Battler
Matthew Johns
It's not a new thing, welcome to the team.
NRL Round 22 - Knights Vs Broncos - 7:35pm Saturday, 1st of August - Suncorp Stadium
- Thread starter jamesgould
- Start date
Lynchyknight
Darren Albert
Anyone know if Croker passed or failed his HIA?? And Crossland went off win 19 mins to go and didn’t return an injury or not?
Die Hard
Charlie McAlister
Sandon and Sharpe seemed like a more natural combination, a good halfback and an amazing five eighth. No doubt Brown and Sharpe have the highest ceiling, but the floor of Sandon and Sharpe is quite high as well. Feel having Sandon as the dominant half let Sharpe do more five eighth things that come naturally to him, and he seemed to have one of his best nights in a while. I feel we are only slightly worse with Sandon and Manu over Brown and Lucas. Can't wait to have Saifiti back soon.
frankLauda
Matthew Gidley
Never in doubt this victory! One thing I’ve noticed is our defence has improved as the season goes on. I also think we are being a bit more controlled in our attack. We are getting that balance.
After tonights performance I’m more confident we beat Canberra next week. You never know we maybe go on an unbeaten run! Good team effort. Let’s GO!
After tonights performance I’m more confident we beat Canberra next week. You never know we maybe go on an unbeaten run! Good team effort. Let’s GO!
MBQLD
Sean Rudder
I think last weeks game told us more about the tenacity and where this team is than last nights game. Both teams we played were almost full strength yet last weeks opposition had to pull out all the stops against a team with very young forwards and 2 season ending injuries for large chunks of the game. Knights have been very brave and very unlucky.
Last night was a great victory but I think Newcastle walked away from last weeks game against the roosters knowing they are a dangerous side. Under AOB, knights won only once against the roosters in 8 shots losing by a combined 208 points to 100. Brisbane had been putting us to the sword as well with a combined 225 points to 145. It’s clear this coach has a plan and the boys are buying in and a as a fan, I am too.
The stats were interesting. Everyone seemed to put their hands up and shared in the spoils but the defensive stats didn’t read amazing, however kept them out of the goal line. The scramble was very good where it counted.
Manuleilua… wow. Talk about an almost seamless transition to first grade! I’ve loved him since the trials personally. He has always looked comfortable and itchy to get into the hard work and seems to be very athletic for his size and a nightmare to stand in front of when he winds up. Some kids look shell shocked that first hit up at NRL level (you can sometimes see them second guessing their life choices) but he’s always looked hungry and keen for more. A proper first grader and is such a natural fit. A worthy replacement while we are without Lucas.
And finally I think it was Sharpes best game for us in a long while. I think his best position personally is in the halves (I know a lot don’t agree) but as a runner with someone else wanting to put the hand up for the other important stuff which really suits Smith trying to stamp his name on this team. Both haven’t had a job outline for most of the year. Sharpe gets moved in and out and hasn’t had a real chance to just study the job description and stick to a plan and I think Smith has needed someone to tap him in the shoulder and tell him he’s the guy needed to steer the ship, which is where he’s wanted to be since day 1. That obviously frees up Ponga to stand back and watch for weaknesses and exploit tired opponents and gaps. Brown was looking a bit tired and lost at times to myself, still learning on the job his new role as the main guy so to speak.
Sorry for the long post and probably a ton of spelling mistakes. It’s after 4am and I can’t sleep.
Up the Knights!
Last night was a great victory but I think Newcastle walked away from last weeks game against the roosters knowing they are a dangerous side. Under AOB, knights won only once against the roosters in 8 shots losing by a combined 208 points to 100. Brisbane had been putting us to the sword as well with a combined 225 points to 145. It’s clear this coach has a plan and the boys are buying in and a as a fan, I am too.
The stats were interesting. Everyone seemed to put their hands up and shared in the spoils but the defensive stats didn’t read amazing, however kept them out of the goal line. The scramble was very good where it counted.
