ROUND 24 - NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS V GOLD COAST TITANS
- Thread starter Billy
- Start date
Wagyu Patty
Dank memes n' big screens
Interesting to note that if we won the games we "should" have won this season (Tigers X2, Dragons and Cowboys) we'd be up with Manly and Parramatta on 30 points, fighting with the Roosters for the top 4.
Those wins would have shifted the context of our season, and we may have pinched one against the Gold Coast in Queensland earlier this season and possibly the Roosters when we played them during the Origin period.
Those 4 + a possible 2 other wins and we'd have been a top 4 side this year, oh what could have been..
Those wins would have shifted the context of our season, and we may have pinched one against the Gold Coast in Queensland earlier this season and possibly the Roosters when we played them during the Origin period.
Those 4 + a possible 2 other wins and we'd have been a top 4 side this year, oh what could have been..
danknights
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
Shame we don't play like one.
logicalfallacy
Ben Rogers
great performance
Kurriboy
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
Our attack still not sparking and I really wonder what we are practicing at training, what is the coaching getting in to their heads with scenarios and what we should be trying.
Because we look like once we get ourselves down to their 20, we don't know what we should be doing. A prop shouldn't get the ball there unless it is a targeted play to barge him over. Too often we run the ball to the right or left, the play gets shut down and so we shovel it back to the middle find a prop flat footed who then tries to barge over, or meekly takes the tackle.
We have to single out Pearce, Ponga and Clifford and start getting them thinking scenarios. From the middle have a good number of plays to put on, if left or right have a few plays from there. Then let it unfold and encourage them that if they see something on and want to try something, they have the freedom to give it a shot so we don't lose the ad lib.
You hear of players talking about getting to their spots and are criticised for it because "thats not football these days". But it still is. Halves need to get themselves in to positions ready for plays, backs, decoy runners, deeper attacking line on the move, support runners etc all need to be getting themselves to their spots to make the attacking options available. I don't see much of that with us. Far too often is looks like we just pass the ball a direction and hope. We look dangerous only when Ponga has the ball, or we give it to Best with space.
Kicking. Why is Pearce getting the ball as first choice kicker for clearing kicks. His kicks are too low and no deep enough, not torpedo kicks and far too easy to catch. They don't give our chasers the chance to close the gap and put pressure on the catcher and allow them to be wrapped up shutting down their kick return.
Clifford should be taking 90% of clearing kicks. Pearce/Clifford share the stabbing type kicks for placement, and they share the last tackle options in the opposition red zone. Ponga's last tackle options are generally poor and not when he does his best work.
Clifford to take all penalty touch finders as he gets 10 - 20m longer than Pearce. And lets roll the dice on some 40/20 attempts a little more than we are.
Our forward pack generally rolls up field ok, but lets mix in some fast spreading of the ball with a fast moving attacking line to try and turn their centre/winger around and have them backpedalling. Add some turning the ball back inside at the ruck which many teams utilise to a ponga, watson or even Mann would be good there. Mix in some kicking on the 4th to find the ground and turn their fullback/wingers around and have them running back to chase it, match that with a fast kick chase.
Kick pressure. Why are we holding back on them? Plenty of times I see a player putting on kick pressure and could make it to put a good shot on, knock the kicker over when kicking but they pull out of it and watch them kick it. We won't be penalised for a solid hit that isn't late. Put the shot on the kicker and force the mistake. Or at the least, the kicker next time might have part of his concentration looking for you instead of kicking the ball.
I don't see how this stuff isn't funadmentals and just the minimum we are doing.
Because we look like once we get ourselves down to their 20, we don't know what we should be doing. A prop shouldn't get the ball there unless it is a targeted play to barge him over. Too often we run the ball to the right or left, the play gets shut down and so we shovel it back to the middle find a prop flat footed who then tries to barge over, or meekly takes the tackle.
We have to single out Pearce, Ponga and Clifford and start getting them thinking scenarios. From the middle have a good number of plays to put on, if left or right have a few plays from there. Then let it unfold and encourage them that if they see something on and want to try something, they have the freedom to give it a shot so we don't lose the ad lib.
You hear of players talking about getting to their spots and are criticised for it because "thats not football these days". But it still is. Halves need to get themselves in to positions ready for plays, backs, decoy runners, deeper attacking line on the move, support runners etc all need to be getting themselves to their spots to make the attacking options available. I don't see much of that with us. Far too often is looks like we just pass the ball a direction and hope. We look dangerous only when Ponga has the ball, or we give it to Best with space.
Kicking. Why is Pearce getting the ball as first choice kicker for clearing kicks. His kicks are too low and no deep enough, not torpedo kicks and far too easy to catch. They don't give our chasers the chance to close the gap and put pressure on the catcher and allow them to be wrapped up shutting down their kick return.
Clifford should be taking 90% of clearing kicks. Pearce/Clifford share the stabbing type kicks for placement, and they share the last tackle options in the opposition red zone. Ponga's last tackle options are generally poor and not when he does his best work.
