Match Discussion: Round 16 vs Sydney @ McDonald Jones Stadium, New Lambton / Awabakal

[Loose Cannon]

Down the road from where I work is the local mental disability day centre and school.

When the Knights come to Perth in August, I might see if I can borrow their branded van and sit outside the airport terminal to see if I can collect any of our squad.

I like your initiative, just make sure you take roll call. Our guys aren’t real punctual.

 

[aqua_duck]

it’s good to see after 4 year of AOB’s coaching tenure our attack has not evolved past give it to Ponga and hope for the best.
These losses hurt but are a necessary evil for the powers that be to open their eyes and realise AOB is not the the man for the job, there is not one facet of the job he’s done that I would give a pass mark to

 

[Zoidberg]

Coaches always go on about striving for “consistency” week to week. Without a doubt, we are the most inconsistent team with our week to week performances.

 

[Apey]

Oh well we only play the Panthers next week.

Making one of the worst teams in the comp this year look competent - classic Knights.

Useless merkins with Saifiti leading the way. As bad as the halves were I felt like they didn't have much to work with either. Nobody was putting their hand up.

 

[ryan.a87]

Jack cogger going to put on a halfback masterclass agasint his former team

 

[Yosh]

Random question but are one of you lads 'the.knighted' on instagram?

 

[Zoidberg]

Random question but are one of you lads 'the.knighted' on instagram?

I just watched his talk on this game haha right there with you brother. If he’s not on this forum already, he will fit right in.

 

[Woody90]

Sick of these pricks ruining my weekend.

Same. It’s utterly shit that we sit here feeling miserable every weekend while the powers that be in charge of the club and half of the players obviously don’t care.

Today was just a shit show. The Roosters are terrible but we still looked completely clueless in attack and defence. I honestly have no idea how that was the same side that played Brisbane last week. Why can’t we maintain consistency from one week to the next?

Hastings and Gamble were terrible and sadly while they have showed promise I’m not sure either of them offer enough to be our number 1 halves pairing. The forwards were so bad today though to be fair.

AOB needs to go, the entire forward pack minus Frizzell, Thompson and maybe Croker need to go. Let’s be honest though, nothing will happen. I would have said losing in that fashion might be what we need if it actually meant changes would happen…but let’s be honest there won’t….the club has zero ambition.

 

[Jono078]

I don't want to single this guy out but I think it's about time it's discussed.

Jackson Hastings. I think he's basically a Scott Dureau now. Has the tools but has lost all athletic ability and if he's no threat to the defensive line then it makes it very easy for them to number up on our 5/8th or fullback that he links with.

I still like him but there are some very obvious limitations there. Even an old Mitchell Pearce was a threat with his running game.

 

[Woody90]

I don't want to single this guy out but I think it's about time it's discussed.

Jackson Hastings. I think he's basically a Scott Dureau now. Has the tools but has lost all athletic ability and if he's no threat to the defensive line then it makes it very easy for them to number up on our 5/8th or fullback that he links with.

I still like him but there are some very obvious limitations there. Even an old Mitchell Pearce was a threat with his running game.

I like Hastings but basically to get away with playing a halfback like him you need a dangerous running 5/8…however Gamble is more like Hastings…neither of which were first choice halves at their previous clubs. I get they had planned to play KP at 6 who would have probably complimented Hastings’ deficiencies well but obviously Ponga’s head and Miller being shit stopped that.

To be honest I don’t think it matters who we play in the halves, it’s not going to work if our forwards continue to be dominated and we have Crossland at 9. Hastings and Gamble looked ok when our forwards were moving forward. I’m hesitant that those two will be the long-term solution, but the forwards need to be changed up before them.

It really highlights how freakishly good Ponga is that he’s still so dangerous despite how shit our forwards and rest of the spine were today.

 

[Jono078]

I like Hastings but basically to get away with playing a halfback like him you need a dangerous running 5/8…however Gamble is more like Hastings…neither of which were first choice halves at their previous clubs. I get they had planned to play KP at 6 who would have probably complimented Hastings’ deficiencies well but obviously Ponga’s head and Miller being shit stopped that.

To be honest I don’t think it matters who we play in the halves, it’s not going to work if our forwards continue to be dominated and we have Crossland at 9. Hastings and Gamble looked ok when our forwards were moving forward. I’m hesitant that those two will be the long-term solution, but the forwards need to be changed up before them.

It really highlights how freakishly good Ponga is that he’s still so dangerous despite how shit our forwards and rest of the spine were today.

Very true on all fronts. Basically the summation there is we're a mess and we haven't compiled a squad good enough.

Our hope every year in the AOB era has been to field our best 17 every week and that's basically not happened, ever.

 

[Loose Cannon]

Best thing I’ve noticed the past 2 weeks is Ponga playing a proper fullback role. No loitering at the ruck, chiming in 2/3 wide both sides, at pace.

Not sure why it’s happening now, but I imagine it has nothing to do with O’Brien.

 

[Jono078]

Also just in case anyone is holding onto hope of playing finals, I've just crunched some numbers and we'd basically have to win AT LEAST 7 of our last 10 games to just scrape into the 8.

I don't even know if we've ever gone on a 7/10 kind of run with AOB.

 

[mozza91]

That 1st half was worse than either half of the Parra game for me. A half decent side puts a score on the Chooks today and we were lucky to keep it close.

Embarrassing performance from them. No effort no commitment and zero urgency. They needed the win today to stay in contention for the finals and instead they put in that effort. Pathetic is the only word I can think of to describe it.

I’ll give some credit to Ponga, Gamble and Gags because they were they only players out there today that looked like they cared.

 

[Woody90]

Would Miller have been a spark, or at least something in those last 10min? Kinda disappointed Mann didn't throw himself into it

No.

 

[Woody90]

I already hope the Panthers thump us next week so we can get a real move on to the next era of the Knights. I'm done with the AOB era.

Literally the worst thing that could happen next week is if we go down in another tight game. Will allow AOB another week of excuses about how we took it to another top side ugh.

We need to get spectacularly destroyed. Tap into whatever sort of mood we were in for the Eels game and replicate that. Buy them all a trip to Bali for the bye round, I don’t care, we need to get absolutely destroyed so even the most complacent and delusional Knights fans are calling for blood.

 

[alexwilliams_66692007]

Down the road from where I work is the local mental disability day centre and school.

When the Knights come to Perth in August, I might see if I can borrow their branded van and sit outside the airport terminal to see if I can collect any of our squad.

I guarantee they'll miss the bus