Knights team for tigers game

[imported_Roopy4246]

Robbie O’Davis
Darren Albert
Matthew Gidley
Adam MacDougall
Timana Tahu
Sean Rudder
Andrew Johns ©
Josh Perry
John Morris
Matt Parsons
Steve Simpson
Ben Kennedy
Bill Peden

Paul Marquet
Clinton O’Brien
Julian Bailey
James Wynne
Joey has been named in the side pending his likely suspension. James Wynne is on the bench for now, and thank Christ for that. Hagan has finally got the message and named a specialist halfback to cover for the loss of Johns. Wynne has had a few good games and looks to be a good halfback. He plays a different game to Johns in that he mainly runs the ball and does short kicks and passes. Feeding the ball to the great Knights backline will be left up to Rudder I suppose.
The last time Johns was out we were also without Robbie O, and I expect him to take a great hand in the attack for this game. Robbie will be camped in the backline and be making inroads into the wests defence all game.
Tahu has been named on the wing and MacDougall at centre. Hagan will be looking for MacDougall to perform in a similar fashion to his game against the warriors, where he really looked for the ball all day.
Tahu is more a winger than a centre in my opinion and should stay on the wing for the rest of his career.
Hughes and Buderus are still out of the side. Hughes could play this week but we have too many good backs available to be bothered rushing him back, so he can have another week to let his broken ribs heal.
Buderus was supposed to be almost right to play last week so I don't know why he is still out. I hope it's not serious. The defence in the middle of the ground will not be as good as one would like to see it without Bedsy (our best defender). Morris did 33 tackles against the Sharks, but Bedsy averages in the high thirties and would have done better than that against the Sharks who are a team that attacks up the centre of the ground perhaps more than any other in the comp. Bedsy is a 10 tackle per game better player tham Morris, and the tackles are of higher quality.
Glen Grief has been carrying a neck injury and will take this week off to rest it (who says he has no neck).
I think we have the team to win this game. Much was made of our four losses without Johns in the side, but if you look at those losses they were against the top sides of Cant., Easts, Parra and a two point loss to the Eagles. Wests are not in the class of any of those sides, although they are playing above themselves at the moment. Knights to win, with Robbie O as man of the match.

 

[legend]

Roopy, without Johns this game could go either way. The Tigers have been playing some good footy and I am expecting a very tough game from the Tigers as it's there absolute last throw of the dice. I hope they get a good crowd.

 

[imported_Roopy4246]

I have heard Wests are in good form but haven't watched them play.
The Knights have to stand up and be counted this week.

The poor form of the Knights without Johns has been overstated. The six games without Johns were;

Win against Penrith.
Win against Cowboys.
2 point loss to Eagles at Northpower in which Eagles had one of their best games of the season and were lucky to win.
Loss to Easts by handy margin.
Loss to Cant by big margin.
Loss to Parra by big margin.

That is not premiership winning form, but it is not bad form either. All the losses were against very good sides or were close.
I think the Knights are a much better side, even without Johns. The Johns factor is being overstated at present.

 

[legend]

I can see your point Roopy, but I beleive the loss of Johns has more of a psychological effect on the team more than anything. We will see how they go but it should be a tough match

 

[imported_Rasputin]

has an even bigger psychological effect on their opposition IMO. The tigers have a lot of players back now and gave the dogs a good run for their money, always hard at home. I think it will be close.

 

[imported_Roopy4246]

The Knights played with no spirit against Canterbury and Parra because they had convinced themselves they couldn't win without Joey before the game. In the Easts game they were well beaten by Fittler, who had his best game of the season before SOO.

I don't think the guys will be thinking they can't win against Wests, in fact, I think they will be expecting to win.

The contrast between the Cant/Parra form and the Bronco form was dramatic, but the same factors do not apply here. Wests are not as intimadating as Parra after all.

 

[imported_Roopy4246]

Rasputin,
Good point, Johns does have an effect on the opposition by just being on the park. Game plans against the Knights are all about what to do about Johns, and without that factor teams can concentrate on the other players.

 

[imported_Rasputin]

Absolutely Roopy, I'll guarantee you Lamb is down at the local church prayin for Johns to get at least 1 week

Whether its over exagerated or not opposition players get a big boost knowing Johns won't be there.

 

[imported_Roopy4246]

A great effort by the tigers to come back after being down by 22-0 early in the game.
The Knights defence was just pathetic again.
I think the great flaw in our side has been there all year but it is being cruely exposed now that we have the men who were making up for the shortcoming somewhat, Buderus and Johns, both on the sidelines. Basically, our forwards are not keen enough in defence and haven't been all season. Only Simpson is a tireless workhorse in defence, all the other forwards make tackles that come their way but don't look for work. Buderus and Johns are both very keen defenders and are badly missed.
Even though we lost a game we never should lose, all is not doom and gloom. A lot of the players seem to be getting a bit of form towards the end of the season and the pace of the last two games was frenetic, which is exactly what we need coming into the semis. Big Matt Parsons ran himself to exhaustion last night and, if he is going to get enough match fitness to be a real force in the semis, this is the type of game the big fella needs.
There are enough quality players in the side with enough big match experience to get us home this year, but we need all hands on deck for the dream to come true.
On the good news side again, big wins by the first div. and Flegg sides sees us with top four positions in all three grades I think. The first div side has won 7 in a row and is really starting to look like a threat, which is great because they really are a team of young locals, most with a bright future in first grade by the look of them. The Flegg side is full of teenagers who are coming on in leaps and bounds. I think as many as 15 Knights juniors made various rep teams this year. Our forward depth through all three grades looks a little thin, but the backs are all class from first grade to Harold Matthews.