NRL Round 13 - Knights Vs Eels - 3:00pm Saturday, 30th of May - McDonald Jones Stadium

Was a disappointing game, very pleased we won but expected more.
Some of our stars had very ordinary games for them, others like Ponga, Brown and Mooney.
Need to be better next week against the Storm to be in with a show in Melbourne
 
So a win is a win albeit a pretty ugly one as mentioned. I thought it probably would be, knights seem to do it tough against Parra no matter how good or bad either team is going.

The drop balls I thought could be related to whatever the hell the Parra players had on their legs did anyone see that? Looked like a Diddy party baby oil bath, particularly with their hooker and fullback. Maybe unrelated but nobody could hang onto it suddenly for 20mins after half time.

I think the officiating has been mentioned plenty as I’m all sure we saw numerous forward passes, laying in on tackles late, high shots and missed repeats but the opposite end of that was the game didn’t have too many stops… which is good as a spectator (kinda) but it definitely takes its toll on the players whose performances ebbed and flowed.

For me I thought Dyl Lucas and Phoenix were probably our standouts today. One guy is constantly reminding NSW selectors he’s far better on the field than on any bench and the other is a tackling god with a motor we could only dream of. Proper old school hard man.

Onto the next one! 😍
 

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Last 2 games have been relatively underwhelming but most important thing at this time of the year is just banking the wins.

Not to get in an argument about who had the most try assists but it just seems like the attack runs better with Sharpe in the halves. He might not be as refined as Smith as a playmaker but everything he does is direct and at speed, whether he's taking the line on or shovelling it along. Keeps the defence constantly in two minds which is a very tough spot to be in with the calibre of attacking players around him. That's not to say they couldn't find a game plan that suits Smith better over time but there was a noticeable drop off with him holding the ball more. Been more reliant on individual brilliance than the ball movement and speed we'd been seeing prior.
 
Well that was not as convincing as I anticipated. Parra stood up, but too many errors that second half. From both sides.

I like the fact we play a riskier brand of footy but if we can control when to go and whe to reel it in we are a better team. Tougher game against Melbourne next week. We need to be more on. We got this win, take some learnings out of it to be better for next week.
 
mullenmagic said:
Last 2 games have been relatively underwhelming but most important thing at this time of the year is just banking the wins.

Not to get in an argument about who had the most try assists but it just seems like the attack runs better with Sharpe in the halves. He might not be as refined as Smith as a playmaker but everything he does is direct and at speed, whether he's taking the line on or shovelling it along. Keeps the defence constantly in two minds which is a very tough spot to be in with the calibre of attacking players around him. That's not to say they couldn't find a game plan that suits Smith better over time but there was a noticeable drop off with him holding the ball more. Been more reliant on individual brilliance than the ball movement and speed we'd been seeing prior.
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Yeah I've come around and I agree on this.

Also Sandon as Brown's halves partner I think makes Dylan a bit too happy to sit back and let the game come to him. With Sharpe at 6 it forces Brown to initiate more stuff & it has tended to mean more Brown + Pongaball (Brongaball?), which always looks more threatening. Sharpe as a simple counterpoint to that just moving the ball quickly actually is our best look IMO. I was very resistant to this before the season started as we all know but maybe the game's just changed and almost nothing matters more in your halves than athleticism & talent. It's reminiscent of how Brisbane's attack looks worst with Reynolds & Hunt in the halves. In theory more complete playmaking skill throughout the spine is good, in practice you kind of just want the ball in Walsh's hands in good spots as quickly as possible as often as possible. So they always look more threatening with Mam or even Billy Walters at 6.

It's good to know Fletch covering centre is always a viable option when needed though.
 
mullenmagic said:
Last 2 games have been relatively underwhelming but most important thing at this time of the year is just banking the wins.

Not to get in an argument about who had the most try assists but it just seems like the attack runs better with Sharpe in the halves. He might not be as refined as Smith as a playmaker but everything he does is direct and at speed, whether he's taking the line on or shovelling it along. Keeps the defence constantly in two minds which is a very tough spot to be in with the calibre of attacking players around him. That's not to say they couldn't find a game plan that suits Smith better over time but there was a noticeable drop off with him holding the ball more. Been more reliant on individual brilliance than the ball movement and speed we'd been seeing prior.
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Haha this guys is definitely related to Fletcher Sharpe.
 
Just got home , prob our worst performance of the year . Hopefully we our now one of them teams that can have an off day & win. Can't say I enjoyed it though!
 
Billy said:
I looked at Parra's results last week and they have lifted against the good sides - even had a couple of good wins.
They are losing against bad sides.
Holbrook has said a few things about it during the week too.
They are a better side than their ladder position says.
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Yep right from the start Parra were there to play footy.
 
Sandon Smith plays good footy, but to the detriment of Brown. Brown lets Smith play 7 when he is on the field. Sharpe at 6 forces Brown to be the general and the team is better for it now and for the rest of his 27yr contract. Holbrook has to leave Sharpe at 6 when Ponga and Brown are playing. Graham at 14 and Smith at 19 for the inevitable occurrence of Ponga being taken out so Sharpe can move to fullback. And genuine halves cover for Origin and/or injury.
 
Henry01 said:
Haha this guys is definitely related to Fletcher Sharpe.
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One of us created their account (and 2 or 3 others) exclusively to talk about one player and throw tantrums every time others didn't rate them highly enough. Feels like you're maybe projecting here.

Keep coming back and working through those feelings here though, always good for a laugh.
 
Also, Sandon was having another solid game. We got on top in the 2nd half when we started holding on to possession, not because he went off, and we nearly lost it when we started to turn the ball over again. There was a very strong sense that we were trying to score on every play. Sometimes we need to focus on a strong set followed by a kick to the corner and let fatigue and field position work in our favour.

IMO (and I'm just as guilty of this as anyone), we can be too focused on painting players as heroes or villains.
 
I was there in person in 2004 when Kurt Gidley through a completely unnecessary intercept late in the game which ultimately cost them and it was almost deja vu today. While they still need to learn how to close out games properly, I will say, their offence is very entertaining and reminiscent of what this club used to be famous for and it sure as hell beats all the scoreless halfs we sat through last season.
 
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