MBQLD
Adam Woolnough
Yes choosing not to be pessimistic when everyone else on everything I read and hear is ultra doom and gloom.
We played ourselves into great form after smashing a bad team last year you gotta start somewhere
NRL Elimination Final - Cowboys Vs Knights - 7:50pm Saturday 14 September - Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville
- Thread starter Lefty
- Start date
We played ourselves into great form after smashing a bad team last year you gotta start somewhere
frankLauda
Ben Kennedy
Agree, if we want to make a dint in this finals series Best needs to play. Cows aren’t the top of the tree, so let’s hope we can do it without him in this one.
Best and marzhew have combined for only 14 tries, the right edge is 24 tries. Ponga and our halves really havnt unlocked the left edge all season. From a point scoring pov i dont think we will miss him to the point it costs us a game, however his decision making in defense and the confidence marzhew has in his decision making could really hurt us.
Billy
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
'Next week': Best could return if Knights beat Cowboys
The Knights centre won't play in Saturday's 7.50pm game.
Article says Best out - didn't fly today - should be right for next week.
Says KPP had his stitches removed 2 days ago and should be in the second row with Lucas at centre.
Also says Tuala was training and could play if Best not back next week.
Still_Nutty
Josh Smith
I was just thinking the same thing as I was scrolling down this thread
KPP is the world's best decoy runner. Crossland and Ponga were happy to feed Lucas the ball, because he's good at punching holes and has good change of direction close to the line. There's even been a few times where Lucas has tried to replicate Fitz' turn into contact and offload. We lose alot in attack with Lucas not there.
Frank McWilliams
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
Not sure about Bests defence, good but not a classic tackler and of late Crosslands is doing a fair bit of cleaning up in defence but in attack we lose a fair bit with Best out, his pace and strength along with his ability to set up other players for further gains, his ability to pounce on a loose ball and make huge inroads takes a lot of pressure of the team
Gags will be marking holmes
Newcastle Is The Best
Danny Wicks
Who does Lucas mark?
The other centre Vailea. We should really target Drinkwater under the high ball. He has had some shockers in big games under them.
Billy
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
Master and apprentice: Fletcher flying high alongside great Dane
Newcastle's veteran showing rookie the NRL way.
Article about Gagai and Sharpe.
Says Sharpe was working as an apprentice plumber this time last year and this is his first final.
Says Gagai will be playing his 17th final and has played 3 preliminary finals and 1 grandfinal. Says he has achieved everything in the game from SOO titles to World cup titles, but is yet to win a GF.
Gagai says we are in a better state than last year and have been competitive in games against all the teams we need to beat.
Have to give Holmes credit for going through a goalkicking purple patch at the right time. Ours is iffy at times and will be filthy if we lose it because of poor goalkicking as it has been in the past at times.
Still_Nutty
Josh Smith
Saturday forecast for Townsville.....anyone know the squad's travel schedule?
Temperature won't be the challenge but it would have been nice if they had the opportunity to get the squad up there yesterday or even today, just to give them the chance to train/acclimatise to the evening humidity that will be in the high 80s during game time...
Temperature won't be the challenge but it would have been nice if they had the opportunity to get the squad up there yesterday or even today, just to give them the chance to train/acclimatise to the evening humidity that will be in the high 80s during game time...
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waynesworld
Shane Mackley
Up there yesterday on that direct flight organised by the NRL out of Newcastle.
Still_Nutty
Josh Smith
Anyway, that is what I like to hear - for an elimination final game, leave nothing to chance
frankLauda
Ben Kennedy
"humidity that will be in the high 80s during game time"
This is, or won't be a challenge Nutty? Like what's normal humidity?
Still_Nutty
Josh Smith
Just FYI - we are also statistically getting closer(and due) for a win up there 
Still_Nutty
Josh Smith
I think it is just a subtle factor on this occasion Frank, because the current NQLD evening temperature is relatively low up there at present, although it is certainly higher at 22 degrees versus 9 degrees at kick off time, than if we were playing in Newie.
The bigger challenge is usually a combination of both high heat and high humidity that can have the greatest impact if you aren't acclimatised to it - it is a lot easier to sustain effort in a desert vs a jungle if it is 35 degrees, in both environments and that is largely due to the difference in humidity.
I just don't want external factors that we could have managed (by arriving a bit earlier) having an impact on the result for such a big game. I suppose my worry Frank is the fact that we've been in tight contests with the Cowboys for the last few games up there and these are the little things that can and I think have contributed to us losing in the last 2 encounters.
