Round 3: Newcastle Knights vs South Sydney Rabbitohs

What's your prediction for this game

  • Knights 13+

    Votes: 1 3.6%

  • Knights 1-12

    Votes: 17 60.7%

  • Draw

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Rabbitohs 1-12

    Votes: 6 21.4%

  • Rabbitohs 13+

    Votes: 4 14.3%
  • Total voters
    28
  • Poll closed .
Buhrer is magic on that edge Billy. Defensively and in attack. He's all class.

Tupou is likely to be found out on old legs with stretched defense. The only place I'd play him is in the middle
 
Not a fan of making changes for the sake of it if it's not needed, let the younger guys have another crack. Concerning that Tupou is being considered for first great, if needed because of injuries then great but it's only round 2, would rather see how the young guys handle the Souths pack.
Don't have an issue with using him, just not...yet
 
Kenny Powers said:
Buhrer is magic on that edge Billy. Defensively and in attack. He's all class.

Tupou is likely to be found out on old legs with stretched defense. The only place I'd play him is in the middle
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We fall in a great big hole when Levi and the starting middle go off and an already tired Buhrer is asked to double his workload.
It isn't the end of the world if Buhrer plays 60 minutes instead of 80, and comes on fresh to play hooker, just when we need fresh legs, and it also wouldn't be the end of the world if we give Tupou about 30 or 40 minutes on the field at the start. The guy has played for Australia - he can handle 30 minutes in any position in the forwards.
The plan to not have a fresh hooker on the bench looks neat and tidy, and I think I was actually the first on here to suggest it, but after 2 games, it's clear it doesn't work, which is probably why you don't see it happen very often.
 
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Billy said:
We fall in a great big hole when Levi and the starting middle go off and an already tired Buhrer is asked to double his workload.
It isn't the end of the world if Buhrer plays 60 minutes instead of 80, and comes on fresh to play hooker, just when we need fresh legs, and it also wouldn't be the end of the world if we give Tupou about 30 or 40 minutes on the field at the start. The guy has played for Australia - he can handle 30 minutes in any position in the forwards.
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I'm down with this if it fixes the 25-40 minutes fade away. Have to say it makes sense. Would keep Yates in though. He's been the more impressive of the two debutants.
 
The Artist Formerly Known as Aku'd said:
I'm down with this if it fixes the 25-40 minutes fade away. Have to say it makes sense. Would keep Yates in though. He's been the more impressive of the two debutants.
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I only went for King because he is a bigger body, and he had a good game last week in reserves, but it's really a toss of a coin between him and Yates.
Stone has impressed the hell out of me, but he offers us 15 soft tackles in 30 minutes, compared to 20 or 30 solid tackles in the same time from Tupou. Stone should give us 10 great years, but not this week IMO.
 
Billy said:
I only went for King because he is a bigger body, and he had a good game last week in reserves, but it's really a toss of a coin between him and Yates.
Stone has impressed the hell out of me, but he offers us 15 soft tackles in 30 minutes, compared to 20 or 30 solid tackles in the same time from Tupou. Stone should give us 10 great years, but not this week IMO.
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Yep, makes sense. I just hope whoever gets the nod appreciates there is competition and they need to be consistent and give 110%. Must try to build on last week. A Bunnies scalp will be HUGE for confidence.
 
Billy said:
When we cut the squad to 19 today i'd cut Gagan and Wardle, and when the team is named on Sunday I'd cut Stone and Yates and put Tupou into the starting side for Buhrer, who i'd have coming on fresh to relieve Levi - So a bench of Buhrer, Stockwell, Jacob S and King.
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After his round one performance Topou looks like he needs at least a month of reserve grade game time before his ready for first grade and as for the rest of the NSW cup forwards they need to show a lot than the have so far this season to threaten anyone in the top seventeen. With the culture Brown is building here too he needs to reward winning performances and stick with the same side. We need to address the fifteen minutes before half time but I don't think shifting out best forward to the bench is the answer I would be more inclined to try and get an extra minutes out of Levi and not take him off until half time than give him a spell on the bench before bringing him back for the last twenty or so.
 
Kenny Powers said:
When is Kostjasyn back? He is the answer to our prayers, and in a big way

I reckon he will do wonders for our control of the ruck. And will go a long way to eliminating our 30 minute fade aways
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Brock Lamb | Concussion | Round 2 | Test
Jaelen Feeney | Knee | Pre-season | Round 4
Pauli Pauli | Hip | Pre-season | Round 6
Chanel Mata’utia | Hamstring | Week 2 | Round 6
Mickey Paea | Knee | Round 2 | Round 7-8
Rory Kostjasyn | Throat | Pre-season | Round 7-8
Sam Mataora | Knee | Round 2 | Round 8-9
Bradie Smith | Shoulder | Pre-season | Round 10
Jack Cogger | Groin | On-going | Round 16
Dylan Phythian | Knee | Round 1 | Season
 
I don't really think there was a "fade away" last week. More like a combination of not using their brain and Titan's good luck. If Barnett sends the ball through his hands instead of putting in a kick no doubt we go into half time well in control. I can't be critical of Barnett in any way but the difference between a penthouse play and a shytehouse play is a pube.
 
