ROUND 5: Knights v Dragons @ Hunter Stadium

[Junior11]

​

[TABLE="width: 500, align: center"]
[TR]
[TD="align: right"]Newcastle
KNIGHTS
POSITION: 1st
FORM: W W W W[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]V[/TD]
[TD]St George Illawarra
DRAGONS
POSITION: 11th
FORM: L L W W[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

KICK OFF: 7:30 PM
LIVE ON FOX SPORTS 1

Referees: Gavin Badger & Chris Sutton
Sideline Referees: Steve MacFarlane & Dave Ryan
Video Referees: Steve Clark & Luke Patten

TICKET PURCHASE & GAME DAY INFORMATION HERE

LOWER GRADE KNIGHTS GAMES
HOLDEN CUP: Knights v Dragons @ 5:15 PM
NSW CUP: Knights v Cutters @ 3:00 PM, Wollongong




1. Kurt GIDLEY (c)
2. James MCMANUS
3. Dane GAGAI
4. Joseph LEILUA
5. Akuila UATE
6. Jarrod MULLEN
7. Tyrone ROBERTS
8. Kade SNOWDEN
9. Adam CLYDSDALE
10. David FA'ALOGO
11. Beau SCOTT
12. Tariq SIMS
13. Jeremy SMITH

14. Tyler RANDELL
15. Chris HOUSTON
16. Paterika VAIVAI
17. Jack STOCKWELL
18. Sione MATA'UTIA


Dragons Line Up:

1. Josh Dugan
2. Etonia Nabuli
3. Euan Aitken
4. Dylan Farrell
5. Jason Nightingale (c)
6. Gareth Widdop
7. Benji Marshall
8. Leeson Ah Mau
9. Mitch Rein
10. Mike Cooper
11. Tyson Frizell
12. Joel Thompson
13. Trent Merrin

14. George Rose
15. Jack de Belin
16. Jake Marketo
17. Heath L'Estrange
20. Rory O'Brien


KEY KNIGHTS MILESTONES

- Chris Houston will become the Knights 17th highest capped player

- Akuila Uate requires 1 try to reach 100 tries for the Knights

- Akuila Uate requires 2 tries to become the highest try scorer at Hunter Stadium


All discussion on the game in this thread. Pre-match talk and predictions, live score updates & post-match thoughts​

 

[rhugh89]

HEAD TO HEAD - OVERALL

Played - 29

Knights - 10

Dragons - 19

HEAD TO HEAD - HUNTER STADIUM

Played - 16

Knights - 3

Dragons - 13

NRL RECORD (1998-PRESENT)

Played - 29

Knights - 10

Dragons - 19

HEAD TO HEAD - THE COACHES

Games - 0

Rick Stone - 0

Paul McGregor - 0

FACTS AND FIGURES
​

* The Knights have lost 8 out of their last 12 games against the Dragons

* The Knights have have only beaten the Dragons 5 times since 2004

* The Knights have lost 4 out of their last 5 games against the Dragons

* The Knights have only beaten the Dragons 3 times since 2008

* Prior to Round 26 last year the Knights had lost their last 9 straight games against the Dragons at Hunter Stadium

* The Knights have only Beaten the Dragons at Hunter Stadium once since 2004 (Round 26 last year 40-10)

* Since the merger of Illawarra and the Dragons in 1999 the Knights have won just 3 games against the Dragons at Hunter Stadium

* Those wins came in Round 21, 2002 (24-16) Round 14, 2003 (32-30) and Round 26, 2014 (40-10)

* 4 out of the last 5 games between these teams at Hunter Stadium have been decided by 8 points or less

* 8 out of the last 9 games overall between these teams have all been decided by 8 points or less

* The Knights have won their last 7 games straight at Hunter Stadium (Round 20, 2014 - Round 4, 2015)

* The Knights have won their last 6 games straight

* The Knights have won 12 out of their last 15 games

* The Knights last defeat at Hunter Stadium was Round 19, 2014 against the Titans (22-8)

* Last time these teams met at Hunter Stadium the Knights won 40-10 (Round 26, 2014)

* The Knights have a overall winning percentage of 34.48% against the Dragons

* The only team we struggle against more is the Broncos (31.39%)

* The average amount of points scored in games between these 2 teams is 43 points per game

* The average Margin of victory in games between these 2 teams is 12.51 points per game​

PLAYER STATS

Adam Clydsdale

* Adam Clydsdale has made 103m in his 4 games this year at an average of 25.75m per game

* Adam Clydsdale has made 3 tackle breaks in his 4 games this year

* Adam Clydsdale has made 1 line break in his 4 games this year

* Adam Clydsdale has created 1 try assist in his 4 games this year

* Adam Clydsdale has created 2 line break assists in his 4 games this year

* Adam Clydsdale has conceded 1 penalty in his 4 games this year

* Adam Clydsdale has made 119 tackles in his 4 games this year at an average of 29.75 tackles per game