Manuleilua… wow. Talk about an almost seamless transition to first grade! I’ve loved him since the trials personally. He has always looked comfortable and itchy to get into the hard work and seems to be very athletic for his size and a nightmare to stand in front of when he winds up. Some kids look shell shocked that first hit up at NRL level (you can sometimes see them second guessing their life choices) but he’s always looked hungry and keen for more. A proper first grader and is such a natural fit. A worthy replacement while we are without Lucas.
And finally I think it was Sharpes best game for us in a long while. I think his best position personally is in the halves (I know a lot don’t agree) but as a runner with someone else wanting to put the hand up for the other important stuff which really suits Smith trying to stamp his name on this team. Both haven’t had a job outline for most of the year. Sharpe gets moved in and out and hasn’t had a real chance to just study the job description and stick to a plan and I think Smith has needed someone to tap him in the shoulder and tell him he’s the guy needed to steer the ship, which is where he’s wanted to be since day 1. That obviously frees up Ponga to stand back and watch for weaknesses and exploit tired opponents and gaps. Brown was looking a bit tired and lost at times to myself, still learning on the job his new role as the main guy so to speak.
Sorry for the long post and probably a ton of spelling mistakes. It’s after 4am and I can’t sleep.
Up the Knights!
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bremsstrahlung
Michael Eagar
2 points is 2 points, but that one felt much sweeter. We needed that and they stepped up.
Think everyone did their job well last night.
Forwards have been impressive the last month or so. Mooney stepped up and has realised he could be an alpha, starting to be really hard to contain, running hard, tackling hard. Hopefully he’s got some cheerleaders (Holbrook, Ponga etc not actual cheerleaders) reaffirming that he’s a beast in this form. Hopwood, wow, he’s gonna be a weapon. So impressive for a guy in his first proper stint in FG. He took a few weeks to get used to it, but now I find myself hoping he comes back on soon to help us win back the middle. Frizz, Croker, Crossland and Jones all playing their part too.
Safs is gonna need to be at his best to warrant his spot back - wonder the psychological boost to Mooney and Hopwood if they retained their “starting spot” and Safs off the bench to ease him back. Good problems to have.
Manu was superb. I could outline a few moments - his pass to Marzhew, his runs, his tackling to turnover the ball etc - but I think we are all on the same page - great game.
I think Ponga has turned a corner this year. He seems so much more mature now. He’s starting to be the captain (needs more ref chat though) we need. He’s riding every play, celebrating every try, every turnover like it’s a match winner. Good to see. He genuinely seems invested in this club now.
Bit of fire - sure McEwen running 40m to rag doll mariner was perhaps a little silly, and if not for Walsh going off too, could have undermined our strong start. BUT, I’ve been critical sometimes of our debutants or younger players getting man handled and roughed up and nobody supporting them or standing up for them. So in a way, it was nice to see a little bit of passion/fire/aggression to stand up for their teammate. Just wish he grabbed Walsh or Mam.
Lastly, Smith and Sharpe played well. Agree with some comments that Smith seems to free up Sharpe to run more which is clearly his strength. My one criticism of Smith or Crossland (not sure if positioning or delivery) but he got caught out of position on 5th a few times and got pressured out of his kick. Seems Ponga’s quad still a concern and not kicking so it was pretty obvious who to pressure. But I thought Smith looked good at 7 - good balance of run, engage line and pass. Exactly what lead to a try - held the ball long enough to interest 3 defenders and numbers outside.
I know Broncos were poor. But they are one of a few teams (we are one) that could very easily score 3 tries in 10 minutes - arguably one of the best forward packs on their day, and one of the best attacking players. So we did well to contain them to a single try - albeit a bit flukey as well.
Finally, a game we win, that we deserved to win.
Think everyone did their job well last night.
Forwards have been impressive the last month or so. Mooney stepped up and has realised he could be an alpha, starting to be really hard to contain, running hard, tackling hard. Hopefully he’s got some cheerleaders (Holbrook, Ponga etc not actual cheerleaders) reaffirming that he’s a beast in this form. Hopwood, wow, he’s gonna be a weapon. So impressive for a guy in his first proper stint in FG. He took a few weeks to get used to it, but now I find myself hoping he comes back on soon to help us win back the middle. Frizz, Croker, Crossland and Jones all playing their part too.