Newcastle are preparing for a power game up the middle against South Sydney and will look to win back-to-back Telstra Premiership games for the first time since 2015 at McDonald Jones Stadium on Saturday.

The Bunnies lead the competition for line breaks (12) and try-assists (10) to start the year and have made the least amount of errors (11) than any other side heading into their Round 3 clash in the Hunter.

Fresh from their first win in almost a year, the Knights are keen to make sure it isn't their last anytime soon after winning only once in 2016.

Knights forward Jack Stockwell said the side was doing their homework on a rejuvenated Rabbitohs outfit that will also be further motivated to do well in Robbie Farah's long-awaited 250th NRL game.

"They're a good side and always a quality opposition," Stockwell said.

"Losing G.I. (Greg Inglis) is not going to do too much to them, they've still got some good players so we're focusing on what we've got to do with them this week.

"Sam and George Burgess are there and you've got Damian Cook and Robbie Farah there now too so we'll be doing work on them for sure.

"They've got a big forward pack and look to dominate through the middle of the ruck with John Sutton coming back through the middle and Sam Burgess with the off-loads.

"A really big part of our game this week is trying to stop them in the middle."

With his immediate future up in the air last season, the 25-year-old has provided the Knights with two tries coming off the bench in recent weeks and has turned his own personal form around after spending most of 2016 in the Intrust Super Premiership.

"I was pretty happy to get the two meat pies… I probably haven't done that since under 14s at the Picton Magpies," he said.

"It's given me the confidence to keep going from here, to keep building on my game and it's given the team a lot of confidence."

Teammate Sione Mata'utia has been on the end of some brutal defeats against the Rabbitohs in his 47-game career thus far, in which the Knights have only won two of their last ten clashes between the sides.

The former Australian international is adjusting to life in the back-row after making the move permanent over the pre-season and believes his game will develop further with more time on the edge.

"It [the body] wasn't too bad after Round 1 but the win on the weekend definitely took its toll," Mata'utia said.

"I played against them [Rabbitohs] last year and they've obviously got a big pack with the Burgess boys and [Zane] Musgrove coming through is a great player.

"We've got to aim up in the middle, that's where the game will be won this week."

Former Knight Robbie Rochow returns to the Hunter to take on his former club with both sides expected to make no late changes.


From NRL.COM
 
Billy said:
When we cut the squad to 19 today i'd cut Gagan and Wardle, and when the team is named on Sunday I'd cut Stone and Yates and put Tupou into the starting side for Buhrer, who i'd have coming on fresh to relieve Levi - So a bench of Buhrer, Stockwell, Jacob S and King.
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While I agree with the theory, it's not really rewarding the guys that slogged it out all pre season and won last week by being dropped for a bloke that came into the squad late, I know I'd be dirty.
 
Kenny Powers said:
When is Kostjasyn back? He is the answer to our prayers, and in a big way

I reckon he will do wonders for our control of the ruck. And will go a long way to eliminating our 30 minute fade aways
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Having the second established hooker to come on to the field should do wonders for us. But a ways to go yet before we have that luxury.

I like the idea above of having buhrer on the bench as our replacement hooker.
 
Buhrer's too valuable to have stuck on the bench. He shores up the defence a bit on that edge while giving Gagai early ball too that he hasn't got for years.
 
ASJ82 said:
While I agree with the theory, it's not really rewarding the guys that slogged it out all pre season and won last week by being dropped for a bloke that came into the squad late, I know I'd be dirty.
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Dirty or not, the selection process is aimed at us winning games and today's match in the mud is going to require fit guys, younger and fitter than Wardle and Tupou.
 
Well I'm making some sanga's and off to the game might have to push my Souths supporter Son out the door of the car on the way there lol...I think I might leave his wet weather gear at home...
 
I'll be heading to the game a bit later today, probably get there about 3PM, son has a scouting thing on in the morning.

The 512 composite rain radar on BOM looks pretty good for Newcastle avoiding large downpours. Hopefully we can escape the heavy stuff.
 
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I will be able to go to a lot more games this year as its the first time in 10 yrs I have no junior commitments woo hoo
 
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