Round 4: Newcastle Knights vs St George Illawarra Dragons

What is your prediction for this game ??

  • Knights 13+

    Votes: 4 25.0%

  • Knights 1-12

    Votes: 3 18.8%

  • Draw

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Dragons 1-12

    Votes: 5 31.3%

  • Dragons 13+

    Votes: 4 25.0%
  • Total voters
    16
  • Poll closed .
Honestly, the blame for our season so far is on Brown and switching Ponga to 5/8 too early in his career. Last year, we had KP at the back and Pearce clearly the lead playmaker. Both of them did very well in Dally M points in a fairly drab season.

We make some good signings in the off season, and instead of building on last season and keeping what was working happening, he changes the team fairly dramatically for this 5/8 experiment and we get KP hype train go berserk, Pearce no longer the main playmaker with all the hype it's just give it to Ponga. No surprise Pearce has gone off the boil. Watson also, brought here to play 5/8, wanted the 5/8 role and booted to FB to make way for lord Ponga.

Ponga is a fantastic talent, but needed to be left at FB another few years, let the team settle in to it's rhythm.

All of the above is why our season has been a fairly poor start.

Hopefully now, with Ponga back at FB, Pearce can get on with running the attack, get Watson back to 5/8, though I did like the look of Lino there and think if given a few games there he would go well. Ideally I'd run Lino at 6 and Watson to bench utility role.

So far we have played 3 tough teams and the Raiders away which is a hell roadtrip for us.

The next 5 games are our season.

We get Manly, Titans, Eels, Warriors and Bulldogs.

If we can't get 4 out of those we are in trouble. 3 is absolute minimum.
 
Beaumont said:
What dumb stuff did Levi do tonight ? He threw 1 pass that DSaf pulled out of and bounced other than that he was surely one of best.
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Not to say he didn’t play well but you asked “what dumb stuff” I put going down the short side inextta time when everyone was setting up for a field goal fits that bill.
 
was it dumb or trying something different, trying to win the game or get an advantage, much prefer trying something than playing basic pass and catch.
 
Simon Templar said:
Not to say he didn’t play well but you asked “what dumb stuff” I put going down the short side inextta time when everyone was setting up for a field goal fits that bill.
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Levi passed to the person calling for it, thats the 9s job.
You cant fault Levi tonight, he was top class in a side doing nothing right.
 
I watched the game, we didn’t play well, 5/8 is a problem despite telling Watson it’s his and now using Lino, Mann won’t work and nothing in reserves. Play is to pedestrian, you can see who is getting the ball so defence is easy, Pearce is of his game but then again he might have always had a very good 5/8.. We need Ese’ese and Guerra in starting side, we cant have Sione and Barnett in 17. I am happy with 1-7 as see no other options depending on fitness, Watson and Moga, but not sure that’s an improvement, forwards are very good if we put top 6 plus 2-3 on bench, we are two good players away from being a very good side and are we expecting too much from Ramien playing centre in a not so good side.
The coach is a bit to blame, surely winning games is what it is about not trying something different for first few weeks, had we been playing Ponga f/b with Watson, Lino or Mann at 5/8 I think we would have been in a better position, yes injuries hurt.
 
Time for Pearce to take charge of the team. Maybe his knickers have been in a twist with all the hype about Ponga in the halves.

Despite all the gloom we have lost by 2, 7 and 1! The Sharkies, Panthers,. Raiders away and Dragons has been a pretty tough old draw.
 
Peeps saying Jesse not getting his chances...he had just as many runs as the other centres in the game and I thought it helped having Lino there
 
Do we reckon it's just a matter of us clicking 1 week? Sort of get that feeling, 1 game they'll turn up and attack will make sense to them.
 
Pearce is the only guy seriously underperforming.
He is a crucial member of the team and he was going much better last year.
Everyone else is about where they should be I think - with most showing decent improvement.
 
Lord of the Skraelings said:
Do we reckon it's just a matter of us clicking 1 week? Sort of get that feeling, 1 game they'll turn up and attack will make sense to them.
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I'd have more confidence if I thought the coach had half a clue. I always think back to the spoonbowl when the tigers gave us a hiding. Dumbest coaching performance I've seen, a bloke 10 beers in off the drunk hill would have done a better job.
 
slotmachine said:
I'd have more confidence if I thought the coach had half a clue. I always think back to the spoonbowl when the tigers gave us a hiding. Dumbest coaching performance I've seen, a bloke 10 beers in off the drunk hill would have done a better job.
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Great squad and cap management but hard to imagine the drunk bloke on the hill could do any worse in the coaching dept.
 
I think Pearce is following a game plan. There's been constant high balls but the kick pressure isn't good enough. Sheppard as the attack coach also has to have some pressure on him
 
So if Woolfe gets all the blame/credit for defence, and we're throwing Sheppard under the bus for the attack, what exactly does the head coach do...?

mozza said:
He seriously would’ve been better off if he stayed at Canterbury.
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Dogs were real fun to watch yesterday. Haven't been able to say that about the knights for a long time.
 
If Pearce plays 10% better we win that game easily , Gavet there gives us more sting in attack and defence . If Pearce kicks that 1st field goal we win and were all on here saying were not playing 100% but great grinding win , weve lost 3 games by a total of 10 points were not there yet but it isn't that far away .
 
slotmachine said:
So if Woolfe gets all the blame/credit for defence, and we're throwing Sheppard under the bus for the attack, what exactly does the head coach do...?



Dogs were real fun to watch yesterday. Haven't been able to say that about the knights for a long time.
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Ive enjoyed watching every game this year they have all been close games especially enjoyed watching the first game .
 
slotmachine said:
So if Woolfe gets all the blame/credit for defence, and we're throwing Sheppard under the bus for the attack, what exactly does the head coach do...?



Dogs were real fun to watch yesterday. Haven't been able to say that about the knights for a long time.
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There's a joke in there somewhere. Defence coach - defence. Attack coach - attack. Gasnier centre coach - centres. Can only mean head coach - head.
 
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