Safs is gonna need to be at his best to warrant his spot back - wonder the psychological boost to Mooney and Hopwood if they retained their “starting spot” and Safs off the bench to ease him back. Good problems to have.
Manu was superb. I could outline a few moments - his pass to Marzhew, his runs, his tackling to turnover the ball etc - but I think we are all on the same page - great game.
I think Ponga has turned a corner this year. He seems so much more mature now. He’s starting to be the captain (needs more ref chat though) we need. He’s riding every play, celebrating every try, every turnover like it’s a match winner. Good to see. He genuinely seems invested in this club now.
Bit of fire - sure McEwen running 40m to rag doll mariner was perhaps a little silly, and if not for Walsh going off too, could have undermined our strong start. BUT, I’ve been critical sometimes of our debutants or younger players getting man handled and roughed up and nobody supporting them or standing up for them. So in a way, it was nice to see a little bit of passion/fire/aggression to stand up for their teammate. Just wish he grabbed Walsh or Mam.
Lastly, Smith and Sharpe played well. Agree with some comments that Smith seems to free up Sharpe to run more which is clearly his strength. My one criticism of Smith or Crossland (not sure if positioning or delivery) but he got caught out of position on 5th a few times and got pressured out of his kick. Seems Ponga’s quad still a concern and not kicking so it was pretty obvious who to pressure. But I thought Smith looked good at 7 - good balance of run, engage line and pass. Exactly what lead to a try - held the ball long enough to interest 3 defenders and numbers outside.
I know Broncos were poor. But they are one of a few teams (we are one) that could very easily score 3 tries in 10 minutes - arguably one of the best forward packs on their day, and one of the best attacking players. So we did well to contain them to a single try - albeit a bit flukey as well.
Finally, a game we win, that we deserved to win.
HarVeeGee13
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
I think it’s pretty close to the consensus now that 6 is his best spot actually. And he’s especially good there as a foil to a #1 who’s unusually dominant of a playmaker & does his best work in attack out wide.
Any issues with Sharpe’s game @6 last year haven’t been a problem this year and were probably AOB’s fault.
bremsstrahlung
Michael Eagar
Another thought that threatened to turn into a longer rant:
Holy forward pass.
How many were called this game?
Now for some physics - I reckon Dom Young’s “forward” pass is a great example of why technology makes it near impossible to help rule on forward passes.
Dom runs at top speed of 35-36km/hr. At that pace (35) he covers 10m in 1.03 seconds (chat gpt)
He passes the ball at roughly the 40m line (between frames I can freeze on)
Time from ball leaving Dom’s hands to reaching Smith’s hands, by my trusty stopwatch was 1.11s.
When Smith catches/touches the ball - Dom is on the 30m line (consistent with roughly 1 second to cover 10m).
Where is the ball? Google tells me the scrum lines are 5m long - 2.5m each side. The ball is caught/touched on the end of that line.
Ball has travelled 7.5m.
From Doms inertial frame of reference - if he passes the ball at 90 degrees - the ball should travel at the same speed he does (Ignoring wind resistance). So it should be at the 30m line when he is. But it’s not.
Speed of ball is roughly 27km/hr to travel 7.5m in a second. Less than Doms speed - therefore was passed backwards.
Or, you can just look and see he is actively trying to pass the ball backwards.
This concludes my TED talk.
Edit: check out where the touch judge is in relation to the ref who deemed it all good.
Ref clearly in the best position there.
Holy forward pass.
How many were called this game?
Now for some physics - I reckon Dom Young’s “forward” pass is a great example of why technology makes it near impossible to help rule on forward passes.
Dom runs at top speed of 35-36km/hr. At that pace (35) he covers 10m in 1.03 seconds (chat gpt)
He passes the ball at roughly the 40m line (between frames I can freeze on)
Time from ball leaving Dom’s hands to reaching Smith’s hands, by my trusty stopwatch was 1.11s.