* Adam Clydsdale has missed 7 tackles in his 4 games this year at an average of 1.75 missed tackles per game

* Adam Clydsdale has scored 1 try in his 4 games this year

David Fa'alogo

* David Fa'alogo has made 243m in his 4 games this year at an average of 60.75m per game

* David Fa'alogo has made 3 tackle breaks in his 4 games this year

* David Fa'alogo is yet to make a line break in his 4 games this year

* David Fa'alogo has conceded 4 penalties in his 4 games this year

* David Fa'alogo has made 95 tackles in his 4games this year at an average of 23.75 tackles per game

* David Fa'alogo has missed 3 tackles in his 4 games this year at an average of 0.75 missed tackle per game

Dane Gagai

* Dane Gagai has scored 1 try in his 3 games against the Dragons

* Dane Gagai has made 639m in his 4 games this year at an average of 159.75m per game

* Dane Gagai has made 17 tackle breaks in his 4 games this year

* Dane Gagai has made 3 line breaks in his 4 games this year

* Dane Gagai has created 1 try assist in his 4 games this year

* Dane Gagai is has created 1 line break assist in his 4 games this year

* Dane Gagai has conceded 2 penalties in his 4 games this year

* Dane Gagai has made 58 tackles in his 4 games this year at an average of 14.5 tackles per game

* Dane Gagai has missed 16 tackles in his 4 games this year at an average of 4 missed tackles per game

* Dane Gagai has scored 3 tries in his 4 games this year

Kurt Gidley

* Kurt Gidley has scored 6 tries in his 20 games against the Dragons

* Kurt Gidley has kicked 27 goals in his 20 games against the Dragons

* Kurt Gidley has amassed 78 points in his 20 games against the Dragons (3.9 points per game)

* Kurt Gidley has made 292m in his 3 games this year at an average of 97.33m per game

* Kurt Gidley has made 12 tackle breaks in his 3 games this year

* Kurt Gidley has made 2 line breaks in his 3 games this year

* Kurt Gidley has created 1 try assist in his 3 games this year

* Kurt Gidley has created 1 line break assist in his 3 games this year

* Kurt Gidley has conceded 1 penalty in his 3 games this year

* Kurt Gidley has made 71 tackles in his 3 games this year at an average of 23.66 tackles per game

* Kurt Gidley has missed 2 tackles in his 3 games this year at an average of 0.66 missed tackles per game

* Kurt Gidley has scored 1 try in his 3 games this year

Chris Houston

* Chris Houston has made 300m in his 4 games this year at an average of 75m per game

* Chris Houston is yet to make a tackle break in his 4 games this year

* Chris Houston has made 1 line break in his 4 games this year

* Chris Houston has conceded 5 penalties in his 4 games this year

* Chris Houston has made 157 tackles in his 4 games this year at an average of 39.25 tackles per game

* Chris Houston has missed 9 tackles in his 4 games this year at an average of 2.25 missed tackles per game

Joseph Leilua

* Joseph Leilua has scored 4 tries in his 8 games against the Dragons

* Joseph Leilua has made 546m in his 4 games this year at an average of 136.5m per game

* Joseph Leilua has made 22 tackle breaks in his 4 games this year

* Joseph Leilua has made 3 line breaks in his 4 games this year

* Joseph Leilua has created 1 try assist in his 4 games this year

* Joseph Leilua has created 1 line break assist in his 4 games this year

* Joseph Leilua has conceded 1 penalty in his 4 games this year

* Joseph Leilua has made 25 tackles in his 4 games this year at an average of 6.25 tackles per game

* Joseph Leilua has missed 9 tackles in his 4 games this year at an average of 2.25 missed tackles per game

* Joseph Leilua has scored 2 tries in his 4 games this year

Sione Mata'utia

* Sione Mata'utia has scored 2 tries in his 1 game against the Dragons

* Sione Mata'utia has made 567m in his 4 games this year at an average of 145.71m per game

* Sione Mata'utia has made 5 tackle breaks in his 4 games this year

* Sione Mata'utia is yet to make a line break in his 4 games this year

* Sione Mata'utia is yet to create a try assist in his 4 games this year

* Sione Mata'utia is yet to create a line break assist in his 4 games this year

* Sione Mata'utia has conceded 4 penalties in his 4 games this year

* Sione Mata'utia has made 23 tackles in his 4 games this year at an average of 5.75 tackles per game

* Sione Mata'utia has missed 7 tackles in his 4 games this year at an average of 1.75 missed tackles per game

* Sione Mata'utia is yet to score a try in his 4 games this year

James McManus

* James McManus has scored 3 tries in his 10 games against the Dragons

* James McManus has made 331m in his 3 games this year at an average of 110.33m per game

