on big money and he'll get game time so everyone will be happy.

Players the knights have let go for next season:
Gagai obviously

Stockwell
Paea
Bhana
Feeney
Starling
Wardell
Pauli
Randall
Tupou
Matora

The only that you would blink twice at is Gagai but the Bunnies paid overs for him so what can ya do.
Crazy thing is - even without gagai there, IMO that is over a million in cap space. With gagai its like 1.6mil freed up.

Pieman wrote:Players the knights have let go for next season:
Gagai obviously

The only that you would blink twice at is Gagai but the Bunnies paid overs for him so what can ya do.
Crazy thing is - even without gagai there, IMO that is over a million in cap space. With gagai its like 1.6mil freed up.

There's 10 guys there other than Gagai.
Easy $1m probably closer to $1.5.
But you still need to hire 10 guuys with that $1.5m so you're replacing minimum wage with minimum wage.

Swap you Benji for Feeney

Yeah fair enough, the thing is most of them are not on minimum wage so it is prob closer to 2mil on second though, without gagai even in it.

Guys like Starling, Wardell, Pauli (I forgot about Kostjayson too), would have been on a decent amount more than minimum. Stockwell is even on 350k or so too.

Knights have signed Lillyman for a season.

Perfect. That's the hard nosed signing that we needed.

Honeysett wrote:Knights have signed Lillyman for a season.

Perfect. That's the hard nosed signing that we needed.

Beat me to it, much better than signing Blair IMO

Lillyman will play hard even if the team are struggling for form and wins, Blair will only go hard if the team is going well

Welshy wrote:

Beat me to it, much better than signing Blair IMO

Lillyman will play hard even if the team are struggling for form and wins, Blair will only go hard if the team is going well

lillyman also never lets you down, even when going well blair has games where his ill-discipline can cost you at vital moments


solid buy

It's a good buy for his leadership but performance wise... He'll be 34, entering his 16th season. Plays 40min a game. Its not the silver bullet they need to suddenly become relevant again. I guess itll be worth it if some of his work ethic and discipline rubs off on the young guys.

ryno_ wrote:It's a good buy for his leadership but performance wise... He'll be 34, entering his 16th season. Plays 40min a game. Its not the silver bullet they need to suddenly become relevant again. I guess itll be worth it if some of his work ethic and discipline rubs off on the young guys.

Its a really good signing. 

He isnt there to lead the pack like a Graham (or Adam BLOLair)  would be. He is there to help develop the young props we have and to play 40-50 mins a game. He is a state of origin player and has come to the club with the brightest future in the game. Even graham would have been a risk considering the million he wanted and the neck issue he has, Scott was never leaving the cows too (and would be 33 next year coming off a knee reco, with an ongoing neck issue too).

Daniel Saifiti is potentially the next great prop coming through, Lillyman is there to help him. Its a short term, low risk high reward investment, Blair would have been the total opposite. He is there to set an example for blokes like Ese'ese, Saifiti, King, Barnett and co.

Peter Matutia is off to england. Shame that he left, he was really good in the back half of the year. Was hoping he would stay as he seems like a pretty low cost good back up kind of player but good luck to him in the UK.

Pieman wrote:
Its a really good signing. 

He isnt there to lead the pack like a Graham (or Adam BLOLair)  would be. He is there to help develop the young props we have and to play 40-50 mins a game. He is a state of origin player and has come to the club with the brightest future in the game. Even graham would have been a risk considering the million he wanted and the neck issue he has, Scott was never leaving the cows too (and would be 33 next year coming off a knee reco, with an ongoing neck issue too).

Daniel Saifiti is potentially the next great prop coming through, Lillyman is there to help him. Its a short term, low risk high reward investment, Blair would have been the total opposite. He is there to set an example for blokes like Ese'ese, Saifiti, King, Barnett and co.

Peter Matutia is off to england. Shame that he left, he was really good in the back half of the year. Was hoping he would stay as he seems like a pretty low cost good back up kind of player but good luck to him in the UK.

Wait what?

When you come last 3 years in a row, there is no where to go but up. Its all relative mate

Pieman wrote:When you come last 3 years in a row, there is no where to go but up. Its all relative mate

That's the spirit I think all fans should have. I think you meant "most room for improvement" rather than "brightest future" though.

Nah, I am pretty happy to say the club with the brightest future in the game. Just my thoughts. And exactly, every fan is entitled to think that about their own club.

Great young core of players. 
New facilities being built. 
New stable ownership.
Building the culture back. 

Sure, its taking time but to me, no other club has a brighter future IMO.

Chris Heighington has signed for a year. I like these signings, they're low cost and for one year. All about teaching the young guys the right ways.

And he's a hoot on twitter