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Match Discussion: Round 21 vs Brisbane @ Sunshine Coast Stadium

Who will win? Round 21: Newcastle v Brisbane

  • Newcastle Knights 13+

    Votes: 3 100.0%
  • Newcastle Knights 1-12

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Draw after Golden Point

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Brisbane Broncos 1-12

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Brisbane Broncos 13+

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    3
  • Poll closed .

perverse

Referee
Messages
25,828
Yeah it's funny because I think Pearce and Clifford were out two best players, but the direction was totally lacking.
I hope with Brailey back and 10 days for pearce to train with team we will be heaps better against the sharks
Yeah, 100% correct. They got us home, but as a team we just didn't click at all. There's so many little factors to it too. Line runners, shape, gameplan, execution, football style... it's all just askew and not where it needs to be.

It always bears repeating I guess... what do we do at training? I'm still not sure.

We can be better. We need those same blokes + Brailey on the field for the next month... then re-evaluate what's going on I guess. It's hard to say off two games against the Cowboys and Brisbane... and we looked like 2 different teams in both games. Randall definitely didn't help tonight - and it was epitomized by that ball to DSaf on their line. Brailey brings a much smarter, quicker and precise game out of dummy half.
 

Jono078

Referee
Messages
21,112
Yeah it's funny because I think Pearce and Clifford were out two best players, but the direction was totally lacking.
I hope with Brailey back and 10 days for pearce to train with team we will be heaps better against the sharks
Hard to pick our top 3 I think.

I'd probably say Daifiti, Clifford and Frizell in no particular order.

Don't want to continue down the negative path after a win but does anyone else feel like we turned up expecting an easy win? We really have to grow and move on from ever having that attitude. Freddy questioned us saying we were looking for a soft win tonight by spreading the ball rather than doing the tough work early on.
 

aqua_duck

Coach
Messages
18,316
Anyone watching the channel 9 post match? Clifford got MOTM and was asked about his combination with Pearce and Clifford mentioned a few times about getting to our spots. Joey spoke about that comment and said that idea of getting to your spots is a thing of the past, these days you also have to be able to play what's in front of you, be instinctive and play off offloads which are things we just do not do.
 

Jono078

Referee
Messages
21,112
Anyone watching the channel 9 post match? Clifford got MOTM and was asked about his combination with Pearce and Clifford mentioned a few times about getting to our spots. Joey spoke about that comment and said that idea of getting to your spots is a thing of the past, these days you also have to be able to play what's in front of you, be instinctive and play off offloads which are things we just do not do.
I also doubt there are "spots" in your own half.

We looked good last week, we've looked good previously with the majority of the top spine out there.

The next month will be the proof in the pudding as Perverse said.
 

Loose Cannon

Bench
Messages
3,464
We win uglier than we lose.

I have to agree with those who have mentioned previously, “What do we do at training?“
 

Jono078

Referee
Messages
21,112
Freddy just had a good real chat with Pearce. It does sounds like they have a plan and they just need time together to get it going.

This game is in the rearview mirror now. I super look forward to what team turns up against the Sharks.
 

Jono078

Referee
Messages
21,112
I'll sign off on a positive.

The last 2 weeks we've scored 34 and 28 points (even whilst being disjointed), which count for 2 of our 4 highest scores this years AKA things are looking up!
 

Zoidberg

First Grade
Messages
6,154
Freddy questioned us saying we were looking for a soft win tonight by spreading the ball rather than doing the tough work early on.
I think we were looking to get on top early on to try and break the Broncs mentally, maybe due to our 4 day turnaround. Having so many opportunities in the first 10mins probably made us think we should have points on the board (and we should have).
But Broncos turned up with the right plan to stop Ponga and Best.
 

perverse

Referee
Messages
25,828
I'll sign off on a positive.

The last 2 weeks we've scored 34 and 28 points (even whilst being disjointed), which count for 2 of our 4 highest scores this years AKA things are looking up!
It beats losing, I'll give you that. I'd prefer to be having the conversations we're having than throwing the old noose up over the rafters again.
 

Zoidberg

First Grade
Messages
6,154
They just said on Matty Johns show that Bradman Best left Suncorp in an ambulance, maybe shoulder injury 🙄
 

AusKnightRKO

First Grade
Messages
7,375
They just said on Matty Johns show that Bradman Best left Suncorp in an ambulance, maybe shoulder injury 🙄
I wonder if due to Covid bubble if thats the way it has to be for him to still stay in it? Hopefully.

if not he is officially a tampon, in for one out for 3.
 

mozza91

Coach
Messages
12,678
I don’t think we were too bad tonight. Brisbane were very good and really had a crack.

Forwards were very strong particularly Friz, Barnett and Klemmer.
 

Old dog

Juniors
Messages
2,451
Very ordinary. I hope that doesn't get in our heads. All the shifts were too predictable, the passes were too long making it easy to slide or rush up and pressure Ponga as needed. Not scoring there feels like being behind already.
 

Old dog

Juniors
Messages
2,451
Very ordinary performance, we seemed disjointed. Ponga was ok/ordinary, Hunt ok till injured, Mann was Mann, Best ran hard but didn’t win his spot, Tuala was good in attack but not so good coming out of own ground. Pearce and Clifford need to work together, give and take. Thought pack was good, especially Frizell, Randall looked lost often seen asking for what play like he had been 9 all season
WHY oh WHY did we change things other than Pearce for Crossland, reward the effort/result.
What made us drop King for Fitz, not that I would but surely if bringing in Fitz then Jones should have gone
I am very happy with a win I thought we might not get
 

Yosh

Coach
Messages
11,245
Best needs a bit of time to grow into that man body. He is still 19 till next week. I'm sure once he gets about 20 odd more games under his belt, his injury woes will be behind him.

My two biggest concerns is the lack of attack and our lack of composure once we take the lead.

It seems we don't have any attack. We get the ball then stumble around until we are finally in position to get the ball out the back to Ponga. By then the defense is almost always on top him. This week we turned the ball back on the inside for our backrowers and we found some joy (Frizzell was very effective and both our left second rowers scored tries).

We never counter attack either. I guess our strength is in the forwards, so we are happy to cart it up. However, I would love to see us kick early when we are deep in our half to find Ponga or Tuala running into it. Or at least kick in behind their fullback and pin them down in their zone.

At least Clifford has brought his immense kicking game. At least a couple of repeat sets with grubber and one opposition knock on from bombs. Tonight's distribution of kicking was perfect. Out of 10 I would like to see Clifford take 6 or 7 and Ponga or Pearce combine for the rest.

Our other issue seems to be when we are ahead. We get ahead and then implode. Seems like we are not sure what to do next. The good teams get ahead and extend the lead to kill of the game. The part two weeks, we should have been at least three tries ahead from the 60 minute onwards. However, we find a way to let the opposition back into the game. I hope we really start to find some composure soon.

Good win tonight though.
 
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