* James McManus has made 5 tackle breaks in his 3 games this year

* James McManushas made 1 line break in his 3 games this year

* James McManus is yet to create a try assist in his 2 games this year

* James McManus is yet to create a line break assist assist in 2015

* James McManus is yet to concede a penalty in his 2 games this year

* James McManus has made 7 tackles in his 3 games this year at an average of 2.33 tackles per game

* James McManus has missed 3 tackles in his 3 games this year at an average of 1 missed tackle per game

* James McManus is yet to score a try in his 3 games this year

Jarrod Mullen

* Jarrod Mullen has made 286m in his 4 games this year at an average of 71.5m per game

* Jarrod Mullen has made 5 tackle breaks in his 4 games this year

* Jarrod Mullen has made 1 line break in his 4 games this year

* Jarrod Mullen has created 1 try assist in his 4 games this year

* Jarrod Mullen has created 1 line break assist in his 4 games this year

* Jarrod Mullen has made 42 kicks in his 4 games this year at an average of 10.5 kicks per game

* Jarrod Mullen has made 1,307 kick metres in his 4 games this year at an average of 326.75 kick metres per game

* Jarrod Mullen has conceded 1 penalty in his 4 games this year

* Jarrod Mullen has made 75 tackles in his 4 games this year at an average of 18.75 tackles per game

* Jarrod Mullen has missed 13 tackles in his 4 games this year at an average of 3 missed tackles per game

* Jarrod Mullen is yet to score a try in his 2 games this year

Tyler Randell

* Tyler Randell has made 70m in his 2 games this year at an average of 35m per game

* Tyler Randell has made 2 tackle breaks in his 2 games this year

* Tyler Randell made 1 line break in his 2 games this year

* Tyler Randell is yet to create a try assist in his 2 games this year

* Tyler Randell is yet to create a line break assist assist in his 2 games this year

* Tyler Randell has conceded 2 penalties in his 2 games this year

* Tyler Randell has made 48 tackles in his 2 games this year at an average of 24 tackles per game

* Tyler Randell has missed 2 tackles his 2 games this year

* Tyler Randell has scored 1 try in his 2 games this year

Tyrone Roberts

* Tyrone Roberts has made 108m in his 4 games this year at an average of 27m per game

* Tyrone Roberts has made 6 tackle breaks in his 4 games this year

* Tyrone Roberts is yet to make a line break in his 4 games this year

* Tyrone Roberts is yet to create a try assist in his 4 games this year

* Tyrone Roberts has created 1 line break assist in his 4 games this year

* Tyrone Roberts has conceded 1 penalty in his 4 games this year

* Tyrone Roberts has made 21 kicks in his 4 games this year at an average of 5.25 kicks per game

* Tyrone Roberts has made 582 kick metres in his 4 games this year at an average of 145.5 kick metres per game

* Tyrone Roberts has made 65 tackles in his 4 games this year at an average of 16.25 tackles per game

* Tyrone Roberts has missed 9 tackles in his 4 games this year at an average of 2.25 missed tackles per game

* Tyrone Roberts is yet to score a try in his 4 games this year

* Tyrone Roberts has kicked 14 goals from 15 attempts (93.33%) in in his 4 games this year

Robbie Rochow

* Robbie Rochow has made 352m in his 3 games this year at an average of 117.33m per game

* Robbie Rochow has made 2 tackle breaks in his 3 games this year

* Robbie Rochow has made 1 line break in his 32 games this year

* Robbie Rochow has created 1 try assist in his 3 games this year

* Robbie Rochow has created 2 line break assists in his 3 games this year

* Robbie Rochow is yet to concede a penalty in his 3 games this year

* Robbie Rochow has made 74 tackles in his 3 games this year at an average of 24.66 tackles per game

* Robbie Rochow has missed 5 tackles in his 3 games this year at an average of 1.66 missed tackle per game

* Robbie Rochow has scored 1 try in his 3 games this year

Beau Scott

* Beau Scott has made 238m in his 4 games this year at an average of 59.5m per game

* Beau Scott has made 10 tackle breaks his 4 games this year

* Beau Scott has made 2 line breaks in his 4 games this year

* Beau Scott has conceded 3 penalties in his 4 games this year

* Beau Scott has made 129 tackles in his 4 games this year at an average of 32.25 tackles per game

* Beau Scott has missed 11 tackles in his 4 games this year at an average of 2.75 missed tackles per game

* Beau Scott has scored 1 try in his 4 games this year

Korbin Sims

* Korbin Sims has made 300m in his 3 games this year at an average of 100m per game

* Korbin Sims has made 3 tackle breaks in his 3 games this year

* Korbin Sims is yet to make a line break in his 3 games this year

* Korbin Sims has conceded 4 penalties in his 3 games this year

* Korbin Sims has made 76 tackles in his 3 games this year at an average of 25.33 tackles per game

