NRL Elimination Final - Cowboys Vs Knights - 7:50pm Saturday 14 September - Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville

Will the Knights beat the Cowboys?

  • Total voters
    41
  • Poll closed .
Lefty said:
Yes we may have to into next year with a spine of KP, Gamble, Cogger snd Crossland. That would be OK (not ideal) and we can blood our younger halves when they are ready.
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Which younger halves…..? Was texting my mate who’s played at the top that were wasting a generational talent with KP in the team. The 7 situation needs sorting asap and the management need to be nailed on with their first choice spine in pre season with hope and prayer that injuries are kind to us.

Thought we’ve played really well last few weeks and if we can play with that determination and grind with a consistent line up maybe we can get north of 7th next year. Jury out on OB. He’s been afforded a lot of time and a lot of excuses.
 
I think he has excuses though.

We solved halfback. He played for the Cowboys tonight because for whatever reason he and his wife couldn’t settle in Newy. His kicking game was a big factor in why we struggled for field position all game.

We solved halfback again. Last year, he had maybe the best season a Knights #7 has had since Pearce’s first year with us. “Finally, a 7 who can read the game and get the ball where it needs to go” I said, out loud, to my totally disinterested wife as she watched a reality show about mail order brides or some such thing on her laptop on the couch beside me. Again something seems to have gone wrong off field there (on top of him playing like absolute ****): he didn’t even make the flight up with the rest of the team today.

I’m not bagging either of them but I don’t think starting a finals game with Cogger and Crossland was the plan at any stage. I’m not sure what AOB could have done to prevent this situation.
 
Had a night to sleep on response. I’m a very proud member, for a team who had a put together 7/6 and a 9 that took a season to improve to NRL standard (thought Brails was strong final few games) they did well to be a final KP pass to go up with 10mins left and a conversion that hit the post.

The talk from media that players aren’t in on AOB is so far from truth, cause a team doesn’t execute a coaches game plan to perfection in that first half and almost drag the game back. So well done to coaches and players to block out the noise and bash selves into top 8 when it counted.

LOTS to happen over offseason, resign Lucas, Thompson and Jones, move on Brails and Dsaf. I’m sure if the money is there to bring in Pezet or someone like him, or if we have to rely initially on Cogs/Crossy/ Gamble. If latter is the case then that’s ok, mentality will have to be killer instinct from the starts, come back fit, mentally and physically and get a winning season. Marty Arthur and Schiller already great inclusions, suspect 1 or two more signing over offseason.

No home losses is imperative next year. We want too be higher than top 6, MUST win our home games. 50% or higher for away like this season.

Bring our juniors through, McEwen, Elijah, Hopwood are top of my list for debuts next yr. Hope Tyrone Tompson explodes onto scene for us.

Knights surprised me a bit this yr. By 3/4 way point (loss to Brisbane at home) I kind of gave up, was please to surprised by there fight and unity to get in and almost out gut Cows. I’m excited for next season though.

Coaches wise, proud of team, but will need to incorporate AOB with some flowing attack, so team is able to attack from anywhere on field. Understand that comes with team have high completion rate and good discipline.

Onto the NRLW ladies full steam ahead for 3-pear and sit back with popcorn and see what this off season brings us.

Go Melbourne Storm or Panthers for this yr. Fans of both teams.
 
Gutted. It’s the hope that kills you.

Harder to take since I don’t think we were the worse team out there tonight. A couple of moments could have gone either way and most went the way of the cows.

Lucas goes himself, feldt out of position as he commited to the intercept…Marzhew and Lucas 2 v 1 with drinkwater. at least there’s one they don’t get.

Ponga to Gags. Gags probably should have caught it, Ponga probably should have thrown a better pass, Ponga probably should have gone inside to Gamble (with the luxury of tv angle, I’m not sure Ponga knew he was there til it was too late). Likely ices the game.

The cluster***k of a try to Cotter. That’s bunker roulette. With any luck on another day, they decide inconclusive evidence to overturn.


