2017 NSW Cup

Our first win of the season was against Wenty.
Crazy game.
The boys were sleepwalking their way to another loss and Tom Starling came on at halftime for his first game of seniors.
About 10 minutes into the second half their winger made a break on about halfway and the only player who bothered to chase was Starling. It looked the biggest mismatch ever, with a tall, athletic looking winger having a straight run to the line, but Tom chased him for 50 meters and dragged him down 2 metres before the line, and then got sin binned for wrestling the guy for long enough for the rest of our lazy players to get back to help out.
That seemed to inspire the team to have a go, and they scored a heap of tries to win - the last one after the siren had sounded to grab a 2 point win I think.
 
We only got 1 player in the Team of the Week

3 – Jacob Gagan

Club: Newcastle Knights; 2017 TOTW selections: 0.

One line-break, three tackle-breaks, one offload, 19 tackles, two tries.

Back-to-back tries for the Knights centre proved vital in the end as Newcastle narrowly overcame Mounties, taking the ascendancy late in the first half. Gagan finds himself in the Team of the Week for the first time but will be one of many NRL-experienced players who will need to be at their best as the Knights continue their push towards the finals.


http://www.nswrl.com.au/news/2017/08/15/isp_nsw_team_of_the_.html
 
Reserve Grade match preview: Round 24


Thu 17th August, 11:26AM


Newcastle Knights v Wentworthville Magpies
Date: Saturday August 19
Venue: McDonald Jones Stadium
Kick-off: 12.40pm

Squads

Newcastle

1. Nick Meaney, 2. Tom Cronan, 3. Brendan Elliot, 4. Jacob Gagan, 5. Chanel Mata’utia, 6. Jaelen Feeney, 7. Jack Cogger, 8. Mickey Paea, 9. Will Pearsall, 10. Pasami Saulo, 11. Bradie Smith, 12. Braden Robson, 13. Tyrone Amey. Interchange: 14. Tom Starling, 15. Faitotoa Faitotoa, 16. Pat Mata’utia, 17. Sam Bernstrom, 18. Joey Morris, 19. Jamayne Taunoa-Brown.

Wentworthville

1.Will Smith, 2. Josh Hoffman, 3. Nathan Davis, 4. Dane Aukafolau, 5. George Jennings, 6. Troy Dargan, 7. Jeff Robson, 8. Magnus Stromquist, 9. Cody Nelson, 10. David Gower, 11. John Folau, 25. Frank Pritchard, 13. Marata Niukore. Interchange. 14. Matt Woods, 15. Honeti Tuha, 16. Joseph Ualesi, 23. Willis Meehan, 18. Scott Schulte.

Match Analysis

The Reserve Grade Newcastle Knights will be without try-scoring machine Tom Hughes this weekend following an injury, but ISP coach Simon Woolford expects Tom Cronan to easily slip back into the wing position.

“Tom Cronan was unlucky to miss out last week, it was just a matter of Chanel (Mata’utia) and Brendan Elliot dropping back from NRL,” explained Woolford.

“Tom Cronan and Tom Hughes have been two of our better performers over the last couple of months so while we’ll miss Tom Hughes, Tom Cronan will step straight back in.

“Hopefully he’ll play the consistent footy that he has been playing for us since he arrived.”

Promoted from NYC, Pasami Saulo has again been given the nod in the number 10 jersey.

“Pasami is still young and he’s still learning his trade but he’s a big body for us and we’re lacking that at the moment,” commented Woolford.

“Pasami and Mickey Paea get us off to a good start and we have got some blokes coming off the bench like Pat (Mata’utia) and Faitotoa (Faitotoa) who can speed the game up for us so we hope Mickey and Pasami can hold their own again this week.”

This weekend is a very important match for the ISP side with a win against the Magpies on Saturday guaranteeing them a spot to play finals footy.

“If we win this game, we are in (finals footy), it is as simple as that,” said the ISP coach.

“Wentworthville with only one round to go, they’ll be three points behind if we win.

“If we win, we won’t have to worry about A winning and B relying on another result in the last round.

“It is an important game, we know that and we’ve obviously spoken about it this week.

“We are at home so there’s plenty of reasons for us to play well.”

Woolford admits a win against them earlier in the season is a confidence booster for Saturday’s clash.

“That was our first win and we were down and out in that game and we scored two tries in a row to snatch the victory,” said Woolford.

“They have got some handy players, some NRL standard players in their team so they’re going to be desperate just like we are.

“It should be an interesting battle.”

Where it will be won

The Reserve Grade coach believes matching Wenty physically will be the key.

“They are quite a big team so like last week they’re probably a bigger team than we are,” Woolford explained.

“We need to match them physically early and we’ll come up with some ideas to encounter their big guys but at the end of the day we need to start the game well and like I say every week if we do that, we can come home with some points.”

ISP will take on the Magpies back home this Saturday, kick-off is 12.40pm.


http://www.newcastleknights.com.au/news/2017/08/17/reserve_grade_match_.html
 
PREVIEWS | ISP NSW Round 24


NSWRL.com.au staff writers
Fri 18th August, 08:00AM


Wentworthville Magpies v Newcastle Knights
McDonald Jones Stadium, Saturday 19 August
12:40pm
Broadcast LIVE on Fox League


In a match set to shape the make-up of the 2017 Intrust Super Premiership NSW Finals series, Wentworthville head up the M1 to ‘host’ the Newcastle Knights in the Hunter.

In a battle of eighth-plays-ninth, Wentworthville will be desperate to rediscover their winning ways after back-to-back losses in rounds 21 and 23, to leapfrog the Knights back in to the all-important top eight.

Newcastle themselves head into the clash on the back of a gritty two-point win over a 12-man Mounties outfit away from home in Round 23 – that match their third in succession where the full-time margin was of exactly two points.

These sides last met in Round 4 of the competition, where the Knights scored what was their first win of the 2017 season, edging the Magpies by four points at Lyall Peacock Oval in Cessnock.


http://www.nswrl.com.au/news/2017/08/18/previews_isp_nsw_rou.html
 
Wenty will be stocked to run out infront of there home crowd at Mc jones stadium.

With a finals berth at stake they must be dirty on getting that rough roll of the dice.
 
Reserve Grade late mail: Round 24


Sat 19th August, 11:42AM


ISP coach Simon Woolford has finalised his team to take on the Wentworthville Magpies with several late changes.

Faitotoa Faitotoa starts at hooker with Will Pearsall out, while Brodie Jones makes his Reserve Grade debut from the bench after impressing in NYC for the last few weeks.

The match kicks off at 12.40pm.

TEAM

1. Nick Meaney
2. Tom Cronan
3. Brendan Elliot
4. Jacob Gagan
5. Chanel Mata’utia
6. Jaelen Feeney
7. Jack Cogger
8. Mickey Paea
15. Faitotoa Faitotoa
10. Pasami Saulo
11. Bradie Smith
12. Braden Robson
13. Tyrone Amey

14. Tom Starling
16. Pat Mata’utia
17. Sam Bernstrom
24. Brodie Jones


http://www.newcastleknights.com.au/news/2017/08/19/reserve_grade_late_m.html
 
Penalty to the Knights for a shoulder charge, We are on the attack just 35m out from Wenty's line
 
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