* Korbin Sims has missed 8 tackles in his 3 games this year at an average of 2.66 missed tackles per game

* Korbin Sims is yet to score a try in his 3 games this year

Jeremy Smith

* Jeremy Smith has made 341m in his 4 games this year at an average of 85.25m per game

* Jeremy Smith has made 5 tackle breaks in his 4 games this year

* Jeremy Smith has made 1 line break in his 4 games this year

* Jeremy Smith has conceded 1 penalty in his in his 4 games this year

* Jeremy Smith has made 112 tackles in his 4 games this year at an average of 28 tackles per game

* Jeremy Smith has missed 3 tackles in his 4 games this year at an average of 0.75 missed tackle per game

* Jeremy Smith has scored 1 try in his 4 games this year

Kade Snowden

* Kade Snowden has made 613m in his 4 games this year at an average of 153.25m per game

* Kade Snowden has made 6 tackle breaks in his 4 games this year

* Kade Snowden has made 1 line break in his 4 games this year

* Kade Snowden has conceded 3 penalties in his 4 games this year

* Kade Snowden has made 139 tackles in his 4 games this year at an average of 27.8 tackles per game

* Kade Snowden has missed 10 tackles in his 4 games this year at an average of 2.5 missed tackles per game

* Kade Snowden is yet to score a try in his 4 games this year

Jack Stockwell

* Jack Stockwell has made 329m in his 4 games this year at an average of 82.25m per game

* Jack Stockwell has made 4 tackle breaks in his 4 games this year

* Jack Stockwell is yet to make a line break in his 4 games this year

* Jack Stockwell is yet to concede a penalty in his 4 games this year

* Jack Stockwell has made 111 tackles in his 4 games this year at an average of 27.75 tackles per game

* Jack Stockwell has missed 3 tackles in his 4 games this year at an average of 0.75 missed tackle per game

* Jack Stockwell is yet to score a try in in his 4 games this year

Joseph Tapine

* Joseph Tapine has made 43m in his 1 game this year

* Joseph Tapine is yet to make a tackle break in his 1 game this year

* Joseph Tapine is yet to make a line break in his 1 game this year

* Joseph Tapine is yet to concede a penalty in his 1 game this year

* Joseph Tapine has made 14 tackles in his 1 game this year at an average of 14 tackles per game

* Joseph Tapine has is yet to miss a tackle in his 1 game this year

* Joseph Taoine is yet to score a try in his 1 game this year

Akuila Uate

* Akuila Uate has scored 2 tries in his 5 games against the Dragons

* Akuila Uate has made 555m in his 4 games this year at an average of 138.75m per game

* Akuila Uate has made 18 tackle breaks in his 4 games this year

* Akuila Uate has made 4 line breaks in his 4 games this year

* Akuila Uate has created 1 try assist in his 4 games this year

* Akuila Uate has created 1 line break assist in his 4 games this year

* Akuila Uate is yet to concede a penalty in his 4 games this year

* Akuila Uate has made 13 tackles in his 4 games this year at an average of 3.25 tackles per game

* Akuila Uate has missed 6 tackles in his 4 games this year at an average of 1.5 missed tackles per game

* Akuila Uate has scored 2 tries in his 4 games this year


2015 SEASON STATS

**NRL Ranking in brackets, Red is negative Green is positive**

Position

Knights - 1st

Dragons - 11th

Points Scored

Knights - 86 (7th)

Dragons - 42 (16th)

Points Conceded

Knights - 60 (14th)

Dragons - 58 (15th)

Tries Scored

Knights - 14 (6th)

Dragons - 7 (16th)

Tries Conceded

Knights - 10 (Equal 15th)

Dragons - 10 (Equal 15th)

Metres Gained

Knights - 6,325 (9th)

Dragons - 7,073 (1st)

Linebreaks

Knights - 21 (2nd)

Dragons - 9 (14th)

Tackle Breaks

Knights - 143 (1st)

Dragons - 136 (2nd)

Errors

Knights - 41 (Equal 13th)

Dragons - 50 (4th)

Kick Metres

Knights - 1,928 (5th)

Dragons - 1,719 (11th)

40/20's

Knights - 0 (Equal 16th)

Dragons - 1 (Equal 2nd)

Offloads

Knights - 41 (Equal 6th)

Dragons - 48 (Equal 4th)

Tackles

Knights - 1,425 (3rd)

Dragons - 1,457 (4th)

Missed Tackles

Knights - 116 (3rd)

Dragons - 77 (16th)

* Tries Conceded, Points Conceded, Missed Tackles and Errors are negatives so the lower your ranked the better

Example - The Dragons and Knights are ranked 15th for tries conceded, This means they concede the 2nd least amount of tries in the NRL

