knightsgal85
Juniors
- Messages
- 500
I'm loving it ... My dreams have been finally answered & we will face the Roosters once again in the finals. Obviously, it is 2 - 1 in the past 3 years in favour of the Roosters during the finals series, but spare a thought for our courageous effort last year where scores were locked at 6-all for virtually 60 minutes of football before we eventually faltered & the Roosters displayed their sheer brilliance again, which ultimately won them the premiership last year. Even though we got beat that particular day, & eliminated out of the finals, all the Knights faithful there & all those who were watching the telecast, were so very proud of the boys efforts (for the 60 minutes at least), especially without the maestro of Joey.
Despite our hard-fought win yesterday, when I reflect upon it, I think that was exactly what we needed. We needed to show that we had to play hard for the entire 80 minutes to secure a win, which is what is required if we were to beat the Roosters. Josh Perry impressed me considerably yesterday with his hard front-on defence. Sure, if Ben Kennedy & Timana Tahu are excluded from our team to play against the Roosters, we will be definitely weakened. I was looking at the most probable match-ups & it promises to be an absolute thriller. There was panic in the Roosters outfit yesterday, & they virtually just snuck home against the Raiders who lost their halves early due to injury/concussion. At one stage yesterday afternoon, it looked like we were down & out, but that was full credit to the Cowboys who played extremely well, & were unlucky that they didn't come up with the win in the end. However, the admiration & the determination of the Knights showed once again that 'never say die' attitude, which saw us stage a courageous fightback late in the second half.
The win yesterday has definitely lifted the momentum & confidence of our team. Determination & enthusiasm are just as vital as solid defence & good attack, to claim victory.
If you want something so desperately, you pour all your energy into making things become reality. You work together as a team, be counted, keep tackling, keep going forward. If every single player does their job, are committed in achieving a common goal, have belief in themselves, you can achieve virtually anything. It is how you as an individual perform, that adds to a team's success.
Most of the critics said after Joey's injury, that we would struggle to post a win in another game. We have managed 3 wins out of 4 games, & our only loss came at the hands of the Raiders, & we lost that particular game in the first 10 minutes of each half, & only by a mere 8 points.
Saturday night is our destiny, the people of the Hunter & the fans of the Knights are waiting, the passion is fuelling our flames, we have no extraordinary expectations, we are not intimidated by the Roosters & all that we ask for is a solid, 80 minute performance. We have nothing to lose, but everything to gain. The pressure & expectation is all on the Roosters. If pride & passion doesn't motivate or inspire you to greater heights, nothing will. This game is life or death, people can write us off, but with 17 players who will step out on the field come Saturday night through that ever-so familiar tunnel, will be greeted with as much of the Newcastle faithful that have stood by our team, during the good times & the bad.
You can never underestimate the pride the Newcastle jersey has, we take the underdog status with open hands, & appreciate it a lot. Our destiny is only days away, we have a team, & yes, we have every chance of winning.
My predictions for the qualifying finals:
Raiders vs Storm - I will stay faithful to them. This clash will attract one of their biggest crowds for a very long time. Provided that Brad Drew & Mark McLinden are playing, they should win. The homeground advantage is always an optimistic sign. Although, I think Brad Drew is out until the Semis due to a hamstring strain. The Raiders, despite getting defeated against the Roosters yesterday, remained competitive, to the very end, despite losing their halves early in the game. This promises to be a close game, the Storm have posted some good wins in the recent weeks, but at this stage, I'll stick with the Green Machine, even though they have not beaten the Storm in their 2 encounters during the premiership rounds.
Bulldogs vs Warriors - Despite the fact the Bulldogs didn't impress me in defeating the Sharks in the previous round, they should be too classy for a Warriors outfit. Stacey Jones re-injured his groin during the Warriors win over the weekend, & if he doesn't play, I cannot really see the Warriors posting a win.
Roosters vs Knights - Should be the match of the round (possibly second to the Raiders vs Storm encounter) if the line-ups are as what I expect (with the inclusions of Ben Kennedy & Timana Tahu). There has been good rivalry between the 2 clubs over the years, not to mention the fans. It's a tough one to pick, but at this stage, I'll stick with the Roosters. I'm glad we have to face the Roosters in the first week, as they are one of the teams I like our team to be compared against, as it will prove to be a huge test if we can manage to match it with the calibre of such a team as the Roosters. Brad Fitler is still not 100%. However, he played much better last round against the Raiders.
