RUGBY LEAGUE NEWS:
| Newcastle Knights 2010 Season Preview | ||
| Written by: Paul Jobber | ||
| February 24th 2010 12:30 PM | ||
Stone will again head the charge of the Knights Brigade in 2010. He will be better for the five-game stint he had at the back end of the ’09 season after Brian Smith’s departure to Bondi Junction and much like the start of 2009, the Knights will begin the season with a fresh outlook - and from a club perspective, they’d like to steer clear of the dramas that circulated the club in the middle of the season that culminated in Smith leaving. In 2010, Jarrod Mullen will be looking to take the next step in guiding the Newcastle team around the park and turning them into genuine premiership contenders. December marked a time in Knights history that many would like to forget. Front rower Danny Wicks was arrested on eight counts – six of supplying drugs and two of possession after being pulled over in the Newcastle suburb of Kotara. Police allege Wicks was involved in a drug-ring that began in Grafton and extended to the Hunter. Wicks was released soon after, but it would mark a black period for the Newcastle club and one that leaves a cloud hanging over it, with the possibility some other players may have been involved as the police investigation continues. How much of a disruption the events in mid-December have on the remainder of the playing group remains to be seen. For the first month of the 2010 season, a lot of responsibility will fall on the shoulders of five-eighth Jarrod Mullen and his halves partner. Whether that is Ben Rogers or Scott Dureau is yet to be determined. It is only a question coach Rick Stone knows the answer to after the untimely injury to fullback and skipper Kurt Gidley in the All-Stars match on the Gold Coast on February 13. Mullen, Dureau and Rogers will be joined in the side by promising backrower Cory Paterson who appears to have successfully battled the depression that saw his season cut short last year. In an appropriate link, the Knights' round one clash with Canterbury at ANZ Stadium will see the two clubs compete for the annual "BeyondBlue Cup", with BeyondBlue being the National Depression Initiative. Although the Knights will be without their inspirational captain for the first month, coach Stone believes they have enough depth in their roster to hit the ground running. In the first five rounds, the furthest the Knights will have to travel will be to Bluetongue Stadium in Gosford, so anything less than three wins from the first five will be seen as a disappointment. In the absence of Gidley, the captaincy duties will fall to evergreen backrower Steve Simpson for the first few weeks. 2010 may be the final year in the red and blue for the boy from Broke, and the crowd favourite will endeavour to go a few steps further than 2009 and perhaps retire with a premiership. While the Knights don’t possess a gamebreaker in the ilk of a Jarryd Hayne, Darren Lockyer or Billy Slater, their main asset is the strength of depth across the board. Any of the top 25 could slot into the run-on side and make just as big an impact as the individual they are replacing. Many punters have already written the Knights off with the injury to Gidley seeing the Novocastrians firming into wooden spoon favouritism. The question of depth, however, will be answered in about six months time. Signings: Gains: Shannon McDonnell (Mid Season - Wests Tigers), Evarn Tuimavave (NZ Warriors) Losses: Luke Walsh (Mid Season - Penrith Panthers), Tim Natusch (Brisbane Broncos), Luke MacDougall (Melbourne Storm), Danny Wicks (released) Side Round 1: 1. Shannon McDonnell 2. Akuila Uate 3. Junior Sau 4. Adam MacDougall 5. Cooper Vuna 6. Jarrod Mullen 7. Scott Dureau 8. Mark Taufua 9. Isaac De Gois 10. Ben Cross 11. Steve Simpson © 12. Cory Paterson 13. Zeb Taia Int: 14. Matt Hilder 15. Evarn Tuimavave 16. Dan Tolar 17. Chris Houston Player to Watch: Cory Paterson After a promising 2008 season that saw the towering backrower selected in the Prime Ministers XIII, Paterson was diagnosed with Clinical Depression in 2009, which wiped out half of his season. Those that saw his performances in 2008 have plenty of optimism for a repeat effort in 2010 which may see him as an outside candidate for a NSW State Of Origin berth. Rookie To Watch: Peter Mata’utia One of the few highlights of a disappointing 2009 campaign for the Knights Toyota Cup side was fullback or winger Peter Mata’utia. The still-only 18 year-old won the Carlson Club medal last year as the club’s outstanding 17-year-old, an award also won by Andrew Johns. Mata’utia has also represented the Australian Schoolboys and is contracted to the Knights until the end of the 2011 season. With the injury to Kurt Gidley, Knights fans and NRL fans in general, may not have to wait long to see the 18-year-old’s debut in first grade. Current Injuries: James McManus is expected to return around Round 2, while captain Kurt Gidley is expected back in Round 4 but may miss anywhere up to 10 weeks 2010 Season Schedule: R1 v Bulldogs (A) R2 v Storm (H) R3 v Sea Eagles (A, Gosford) R4 v Panthers (H) R5 v Rabbitohs (A, Gosford) R6 v Cowboys (H) R7 v Sharks (A) R8 v Broncos (A) R9 v Titans (H) R10 v Roosters (A, Gosford) R11 v Tigers (H) R12 Bye R13 v Panthers (A) R14 v Warriors (H) R15 v Eels (H) R16 v Titans (A) R17 Bye R18 v Sharks (H) R19 v Raiders (A) R20 v Cowboys (A) R21 v Sea Eagles (H) R22 v Bulldogs (H) R23 v Warriors (A) R24 v Broncos (H) R25 v Dragons (H) R26 v Storm (A) |