PREDICTIONS AND PENDING MILESTONES

Prediction

Knights - 46
Dragons - 12
FTS - Dane Gagai
LTS - Akuila Uate
MOTM - Jarrod Mullen

Pending Milestones

- Kurt Gidley requires 18 points to reach 1,200 career points

- Akuila Uate requires 1 more try to reach 100 career tries and 100 tries for the Knights

- Akuila Uate (55 tries) requires 2 more tries to surpass Adam MacDougall (56 tries) for most tries at Hunter Stadium

- Akuila Uate requires 4 more points to reach 400 career points and 400 points for the Knights

- James McManus (67 tries) requires 3 more tries to surpass Matt Gidley (69 tries) as our 7th highest try scorer

- James McManus (37 tries) requires 1 more try to surpass Darren Albert (37 tries) for the 9th most tries at Hunter Stadium

- Kurt Gidley (44 tries) requires 2 more tries to surpass Robbie O'Davis (45 tries) for the 6th most tries at Hunter Stadium

- Kurt Gidley (44 tries) requires 3 more tries to surpass Andrew Johnss (46 tries) for the 5th most tries at Hunter Stadium

- Chris Houston (142 games) requires 1 more game to surpass Josh Perry (142 games) as our 17th highest capped player​

 

[packo]

Dugan got involved last week, he is so hot and cold, the less his hands on the ball the better for us.

I hope we really fire this week and grab the win at home in good fashion.

 

[Billy]

Illawarra have always been our bogey side.
Even before both were in the NRL they were our country rivals.
It was even worse when Wayne was our coach, because he had a terrible record against his old sides.

I like the idea of us being underdogs again. We'll probably lose the first time we are favourites.

 

[Hunter93]

Knights and Dragons launch Alex McKinnon Cup

The Newcastle Knights and St George Illawarra Dragons will play for the inaugural Alex McKinnon Cup this Easter Saturday at Hunter Stadium.

Get Knights v Dragons tickets here

McKinnon made his NRL debut at the Dragons in 2011 and went on to play three games before joining the Knights in 2012, where he played 46 first grade games.

“I obviously spent a lot of time at the Dragons and cherish my time down there, I also really cherish my time playing first grade at the Knights,” McKinnon said.

“To see the game this weekend where my mates are playing on both sides, I am really looking forward to being there.

“It is a privilege to have a Cup named after myself and for the two clubs to be playing for it this weekend.”

The Alex McKinnon Cup will be an annual event and played for on the first occasion the two sides meet in a season.

“The Alex McKinnon Cup is a fitting way to recognise Alex’s contribution to both Clubs and will certainly add a special significance to not only this Saturday’s game, but future encounters between the Knights and Dragons,” Knights CEO Matt Gidley said.

The Alex McKinnon Cup is an initiative of the two clubs the 23-year-old played for.
“The Dragons are proud to be working with the Newcastle Knights in the formation of such an appropriate initiative,” Dragons CEO Peter Doust said.

“Alex is a remarkable individual who has always had a close relationship with both our players and our Club.”

McKinnon, who will be in attendance at Saturday’s match, looks forward to seeing the winning team receive the Alex McKinnon Cup for the very first time.

“I watch a bit of footy but I definitely make sure I watch the Knights and the Dragons each weekend because a lot of my mates are playing,” McKinnon added.

“It will be a solid game on Saturday, I know it is always a good competition between the two sides.”


http://www.nrl.com/knights-and-drag...non-cup/tabid/10874/newsid/84928/default.aspx


Crowd should be huge for this one.

 

[mullenmagic]

Less confident about this game than last week vs Panthers. Dragons have been really good defensively and if Dugan and their halves can fire they'll cause some trouble. Still think we'll get the win though. Can't wait to see Tariq in the red & blue.

 

[rhugh89]

Positive atmosphere sets platform

Mon 30th March, 02:45PM

On Monday morning, five-eighth Jarrod Mullen was relishing the Newcastle Knights’ impressive start to the season after Saturday’s fourth consecutive win against the Panthers.

“It’s always good on a Monday when you have a win on the weekend," Mullen told the media at HQ.

“Everyone around the office and around training is very happy."

Yet, despite the team now sitting on top of the ladder, Mullen played down the hype, instead saying the Knights always intended to kick the season off strongly.

“We trained well during the pre-season to start the year well. We have a lot of home games early on in the season,” he said.

“We knew we had to start well.

“Four from four is ideal but it's a good test this weekend, the Dragons are starting to play some good football too."

Players in the Knights' pack like Kade Snowden, Chris Houston and new recruit Jack Stockwell were frontrunners in the playing stats.

“Our forwards have been tremendous, it’s no surprise that the outside back can then do their thing,” he said.