When Smith catches/touches the ball - Dom is on the 30m line (consistent with roughly 1 second to cover 10m).
Where is the ball? Google tells me the scrum lines are 5m long - 2.5m each side. The ball is caught/touched on the end of that line.
Ball has travelled 7.5m.
From Doms inertial frame of reference - if he passes the ball at 90 degrees - the ball should travel at the same speed he does (Ignoring wind resistance). So it should be at the 30m line when he is. But it’s not.
Speed of ball is roughly 27km/hr to travel 7.5m in a second. Less than Doms speed - therefore was passed backwards.
Or, you can just look and see he is actively trying to pass the ball backwards.
This concludes my TED talk.
Edit: check out where the touch judge is in relation to the ref who deemed it all good.
Ref clearly in the best position there.
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Frank McWilliams
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
Was a great team effort, giving MOTM points was difficult, some players were better than others but many deserved points and like me went for 6 getting a point.
Beating Broncos in Brisbane is huge and we always seemed to be in charge and I was more relaxed watching this one than most.
Our bench was strong but the backup hooker spot needs fixing
Beating Broncos in Brisbane is huge and we always seemed to be in charge and I was more relaxed watching this one than most.
Our bench was strong but the backup hooker spot needs fixing
Dunno if we can fix the back up hooker spot much more. Out of the top 30 and development list, Cant would be the 5th choice at best. Having Authur and Graham injured ( Graham ruled out after the sides were announce) plus Sandon now playing 7 instead of 14, I’m not sure who else they could put there. Wouldn’t want him playing there full time but it he does ok for a backup second rower
I really wouldn't be surprised if Deisel Hagan gets a debut before the end of the year, maybe even next week if Graham's injury isn't good to go.
I thought most of them other then that were fair game, like you could pretty much tell even live they went forward. Some less obvious than others. Maybe in other games they let some go because they’re less obvious and you’re not sure how the ref sees them live but I thought other then Doms one (idiotic commentary aside) they were the correct calls.
he was consistently kicking 80% earlier so not sure..hopefully being on the field for 80mins now he gets a good feel of conditions/wind etc so hopefully it’s just a little phase.
frankLauda
Matthew Gidley
There were a couple of difficult ones, and one or two gimmys that’s he missed. He was close on nearly all of them. So yes frustrating, but I’m sure he will be practising more, tweak a bit and start slotting them. If he remains the full-time kicker now.
He and Ponga should be having kick-offs, if Ponga is ok to kick. They are equally as dodgy as each other. Best one gets the FT gig.
He and Ponga should be having kick-offs, if Ponga is ok to kick. They are equally as dodgy as each other. Best one gets the FT gig.
Frank McWilliams
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
Smith kicked 3/6 and he had a few difficult ones thanks to Young and Marzhew scoring tries out wide.
Maybe he was adjusting to playing 7 that he didn’t practice his kicking much, hopefully he will work on it.
Maybe he was adjusting to playing 7 that he didn’t practice his kicking much, hopefully he will work on it.
Frank McWilliams
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
Ponga kicks from the right, Smith from the left and toss a coin for those in front
I thought that was our most polished performance of the year. We looked a couple of gears above Brisbane all game.
Francis M wow. He’s already too good not to be starting next year. Who do we leave out though?
Sandon might not be the defender that Dlybro is but I think he’s a much more natural halfback. Sandon plays what’s in front of him, whereas Dlybro looks like he’s already thinking about the next play. At times, it feels like Dlybro will take a run just for the sake of it rather than because it’s the best option in that moment.
Francis M wow. He’s already too good not to be starting next year. Who do we leave out though?
Sandon might not be the defender that Dlybro is but I think he’s a much more natural halfback. Sandon plays what’s in front of him, whereas Dlybro looks like he’s already thinking about the next play. At times, it feels like Dlybro will take a run just for the sake of it rather than because it’s the best option in that moment.