The Newcastle Knights will be out to improve again in the 2022 season, following a year which promised so much more than it delivered.
Newcastle might have made the top eight at the end of the 2021 season, but coach Adam O’Brien will know they need dramatic improvement across the park to recreate the feat.
Teams below them have improved their rosters, while it could be argued the Knights haven’t in key areas following a year where their attack was one of the worst in the competition.
They won a majority of their games in low-scoring wrestles - matches that were never going to set them up to swing it out with the big guns in September.
By the time it was all said and done, the Knights had only scored 428 points at under 18 per game. It gave them the NRL’s second-worst attacking record, 88 points ahead of the Canterbury Bulldogs, but 18 points behind the Brisbane Broncos. The next worst attacking team in the top eight was the Parramatta Eels, who managed 138 more points than Newcastle.
It means the Knights desperately need to improve their part of their game in 2022. They defended well, but that won’t be as simple as more teams figure out not only the new rules, but Newcastle’s defensive structures.
Anything less than another finals appearance would be deemed a dismal failure for the men from the Hunter, but the loss of Mitchell Pearce, uncertainty in key positions and concerns around their attack make it a very real likelihood that they’ll be, at best, fighting for scraps at the bottom of the top eight again.
Here are the burning questions which will define their season.
How do the Knights replace Mitchell Pearce?
Mitchell Pearce’s release wasn’t expected by the time it happened, but if you had of said he wouldn’t be in Newcastle for 2022 mid way through last season, you most likely would have been laughed at.
Still, Pearce is now in France and the Knights have failed to make a big-name signing to take his spot in the halves, meaning they have to go internally.
The club will employ Jake Clifford as their number one priority in the halves. The former Cowboy arrived from the North Queensland Cowboys at the back end of last year and was impressive.
He will be joined by one of Adam Clune, Simi Sasagi or Phoenix Crossland in the halves.
Clune is the most experienced of the trio, but don’t be surprised if it’s Sasagi there by the end of the year.
Still, whether that adequately replaces Pearce or not remains to be seen.
Where do points come from?
Even with Pearce at the club in 2021, the Knights struggled enormously for points. They failed to put totals on the board, and it showed in the stats at the end of the year, with the second-worst attacking record.
Simply put, they were not good enough with the footy in hand at any point, and it told in what ended up being their final match of the season in the first week of the finals against the Parramatta Eels when they bowed out.
They have attacking weapons in the team - of that there can be no doubt. Kalyn Ponga is the big one, but with uncertainty over their halves, Jayden Brailey out injured and only Dane Gagai as a major signing, it’s hard to see this turning around with major coaching intervention.
That’s where Adam O’Brien comes in.
He had a strong apprenticeship before taking over at the Knights, but with a roster he can call his own, this is where he must put the foot down and find a way for this team to be competitive against the best.
Their attacking structure in 2021 was stagnant at best and must change this time around, but the little things have to be done right as well, with Newcastle regularly having a high error count and poor discipline.
Can Kalyn Ponga be the X-Factor?
This is a question which will determine the Knights season, and more or less continues on from the last one.
Ponga battled injury for much of the 2021 season, and while it undoubtedly impacted the Knights, the club have never overly used him in the right way.
The star Queensland fullback has always been a “pass the ball to Ponga and see what happens” rather than actually incorporating proper attacking structures built around him.
That must happen in 2022 not only for the good of the Knights attack, but for Ponga’s form.
He has the potential to be one of the best players in the game if he is allowed to be, but up until now, that simply hasn’t happened.
How will Jayden Brailey’s injury impact the Knights?
Jayden Brailey will miss at least half of the season after injuring his achilles in what can only be described as a major blow to the Knights chances of making anything from this season.
Brailey has turned himself into one of the most consistent hookers in the game, providing strong service to his forwards, being involved in the attack, and defending soundly in a team who have often needed just that thanks to their woeful attack.
The Knights game style in 2021 centred around getting scrappy and doing as much defence as was needed to win games of football.
Chris Randall will be the replacement for Brailey, and has proven himself to be a strong defender, so that side of the game should be taken care of.
What he hasn’t proven is whether his attack will be up to the same level as Brailey, and one would have to suggest based on a rather small sample size, that the answer is no.
The Knights simply can’t afford to go further backwards in their attack, so this will be one to watch.
Who starts in the front row?
The Knights have three starting calibre front-rowers in the Saifiti brothers to go with David Klemmer.
Both Daniel and Jacob Saifiti were re-signed to long-term deals with the Knights last year, indicating the club’s willingness to prioritise them as the future.
It means they will likely start, but it has to be wondered if, given the big minute production of Klemmer and the more impact nature of Jacob Saifiti, that would be the wrong option.
Jacob has the ability to bust the line and provide more in the footwork department than Klemmer and his brother, and against tiring defensive lines is where he has often made a name for himself.
His brother is an Origin quality starting option, and Klemmer brings experience and a hardened edge to the middle third early in games, as well as a desire to start.
It won’t be the end of the world if they go the other way, but it certainly seems like there is a correct option here.