The Knights have a missing piece and young playmaker Tex Hoy is the man to fill it, Newcastle icon Andrew Johns says.
Johns, a rugby league Immortal, has backed Hoy to play five-eighth for the Knights this season rather than utility Kurt Mann.
Hoy, 20, was excellent in a weekend trial win over the Roosters and also in the NRL Nines. Coach Adam O'Brien said that he was impressed with the local junior, who burst into contention for an NRL debut with his recent promotion to Newcastle's top 30 players.
However, the plan remains to start Mann alongside Mitchell Pearce in the Newcastle halves for round one against the Warriors next Saturday.
Johns told Wide World of Sports that he'd back Hoy, the son of Aussie surfing great Matt Hoy, for the No.6 jersey in a team that should earn their first finals spot since 2013.
"The only missing piece for me is a five-eighth," Johns said.
"I think the five-eighth is Tex Hoy. He played really well in the Nines, only a young guy.
"He's predominantly a fullback but the way teams play now, fullback and five-eighth are similar. If he played five-eighth, he'd just have to stay on that right side, defend strong and be a running five-eighth, like a Cameron Munster.
"So for me, the missing piece of the puzzle would be Tex Hoy. A lot of people are talking about Phoenix Crossland; I haven't seen enough of him but what I've seen, the small bits, I don't know if he's ready for first grade yet."
Johns said that the idea of playing Hoy was to put another genuine playmaker in the spine alongside Pearce, Kalyn Ponga and new hooker Jayden Brailey. He also called on Ponga to expand his attacking game.
"I think there's an over-reliance on Pearce and Ponga," Johns said.
"I'd love to see Ponga strike up a better combination with Brailey around the ruck and sniff around more. He's predominantly a left-field player, Kalyn Ponga, that's where he likes to attack, so I'd like to see him around the ruck more."
Johns said that Mann was not a genuine half, while Connor Watson shaped as the side's bench utility and Mason Lino as a bit-part player.
"Conor Watson's the 14, he's the Kurt Gidley-like player where you just put him on and just let him play," Johns said.
"Connor's a rare player that the more time he gets with the ball in his hands, the worse Connor goes. When he gets the ball in traffic with not much room to think, he's dynamic, so quick and strong.
"Kurt Mann, I saw him play five-eighth last year against the Roosters at the cricket ground (SCG). He's not an out-and-out five-eighth.
"Mason Lino, he'll come in and play a few games here and there but for me, Tex Hoy's the man [for five-eighth]."
Johns backed the Knights to finish eighth, with obvious potential to do better thanks to a roster that also boasts NSW State of Origin props David Klemmer and Daniel Saifiti.
"You look at the roster, they should definitely be top eight and pushing for a top four, but they've got to find that consistency," Johns said.
from WWOS http://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/newcastle-knights-tex-hoy-missing-piece-andrew-johns/5ad774d2-312c-481a-a6fa-423b5265a2d2
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