THE KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOUR MUST BE PONGA
THE Knights are a huge question mark. They didn’t perform well last year and they rely so much on Kalyn Ponga, who has been injury prone. Can they win without him on the field? That’s the biggest question mark for them.
BACKLINE
I think they are short in the outside backs. A guy like Dom Young, I think he will take a lot from the World Cup because he was outstanding over there. But again, it is that high quality for a full season that you need and I think that is still a test for Young. Bradman Best in my eyes was not only one of the best centres but one of the greatest prodigies coming into the NRL a few seasons ago. He hasn’t taken that next step you need to take. This year is a challenge for him. He has the ability to be one of the best centres in the game.
FORWARD PACK
They have a good pack. I am a huge fan of Jayden Brailey at No.9. The Saifiti brothers are top quality, they are Origin players. Tyson Frizell is getting to the back end of his career but, at his best, he is an Origin player. They have the players there who at their peak can really be fighting for finals. We just have to see evidence of that in the first month of the year because we haven’t seen enough of it during the past few seasons.
SPINE
They bought former Cronulla back Lachie Miller but he is untested. When you have a spine that is unsettled and changing so often, and unable to synchronise, it is hard because you don’t know what you are going to get from them. They need to form key combinations and relationships and it needs to happen quickly.