Round 15: Newcastle Knights vs North QLD Cowboys

What is your prediction for this game ??

  • Knights 13+

    Votes: 12 57.1%

  • Knights 1-12

    Votes: 5 23.8%

  • Draw

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Cowboys 1-12

    Votes: 2 9.5%

  • Cowboys 13+

    Votes: 2 9.5%
  • Total voters
    21
  • Poll closed .
Joshhh said:
Gus made a good point on 100% Footy yesterday, given the weirdness of this season, travelling & bubbles, so much else going on in the world, the competition split so far between the good & bad sides, it's gonna be so hard for those sides that are out of finals contention to care anymore in the run home, they just want the season over & there could be big blowouts to come. The Broncos look like they've given up already which reveals the toxicity of that club's roster at the moment.
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While that can be true, historically I think the danger for the Knights has been that when those out of contention bottom teams come to play us and know our history of crumbling in games we should be winning in this scenario, they genuinely think '...You know, if we get up for this game, these blokes are fragile and we are a good chance of knocking this team off'. That was how Manly came to play us on the weekend and they didn't lose it, we had to win it.

Against teams like the Roosters, Storm, etc. the mindset is more 'even if we were in contention, we were probably going to lose anyway' and they don't come with the genuine belief that they can win. You only have to see the mindset in this forum over the past couple of years where we've been in the 'bad side' group - the mindset against the good sides is 'Well, I expect to get beaten, just please don't let them flog us?' but if we are playing somebody we think are vulnerable, the expectation is that 'hey, we are a chance if we come with our A game'.

My point is, we are still seen as fragile by the bottom sides when they come to play us (even at home) and that rep takes more than just a couple of good back to back performances to dispel - hopefully we can add a solid performance this weekend to build that aura of not being fragile or vulnerable in games against bottom sides we should win.
 
Were in 6th position imo that's more than nuisance factor we haven't been playing our best but hey when we do we look real good . Personally i think were expecting a lot from them after the turmoil last year, a new coach , 10 weeks out because of covid and an injury toll that is well... terrible really .
We have a lot of rookies playing and a halfback who's form isnt the best at the moment but he's too good to not get his game back eventually its just a bit of polish he's missing .
 
Still_Nutty said:
My point is, we are still seen as fragile by the bottom sides when they come to play us (even at home) and that rep takes more than just a couple of good back to back performances to dispel - hopefully we can add a solid performance this weekend to build that aura of not being fragile or vulnerable in games against bottom sides we should win.
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Fortunately it has been more of a case of us being absolutely atrocious rather then them being any good, and it shows in the game tape from the times we actually had a dig (like the last 20 minutes in the Bulldogs and Cowboys games) you play like that for even 60 minutes and they don't even come close.
 
packo said:
I’d just like to watch a game where we don’t look like losing. You know, actually enjoy it.
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Like round 1? Round 2? How about rounds 4, 6 or 13?

Actually that's not a bad record considering our recent past.
More than 1/3 of games were won well, we never looked like loosing.
3 close wins to teams just behind us on the ladder.
1 draw against the team in first.
3 losses to teams 2-3, the worst by 14 pts.
Larges score against us was to storm and only 14 pts.
Then there was those 2 games that we should never have lost. Both due to slow starts, one in crap conditions that we just didn't adapt to fast enough.

As OBI has said, we need to start better as it almost cost us last week too.

Get that first 20 right with good energy and minimal errors and we become a legitimate threat.


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