Match Discussion: Round 24 vs Cronulla @ PointsBet Stadium, Woolooware / Dharawal

[Zoidberg]

Wait, was that golden point ? I honestly can't even remember

Feels like forever ago

 

[Reflector]

If I remember rightly it's the worst record in the NRL since GP was introduced

Not really surprising when you think about it-

Golden point was introduced in 2003, which coincided with the Knights decline from a near annual top 4 side into pretty much what the club has been ever since. You could only really list two seasons in the 20+ years since where Newcastle looked like a team who had what it took to go all the way in the finals

2006 (Joey's last full season) and 2009 (until Brian Smith was snapped up by a club whose board understand how running a successful football team actually works. Lo and behold, Smith took that side from the wooden spooners to a GF in a single season).

2011, 2020, 2021 by contrast were all a pass-mark at best, a Raideresque week 1 finals exit. 2013 and 2023 were really just the story of peaking for 2 months near the end of each season. Lighting in a bottle. Every other club (bar maybe the Titans) over the past two decades has enjoyed longer periods of being a genuinely good team - even the Tigers.

It also reveals the lack of a real clutch-player since Joey retired. Ponga is getting paid big bucks to be that guy, yet when it's golden point and the opportunity is right there, the ball is going to Crossland on the other side of the ruck to try and snap a match-winning field goal instead of the guy who already slotted one that should've stood were it not for Super Sutton...

 

[Rod]

A few disorganised thoughts...

- McCarthy - shaky start but came good. Already a better option than Maps, which is encouraging. Made a lot of great tackles on Ramien.
- Crossland - worst game since the dark years. Truly shithouse.
- What's happened to Leo? 6 runs for 37 metres... throw in 6 missed tackles and 3 ineffective for good measure. Terrible tonight.
- Friz is a hero without a cape.
- Kalyn still struggling to get involved in matches, has a lot to do with those around him, but for 1.4m - you have to be the man.
- Hetherington is a big dumb idiot, and our second worst offender tonight after Phoenix
- We have no halfback.
- Adam Elliott has been great for us lately and was huge tonight. Didn't do as well as a distributer, but took a lot of tough carries and made good contact in D.
- Brodie Jones is not much of a footballer.
- Challenging kicks is a good thing and we should have been doing it since forever.
- Gags was huge but god he'd want that last linebreak he made back again.

Good points. I'm glad someone brought up Leo, he's had a pretty rough second half of the season actually. I'm sure he'll be fine but certainly noticed the drop off since he was looking like one of the better props in the whole comp.

In terms of the bin, I don't have much of an issue with it in principle. Too often teams get away with doing whatever they want in that situation because 6 agains aren't a huge punishment in the last minute of the half. The problem, like heaps of NRL reffing at the moment, is the inconsistency. Teams like Melbourne and the Roosters get away with murder in those situations without getting a player in the bin (remember earlier this year Crichton lying on Ponga for an eternity after he'd made a break?).

 

[Nuke]

I also thought this as it happened, but then remembered it was this very ground where Scam Smith got marched for the first time ever back in 2018.

Was just glad I watched todays' game on Fox, saved hearing Gus go on about The Bermuda Triangle every 10 minutes...

Gus wasn't actually part of the telecast today, but the girl whose name I've temporarily forgotten just now (the one who filled in for James Bracey on 100% Footy about a month ago or so) must have mentioned the Bermuda Triangle a dozen or so times instead.

 

[Nuke]

Technically that wasn’t golden point…

Ah, good point. 'Extra time', not GP.

 

[Craigshark]

The refs have done everything to gift this to Sharks

I’d argue your first try came from a knock on, your second try an obstruction which is called almost every other time when a player runs to the outside shoulder and your third your players were offside on the kick for the repeat set.. not your fault, we got some calls too admittedly. I just wouldn’t say we were gifted the win. The nrl refereeing is just inconsistent and consistently f**ked.

 

[Mr_Knightside]

I was at the game and thought we played pretty well for a large chunk of it. We were certainly more willing in attack which is a nice change. I can see why everyone is blowing up over KP not taking the second field goal shot however I think they wanted to use him as a decoy given the defenders were probably going to rush him. Besides in theory Crossland should be a better field goal kicker given he has played in the halves a lot more. Also it’s a shame Gamble wasn’t on the field at that time, I remember him nailing a clutch field goal last year vs Penrith. Could have used him out there in that moment.

 

[Mr_Knightside]

Ultimately what cost us in this game is the same thing that has cost us dearly in so many close games over the last 20 years. Our inability to grab the game by the balls in the key moments and actually win it.

We always seem to panic and find a way to lose rather than actually stepping up and winning. Phoenix had the opportunity to ice the game and be a hero for Knights fans but of course missed it.

Do we practice field goals at training? It seems like we haven’t practiced them for about 20 years. I’d love to see the stats on how many field goals we’ve actually kicked (or even attempted) over that time.

 

[Dr Dr Gimedanews]

Do we practice field goals at training? It seems like we haven’t practiced them for about 20 years. I’d love to see the stats on how many field goals we’ve actually kicked (or even attempted) over that time.

by haphazard looks of it - no

watch Panthers and it's like clock work, looks to be practiced to precision.

 

[The Axe of Druss]

You really don’t like being challenged. This should be a safe space for you where everyone agrees with you. One person challenges you, and you produce dribble like the above…

What....what are you talking about?

Pervy feels how most of us do and has expressed it in much the same manner yet he's the one talking dribble?

Single white female vibes here

 

[Yosh]

The Knights always find new ways to disappoint. The one time this season we needed them to be boring and run one up and get to a kick, we decide to be the Harlem Glove Trotters. It's amazing how much we shoot ourselves in the foot. We played excellently for the 10 minutes Crossland was binned for then go on to have no possession for 20 minutes. Then our star player Gagai can't get the ball to Ponga. Crazy stuff.