Panthers vs Broncos - I can't tip against the Panthers as they have impressed me so much throughout the season, & will not disappoint their fans come Sunday. I just cannot see the Broncos transforming their season (especially in the past 7 weeks) on Sunday. The Broncos recent form has been abysmal, & I rate form going into the playoffs as a prime consideration.
Despite our hard-fought win yesterday, when I reflect upon it, I think that was exactly what we needed. We needed to show that we had to play hard for the entire 80 minutes to secure a win, which is what is required if we were to beat the Roosters. Josh Perry impressed me considerably yesterday with his hard front-on defence. Sure, if Ben Kennedy & Timana Tahu are excluded from our team to play against the Roosters, we will be definitely weakened. I was looking at the most probable match-ups & it promises to be an absolute thriller. There was panic in the Roosters outfit yesterday, & they virtually just snuck home against the Raiders who lost their halves early due to injury/concussion. At one stage yesterday afternoon, it looked like we were down & out, but that was full credit to the Cowboys who played extremely well, & were unlucky that they didn't come up with the win in the end. However, the admiration & the determination of the Knights showed once again that 'never say die' attitude, which saw us stage a courageous fightback late in the second half.
The win yesterday has definitely lifted the momentum & confidence of our team. Determination & enthusiasm are just as vital as solid defence & good attack, to claim victory.
If you want something so desperately, you pour all your energy into making things become reality. You work together as a team, be counted, keep tackling, keep going forward. If every single player does their job, are committed in achieving a common goal, have belief in themselves, you can achieve virtually anything. It is how you as an individual perform, that adds to a team's success.
Most of the critics said after Joey's injury, that we would struggle to post a win in another game. We have managed 3 wins out of 4 games, & our only loss came at the hands of the Raiders, & we lost that particular game in the first 10 minutes of each half, & only by a mere 8 points.
Saturday night is our destiny, the people of the Hunter & the fans of the Knights are waiting, the passion is fuelling our flames, we have no extraordinary expectations, we are not intimidated by the Roosters & all that we ask for is a solid, 80 minute performance. We have nothing to lose, but everything to gain. The pressure & expectation is all on the Roosters. If pride & passion doesn't motivate or inspire you to greater heights, nothing will. This game is life or death, people can write us off, but with 17 players who will step out on the field come Saturday night through that ever-so familiar tunnel, will be greeted with as much of the Newcastle faithful that have stood by our team, during the good times & the bad.
You can never underestimate the pride the Newcastle jersey has, we take the underdog status with open hands, & appreciate it a lot. Our destiny is only days away, we have a team, & yes, we have every chance of winning.
My predictions for the qualifying finals:
Raiders vs Storm - I will stay faithful to them. This clash will attract one of their biggest crowds for a very long time. Provided that Brad Drew & Mark McLinden are playing, they should win. The homeground advantage is always an optimistic sign. Although, I think Brad Drew is out until the Semis due to a hamstring strain. The Raiders, despite getting defeated against the Roosters yesterday, remained competitive, to the very end, despite losing their halves early in the game. This promises to be a close game, the Storm have posted some good wins in the recent weeks, but at this stage, I'll stick with the Green Machine, even though they have not beaten the Storm in their 2 encounters during the premiership rounds.
Bulldogs vs Warriors - Despite the fact the Bulldogs didn't impress me in defeating the Sharks in the previous round, they should be too classy for a Warriors outfit. Stacey Jones re-injured his groin during the Warriors win over the weekend, & if he doesn't play, I cannot really see the Warriors posting a win.
Roosters vs Knights - Should be the match of the round (possibly second to the Raiders vs Storm encounter) if the line-ups are as what I expect (with the inclusions of Ben Kennedy & Timana Tahu). There has been good rivalry between the 2 clubs over the years, not to mention the fans. It's a tough one to pick, but at this stage, I'll stick with the Roosters. I'm glad we have to face the Roosters in the first week, as they are one of the teams I like our team to be compared against, as it will prove to be a huge test if we can manage to match it with the calibre of such a team as the Roosters. Brad Fitler is still not 100%. However, he played much better last round against the Raiders.
Panthers vs Broncos - I can't tip against the Panthers as they have impressed me so much throughout the season, & will not disappoint their fans come Sunday. I just cannot see the Broncos transforming their season (especially in the past 7 weeks) on Sunday. The Broncos recent form has been abysmal, & I rate form going into the playoffs as a prime consideration.
8)
I’m a New South Welshman, but I supported QLD, solely because I supported the Broncos. So I’ve done the ‘smart’ thing, and I decided to be loyal. Besides, I’ve never really liked Queenslanders, except for the Broncos. :lol: 
