Campo’s Corner: Why knives are sharpening for Knights coach Nathan Brown
Newcastle’s horror era is supposed to be over. But the reality is an Edrick Lee intercept is all that stands between them and an 0-5 start to the year — and the fans are right to start getting restless.
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Nathan Brown already has the second most losses of any coach in Knights history.
His 16 wins in 76 games are the least of any permanent coach the club has ever had and his 21.1% win rate is the lowest of Newcastle’s 10 coaches.
Taking over after Newcastle’s last-placed finish in 2015, Brown has steered the club through two more wooden spoon seasons and presided over the most depressing era not just in Newcastle history but perhaps the entire NRL era. Only the Rabbitohs in the few years following their readmission can boast a similarly miserable time as the Knights era between 2016 and now.
All that was supposed to be over. The Knights might not have a top four roster at their disposal but the pieces are there for them to at least contend for the finals this season and anything less, after what the club has been through, would be a tremendous disappointment.
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Brown, to some extent, has done his job in building a roster capable of making an impact in this competition.
And yet here we are, with an Edrick Lee intercept in Round 1 against the Sharks all that stands between Newcastle and an 0-5 start to the year. Kalyn Ponga’s move to five-eighth, which was always a dodgy idea, was abandoned after two-and-a-half games. The improvements that were meant to come are yet to materialise. Newcastle’s defence is still brittle, their attack is still almost solely reliant on Ponga.
The Knights were gifted a very nice draw to start the year — four homes games in their first five and a trip to Canberra to round it out. They have been competitive in all five — their eight-point loss to Manly on the weekend was their heaviest defeat of the season — but the time for gallant losses is over. This was supposed to be a winning year.
The long-suffering Knights fans would prefer death over abandoning their team but they are hungry to assign blame and get answers. Ponga and Mitchell Pearce are popular targets and Pearce in particular has endured a very tough start to the year, but at some point these things begin and end with the man in charge. There are issues within this team that are the coach’s responsibility — like the stagnation of Connor Watson and Danny Levi, the regression of Lachlan Fitzgibbon and Mitchell Barnett and how the entire team seems to forget that Jesse Ramien has joined the club.
A loss against the Titans this weekend might not be the end of Brown’s time in the Hunter and a win might not be enough to save him, but he has too much talent at his disposal and has been around too long for Newcastle to be this way. The Knights faithful have been patient but it is wearing thin and should more losses follow the knives will really come out.
ARE THE RAIDERS FOR REAL?
Let me assure you of this — in the hidden places and dark corners of the world, the Canberra fans are gathering. They are whispering about the Green Machine conceding just 44 points in five matches, keeping two teams scoreless and boasting a 4-1 record in their best start to a season since 2005.
If you ask them about these things they’ll deny they’re excited. They’ll say they’re taking it one week at a time before hastily changing the subject to John Bateman. But deep down in places they don’t talk about at parties the Raiders faithful are as excited as Joey Leilua when there’s a blindside on offer.
It’s a bit early to be thinking about a glorious premiership to end the club’s 25-year finals drought but this does appear to be a different breed of Raiders team. The last time they held two teams scoreless in a season was 1990 and while their attack (and Jack Wighton at five-eighth) is still a work in progress they’re making good metres and defending well and that’s enough to carry a team early in the season. They’ll be favourites this week against Brisbane and if they’re serious they’ll get the job done.
Let’s not go the whole hog just yet though. That 2005 start that you keep hearing about? Canberra won their opening four matches and were first on the ladder … and then dropped 15 of their last 20 to finish one loss away from the wooden spoon.
ADDITION BY SUBTRACTION
Of the five players the Dragons have used in their spine this season Gareth Widdop is the best. That’s not a knock on Ben Hunt, Matt Dufty, Corey Norman and Cameron McInnes but rather a wrap on Widdop, who has been one of the best halves in the NRL for several years.
Widdop’s move to fullback notwithstanding, his injury has proven to be a case of addition by subtraction for the Red V. Would they be better with Widdop at six alongside either Hunt or Norman? Perhaps. But with Norman alongside Hunt the Dragons have achieved some measure of stability and abandoned the bizarre late shuffling that undid them in the first two rounds.
Matt Dufty’s return at fullback has also given the backline some sorely needed quickness and the speed machine’s ball-playing is improving all the time. A win over Manly this weekend could set up a banger of a game on Anzac Day against the Roosters.
CODY FOUR TRIES
And now, in honour of Cody Walker scoring four tries against the Warriors, here’s a list of random players who have scored four tries in a match and some things I know about them.
Marshall Chalk: Chalk scored four tries for the Raiders in a 62-22 horsewhipping of the Rabbitohs in Round 26 of 2004. It was Chalk’s second NRL game and ensured the Raiders could gloriously limp into the finals. Chalk stuck around with Canberra until 2008 as a winger/centre/backrower but is remembered with fondness by Raiders fans.
Ray Mercy: Mercy was a winger/centre of the late 1990s with Parramatta and North Queensland and he crossed four times in the Cowboys’ 26-2 win over Balmain in Round 2 of 1998. Since then no other player has grabbed a quartet of tries for the Cowboys, which really seems like something Matt Bowen would have done on some forgotten, delayed coverage 9:30pm Super Saturday game against the Northern Eagles. Big shout out to the 35 Cowboys players who have scored three tries in a match, including Matt Sing who did it six times.
Jordan Atkins: One of five players in first grade history to score four tries on debut, Atkins lit up the Titans’ first ever game at Cbus Super Stadium and then scored just seven more tries in his final 41 NRL matches. Terrific areas.
THE GOLDEN HOMBRE
Is there anything more thrilling than when a big man gets into the clear and attempts an ill-advised dummy, or perhaps a chip kick? Is there anything greater than when a large lad decides the time has come for him to show the world the ball skills he knows lurk deep within? Is there anything that lifts the spirit more than a hefty fellow crashing across the stripe for his second NRL try in his 179th first grade match?
I say no, and to honour these big fellas each and every week we hand out The Golden Hombre, named after Todd Payten, the biggest halfback God ever created.
It was a stacked field this week, with David Fifita kicking for himself and almost scoring to put in a fine claim, as did Sam Lisone by finishing off a seven-pass movement to score his second NRL try in his 77th game while Jake Trbojevic was in with a shout after kicking for Joel Thompson to score. But there can only be one and, as the old saying goes, if a backrower runs 40 metres to score in the final seconds of a game then all things become his. Michael Chee Kam was out in the centres and casually beat 48 Broncos defenders to score what will take some beating as the greatest try of his life.
A GUY YOU SHOULD KNOW
Alex Twal is someone the Tigers have been excited about ever since they snagged him from Parramatta a few years ago and he’s rewarding that faith right now.
In his first full season as a starter Twal has become the club’s best and most important middle forward. He’s averaging 58 minutes, 111 metres and 39 tackles per game and was among the Tigers’ best in their win over Brisbane, where he played a massive 68 minutes. Keep an eye on Twal, he’s got a huge future.
Originally published as Campo’s Corner: Why knives are sharpening for Knights coach Nathan Brown
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