 

[Alex28]

What....what are you talking about?

Pervy feels how most of us do and has expressed it in much the same manner yet he's the one talking dribble?

Single white female vibes here

Another who doesn’t like to be challenged…

I have a different point of view and don’t follow the forum line of “everything is a disaster, everyone should be sacked, burn the place down” and it gets under your skin, like it does his.

I quite enjoy it. I’ve been here long enough to not give a f**k what a few of you say or think. This why I add the odd defence of the coach/team and watch your brains explode…

Write me off as whatever. I don’t care. Continue to be miserable about the club. Follow the herd…

 

[The Axe of Druss]

Another who doesn’t like to be challenged…

I have a different point of view and don’t follow the forum line of “everything is a disaster, everyone should be sacked, burn the place down” and it gets under your skin, like it does his.

I quite enjoy it. I’ve been here long enough to not give a f**k what a few of you say or think. This why I add the odd defence of the coach/team and watch your brains explode…

Write me off as whatever. I don’t care. Continue to be miserable about the club. Follow the herd…

Yeah....oookkk

I think it's you that has the issue with your opinion being criticised but please continue to project

 

[Alex28]

Yeah....oookkk

I think it's you that has the issue with your opinion being criticised but please continue to project

Being one of the very few who goes against the “sky is falling” mentality here, and not scared to voice it, what suggests I am remotely worried about being criticised for it?

If I was worried, I would have left here years ago. I don’t care about not being one of the sheep.

 

[macavity]

group hug!

 

[mozza91]

group hug!

I propose a big game of soggy sao. Nothing brings the boys together more.

 

[macavity]

thats some repressed boarding school shit right there

 

[Rod]

I see it from both sides. I'm normally an optimist and think we're at least a chance most weeks. If we're mathematically still a chance of making the 8 then I'll still cheer for that over hoping we lose as some sort of punishment or payback on the team.

That being said, I don't know how anyone could watch yesterday and not be bitterly disappointed. So naturally people are going to react if someone tells you you're not allowed to be upset or criticize when we bottled a game with our season on the line.

I've said many times that's a top 8 defence we've got. Once again the problem was attack and icing key moments. Not going to Ponga when he's already kicked a field goal is a simple error good teams don't make. And that comes down to coaching, and key players not standing up when they're needed. We haven't been adventurous in attack all year, and the one time we just needed to complete our sets to ice the game, and instead we made errors for what felt like 20 minutes straight. Of course that's going to piss people off. And it's warranted.

Ultimately I think the reason people are unhappy this season boils down to 2 things. First one is the style of play - if we were chancing our hand and getting Ponga involved more and contesting kicks etc, then that at least gives you hope that if it clicks you can go on a run (last year being the obvious example of this). Secondly is the feeling that deep down, most of us know this is unlikely to be much better next year. Due to the state of our cap, and the lack of a class half, unless something changes we'll be back in the same place complaining after every game next year as well.

 

[Woody90]

I see it from both sides. I'm normally an optimist and think we're at least a chance most weeks. If we're mathematically still a chance of making the 8 then I'll still cheer for that over hoping we lose as some sort of punishment or payback on the team.

That being said, I don't know how anyone could watch yesterday and not be bitterly disappointed. So naturally people are going to react if someone tells you you're not allowed to be upset or criticize when we bottled a game with our season on the line.

I've said many times that's a top 8 defence we've got. Once again the problem was attack and icing key moments. Not going to Ponga when he's already kicked a field goal is a simple error good teams don't make. And that comes down to coaching, and key players not standing up when they're needed. We haven't been adventurous in attack all year, and the one time we just needed to complete our sets to ice the game, and instead we made errors for what felt like 20 minutes straight. Of course that's going to piss people off. And it's warranted.

Ultimately I think the reason people are unhappy this season boils down to 2 things. First one is the style of play - if we were chancing our hand and getting Ponga involved more and contesting kicks etc, then that at least gives you hope that if it clicks you can go on a run (last year being the obvious example of this). Secondly is the feeling that deep down, most of us know this is unlikely to be much better next year. Due to the state of our cap, and the lack of a class half, unless something changes we'll be back in the same place complaining after every game next year as well.

Excellent post mate.

 

[Yosh]

I still think we're more than capable of being a top 6 side every season. The biggest change we need to make is getting rid of AOB.

I've said it for years, but it's Pareto's Law: moving him on will move the needle the most. I'm not saying there's a definite better candidate out there, but there's nothing worse than a coach playing negative football, trying to grind out narrow losses. There's absolutely no advantage in not contesting kicks. Remember when we would always run one-out from the ruck for 75 minutes of the game? He seems to be moving away from that, but I don't want to wait around for him to understand that challenging kicks is beneficial for the team.

We do need a good middle forward. Dan should go, and Leo is rocks and diamonds for some reason. I can't think of anyone off the top of my head, but JWH would have been perfect. I'd also move Frizz into the middle and start him in the front row. KPP to the right and Lucas on the left. Lucas would actually be a great option for the short ball we love to play so much. He has a great step before the line and is an effective hole runner. KPP should be encouraged to use his offloads every time he gets the ball and should be our first target for bombs.

I'm personally a Crossland fan, but a halfback he ain't. Play Gamble on the left and Pryce on the right. Keep the Poms together. Rotate Crossland/Brailey in the middle, and Ponga should get the ball at least twice a set, even when we're coming out of our own end. That should be our first instruction.

We have excellent outside backs in Best, Gagai, Sharpe, and Marzhew, who is awesome out of our own end. McCarthy looked like a great prospect over the weekend as well.

All in all, the club looks set for a big shift in the right direction. Get AOB out of here and put McDermott in charge.