NRL 2021: Newcastle Knights GM Danny Buderus on Dane Gagai bid, Adam O’Brien’s future
Knights general manager of football Danny Buderus opens up on Newcastle’s transfer targets, Adam O’Brien’s future and keeping Kalyn Ponga.
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David Riccio goes one-on-one with Knights general manager Danny Buderus, who confirms the club’s pursuit of a Queensland Origin star and why Adam O’Brien is the man to lead Newcastle.
DR: Last month, your coach Adam O’Brien described the culture of the club as one of failure embedded within — what did he mean by that?
DB: We have had some lean years with wooden spoons and that understanding of what success looks like does take some time when you have had some tough years. What I like about Adam is, he‘s recognised where we are currently, he isn’t satisfied and he knows what we need to do to turn this club into a consistently successful one.
DR: The club made the decision to extend the contract of Adam until 2024 even though he had only coached his first full season of NRL. Was this a particularly smart decision?
DB: Adam is definitely the man to lead the club. It’s only his second year, he’s come here with a real understanding of what a successful outfit looks like. His time as a head coach has been through a Covid-19 period, there’s a lot of things he probably hasn’t been able to do that he would want. The list is a really good list and Adam is the best person and coach to make this happen.
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DR: Anthony Seibold is contracted as an assistant coach until the end of the season. Has a decision been made on his future with the Knights?
DB: We’re currently working through that. I know that Adam has a lot of trust and respect for ‘Seebs’ and his input is highly-valued.
DR: Are you sticking around for the long-haul?
DB: I’m in my second year of a three-year contract and I feel like we’ve started to make inroads, but still have plenty of work to be done.
It’s a role that can be consuming and we are young as far as experience is concerned, in our head coach and me, but we are both clear on what success looks like and how to get there. I’m really excited that we’ll move into our new $20 million Centre of Excellence at the end of this year, which will be a major asset in performance for the club.
DR: Currently 12th on the NRL ladder is that a position you‘re satisfied with?
DB: There’s been a number of contributing factors as to where we currently sit, including not having our first-choice spine play together since round 2, 2020.
But injuries happen at other clubs too, so we can‘t be using those as an excuse. They’re just facts. What I do have confidence in is that over the next couple of weeks we will see more consistent performances.
DR: Injuries hurt every club, but other clubs haven‘t capitulated in matches like the Knights have this year.
DB: I agree, we haven’t handled the loss of key players well and definitely, we have to get better at building a club that it doesn’t matter who plays in the Knights jersey, we get a performance that is much more consistent than what we’ve seen in the past.
DR: The pathways and development programs at the club, is there any reason why the Knights can‘t be another Penrith in this regard?
DB: No there isn’t and that’s got to be the jewel in our crown. We’ve got a lot of emphasis on recruitment and development within our junior academies and that includes the return of Jersey Flegg in 2022. We’ve got to make sure all the junior players have the same alignment with the principles that the Knights stand for in all positions.
DR: I take it you have been speaking to Alan Bell (former Knights coaching director) about this?
DB: I really enjoy talking to Belly. The way he talks about the game, he’s so switched on. The same with David Waite. The foundation the club was built on should never change just evolve.
DR: Dane Gagai, I keep hearing he’s a player you would love back at the club.
DB: Yes, he is. Someone of ‘Gags’ class and experience, would be a real bonus for our club. I played with Gags, so I know what he also brings to a team as far as knowledge within the group. He also has a house still in Newcastle and I know that he is passionate about not only the club, but the community. We’ll see where those talks take us.’
DR: Aside from Gagai, what other positions do you need to recruit for?
DB: Centre is one and I think we need another backrower to work with either Tyson (Frizell) and Lachlan (Fitzgibbon), who is off-contract.
DR: It feels like Kalyn Ponga is always one season away from being in the headlines again about his contract. He has get-out options for 2023 and 2024 — can you keep him long-term?
DB: KP is that player because of his talent and how unique he is, he‘s always going to have offers and have his contract set-up that way. We just need to get him playing. He just needs to get back on the field playing some consistent footy which would be his goal at the moment.
DR: What role does Mitchell Pearce play over the next 12-months?
DB: It’s fair to say Mitchell didn’t have the best start to the year (off the field), but when we have spoken, he has been very clear on what he needs to do for this team. He’s very clear on what he wants to do in the game and what he wants to be remembered for in the game. He’s still got some quality years in front of him. He’s played a lot of footy and understands the changes in the game and he wants to be effective at that. He’s had an opportunity to sit back and watch a lot of games so I’m looking forward to seeing him finish the year off really strong and doing the same again next year.
DR: Lastly, what would State of Origin in Newcastle do for the region?
DB: It would be incredible. Major events — not just Origin, is what the people of Newcastle deserve. The impact on the next-generation of footy fans and kids would be huge. And not just for Knights fans either, the impact would be felt right across the game. (Laughing) It would be the biggest event since Joey (Andrew Johns) crowd surfed with the Screaming Jets after the ‘97 grand final.’’
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Originally published as NRL 2021: Newcastle Knights GM Danny Buderus on Dane Gagai bid, Adam O’Brien’s future
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