R6 | Sharks 22-6 Knights @ Remondis | Fri 7.35pm

[Noname36]

Destroyed in the forwards which made a crap spine look even crapper.

 

[K-Man]

Where do you even start? We won't make the finals. In fact I already have us 4-4 and from there, mentally, we'll probably just capitulate.

I cannot fathom how bad we are at building pressure. For mine Mullen is getting worse. I just do not see what everyone sees, and has seen for so many years. Yeah he's been important to us because we've been a rabble, but geez he's a mental midget. And inside the 30 there are few halves who offer less composure. So what does Mullen give us? Long kicking game specialist?

So many things went wrong tonight though. The forwards were destroyed. And on the rare chances we had to stay down their end our playmakers just put the same old pathetic, rushed kicks we always do.

I know we could pick apart the performance for hours, but there is one thing I notice we do a lot and that's take a poor option on tackle 5, which sets us up poorly for the last tackle play. We always seem to have no momentum, or it's Houston getting dominated, or Mullen caught with the ball, or we get to within a metre of the try line without actually threatening it then they rush up on us and we put in those awful kicks.

We never seem to be coming up at them and pressuring them on the last tackle. In fact it's reached the point where I don't even get excited or nervous, I just wait for us to totally destroy the play and watch the opposition turn defence into attack immediately.

And yeah, I was dead wrong about backing Stone. 4-2 is meaningless, we're playing like an 0-6 football team and if we can't take confidence from winning there's something very wrong.

 

[K-Man]

Two weeks in a row our opposition played all the football and had all the intent. The Sharks won it early before the rain came down with their offloads and aggressive running.

What is Stone doing? I've never seen a team win 4 in a row and have no confidence to do anything with the ball. We are clueless.

 

[Hello, I'm The Doctor]

Geez, its hard work being a Knights fan.....

 

[Mr_Knightside]

It's not a coincidence that our two losses so far this year have been in torrential rain. We're a pretty decent dry weather team, but we don't have the composure or tactical nouse to win in the wet at this point. I think there are a few people losing their cool a bit early. We have 18 regular season games left and are 4-2, granted our last two performances have been rubbish and have highlighted some obvious weaknesses in our team but I don't see us playing this way all year so how about we all relax a bit and look forward to the next game.

 

[Noname36]

It's not a coincidence that our two losses so far this year have been in torrential rain. We're a pretty decent dry weather team, but we don't have the composure or tactical nouse to win in the wet at this point. I think there are a few people losing their cool a bit early. We have 18 regular season games left and are 4-2, granted our last two performances have been rubbish and have highlighted some obvious weaknesses in our team but I don't see us playing this way all year so how about we all relax a bit and look forward to the next game.

We play well in the dry because we can play second phase off the back of some offloads. In the wet we don't have the class in key positions to have anything else to fall back on.

 

[Bring it home Knights]

As disappointed as I am, I do see the wet weather as a big factor towards our poor form. I completely agree with MK and noname. Give us a dry Sunday afternoon and I can see us scoring plenty of points. But in the wet, I have absolutely zero confidence in the team. Our first four weeks were solid because we got the ball to our outside backs early. In the wet, this is much more difficult.

 

[The Showstopper]

Good wet weather sides all have one thing in common. A quality dummy half. Clydesdale is not a player I rate. Randell needs the gig full time. That lad has a bit of mongrel in him. Like a young Ennis.

 

[Jobdog]

The most frustrating thing for me about last night is that it was a worse performance than the one we dished up last week.

I could cop losing last week because a) it was the Dragons and they never lose at Hunter and b) the conditions were terrible.

It's difficult to cop losing last night not only because of the fact we lost, but how we lost. It was like they learnt nothing from the six days previous.

 

[Rolla]

As disappointed as I am, I do see the wet weather as a big factor towards our poor form. I completely agree with MK and noname. Give us a dry Sunday afternoon and I can see us scoring plenty of points. But in the wet, I have absolutely zero confidence in the team. Our first four weeks were solid because we got the ball to our outside backs early. In the wet, this is much more difficult.

That's a good point, way too much over the top negativity floating around this place. Execution is what cost us in the end.

I mean if Gidley executes two decent passes in the second half we probably win. One for the Gagai no try and one out to Aku that was low and behind him. In the dry weather those two probably still catch them and score too even with the shit passes.

Add to that the Roberts break where we had three me breaking away and the ball just slips out.

So it wasn't a great game, but it isn't a stretch to say that our inability to execute in the wet cost us the points.

That said we are carrying too many guys that aren't adding enough. Housten has to go and Mamo starts at fullback for mine. He isn't perfect but neither are the two we are using now, and he has more up side.

 

[The Showstopper]

Same argument can be made for last week as well. Still doesn't excuse the fact the side has no ability to shift a gear to offset the offensive short comings. There is no ownership taken by the 9,7,6 or 1 jumpers. Good sides have the ability to create errors and jag points off a spilled ball, an aerial grab or desperation from a grubber. No one wants to risk an injury in this side by putting their body on the line. That is the mentality they have. Always next week.

 

[Whats Doing]

Our spine is the poorest in the league.

No spark or creativity from the hooker, no organisation or putting pressure on the opposition from our halves and no linking from our fullback.

 

[Yosh]

Robson isn't the best half by any measure of the imagination but he played with so much poise and did he job so well. He took the right option more often then not and was an actual plus to the team.

Why doesn't Roberts show and go anymore? That's his best move. Where did Mullen's long passing game go? Where did his long kicking game go? Why did they suddenly stop doing what they were best at?