Just watched the game and Gidley, who lets face it isnt the quickest centre around, ripped King to bits and made him look like Wellens on 1 leg.

3 or 4 of the Saints tries came from his initial mistake or lapse defence.

1. He'll be okay when the ground gets hard.

2. I wasn't being serious with (1.) I'm starting to panic that we have this guy for minus a week or so, three more years.

As long as he has the scapegoat Penny outside of him, he'll be fine.

I loved the way Penny got dragged off tonight, despite the replays showing Penny putting his opposite number on his ar$e, and King's opposite number walking past him!

Go take 5 minutes away from the computer.. then come back and look at what you just wrote.

A knee jerk reaction is not the fix for losing a game that we are all glad we have got out the way and will not have to play again for another year!

Whilst in the grand scheme of things I agree with you, it's easy to get caught up in the emotion etc, but where King is concerned, it isn't just one game is it really ? To be fair, in the circa 30 games of SL he's played, defensively he's looked a shambles for the large part.

No, I also agree to an extent with what you say, I am just struggling to see how a player of that class can be so poor...

Coach, players, weather etc.. its still the same guy with the same talent!!

I am no coach so i am interested to see what people think is the actual problem and subsequent answer??

I personally think his defence is as good as it was in Oz, but his forward play is a shadow if what i have seen in the past. (melborne, NSW etc)

the 'over paid on-holiday aussie' reply will not be considered.

I don't know either mate, it's something I've thought about too, the 'fall from grace' of it all. Normally there's an injury or something. I reckon the answers you'll get will be something like,

1. He was in a very good Melbourne side, with players like Cronk who gave him quality 'gain line' ball.

2. He's a winger, not a centre.

3. It's just a different game, some folk just can't adapt to SL, the attacking intent of it all, players who are used to structure can't adapt to the more fluent SL. There's plenty of David Kidwells who's performaces on both sides of the world would be staggeringly different.

4. He misses Neighbours. (Don't we all. RIP Toadie.)

Penny wasn't faultless, if that's what you're trying to say?


King was average in his first year, and he looked very poor tonight, I hope there's improvement but I really can't see where it's going to come from, is he suddenly going to produce some dazzling footwork? Some freak-like strength where he can bulldoze over from 10 yards with ease? Is he going to start producing magic offloads for his winger? To be honest, the answer looks likely to be no, and his defence has been poor, too.

I'd like to see King paired with Reardon (when fit) on the left side, but if he continues like tonight, then he'd have to play outside Johnson.

I know it's unthinkable, and it is right now in reality after one game, but why is it always King+1, it's either King outisde Johnson, Johnson outside King, etc.

King is slow as fook, insanely slow, to put him on the wing is madness, in effect your only option is a kick for the corner.

If he doesn't buck his ideas up, i'd consider :

Penny outside Johnson.
Johnson outside Bridge.
Penny outisde Bridge.

Throw Reardon into the equation when he's fit.

I thought Penny was culpable in some respects tonight, but this whole find a place for King thing gets to me. If he continues to underperform ship him out too, give him a week or two in the reserves. Dropping players shouldn't just apply to kids recently promoted from the 21's, it should be across the board.

We shouldn't be hiding the bloke out on the wing, he came as our strike centre, if he's not the best option, don't play him, but he shouldn't take somebody elses opportunity because you have to accomadate him somehow.

To be honest JWP, I don't have a fooking clue, maybe I just don't want to see a player earning so much out of the side.


If (and that's a big if) everybody is fit in the backs, I'd probably like to see Reardon outside of Johnson on the left.

As much as I love Kev's attitude, I think we need much better on the left if we're to improve defensively. Reardon, despite being only average, I'd feel much more assured with on the wing.

Looking at our side now keeps reminding me of Bradford, big pack but some slow backs and half backs. For me, somebody like Bridge has to play somewhere, he brings things to the side that we lack terribly IMO.

Was he playing tonight ??

Wouldn't mind Lyon/Matai/Stewart from cash-strapped Manly if we were to send Matt packing