Walsh and Jarrod Mullen played juniors together from age 6 and played right through the Newcastle Wests system till age 15 when they joined the Knights system and played together till they both made firstgrade. Along with Scotty Dureau they also spent years getting private lessons from Andrew Johns.
Walsh and Mullen would fit like a glove.
Luke is also close to his younger brother, Tyrone, who played under 18s for the Knights this year and is currently training with the under 20s. Up till this year Luke spent a lot of time coaching Tyrone.

They're a rugby league playing family aren't they?

Three halfbacks that I know of.
They could probably go for a career change and become jockeys.

Newcastle don't need halfbacks, I don't see Walsh wanting to play second fiddle to Roberts and Mullen.

Anyway, Dobson rumour has already moved on to Salford (according Neil Barker) ...

It's now clear that Dobson candy play NRL and is a super league standerd player. That's the 3rd time he's failed in NRL and moving in to his 4th super league club.

I think he's a very steady player, not in the same class of Walsh but I think he's more consistent than Walsh. I hope we don't sign him but it wouldn't bother me to much.

Dobson has a real nasty winning mentality, he gets very frustrated when losing in anything and is very very competitive which is something we are lacking.

Glad he's off to Salford and not us but he will do a good job if goes to Salford as they are lacking a consistent organising half back.

Another half for Salford.

They are going to be chocker full

I know they are four brothers and three play RL for NRL sides (in various age groups). I didn't know three of them played in the halves though.

We have enough dummy spitters and people who hide when things aren't going our way

Dobson will stablise Salford into a 7-8th position team, without blowing the doors down ... Pretty much the total opposite their ... Esteemed chairman is going for ...

You think Walsh is inconsistent? How so?

Total myth that Dobson is consistent. I noticed a trend with HKR that if the team were going well Dobbo would make breaks, kick beautifully etc. but if they were struggling in a game he could completely hide. Walsh has still been producing in beaten sides, eg. his 40-20 against Leeds in Challenge Cup when we were losing.

That was my impression too. There's only so much a halfback can do when the pack is being dominated (or when his team mates are throwing away the ball) but from what I've seen of Walsh in our big games, given that we've lost all but one so far, he's risen to the occasion rather than been inconsistent.

I'm not knocking him as I think he's a great player and love watching him. In the games when we are boring me to sleep he keeps it exciting with great passes or a drop of the shoulder and goes.

I think at times against the bigger teams he goes out the game for large periods and I sometimes wonder where he gone. To be fair he was injured against Leeds & Wigan so spent time out in the centre.

Also not having a out and out 6 doesn't help him at all as he's the go to man all time.

Did you think that tonight?

The only time I thought that you may get that impression is when Wilkin comes into the halves and the play seems to go his direction, at least that was the case tonight. Robes kept passing to Wilkin rather than Walsh for quite long periods during the second half. The first half though it was all Walsh. So it may be that this is the issue - a coaching direction - rather than Walsh himself?

I'm away so didn't see the game.

I like Walsh to be involved as much as possible but unfortunately that's not possible and we can't expect him to. Being the only real halfback we got is a problem as when he does have a rest or can't get into the game (it will happen, it happens to the best also) that's when having a Travis Burns or a Kev Brown would be valuable.

No doubt Walsh is to class but we expect to much of him. I notice it mainly as our attack goes awful when Walsh drops our for rest or gets hurt.


Like I've said in other threads, that Walsh and Lomax are massive for us in attack.

I think he was injured or recovering from injury when we played the bigger teams. He had a couple of games with the calf problem and a couple of games with the arm injury.
If you factor in the games when our pack has been completely dominated he would't have had the time and space to have set play impact.
Lance is getting better at 6 with Walsh alongside him, if we keep these 2 fit and healthy we should be a threat to any team.