#RiseForAlex R19 // Knights 8-22 Titans @ Hunter // Sun 2pm

[Burns]

Things looked bad after we failed to score in the opening five minutes following those two penalties and three sets on the line. Gave the Titans huge confidence, who then completely out-enthused us.

 

[Dave_]

Was pretty crap. Bennett just said he has no idea why the team plays the way it does. Then said something about you'd have to ask every player individually to find out what they were thinking but he's not going to do that.

He really does have to leave as soon as possible. Give Stone the chance to get something started going into next season.

I'm sure Wayne would have a very good idea why we're so crap but he won't say it in the presser. I just hope he tells someone what or WHO it is so we can get it sorted out.

 

[Chicken_Hunter]

I really don't think it's a Bennett thing. The knights culture is cancer. It's a piss head culture. Wayne's coaching days may be numbered but his people management ability is still the same, if he doesn't have any influence over our players then what coach will?

Wouldn't surprise me if guys like Mullen, gagai, gidley and mason were all on the piss last night

 

[Apey]

Yeah there's something fundamentally wrong behind closed doors. Bennett has hinted at it several times. He still deserves a fair share of the blame though.

 

[perverse]

Culture has been f**ked for eons, was hidden by Joey for a while. It's rotten at the core, and it terrifies me that Bennett couldn't turn it around. We need a coach that the players will respect and buy in to, which means it probably needs to be a local great... but we also need a coach who won't perpetuate the bullshit culture that we have... which rules out a local great.

We need another broom, unfortunately.

 

[Chicken_Hunter]

Unfortunately guys like Mullen and gidley were juniors in that culture and it's quite instilled in them and no doubt have passed it on.

 

[Zoidberg]

Well that certainly sucked.

Nothing else to say

 

[Swarzey]

Apparently, just from what I've been told by a few friends at Uni, ever since Mason moved in with Mullen he's been somewhat of a bad influence. Gets him on the piss more often than he use to, apparently split with his partner which I wouldn't be surprised if Mason had some sort of play. Doesn't seem to be focused on his footy at all. Wouldn't be surprised if Mason got into his ear after not being selected for Origin.

Such a shame really.

 

[Noname36]

Unfortunately guys like Mullen and gidley were juniors in that culture and it's quite instilled in them and no doubt have passed it on.

Yep, they were around the squad back in the Johns days too. My uncle used to work for the Newcastle police dept and he told me once that I'd be shocked the amount of stuff Knights players got up to during that era that was swept under the rug. I know the club has been trying in the past few years to change the culture but it's hard when it's so ingrained. Doesn't help that club legends that carried on that way are hailed as Gods by the fans. I mean I thought Brian Smith had cleaned it up a lot but we later found out we had blokes f**king trafficking drugs under his nose. I honestly don't know anyone we could bring in to change the culture. We need an overhaul and Stoney isn't our man. I wouldn't be against us going hard for Potter. He certainly managed to clean out the shit culture that Benji allegedly brought to the Tigers.

 

[aqua_duck]

Problem is the community will never be behind a full clean out, there's way too much of an emotional attachment to the players, and the media will use any excuse they can find to write negative articles about the club

 

[Misanthrope]

Can't believe I chose this day to finally leave my apartment and go to a pub to watch the game. Might as well have stayed in bed, since that's what most of the players did mentally.

 

[Jobdog]

I might be on my own here, but I'm not overly concerned that we lost today.

It was just great to see and hear the support for Alex. That's far more important than any game of football.

 

[aqua_duck]

Was a great day but there still needs to be some accountability for the performance.

 

[Knightmare]

I don't know what would appeal about this club to anybody who wasn't already a dedicated supporter. Sure, the way the team and the community banded together throughout this whole #riseforalex campaign has been fantastic, but let's not distract from the greater problems pervading this team that has been evident for all but a month or two at the end of last season. Whether it's inconsistency on the field or the "Our boys our town our team" insular attitude off it that pervades the club and fan base and resists necessary change- I can't think of anything that would appeal to neutrals about this team. Today was their day, they'd had weeks to get themselves ready to deliver a result today against a team who have been struggling and instead they completely let them off the hook. This was the game I was expecting against the Sharks last weekend- there may have been an excuse then (Bennett's departure announced during the week, away game on a cold winters' night) but to serve up the limp performance in front of a packed home crowd on an occasion like today, against a team with it's own internal problems- no excuses for that.

 

[Swarzey]

One thing, there was a massive f**king hit in the second half. Who pulled that beauty off?

 

[Spot On]

One thing, there was a massive f**king hit in the second half. Who pulled that beauty off?

Jeremy Smith on Morts. Didn't hurt the tough little bastard though.

 

[Nuffy]

I assumed that today the planets would align and we'd reach into the steaming pile of shit that is season 2014 and we'd pull out a diamond.

I really couldn't believe what I saw today, unbelievable.

The joint is broken and I just don't know whether it's salvageable.

 

[Nuffy]

Was a great day but there still needs to be some accountability for the performance.

Alex has been served one of life's great shit sandwiches and right now he needs as much positivity as possible, I wonder what he really thinks when he sees the team perform like that?

 

[Nuffy]

I've never been more ashamed to be a Knights fan than I am today. Completely bottled it in what essentially amounted to our Grand Final.

In light of the circumstances, that's probably the most important game the club has played in a decade and we offered up that.

It boggles the mind.

 

[Jobdog]

I assumed that today the planets would align and we'd reach into the steaming pile of shit that is season 2014 and we'd pull out a diamond.

I really couldn't believe what I saw today, unbelievable.

The joint is broken and I just don't know whether it's salvageable.

The thing that annoys me the most is the fact that the place has (and it seems always will) be in need of an overhaul.

How do we fix it when we keep on needing to fix it every year?