"When they are getting a bit tired our big fellas out wide like Joey (Leilua), Gags (Gagai) and Jimmy (Mcmanus), we’re not losing any momentum there.

“Everyone is playing their part well."

The 26-year-old says a positive atmosphere at Knights HQ has played a part in the team’s success.

“I think getting everyone happy at training is a main thing,” he said.

“Everyone is happy around training and each other so it goes a long way to winning footy.

“(Rick) Stoney has been great, but getting Craig Sandercock back and the blokes behind the scenes, him and Bedsy (Buderus) have been tremendous.

“Especially for the young fellas coming through. Craig Sandercock is really good for the one-on-one sort of things.

“He’s done a lot of good work in the pre-season and it’s showing off."

The Knights now shift their focus to hosting the St George Illawarra Dragons this Easter Saturday, with both teams carrying the momentum of Round 4 wins.

“They are coming together nicely. They have a lot of young kids in their team too so they will take a while to gel,” he said.

“I think Mary (coach Paul McGregor) has got them going good down there. It will be another good test Saturday night."

The Knights’ Voice for Mining round saw more than 20,000 people pack Hunter Stadium, with Mullen hoping for a similar show of support when the side returns to it’s home fortress this weekend.

“Our Members day here was really good and encouraging and we had a lot of people come here and really get behind the Club,” he said.

“Twenty thousands plus on the weekend was good too.

“Winning games it definitely helps. As long as we keep doing that and getting in touch with the community, they are going to keep coming out and supporting us.”


http://www.newcastleknights.com.au/news/2015/03/30/positive_atmosphere_.html

 

[Beaumont]

A good side would have lapped Manly last weekend. The Dragons are ordinary at best. We'll win by plenty.

 

[slotmachine]

and beating the raiders shouldn't count. us 20+

 

[rhugh89]

Tariq primed for Dragons clash

Tue 31st March, 01:00PM

Newcastle Knights head coach Rick Stone has confirmed new recruit Tariq Sims will make his first appearance in the Knights line-up on Saturday against the St George Illawarra Dragons.

Stone is eager to have the 25-year-old boost the Knights' forwards after he missed the start of the season with a carry over suspension.

“He’ll bring a good balance to our team,” Stone told the media on Tuesday morning.

“With the back row of Jeremy Smith, Beau Scott and Tariq Sims, I think we probably have one of the more aggressive and forceful back rows in the competition.

“I know he’ll bring some controlled aggression and I know he will bring a bit of punch to our attack definitely.”

It’s been a patient wait for Sims who joined the Knights from the North Queensland Cowboys at the beginning of pre-season.

“It’s exciting to be considered as a squad member... I’m going to grab it with both hands and will run with it,” Sims said.

“I have served my time on the sideline and now it’s time to look to the future and do what I love doing and that’s playing footy with my mates."

Sims, who has played 71 NRL games for the Cowboys after making his NRL debut against the Knights in 2011, believes he has plenty to contribute to his new team.

“I feel that some of my attributes could help the squad out absolutely,” he said.

“But I just have to make sure I’m doing my job for the team and when I’m called upon, I go out there and I do what I do."

Sims has remained focused despite a late start to his 2015 campaign.

“I have sort of kept a positive attitude the whole way through this,” he said.

“I saw my time on the sideline as a preparation tool to help the boys out, to get in the best shape before I join the side on the field on the weekend.

“The boys have been playing out of their skin.

“All I have to do is make sue that I don’t get too excited and drop the ball or two or something silly.”

Despite not yet making his Club debut, Sims says he connected with the Club’s culture from the very beginning.

“I think that I was pretty lucky when I first moved here in November that I was exposed to that early and I soaked that up pretty
early too," Sims said.

“As team we’ve all bought into it and you can see it in our football.

"We know that we haven’t played out best football and that’s in front of us.

"That’s exciting and it’s finally great to be back out there."

Sims will look to ride the wave of four consecutive wins in the lead up to the clash against the Dragons.

“The Dragons have got a great pack and it’s a physical pack. You saw them dominate the Manly side on the weekend,” he said.

“They have some great players and Benji Marshall and Gareth Widdop are obviously tremendous players.

“Benji Marshall is really electrifying with the ball and he has a really good kicking game.

“It’s something we’re going to have to address during the week and make sure we prepare for him the best we can.

“I have trained pretty hard in the off season, but I’m not quite sure how many (minutes) (Rick) Stoney wants me to knock out, but
I’m pretty ready for anything at the moment.”


http://www.newcastleknights.com.au/news/2015/03/31/tariq_primed_for_dra.html

 

[rhugh89]

RLW Coach of the Month

Written by STAFF WRITERS, March 31, 2015

NEWCASTLE’s Rick Stone has won the inaugural RUGBY LEAGUE WEEK coach of the month award for 2015.1

English soccer has had a manager of the month for many years – and at RLW we’ve decided it’s time to recognise our men in the hot seat.

