The Knights are back for the first time since 2013. We had a bit of a chat about the make-up and purpose of the squad in
Episode 172 of SLP, and I thought it might be worth having a deeper look at that Knights Performance squad.
The squad has an average age of 22 and a half. By my reckoning there's one man with England caps (Joe Burgess), three guys who played for the Knights when they existed between 2011 and 2013 (Josh Bowden, Jack Hughes and Sam Powell), and no fewer than nine players who've already won a Challenge Cup or Grand Final in their careers. We also have a former Student World Cup player in there (Chris Atkin). Then there's also several players with less than 50 Super League games in their careers, including all the most likely halves in the squad.
We've been told that the Knights, which in the past had an 'under-25' selection criteria, has been brought back to help produce and develop more players for England's senior side ahead of the 2021 and 2025 World Cups. I do think we need something else, something beyond the senior squad, that helps test and prepare our players for the rep. game, so it's great that we have something again.
This squad doesn't have an 'under-25' selection criteria. In fact, it's not really clear what the selection criteria was, aside from having at least one player from each English Super League side. Pleasingly, they appear to have taken the stance to leave out any player with international experience for the other home nations - the Knights' most likely competition when games for this group do get announced. They've also left out anyone with significant England senior experience who didn't make the EPS, making it clear that this isn't meant to be just an England reserves side.
Age
We've got seven players who are 25 and older. Chris Atkin, Reece Lyne, Dean Hadley, Sam Powell and Jamie Shaul are all 25. Josh Bowden and Jack Hughes are both 26. Realistically, of that bunch, only Jamie Shaul has a likely chance of being in the 2021 World Cup squad from what we've seen before now. None of them are really candidates for a 2025 World Cup spot.
In contrast, we've also got seven players 21 and under. Danny Walker and Jack Walker are 18, with the third teenager in the squad being 19-year-old Jake Trueman. Tom Davies, Danny Richardson, Oliver Gildart and Masi Matongo are all 21. Other than Oliver Gildart, who has over 50 top level games and is in his fourth Super League season, this bunch are all very green at the top grade but all have shown undoubted flashes of talent that suggests they're destined for the very top. These are all players I could see still being in the selection conversation for 2025.
Experience
Moving from age to experience, Reece Lyne made his Super League debut way back in 2010 and is one of ten players in the squad with over 100 professional games under their belt. I make it out that Sam Powell, Liam Sutcliffe, Jamie Shaul, Josh Bowden, Niall Evalds, Luke Thompson and Joe Burgess are also all in triple figures, and Jack Hughes has over 150.
Chris Atkin too has over 100 games, although he's one of the least experienced at Super League level with only 5 games so far in his debut season at that level - only Jake Trueman, with 4, has fewer top grade games. These players are two of the ten with less than 50 Super League games in the squad. Greg Minikin, James Cunningham and Tom Gilmore, like Atkin, have a bit of lower level experience too. Tom Davies, Jack Walker, Danny Richardson and Danny Walker are only in their second professional seasons. Masi Matongo played once in 2015, but really only started to get regular game time in 2017 too.
Positions
The final area to consider is positions, and a hypothetical line-up, for if and when some fixtures are announced for the group!
For the most part the older, more experienced players come in the pack. There's a good mix of experience and potential in the numerous outside backs. The halves will come from a group with very little Super League experience. That's also where the squad isn't as deep in terms of numbers. I make it having:
Four props - Bowden, Matongo, Thompson and Sutton.
Three back rowers - Hadley, Hughes and Whitley
Four hookers - Leeming, Danny Walker, Cunningham and Powell
Four halves - Trueman, Atkin, Richardson and Gilmore
Four centres - Connor, Lyne, Gildart and Sutcliffe
Three wingers - Minikin, Burgess and Davies
Three full backs - Shaul, Jack Walker and Evalds
Of course, there's players in there like Powell, Connor, Sutcliffe and Evalds that are multi-position men, but only Sutcliffe could potentially move into the pack.
Having an experienced pack is a good thing when you're trying to develop a group of talented play makers, so I do think the squad make up has it right in that sense, I just see a lack of depth in that forward pack still. But from that squad, here's a likely 1 to 13 that could compete against the minor RL nations:
1. Jamie Shaul
2. Tom Davies
3. Jake Connor
4. Oliver Gildart
5. Joe Burgess
6. Liam Sutcliffe
7. Danny Richardson
8. Josh Bowden
9. Kruise Leeming
10. Luke Thompson
11. Dean Hadley
12. Matt Whitley
13. Jack Hughes
Who missed out
I'll avoid those older players with England senior pedigree like Sam Tomkins, Liam Farrell and Lee Mossop, and look more at those players aged 23 and under who're currently in Super League squads and may have benefited from inclusion.
Alex Mellor (23) is a back row forward who can also play in the centre at a push. He's a talented kid who I've rated since I first saw him as a junior with Bradford.
Dec Patton (22) is a half back with a big boot, good communication skills and Grand Final experience under his belt.
Jordan Abdull (22) is a multi-talented player who can play in the halves but, more importantly, can become a really useful ball playing forward that could be the type of player that sets a team apart at the top level.
Liam Marshall (21) is as good a finisher as Super League has right now.
Ashton Golding (21) has fine positional instincts in defence and can be an elusive runner.
James Batchelor (19) has one of the players threatening to breakthrough for a while at Wakefield and is undoubtedly a talented back rower.
Sammy Kibula (18) hasn't played Super League yet, but he's one of the most promising props I've seen coming through.
Thanks for reading. And let us know how you would like up the Knights and who you would like to see join the KPS in the future.
Mark
SLP
