Adam SutcliffeKurt Gidley Newcastle Knights
March 21st 2008 05:03
www.nrlnews.com
Is Kurt Gidley the man most likely to lead the Newcastle Knights out of the wilderness and into the NRL Top 4 once more?
While it's early stages in the rebuilding process that Brian Smith has commenced at the Newcastle Knights, the skills and leadership qualities of Kurt Gidley cannot be underestimated. The younger brother of Knights veteran Matthew Gidley, Kurt has burst onto the scene and quickly become the new face of the Knights since the departure of many big names including his brother and the major loss of Andrew Johns.
So who is Kurt Gidley?
Supporting the Bulldogs as a kid, Kurt is your typical Newcastle kid - that loved following his team and riding those NRL Results each and every week. He loved the likes of Terry Lamb and the Mortimer bothers, appreciating the toughness of the Bulldogs of old.
Nicknamed Ferret by his two brothers because he was such a small kid growing up, Kurt uses his silky sidestep and blistering pace to give him the edge in NRL games, leaving opponents in his wake on the Rugby League field.
When the Knights won the Grand Final 1997, Kurt was only 13 and had the foundations laid for a big future at the club that now was on top of the world.
Leaving school in year 10, he started as a butcher but quickly found his way into the Knight junior grades and was pushing for a spot in their top squad.
Certainly a current NRL star and the bright future of Newcastle's generation next - Kurt Gidley will have his hands full starting this week as the Knights try and deal with a Manly Sea Eagles side ready for revenge after they were beaten by the Cronulla Sharks in Round 1 of the 2008 NRL season.
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