Whoa -- there are a few cranky individuals in here tonight.
I'm not sure what the fuss is about -- personally I'm not embarrassed by a 48-4 defeat at the hands of the best team in the competition. We were comprehensively routed, but largely due to a lack of personnel.
We deserperately needed consistent tacklers tonight -- Abraham, Kennedy, Simpson, Woolnough etc -- fellows that can hold their position in the defensive line, and perhaps even take the ball forward too.
A few disappointments:
- A 23-4 missed tackle count at halftime. This figure was no doubt much heftier by fulltime, but it goes to show where the game was lost. Too many defensive lapses, particularly two and three man tackles that still allowed an offload. I've said it countless times, but: if you're going to make the effort to get several defenders onto the ball-carrier, the fundamental need is to wrap-up the ball. There is no point otherwise -- you may as well flag the openings in the defensive line.
- The lack of inspiration from Josh Perry. It is times like this that the Knights need a go-to man who can strive for metres. I thought Matt Kennedy looked far more keen for work than Perry tonight. Yet another disappointing game from the big man tonight -- even to the point of being outplayed by his lesser-known teammates.
- Silly passes. The two kindy-book passes that Ryan Cross intercepted came about because of poor vision from the Knights. This is one area that you cannot blame on a lack of personnel. Kurt Gidley and O'Davis should know better than to float these easily-read passes out in front of Ryan Cross.
The Positives:
- I was very impressed by Kevin Henderson. He must have been playing in the second-row, because he seemed to be involved everywhere. He cleaned up defensively, was involved in the only try, and worked hard all night. Defensively, and in attack, easily the Knights' best. His effort was commendable.
- Others of note were O'Davis, Tahu, Kennedy (who worked hard, albeit being smashed many times), Ennis (who needs to be put in a better position than Lock) and others.
With so many players out, you can't be too hard on them. That's what makes a guy like Matt Kennedy so valuable. He might not have been effective, but at least he was gutsy. His effort, along with a few others, was highly commendable.
