NEWCASTLE coach Nathan Brown reveals the missing piece of the puzzle in the Knights 2018 roster, as ex-Warriors mentor Matt Elliott delivers a scathing assessment of the club’s set-up and culture.

Catch the latest rugby league news in Media Watch!

‘WARRIORS MAKE GOOD PLAYERS WORSE’

This is about as unflattering as it gets from someone with an intimate knowledge of the Warriors operations.

Round 19

Former Warriors coach Matt Elliott, who spent two seasons at the club before joining the long line of discarded clipboard carriers across the ditch, says the Kiwi franchise has used up and spat out the wares of multiple talented players over the years

“Bad players go to the Melbourne Storm and turn into good players. I see good players go to the Warriors, and get worse,” Elliott said on New Zealand’s Radio Sport.

.

“That isn’t about their ability, that isn’t about the quality of the person, it’s about the environment, and the environment needs to change.

“Changing the environment is awkward, and you’re going to have to go through resistance. That’s wasn’t something that in my experience there, that was embraced.”

It’s a view shared by the likes of Matty Johns in recent times, and one reinforced when the recruitment of bona fide stars Keiran Foran, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Issac Luke doing nothing to end their six-year finals exile.

Current mentor Stephen Kearney is in the midst of a significant roster overhaul, one Elliott says must extend throughout the entire organisation.

“The behaviour of the Warriors, as far as professional rugby league people go, isn’t good enough,” Elliott said.

“You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to know that something needs to change with the culture of the Warriors.

“What change requires is going through some complexity and some resistance, and if you’re not prepared to go through that and you can’t embrace that, it’s not going to change.”

BROWN’S MISSING LINK

Nathan Brown has been busy in the NRL market this year and picked up the likes of young guns Kalyn Ponga, Connor Watson, Tautau Moga, and Herman Ese’ese, as well as veteran forward Aidan Guerra.

But he’s missed out on a number of big-name signings including Kieran Foran, Matt Scott, and Jack Bird.

Brown’s roster for next year is shaping up nicely, but he says there’s one piece he’s yet to find.

“We certainly would have liked to get Matt Scott, for the young Saifiti boys and (Josh) King,” he told NRL 360.

“We do feel that a good experienced front rower who’s a great trainer, good with diet and challenges the right things and knows how to do it, that’s certainly a player that would be a real priority for us at the minute.”

Live stream the 2017 NRL Telstra Premiership on FOX SPORTS. Get your free 2-week FOXTEL NOW trial and start watching in minutes. SIGN UP NOW!

Knights coach Nathan Brown. Source: AAP

Canterbury are trying to offload a number of players in order to get themselves under the salary cap for next year, and among those on the market is reportedly veteran forward James Graham.

Brown said the Knights pursued Graham earlier in the year but may look at having another crack at luring him north.

“We looked at James Graham earlier in the year, and James Graham was no that interested in leaving Canterbury when we spoke to him,” Brown said.

“They might be in the situation where they have to (offload players). He’s certainly a player that offers some of the things we just spoke about.”

Ben Ikin, Nathan Ryan and Ben Glover are joined by player manager Steve Gillis to discuss the Eels’ incredible season just 12 months on from salary cap disaster.

You can also subscribe via iTunes or for Android users, listen on the iPP Podcast Player app.

BOYD’S TRIBUTE TO BENJI

Veteran playmaker Benji Marshall will leave Brisbane after one year to rejoin his first club Wests Tigers and finish his career where it began.

Broncos captain Darius Boyd told NRL Tonight exactly what impact Marshall has had at Red Hill over the past eight months.

“Benji’s been great this year for us, on and off the field,” Boyd said.

“Around the younger boys, he has a great leadership role there and through Origin time and even recently he’s been playing some good football for us and helping out those young halves.

“To go back to the Tigers, I think it’s a great opportunity for him where he started and made a name for himself.

“He’ll be able to help those young guys down there and build a bit of a culture as well.”

Before returning home to the Tigers, Marshall could still play a part in Brisbane’s NRL finals run.

“I still have a job to do here for the rest of the year and am fully committed to doing so,” Marshall said on social media.

HINDY: EELS WILL STILL BE TOP FOUR

Parramatta legend Nathan Hindmarsh is confident his beloved Eels will still finish in the top four despite a horror loss to wooden spooners Newcastle at the weekend.

The Eels sit fifth on the ladder and share 30 competition points with fourth-placed Sharks.

“I think it was a good loss for the Eels — if you can say that — at the right time, three weeks out from the semi finals which the Eels are going to be in,” Hindmarsh told NRL Tonight.

“I think it was a good wake-up call for them. Brad Arthur would’ve ruffled a few feathers and kicked some backsides.

“They’ve got a good run home, but what’s worked well for them is they lost on the weekend and teams around them also lost on the weekend. That’s helped them to stay in touch with the top four.

“They should make the top four, and once they get in there things should be easier come semi final time.”