Oh yea, that feels good!! Top of the table we go!! A great game all round really. So physical and both sides were really good, it was a big arm wrestle. We probably haven't been in a game like that with that level of toughness all year so it was a big test. And didn't we overcome that test?! We managed to get over the top of an incredibly strong Raiders side and hold them off, that's a big statement if you ask me. We weren't perfect by any means, especially with dicipline which was average but to win a big game like that is absolutely wonderful.
Attacking wise, we weren't bad. It wasn't the kind of game for flashy brilliance and slick looking set plays, it was the roll your sleeves up, get in and get tough kind of game. We did well. There was no drop in intensity all game and the boys just kept going and going especially the forwards who continued to roll up the field. We did pretty well coming out of our own end considering what Canberra were throwing at us in defence. The attack was a little clunky at times when it was time for a shift, we just looked a little frustrated and we weren't playing patient. In saying that, the two tries we did score were beautiful to watch, especially the match winner which was really slick. I'd also like to mention that our completion rate was pretty good too.
In terms of defence, I am pretty pleased. Canberra threw absolutely everything they had at us but the rugged Red and Green wall barely budged. I was stoked with the way the boys were able to dig in and hold them off when attacking our line as it showed real resiliance against a quality side. We were aggressive in defence all game.
Allan: Wasn't bad. Solid in fact. His first game at fullback and he did okay. Some confident kick returns and some slicing runs that threatened to be fatal for the opposition. He seemed pretty safe at the back but I must say, I thought he did get caught out of position a few times. Corey had two massive plays at the end of the game in defence too which saved the result and won us the game. Well done Corey.
Hiroti: Wasn't too bad in his first full game. Got involved a lot and the effort was all there. I must say though, he doesn't seem that powerful as in a lot of his runs, he seemed to get dominated by the defence which is often the case with younger guys. What a fantastic finish to score the match winner and his first NRL try, that was brilliant to watch.
Lowe: Handled himself well after stepping in for Turner. I thought he did his job, chiming in with some really nice runs coming out of our end and despite missing the odd tackle he did the job defensively.
Gagai: Gags was great tonight I thought, probably one of our best outside backs. He just did so much of the shit work coming out of our own end and he didn't stop all night! I also thought he did a pretty good job defensively to contain Croker, a good game fro Gags.
Graham: Was good. Cammy was heavily involved and took a lot of really solid hit ups throughout the game which was good to see. He contained Old field defensively and looked dangerous down that left edge.
Walker: Not his most explosive game of the year but he was still really good. Solid in defence, looked dangerous everytime he got the ball and he was creating opportunities for those around him all game. Cody had a hand in both of our tries (scoring one himslef) and in those plays, it was him at his absolute best, just electrifying. You go back and watch the work he actually did to set up Hiroti for his try, it was amazing. I'm not sure how he doesn't get picked for the Blues to be honest.
Reynolds: Was okay. Reyno was great in general play aspects as he was running the ball a fair bit or taking in right to the line to try and set up his outside men which was great to see. However, the reason I say he was just okay was because his kicking game was off tonight I thought. A lot of his kicks were straight to CNK which gave the Raiders a leg up through good field position and meant the momentum we were gathering wasn't so significant. reyno's short kicking game was a little off too. I'm sure he'll be better next week.
Tatola: Pretty good. Gee, he was an animal in that first stint, I lost count of how many runs he had. He was bending the line back on almost every run due to those big legs of his being able to generate a lot of post contact meters. His second stint was't as impressive but was still solid.
Cook: I think Cookie realised early on that this game didn't suit his normal fast paced, running style of play. Therefore, we saw another side of his game tonight, his footy smarts. He picked and chose the right times to run still but for most of the game, he was just controlling the ruck and getting the forwards on the front foot using his footy smarts. There was the odd nice kick here and there too. Busy in defence as always and laied on that brilliant play for Cody's try. I will say that I think he did overplay his hand a couple of times when attacking the line as there was space out wide but he tried to set up forwards for block plays. Some would say Cookie was kept quiet but I just think he went about this game in a different way which was very smart.
T.Burgess: Pretty good. Hard running and was involved quite heavily I thought. Unlike his brothers, he didn't lose his cool and just kept his head down to motor on. He did make a few misses in defence but it was an otherwise good performance.
Sutton: Pretty decent tonight, especially in the first half. Sutto looked a little hungrier tonight and it showed as early on, he seemed to be a lot more involved than normal. He ran with purpose all night and I liked his work. Was unlucky not to score off that kick.
S.Burgess: This is one of those rare games where Sam actually annoyed me. I hate to say that because he is such a great player but it's true that he simply lost his cool tonight. Canberra seemed to get under his skin and he certainly let it get the better of him. Sam gave away five penalties in the first half for frick sake, that's not good enough and could have cost us big time. Sam's running game and defence was great but I just feel that all the good stuff he did was over-shadowed by his inability to control his frustration. These days, that is a rare occurance for Sam so let's hope we don't see it again.
C.Murray: Brilliant tonight, one of our best I thought. he was the forward leader out there and was just in everything. The stats tell the story, 119 meters and 42 tackles all in just 68 minutes of game time. Enough said, a great game.
G.Burgess: A mixed night for George. He made a very poor error at a time when we were building pressiure in that first half and then followed it up with three very lazy penalties. I was pulling my hair out at him! It was not good enough. In saying that, I thought his running game was actually really good and he was barnstorming in this regard.
Nicholls: Not too much to say about Nicholls but he did his job quite well. Congrats on 50 NRL games!!
Britt: I liked Britty's work when he came on. Ran with some real intent and seemed to provide good impact. He even threatened to completely break the game open at times.
Knight: Was good once again. Made a big impact when he came on through his aggressive running. I'm really enjoying his impac this year.
Full credit has to go to the Raiders tonight, they were brilliant. Pushed us all the way and I think they'll be a top four side.
All in all, I'm happy. It wasn't the perfect game but to win in that fashion to go top of the table, you can't help but smile.
? #kyleforbluescentre
