News 1/5: Buderus sweats on review

[jamesgould]

Buderus sweats on review

Caught unawares … Rabbitohs Peter Cusack and Nathan Merritt, above, were unable to stop Danny Buderus' lunge from dummy half to put the Knights in the lead. Photo: Steve Christo.

By Glenn Jackson
May 1, 2006

NEWCASTLE 24 SOUTH SYDNEY 18

JUST to make things interesting, it is Danny Buderus who has put the latest scare through the Australian camp - not Andrew Johns.

Johns made it through yesterday's win over Souths with no aggravation of his troublesome ankle, declaring himself fit to play in the Anzac Test this Friday.

But Buderus, who scored two tries to snuff out a brave fight from the Rabbitohs yesterday, will have a nervous wait after a lifting tackle on Souths winger Luke MacDougall, which will come under scrutiny by the match reviewers today.

MacDougall appeared to be lifted beyond the horizontal in the 20th minute tackle, which also involved Knights five-eighth Kurt Gidley.

The tackle was not put on report by referee Jason Robinson but Buderus was penalised.

"I don't think I've got a problem," Buderus said last night. "I haven't looked at it again, but I only drove in on the tackle. I went down and hit him and drove my legs into him. I don't think I've got any concerns with it."

There were no apparent problems for Johns, who set up the Knights first three tries but significantly, was carrying no serious ill-effects from his ankle injury afterwards.

Johns's decision to play on the controversial Telstra Stadium surface five days out from the Test was a gamble, but it has paid off - for the Knights and Australia.

"It was good to have a hit-out," Johns said. "You realise how much you lose in two weeks out of footy. You lose a bit of the feel for the game. Today, I took a couple of awful options, my kicking game was off, and my attack was a bit off.

"It was good to get that one out of the way."

Johns wasn't as active as he would normally be, rarely taking the line on, but he and Buderus were probably the difference between the two sides.

Souths - and maybe the Kiwis - can curse a new batch of anti-inflamatories which Johns took late in the week. They proved the catalyst for his return after he was initially left out of the squad. "They really took the swelling out of the ankle as well," he said.

Rabbitohs coach Shaun McRae was also cursing a couple of calls which went against his side late in the first half. First, halfback Ben Walker was ruled to have stripped the ball from Knights centre George Carmont, and in the ensuing set Carmont finished off a polished movement to break the 6-6 deadlock.

Then just five minutes later, video referee Steve Carrall ruled fullback Nathan Merritt put fingertips as well as a knee to a Mark Minichiello offload which would have locked the match up again.

"There were a couple of calls that could go for you or against you," McRae said. "They're crucial decisions and we've got to make sure people are getting them right. But unfortunately the job that officials have, it's very hard to get it right every single time. But I just thought today there were a number of things that didn't quite go our way."

The Rabbitohs were their own worst enemies as well, committing football suicide late in the game as they chased an unlikely win.

With the scores locked at 18-18, Walker was caught on the last tackle just inside the Rabbitohs half, which set the Knights up for Buderus's crucial try from dummy half - which came as the Rabbitohs were still yelling "field goal".

"He [Walker] says he wasn't sure [it was the last]," McRae said. "But it's his job to be sure."

Then in a frantic final minute, second-rower Joe Galuvao stepped inside with numbers outside him and a scattered Knights defensive line.

"You tend to get glue hands when you see the tryline," Galuvao said afterwards.

The Knights had hardship too, losing fullback Milton Thaiday to an ankle injury at half-time and centre Matt Gidley to the sin-bin with 15 minutes remaining after he took out the younger MacDougall without the ball.

In the end, however, Souths desperation to break their losing streak, and the class of Buderus and Johns, proved decisive.

MATCH FOCUS

VIDEO NASTY
THEY SAID WHAT?"The two MacDougall brothers - someone must have given them growling dog bars. They were just indestructible," said Knights halfback Andrew Johns.

After 32 minutes Nathan Merritt was ruled to have knocked on a Mark Minichiello offload. A converted try would have made it 12-12.

From: http://www.smh.com.au/news/league/buderus-sweats-on-review/2006/04/30/1146335612677.html

Players complain of slippery surface
By Jessica Halloran
May 1, 2006

There were mixed reports for the patchy Telstra Stadium turf yesterday: some players were satisfied with its state while others called it unsafe.

Newcastle fullback Milton Thaiday, who injured his left ankle during a clash with another player, said the surface shifted underfoot and was not suitable for football.

"It was pretty bad out there," Thaiday said. "There were people slipping. Every time you stepped off your foot you'd dig a big chunk out of the ground. Every run, every step that you took, you could feel it, you knew it wasn't stable, it was loose. I don't reckon it's safe at all."

Newcastle second-rower Steve Simpson said the turf must be improved.

"Obviously it's not ideal," Simpson said. "A few patches came out. I suppose it needs a bit of work and it's only a matter of time until someone does get hurt out there.

"Hopefully it will fix itself in another week or two."

Telstra Stadium management was believed to have spent about $100,000 replacing 1000 square metres of turf for the past weekend's AFL and NRL matches.

There were no complaints after Saturday's Sydney versus Geelong AFL match.

Newcastle coach Michael Hagan said stadium officials had done a good job to get the ground ready.

Souths coach Shaun McRae and Rabbitohs captain Peter Cusack were also happy.

"It was good," Cusack said. "I had no problems with it. I had a look at it walking off and there weren't too many divots."

Telstra Stadium chief executive Ken Edwards was last night "satisfied" with how the surface held up over the weekend.

