Knights spine a picture of inexperience
Newcastle will enter the season with one of the NRL's most inexperienced spines after Jayden Brailey's 傷害 追加するd to their creative woes.
The Knights were still 持つ／拘留するing の上に hope on Monday that Brailey's season may not be over, as he 準備するs to go under the knife on his torn achilles.
Brailey was 傷つける in training on Saturday, going 負かす／撃墜する in an innocuous 演習 that has now made for two 廃虚d seasons in the past three years.
Even in the best-事例／患者 シナリオ, the Newcastle captain and first-choice hooker will be unavailabke for around five months, 行方不明の the first half of the season.
Chris Randall ぼんやり現れるs as the man most likely to fill the 無効の at 模造の-half, having done so in 最近の years when Brailey has been out.
Making 事柄s worse for Newcastle, Brailey's 傷害 comes just a month after Mitchell Pearce and his 309 games of experience 出口d the club.
Pearce's 出発 had already made Newcastle one of four clubs to 均衡を保った to begin the 開始 months of the NFL season without a 100-game player at fullback, hooker or in the halves.
While Newcastle would have planned on having almost 550 games of experience in their spine in 一連の会議、交渉／完成する one, that number will now be closer to 175 come March 12 against the Sydney Roosters.
It means only Gold Coast's 改造するd spine of Jayden Campbell, AJ Brimson, Toby Sexton and Erin Clark will start 2022 with いっそう少なく experience.
Newcastle's attack had already become a point of 論争 in 2021, with their 17.83 points per game during the 正規の／正選手 season the second lowest of any 決勝戦 味方する in the NRL 時代.
Knights coach Adam O'Brien's 選択s outside of Randall are 限られた／立憲的な.
Connor Watson had spent some time out of 模造の-half in 最近の years, but has left for the Roosters.
Kurt Mann is another 代案／選択肢, but Randall was the preferred hooking 選択 without Brailey late last year.
In turn, that would 許す Mann to come off the （法廷の）裁判 as a 本物の 公共事業（料金）／有用性, relieving Randall when 要求するd while also able to slot into the halves and backline.
O'Brien also has to make a 決定／判定勝ち（する） on his halves combination, with Adam Clune and 不死鳥／絶品 Crossland in the mix to partner Jake Clifford.
一方／合間, superstar fullback Kalyn Ponga will likely captain the club in Brailey's absence, having done so at times last year.
