NRL Round 18 - Raiders V Knights - 4:05pm Sunday 7th July - GIO Stadium Canberra

[jamesgould]

But if our attack was more polished would we still have issues with the kicking game. For instance, say Ponga doesn’t throw a dumb intercept instead looks where his passing and KPP scores, does that now making the kicking game good yesterday.

The second half would have been terrible no matter what sort of football we were playing with all those errors.

Credit to us for hanging in, I suppose!

I just think we need to be so much more clinical if we’re playing that grinding style, every error is amplified when you really offer nothing in attack, and we are a fair way off that.

The weird thing is we went away from that last year, and have done at times this year too (I forget which game it was a few weeks ago where we were offloading a ton) and it’s generally worked well.

 

[slotmachine]

(I forget which game it was a few weeks ago where we were offloading a ton)

v Panthers

 

[Defence wins games]

Yep even the Papalii try, he needed to be more urgent to get under the ball. I thought he be a more dangerous ball runner than he is, but he isn't a great line runner, and just stands up in tackles with no leg drive.

But is he being coached to do this to reduce possibility of errors???

 

[Sarge]

I just slumped in my seat when it finished and said, “holy ***t that was hard work to watch!” And my wife said, “I walked past two minutes ago and you looked like you were going to have a heart attack”

I had my ear phones on and I was just stuck there in a world of pain and horror, motionless and not saying a word.

I'm hearing you, my family don't appreciate how hard it is to be a Knights supporter

 

[Defence wins games]

Now that was nice from Hastings. But horrible D from Canberra.

Canberra just didn’t see what was coming as they were eyes up for KO

 

[Defence wins games]

Leo Thomson the former raider……? Is Ennis high or am I missing something?

Ironically old Ennis doesn’t mention that over half of the Raiders team are ex-Knights.
Ennis had something to do with the Raiders a couple of years ago, so has them in his pocket.
The guy simply is not capable of unbiased calling. I consider him and Voss(struggles with half smart comments) to be a net negative for the game.

 

[Kurriboy]

But if our attack was more polished would we still have issues with the kicking game. For instance, say Ponga doesn’t throw a dumb intercept instead looks where his passing and KPP scores, does that now making the kicking game good yesterday.

We need to play to the style that we can execute and suits us.

The grinding style doesn't suit as we can't capitalise on the chances we get from it. Also, the grinding style is more than just kick to the corners and make them work their way out. To play that style you need a high energy defence as well, rushing up and shutting down their set, strong in the ruck, and repeat all game. That leads to them getting a poor kick away at the end of the set giving us the ball back in good field position so we can finish our set in try scoring range.

We don't play the grinding Penrith style well. We can generate chances with it against poor teams. Much of the time we level peg them going back and forth and only get that chance in attack from a penalty or their mistake.

This is why I say we should be chancing our hand more, attacking kicks and contesting them, earlier ball movement.

Last season when we won the 10 straight, we were not griding teams for wins. We were letting our attack flow from everywhere on the field!

That is the style we can be good at.

 

[Defence wins games]

We didn’t deserve to win that. We gave the Raiders so many chances to beat us but they were not good enough.

We stopped playing again.
We really have to sort out our kicking game and decide what the end goal will be for each kick. Every other team uses kick pressure.
Newcastle don’t.

 

[Defence wins games]

There was plenty of times we played away from ponga . First try i myself was blowing up, we had a decent play the ball and had ponga set with a 3 on 3 to the left and we shifted right.

Gagais 2nd try showed what pongas presence alone can do to a defensive line.

I used to sit on the Southern Hill, behind the goalposts when Chief was playing. He was a great decoy allowing many tries to be scored like the second one Gags scored yesterday.
We need to not rely on Ponga to score every try, he could create more as a decoy.

 

[bremsstrahlung]

Are the Knights chasers instructed not to challenge for the ball after a high kick????

This has been my gripe all season.

At first, I thought it was poor kicking and poor kick chase. (Which it probably was)

Then, I noticed a game a month or 2 ago, the kicks were higher and our chase was getting there, but we just would wait for defender to catch, then tackle.