"We will continue to devote time and resources into getting the playing surface back to the top standard we set for ourselves," he said.

From: http://www.smh.com.au/news/league/players-complain-of-slippery-surface/2006/04/30/1146335612680.html

Johns ready for Test farewell
By Todd Balym
April 30, 2006

ANDREW Johns's performance for Newcastle's against South Sydney at Telstra Stadium today was neither flashy nor brilliant but it convinced him he is ready to leave the Test arena on Friday in a blaze of glory.

Johns returned after just one week out with a left ankle ligament strain to prepare himself for Friday's Anzac Test against New Zealand in Brisbane, the final representative game of his glittering career.

Although he had a hand in three of the Knights four tries today, Johns was highly critical of his own performance.

"I have pulled up alright," he said.

"It was just good to have a hit out.

"Just two weeks out, you lose a bit of a feel for the game.

"I thought today I took a couple of awful options, my kicking game was off, a few tackles were off, so it's good to get that out of the way."

Johns was a late inclusion for today's match.

He knew only yesterday that he was capable of playing after new anti-inflammatories reduced the swelling in his ankle.

"When I trained yesterday and got through that I pretty much knew I could play," he said.

"I got new anti-infammatories towards the end of the week and it took all the swelling out. Structurally (the ankle) was all right but once all swelling was gone I was confident of playing."

Johns admitted he was apprehensive about returning on a pitch that had been embroiled in controversy all week over the state of its playing surface.

Up to $100,000 was spent relaying 1000 square metres of turf at Telstra Stadium, but Johns didn't bother checking it ahead of today's game.

"It was in the back of my mind because there was a lot of talk about it but the powers that be had a look at it and said it was alright," Johns said.

The halfback will attempt to keep this week's Test preparation low key.

He believes he will be OK to train all week, and he will talk to team officials about getting his media commitments over and done with before heading to Queensland.

"I will probably talk to the media people tomorrow and hope that will be it and just focus on the game, otherwise you get to Thursday and think you have got to play tomorrow," he said.

"The Kiwis will be coming at the Aussies 100mph. It will be true Test and I can't wait."

From: http://foxsports.news.com.au/story/0,8659,18979421-23214,00.html

Souths don't blame Walker
By Todd Balym
April 30, 2006

Knights 24 Souths 18
SOUTH Sydney coach Shaun McRae refused to blame halfback Ben Walker for his side's NRL loss to Newcastle at Telstra Stadium today.

With scores locked at 18-18 and the Rabbitohs holding the momentum after scoring two superb tries, Walker got trapped with the ball on the fifth tackle on the halfway line just five minutes from full-time.

Newcastle advanced from the turnover before hooker Danny Buderus scooted from dummy half and carried three defenders across the line to end Newcastle's two game losing streak.

Buderus surprised Souths with his move as the defence had focused on a potential field goal kicker from an ideal field position.

"A lot of people will talk of it as a defining moment of the game, but I'm not sure it was," McRae, whose side remains winless and cemented at the foot of the table, said.

"It was 18-all and a chance to complete the set and go to the corner.

"Just because you didn't, it does not mean it cost us the game.

"Whether you make a mistake on last tackle or not, you should still be able to defend that.

"All we had to do was defend another set of six.

"Ideally the kick should have gone to the corner of course but I know there was some confusion about the tackle count.

"Part of (Walker's) role is to make sure he knows what the tackle count is... (but) there were other mistakes in the game we can look at, too."

The Knights led 18-6 with just over 20 minutes to play, and appeared to be cruising for victory until the Rabbitohs sprung to life on the back of some bulldozing and adventurous play from Adam MacDougall.

David Fa'alogo crossed in the 59th minute from a textbook decoy-runner play that reduced the deficit to just six points,then MacDougall took control with a cheeky chip and chase that almost delivered a try to his brother Luke, who was tackled without the ball by Matt Gidley.

Gidley was sin-binned for the indiscretion and Adam MacDougall barged across soon after, with Nathan Merritt's sideline conversion levelling the match.

But lazy Souths defence led to Buderus's try in the 76th minute, his second for the match.

"The frustration continues really," McRae said.

"That's probably the second game this year we have been really close and might have deserved to get something out of it.

"Their nine (Buderus) and seven (Andrew Johns) are the best players we have seen. We coped with them very well but there were just little touches here and there that we didn't (cope with) and ultimately that was the difference."

Newcastle coach Michael Hagan also praised his two key playmakers for their role in the victory.

Johns rushed back from a left ankle ligament strain to play today, having a hand in three of the Knights four tries in a typically strong game.

"It was a pretty gutsy effort by our blokes," Hagan said.

"We needed everyone today, it was kind of all hands on deck attitude. We need to be winning as many games as we can now.

"I thought it was a tremendous effort by Danny Buderus and Andrew Johns, in particular the way they defended at times."

The Knights do have an injury concern with fullback Milton Thaiday limping from the field at half-time and not returning in the second stanza.

Hagan confirmed the injury had nothing to do with the relaid Telstra Stadium surface, which was widely praised by both teams.

NEWCASTLE 24 (D Buderus 2 M Thaiday G Carmont tries; A Johns 4 goals)
SOUTH SYDNEY 18 (J Galuvao D Fa'alogo A MacDougall tries; N Merritt 3 goals). Referee: Jason Robinson. Crowd: 8649, at Telstra Stadium.

From: http://foxsports.news.com.au/story/0,8659,18978949-23214,00.html