Stone has done a sensational job in his ‘second coming’ at the Knights and is a standout choice as our first winner.

Filling the massive shoes of Wayne Bennett, he has done a superb job in the first four weeks of the season, taking the Knights to the top of the ladder.

The Knights are the only undefeated team in the NRL, winning their four games in fine style and playing bright, attacking football.

Unfancied at the start of the season, the Knights are away to a flyer and looking good for a finals berth at this early stage.

Take a bow, Rick Stone!


http://rugbyleagueweek.com.au/rlw-coach-month-march/

 

[rhugh89]

Just updated the team stats guys to include rankings amongst the 16 teams

Here are the main points

* The Dragons have scored the least amount of points after 4 rounds, They have scored just 42 points at an average of 10.5 points per game

* These 2 teams have conceded the 2nd and 3rd least amount of points after 4 rounds (Knights 60, Dragons 58)

* The Dragons have scored the least amount of tries in the opening 4 rounds, They have scored 7 tries at 1.75 tries per game

* These 2 teams have conceded the 2nd least amount of tries over the opening 4 rounds (10 each at 2.5 tries conceded per match)

* Surprisingly the Dragons have made the most amount of metres over the opening 4 round (7,073 at an average of 1,768.25m per game)

* The Knights have made the 2nd most line breaks over the first 4 rounds (21 at 5.25 line breaks per game)

* These 2 teams top the NRL for tackle breaks (Knights 143 and Dragons 136)

* The Knights have made the 4th lowest amount of errors over the opening 4 rounds whereas the Dragons have made the 4th highest

* Both teams are ranked in the top 6 for offloads after the opening 4 rounds

* The Knights have missed the third highest amount of tackles (116) whereas the Dragons have missed the least amount of tackles (77)

 

[rhugh89]

NRL 2015 season: Rick Stone’s Newcastle Knights thriving on life after Wayne Bennett

• DAN WALSH
• FOX SPORTS
• MARCH 31, 2015 4:10PM

WAYNE Bennett didn’t want Rick Stone to succeed him and we’re starting to see why.

We’ve all seen it from the stands and on TV and now the numbers are proving it — the Knights play an entertaining, almost cavalier style of football, and it works.

Stone football is anti-Bennett football.

It’s ying and yang. No wonder the super coach wasn’t sold.

Premierships aren’t won in March. If they were the Titans would be a whole other story.

But in every statistical category the Knights are trending up in 2015.

Every category that is, other than errors — Newcastle make 11 of those per game compared to 9.8 per game in 2014.

Bennett wouldn’t stand for that but Stone’s got bigger fish to fry.

Under the super coach, Newcastle played safe, conservative, and at the end of the day, unsuccessful footy.

In his Daily Telegraph column on Tuesday, Paul Kent pointed it out; in this first month under Stone the Knights are throwing the ball about, playing with less structure, and making a few more errors, but also ranking first for tackle busts (31.5 a game) and second for line breaks (6.3) as a result.

They’re swashbuckling at the attacking end but even more importantly, the Knights have put the steel back in the Steel City.

​

As any coach worth his clipboard will tell you, it’s with defence that games are won, and it’s in defence where the numbers start to make a convincing case that Stone’s Knights are the real deal.

In 2014 the Knights ranked well down the list, in the bottom four in fact for points conceded (12th), tries (13th), line breaks (12th), offloads (15th) and missed tackles (13th).

The 2015 vintage is conceding just under two tries less per game than last year, ranking them equal first after the first four weeks.

They’re third for points conceded at just 15 per game.

And yet they’re still lagging in 15th and 13th when it comes to shutting down offloads and missed tackles.

This is where their ability to scramble on their own line has come to the fore.

In round one the Warriors had 41 tackles in Newcastle’s 20m zone.

In round two the Cowboys had 26 cracks compared to the Knights’ nine in return.

Last week the Panthers were tackled 39 times in prime territory.


In all three games Newcastle’s opposition enjoyed the lion’s share of possession.

Yet none of them could manage to put more than 14 points past them, and all three got on the bus empty-handed.

It’s not often you’ll find an unhappy rugby league side defending well, especially when the whip is being cracked and they’re in the firing line.

Bennett had plenty to deal with during his stint in the Hunter, and plenty would argue he was never a good fit for the club and the community.

But the stark turnaround in the side’s defensive fortunes speaks volumes about Stone’s ability to motivate his men, particularly with blokes like Kade Snowden and Kurt Gidley.

It also validates the club’s decision to go back to Stone when Bennett left, despite the distinct lack of a ringing endorsement from the super coach, who to be fair did leave a reasonable platform for Stone to work with.

