Nowhere but up for Knights in 2017 after dismal season with one win

FINAL VERDICT: The Knights became the worst performing team in the NRL era and secured just one win in 2016. What possible positives could be taken from such a nightmare?

THE Knights became the worst performing team in the NRL era and secured just one win in 2016. What possible positives could be taken from such a nightmare?

Daily Telegraph journalists Michael Carayannis and Barry Toohey give their final verdict on the Knights.

By MICHAEL CARAYANNIS

What went right:

Very, very little for a Newcastle side who managed just one victory. But with some despair comes some light at the end of the tunnel. The Knights revealed a stack of youngsters who showed they will become seasoned first graders highlighted by the Saifiti twins. The shock switch of former Test winger Sione Mata’utia to the back-row was also a major winner. Mata’utia showed enough grit to emerge as a genuine NRL back-rower of some promise. The patience of coach Nathan Brown in not looking for a short-term fix was also a huge plus.

What went wrong:

Everything. The Knights became the worst team in NRL history after recording the least amount of season wins since 1998. Their salary cap is a mess, mixed in with injuries to seasoned players Kade Snowden and James McManus plus the dumping of high priced winger Aku Uate to NSW Cup meant a large chunk of their salary cap was on the sidelines. Brown would have budgeted for more than one win but the Knights were just a bunch of boys playing against men. High price recruit Trent Hodkinson also struggled in his new surroundings, not matching the rich price tag he signed on for from the Bulldogs.

By BARRY TOOHEY

What went right:

Not much. The emergence of some great young talent such as the Saifiti twins Daniel and Jacob and halves Brock Lamb and Jack Cogger was a positive, as was the outstanding form of winger Nathan Ross and the move to the backrow of former centre Sione Mata’utia by coach Nathan Brown. That the Knights managed to average home crowds of more than 14,000 was remarkable given their disastrous on-field results.

What went wrong:

You name it. Forced to blood 11 NRL debutants, Brown’s side won just one game all season and conceded 800 points to be the worst performed side since the Gold Coast Seagulls in 1993. Their 22 losses included an unbroken run of 18 consecutive defeats that came after a round 6 18-16 win over Wests Tigers. They missed 900 tackles and conceded 142 tries and were the third worst disciplined team in the competition, giving away 187 penalties. On the player front, experienced prop Kade Snowden played just 28 minutes of the season, Robbie Rochow featured in just eight games while Jarrod Mullen missed 10 matches. Brown was forced to use 35 players, more than two full squads for the season, many of them young players before they were ready.

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Originally published as Nowhere but up for Knights in 2017 after dismal season with one win