Ponga. Outstanding. I’m genuinely starting to feel bad for the guy. Last few games he has stepped it up. He’s running into the line, he’s back to putting his body into things. Immense. Imo, a game like last night, he’s arguably one of the best in the game.

Marzhew really good the last few weeks too. Love that he catches the kickoff and takes the hit up himself.

We missed Best.

Thought we were doing a good job of getting them onto their backs, and they were making zero effort to get up quickly, which I think allowed us to slow them a little more than usual. But conversely, ref allowed them to hold us down equally as long, but we had stomach, and were fighting to get up.
And FMD, 3 correct challenges in a reasonably big game…

I didn’t really have any expectations of this game or making a dent in the finals, but it’s the circumstances of that loss that just leaves a big “what if”.

If we keep Ponga fit, get some consistency in our halves….ah this sounds like last year. Something will happen and we will scrape 8th again.
 
Expected result for me, last I saw on the plane we were ahead 12-10 early in the second half and I expected around 28-12 at the finish. Cowboys very difficult to beat in a final up there. But sounds like we didn’t play too badly. Will be interesting to watch a replay.
 
jamesgould said:
Expected result for me, last I saw on the plane we were ahead 12-10 early in the second half and I expected around 28-12 at the finish. Cowboys very difficult to beat in a final up there. But sounds like we didn’t play too badly. Will be interesting to watch a replay.
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I’m aware this reads very Phil Gould “I always knew this would happen” 😂
 
jamesgould said:
Expected result for me, last I saw on the plane we were ahead 12-10 early in the second half and I expected around 28-12 at the finish. Cowboys very difficult to beat in a final up there. But sounds like we didn’t play too badly. Will be interesting to watch a replay.
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The possession split (55/45) killed us. I kept waiting for it to even out and it just never did. Some of that is our own doing, some is luck, some is an out of his depth referee who let the crowd police the game.

We really did well to end the game in a position where we can honestly say we were a few moments going the other way from victory.
 
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The Artist Formerly Known as Aku'd said:
Which younger halves…..? Was texting my mate who’s played at the top that were wasting a generational talent with KP in the team. The 7 situation needs sorting asap and the management need to be nailed on with their first choice spine in pre season with hope and prayer that injuries are kind to us.

Thought we’ve played really well last few weeks and if we can play with that determination and grind with a consistent line up maybe we can get north of 7th next year. Jury out on OB. He’s been afforded a lot of time and a lot of excuses.
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@Billy would you mind giving us a brief rundown on our junior halves prospects please?
 
Lefty said:
@Billy would you mind giving us a brief rundown on our junior halves prospects please?
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We have a lot of good young ones in Jye Linnane, Haami Loza etc, but only Liam Sutton and maybe Jye Linnane could have a great pre-season and be a chance at firstgrade.
Both are more suited to be running 5/8s - both livewire running halves with some kicking skills.
Loza looks like he'll be a clever, organising halfback, but he played Mathews in 2023 and Ball and Flegg this year - he is at least 3 or 4 years away from firstgrade (or 2 years if he is as talented as Fletcher Sharpe).
The only organising half we had, Mitch Henderson, is doing very well in Flegg and reserve grade for Canberra right now.
In fact, Mitch Henderson is number 7 for Canberra in the reserve grade semi Final v Penrith today.
 
Billy said:
We have a lot of good young ones in Jye Linnane, Haami Loza etc, but only Liam Sutton and maybe Jye Linnane could have a great pre-season and be a chance at firstgrade.
Both are more suited to be running 5/8s - both livewire running halves with some kicking skills.
Loza looks like he'll be a clever, organising halfback, but he played Mathews in 2023 and Ball and Flegg this year - he is at least 3 or 4 years away from firstgrade (or 2 years if he is as talented as Fletcher Sharpe).
The only organising half we had, Mitch Henderson, is doing very well in Flegg and reserve grade for Canberra right now.
In fact, Mitch Henderson is number 7 for Canberra in the reserve grade semi Final v Penrith today.
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Thanks @Billy!
 
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