I know Hastings doesn’t offer much in way of attacking kicks, but our defence has looked better the last few weeks. So if the game plan is to box them in, keep ball in play and not give them any 7 tackle sets or knock on turnovers and wear teams down, I could get on board.

Maybe I’m just being optimistic that these are planned actions and not just poorly executed kicks.

 

[Owey]

This has been my gripe all season.

At first, I thought it was poor kicking and poor kick chase. (Which it probably was)

Then, I noticed a game a month or 2 ago, the kicks were higher and our chase was getting there, but we just would wait for defender to catch, then tackle.

I know Hastings doesn’t offer much in way of attacking kicks, but our defence has looked better the last few weeks. So if the game plan is to box them in, keep ball in play and not give them any 7 tackle sets or knock on turnovers and wear teams down, I could get on board.

Maybe I’m just being optimistic that these are planned actions and not just poorly executed kicks.

They are certainly planned actions

 

[Mclovin]

KP did my head in when he decided to run it on 5th from half way when really we needed to kick it to a corner.. we should be chancing it more but we need to be smart about it

 

[Treadly]

We need to play to the style that we can execute and suits us.

The grinding style doesn't suit as we can't capitalise on the chances we get from it. Also, the grinding style is more than just kick to the corners and make them work their way out. To play that style you need a high energy defence as well, rushing up and shutting down their set, strong in the ruck, and repeat all game. That leads to them getting a poor kick away at the end of the set giving us the ball back in good field position so we can finish our set in try scoring range.

We don't play the grinding Penrith style well. We can generate chances with it against poor teams. Much of the time we level peg them going back and forth and only get that chance in attack from a penalty or their mistake.

This is why I say we should be chancing our hand more, attacking kicks and contesting them, earlier ball movement.

Last season when we won the 10 straight, we were not griding teams for wins. We were letting our attack flow from everywhere on the field!

That is the style we can be good at.

The attacking flow worked well in the first 20 min for us. Looked like we would carve em up big time. Fast pay the balls, early spreads, and then it all disappears. We need to bottle that, not the grind

 

[Mclovin]

I think Brailey had a lot to do with our attack dropping off, he just seemed in two minds on what to do and then would pass it to a foward. I was just happy he wasn't trying to kick the ball again

 

[Kurriboy]

I think Brailey had a lot to do with our attack dropping off, he just seemed in two minds on what to do and then would pass it to a foward. I was just happy he wasn't trying to kick the ball again

Yeah I thought that was one of Brailey's worst games I've seen from him.

 

[Frank McWilliams]

Wonder if it was our crazy bench selection, no ideal replacement for him if injured or tired, likelyhood of playing lots of minutes so he tried to pace himself but things went wrong

 

[Oliver]

That was a beautiful set play for Gags second. Almost worked against Penrith a couple of weeks back and executed beautifully today. Very hard to defend against unless the fb spots Gags moving across and sends extra defenders that way.

Raiders defence were like

 

[Nuke]

I just slumped in my seat when it finished and said, “holy ***t that was hard work to watch!” And my wife said, “I walked past two minutes ago and you looked like you were going to have a heart attack”

I had my ear phones on and I was just stuck there in a world of pain and horror, motionless and not saying a word.

My wife, in the room the whole time but engrossed in her phone, at fulltime casually and innocently asked "Did your team lose again?", as my mood throughout the game was not of the elation one would expect from supporting a team that was winning..!

 

[MBQLD]

My wife, in the room the whole time but engrossed in her phone, at fulltime casually and innocently asked "Did your team lose again?", as my mood throughout the game was not of the elation one would expect from supporting a team that was winning..!

My wife was a diehard Penrith supporter when we first met 14 years ago. She soon got on the knights bandwagon during Aku, Vuna, Gidley, Mullen years but has seen enough trials and tribulations to basically hate the game by now. Often reminds me she should have stayed with Penrith

 

[Lefty]

My wife was a diehard Penrith supporter when we first met 14 years ago. She soon got on the knights bandwagon during Aku, Vuna, Gidley, Mullen years but has seen enough trials and tribulations to basically hate the game by now. Often reminds me she should have stayed with Penrith

You led your wife astray!

She is still with you so you must have some redeeming features.