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Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
Bennett: We've taken a step backwards
Hunter Ports Newcastle Knights coach Wayne Bennett knows there is plenty of work ahead after he called his side’s 24-14 loss to the Titans their ‘worst of the season’.
Speaking after the game, Bennett was most disappointed with his troops defence after they had made good progress in recent weeks.
“We got sloppy tonight, there was no intensity in our defence at all, as a result we kind of got run over and missed tackles,” Bennett said.
“The last couple of weeks we’ve turned over the ball and given up too much field position which creates a lot of pressure. Tonight we controlled the ball better, but forgot to defend, we’ve made errors throughout the year, but not to the extent of letting in easy tries like that.
"It’s probably the most disappointed I’ve been all year, you hope by week twelve you start to win a few battles, but tonight we just went backwards.
"When asked about what changes will be made, Bennett retained his view that the best men available will be picked - a job the he said, that is getting more difficult each week.
“When you pick teams you always try to pick your best players, the problem is no one is taking their opportunity when they get it.“The hardest thing at the moment is that I have to pick the team, if they were playing like they should they would be picking themselves.
"There’s only three or four guys saying 'I deserve to be in the side due to my performances,' the rest are dishing up a whole heap of indifferent performances which leaves me to make a decision - sometimes you get those decisions wrong.
"Knights fill-in captain Chris Houston felt for his coach, who he believes is doing everything possible to get the club on track. The second-rower putting particular emphasis on the fact that it is the men on the field, not off it, that must turn their game around.
“I guess we just got off on the wrong foot tonight and struggled to stop their momentum,” Houston said.
“It’s down to attitude, and tonight we just didnt front up the way we should, we should have brought a lot more energy than we did.“It was embarrassing, especially in front of our home fans, they deserve more effort than that.
”Bennett agreed with his captain, saying that whilst Knights fans are disappointed, no one is more disappointed than themselves.
“I know the fans are impatient, but no one is more impatient than myself, Bennett said. “I’m embarrassed, and I’m embarrassed in the way we are playing.
“If we could wave a magic wand we would do that, but we can’t. I understand why people are frustrated, but there's no frustration greater than mine, or the others at the club.
“I’ve been in this situation before. I know what’s in front of me, and I know how to handle what I’ve got at the moment. At the end of day, I always get where I want to go and it won’t be any different here.”
http://www.newcastleknights.com.au/news-display/Bennett-Weve-taken-a-step-backwards/55912
Hunter Ports Newcastle Knights coach Wayne Bennett knows there is plenty of work ahead after he called his side’s 24-14 loss to the Titans their ‘worst of the season’.
Speaking after the game, Bennett was most disappointed with his troops defence after they had made good progress in recent weeks.
“We got sloppy tonight, there was no intensity in our defence at all, as a result we kind of got run over and missed tackles,” Bennett said.
“The last couple of weeks we’ve turned over the ball and given up too much field position which creates a lot of pressure. Tonight we controlled the ball better, but forgot to defend, we’ve made errors throughout the year, but not to the extent of letting in easy tries like that.
"It’s probably the most disappointed I’ve been all year, you hope by week twelve you start to win a few battles, but tonight we just went backwards.
"When asked about what changes will be made, Bennett retained his view that the best men available will be picked - a job the he said, that is getting more difficult each week.
“When you pick teams you always try to pick your best players, the problem is no one is taking their opportunity when they get it.“The hardest thing at the moment is that I have to pick the team, if they were playing like they should they would be picking themselves.
"There’s only three or four guys saying 'I deserve to be in the side due to my performances,' the rest are dishing up a whole heap of indifferent performances which leaves me to make a decision - sometimes you get those decisions wrong.
"Knights fill-in captain Chris Houston felt for his coach, who he believes is doing everything possible to get the club on track. The second-rower putting particular emphasis on the fact that it is the men on the field, not off it, that must turn their game around.
“I guess we just got off on the wrong foot tonight and struggled to stop their momentum,” Houston said.
“It’s down to attitude, and tonight we just didnt front up the way we should, we should have brought a lot more energy than we did.“It was embarrassing, especially in front of our home fans, they deserve more effort than that.
”Bennett agreed with his captain, saying that whilst Knights fans are disappointed, no one is more disappointed than themselves.
“I know the fans are impatient, but no one is more impatient than myself, Bennett said. “I’m embarrassed, and I’m embarrassed in the way we are playing.
“If we could wave a magic wand we would do that, but we can’t. I understand why people are frustrated, but there's no frustration greater than mine, or the others at the club.
“I’ve been in this situation before. I know what’s in front of me, and I know how to handle what I’ve got at the moment. At the end of day, I always get where I want to go and it won’t be any different here.”
http://www.newcastleknights.com.au/news-display/Bennett-Weve-taken-a-step-backwards/55912