Clifford to take all penalty touch finders as he gets 10 - 20m longer than Pearce. And lets roll the dice on some 40/20 attempts a little more than we are.
Our forward pack generally rolls up field ok, but lets mix in some fast spreading of the ball with a fast moving attacking line to try and turn their centre/winger around and have them backpedalling. Add some turning the ball back inside at the ruck which many teams utilise to a ponga, watson or even Mann would be good there. Mix in some kicking on the 4th to find the ground and turn their fullback/wingers around and have them running back to chase it, match that with a fast kick chase.
Kick pressure. Why are we holding back on them? Plenty of times I see a player putting on kick pressure and could make it to put a good shot on, knock the kicker over when kicking but they pull out of it and watch them kick it. We won't be penalised for a solid hit that isn't late. Put the shot on the kicker and force the mistake. Or at the least, the kicker next time might have part of his concentration looking for you instead of kicking the ball.
I don't see how this stuff isn't funadmentals and just the minimum we are doing.
krustykraz
Jarrod Mullen
According to the NRL app none of forwards ran over 100m.
Those stats aren't updated by the look of it. Stats end after 58mins.
That's a massive win without Dan & Klem.
Give Pearce a 2 year extension..
Those stats aren't updated by the look of it. Stats end after 58mins.
That's a massive win without Dan & Klem.
Give Pearce a 2 year extension..
Still_Nutty
Clinton O'Brien
Agree he was awful tonight and he has a lot of work to do….but as Joey said tonight (and in other games) he has never been used effectively.
The ONLY set play he ever sees is first hit up off a ruck after a kick return…he generally does those well but it is wasting his value, plowing into 2 or 3 advancing forwards, just looking to smash him.
I did love Joeys comment after the game to Ponga…,”Pearce to Ponga to Best - can we just see some of that on the field next week?!”….
And the response from Kalyan “OK Uncle Joey ”..,.hope he holds him to that
Battler
Adam Woolnough
Well, we have one more week until the finals, so I'm going to stick with my gutter brawl strategy atm
Kurriboy
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
King wins that contest for mine, for now.
Frank McWilliams
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
I’m not sure how things worked out, we’re we good or they bad, we’re we lucky or were they unlucky. Things that I picked up. Pearce had some great moments, the 40-20 great kick on 3rd? Tackle and of course the field goal. Ponga played like he was wanting to be involved BUT his passing on right side was awful, better passes might have resulted in tries or at least line pressure. His left side attack was great. Clifford had a good steady well played game just like Brailey. Our centres had ordinary to bad games Best was ordinary, Mann was bad. Wingers tried hard with Hunt edging Tuala. Watson runs, dummy’s and gets tackled, sometimes he should pass before running. Friz was very good, Barnet ok, gets in the way a bit, Sue and JSaf did well as did Brailey, doesn’t he always. Bench, King and Jones strong reliable efforts, Momoisea and Randall not really sighted.
Klem back, DanS not so much needed until semi, we are in 7th, time for reassessing, resting injured or pressing on. Be interesting to see the team selected against the Broncos and then the following week
If DanS fit nil injuries?
Klem back, DanS not so much needed until semi, we are in 7th, time for reassessing, resting injured or pressing on. Be interesting to see the team selected against the Broncos and then the following week
If DanS fit nil injuries?
Joel
Touche...
Attack looked better this week, much much less ball in their 20. Take away Best's shocker pass to Tuala and a few more sets, we'd of won comfortably.
HarVeeGee13
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
I think what we were trying to do with the ball definitely looked a lot better.
KnightsUnite
Banned
Agree 100%
Randall come on and played watsons role, a few times we look set for a shift and watson runs or a forward runs when they should pass it.
Barnett was overused on the left... Best seen no clean ball.
Mann has to be dropped
I thought King had his best game tonight. Besides the dropped ball
Ak-47
Max Chapman
Really good good to watch could tell both teams wanted the win, kicking game was soo important in that game and thought our halves did an great job, also the forwards as well considering losing 2 of our best props.
What i didn't like was the drop balls cant be doing that in finals. Titans scored some tries of the back of our mistakes from it.
What i didn't like was the drop balls cant be doing that in finals. Titans scored some tries of the back of our mistakes from it.
OnTilt
Darren Albert
Yeah I just gave him a wrap in the game thread just before he lost that ball.. did a pretty good job filling in without Dan and Klem..
Billy
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
So when Pearce kicked his field goal, apparently the Knights stacked the area around the ruck with 5 or 6 players just to the side of the play the ball, which effectively stopped the Titans rushing Pearce. Because they weren't in a straight line and weren't trying to tackle anyone, it wasn't illegal, but Pearce sure had a lot of time to take his kick.
The play was devised by the ex ref we have on staff and is being described as "borderline illegal".
The play was devised by the ex ref we have on staff and is being described as "borderline illegal".
HarVeeGee13
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
“Borderline illegal” means the same thing as “legal” if you ask me.