But show us someone who reckons they had the Knights as NRL ladder leaders after the first month, and we’ll show you a dirty, rotten liar.

This is a Knights side that went to hell and back, more than once, in 2014.

Alex McKinnon’s tragic injury.

The messy fallout from Tinkler’s exit. Bennett’s exit. Darius Boyd’s exit. Russell Packer’s exit before he’d even entered the building.

​

With five weeks to go in 2014 they were still scrambling to pull themselves clear of the Raiders and the Sharks.

It could’ve just as easily been them squaring off in the spoon bowl.

Yet here we are. A month into the new season, with a new dawn on the rise in Newcastle.

The Knights are sitting top of the table all on their lonesome, off to their best start since 2002.

Their most prized recruit, hard man Tariq Sims, hasn’t laced a boot in anger.

This week he’ll join a back row already including Beau Scott and Jeremy Smith, rounding out a trio that eats nails for breakfast and opposition halfbacks for lunch.

He’s also joining a team that are enjoying their footy a whole lot more than in previous years, and one that has the early results to prove it.


http://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl...&itm_c=content-3&itm_o=3&itm_l=Fox Feed - Why

 

[rhugh89]

Knights' aim for improvement

Tue 31st March, 05:13PM

Coach Rick Stone says the Newcastle Knights are still striving to reach their potential as the side takes on the St George Illawarra Dragons on Saturday.

While Stone talks about the constant need for improvement, the Knights are buoyed by an unbeaten record and the strongest start to a season since 2002.

It’s valuable confidence the men in red and blue will take into what is certain to be a challenge given the Dragons’ success rate at Hunter Stadium.

“It’s been a great start for us, we’ve worked really hard for it and competed in our games,” Stone said on Tuesday.

“We haven’t played our best I don’t think yet, but we’ve really competed hard and made sure we stayed close enough in the contest to get a win.

“We started really well last week which helped us because we got a little tired in the back end.

“We have to improve in our attack and our finishes and the quality of the execution and our kicks."

Leading the competition after four rounds, Stone assures the Knights remain level headed as they approach the Alex McKinnon Cup encounter.

“We are really careful of every game and don’t think that we can look too far ahead,” he said.

“I don’t think we’ve earned the right to do that just yet.

“We know every game is a tough game for us and so far it has been.

“I don’t think it matters who you play in the NRL, you have to be on your game and you have to fight hard every two competition points.

“The Saints on Saturday will be the same.

“I have a lot of respect for them and they have some good players.

“We know they can do a job on anyone on their day, so our job is to turn up and make sure we concentrate on ourselves.

“We are focused on doing better than we have done in the previous weeks."

The Knights won in all three grades in Round 4, ensuring a great Club day at Hunter Stadium.

“It’s really important to put some pressure on everyone, it keep everyone pretty buoyant,” he said.

“We spend another day this week with the NSW Cup and NRL team training together.

“That brings the competitive edge out in both crews.

“I think that flowed on a little bit with the NSW Cup against Penrith on the weekend.

“Having three games at the Stadium is obviously what we’d like to see and having three wins makes our fans go away hopefully a
little bit happier and happy to come back this week.”


http://www.newcastleknights.com.au/news/2015/03/31/knights_aim_for_impr.html

 

[Joel]

Rick Stone’s Newcastle Knights thriving on life after Wayne Bennett

How good is this!!! :dancing:

 

[rhugh89]

How good is this!!! :dancing:

It's a pleasure posting all of these positive headlines mate !!

On the the game, We have too much firepower and our defence has been great as far as points and tries conceded

The Dragons can't score a try at the best of times, Knights by 34

 

[Joel]

It's a pleasure posting all of these positive headlines mate !!

On the the game, We have too much firepower and our defence has been great

The Dragons can't score a try at the best of times, Knights by 34

I'm sure it would be! I'm sure everyone was hoping for this exact start and type of exciting football played.

Quote of the year "This week he’ll join a back row already including Beau Scott and Jeremy Smith, rounding out a trio that eats nails for breakfast and opposition halfbacks for lunch."

 

[Hamish171]

Do you guys think Jack De Bellin is happy that Tahu doesn't play for us anymore

 

[rhugh89]

I'm sure it would be! I'm sure everyone was hoping for this exact start and type of exciting football played.

Quote of the year "This week he’ll join a back row already including Beau Scott and Jeremy Smith, rounding out a trio that eats nails for breakfast and opposition halfbacks for lunch."

It's a great vibe for sure

This time last year everything was negative

I know it's early but our club is heading in the right direction and it's great to see !!

- - - Updated - - -

Do you guys think Jack De Bellin is happy that Tahu doesn't play for us anymore

[video]https://youtu.be/Z3rqnNh8HTo[/video]

Great Memories Hamish :dancing:

 

[MattyM]

Knights by 34

I applaud you, my friend.