Round 5 | Storm 34-22 Knights @ AAMI Park | Fri March 30 @ 7.30pm

[AceAv]

Yeah billy slater is "nothing special" Have you seen how many tries he has scored in this year alone?

I'd love to see NC topple Melbs, hopefully they do. But the money is on Melbs 100% sorry

 

[Rod]

He said their pack is nothing special.

 

[Haffa]

Yeah billy slater is "nothing special" Have you seen how many tries he has scored in this year alone?

Poor mans Milton Thaiday.

 

[Yosh]

Poor mans Milton Thaiday.

Lol

Thaiday had such great acceleration but terrible pace... Funny watching him through a gap but then chased down by props after around the 40 metre mark. Was too small as well.

 

[Joker's Wild]

Yeah billy slater is "nothing special" Have you seen how many tries he has scored in this year alone?

I'd love to see NC topple Melbs, hopefully they do. But the money is on Melbs 100% sorry

Slater plays in the forwards now

 

[Silent Knight]

Cronk signs on and all of a sudden they turn into Godzilla ready to trounce downtown Tokyo. What bulls###! if we are being honest after last week we have every chance to roll them. They are still grubs in the wrestle. I hope our boys take it to them and rough them up. Their pack is nothing special.

The Warriors pursued very effective tactics against the Storm in that preliminary last year and I think we should emulate them. The Warriors forwards moved up very quickly off the line and got in the face of the Storm pack all game. The Storm pack on repeat sets couldn't get past the 40 metre mark, they were completely dominated. When that happened there wasn't much the big 3 could do to win the game.

I'm not saying our pack is up to the standard of the Warriors. But our line speed with Bedsy leading the way last week continually frustrated the Dogs forwards. If we could do that to the Dogs pack (which I rate better than the Storm pack) we can do it again this week.

We also anticipated every attacking foray that Ben Barba would make up the middle of the ruck and we countered it for the most part. I'd bet my left nut that Wayne has got the fellas in the video room this week analysing Billy Slater's attacking plays. Of course Slater is in a completely different class to Ben Barba, so it will be more of a challenge this week to contain him.

 

[The Showstopper]

All good SK. It was a general observation based on some comments i deem to be over conservative. We can beat this mob. We have the bloke running the show who Bellamy has ripped off for a decade. Bellamy has used the wrestle as his main SIGNATURE coaching marker. Bellyache is a great coach but serious questions remain about his ethics when he defends clear ruck violations by getting verbally defensive claiming it is a conspiracy. No other team does chin straps and kneels on calves and achilles to slow the play the ball. It is utterly disgraceful tactics.

 

[Jobdog]

Cronk signs on and all of a sudden they turn into Godzilla ready to trounce downtown Tokyo. What bulls###! if we are being honest after last week we have every chance to roll them. They are still grubs in the wrestle. I hope our boys take it to them and rough them up. Their pack is nothing special.

Bingo.

It was always going to be a tough game but not for one second do I buy into this "Oh the Storm are going to belt the Knights by 40 because Cronk re-signed". A signature doesn't make a team superhuman ...

 

[Rolla]

If our pack can dominate theirs (which they probably should) we are a better shout for this one than people seem to think. our spine isn't too shabby either and of the 4 (yep we have four in ours while they only have three) only Boyd isnt playing at his peak. Our forwards are better, our backline is better, and if bedsy plays like last week again our spine isn't too far off theirs.

Storm deserve to be favourites but i still think we can get them. Last week the dogs were the team to beat in the comp and they didn't get close to us.

 

[perverse]

If our pack can dominate theirs (which they probably should) we are a better shout for this one than people seem to think. our spine isn't too shabby either and of the 4 (yep we have four in ours while they only have three) only Boyd isnt playing at his peak. Our forwards are better, our backline is better, and if bedsy plays like last week again our spine isn't too far off theirs.

Storm deserve to be favourites but i still think we can get them. Last week the dogs were the team to beat in the comp and they didn't get close to us.

they have 4, too. Widdop is a talent.

 

[Rod]

I think the Storm are too good to not bring their A-game tonight, whether Cronk had re-signed or not, so I don't think him re-signing will effect them too much, despite Mark 'Hyperbole' Geyer saying there would be a 40 point difference between the two scenarios.

I think the first 20 mins is the key. If we can compete with them for that period (and I like Kade and Richie combining for this reason) and let them know it isn't going to be a walkover, we can go forwards from there. If they score a couple of early tries they'll get into that mindset of thrashing us and we'll be lucky to go with them.

 

[The Showstopper]

I expect Darius to really have a big game tonight. Richie Fa'aaso played the best match of his career last week. If he can back it up we are every chance. He really did hunt the Bulldogs pack last week. I was so proud of how he hit Kasiano hard, bounced off him and then got up semi concussed and went in for more. Has been many years since we have seen commitment like that. No fear at all. And FFS, yes he is a queenslander.There is no justice for this state. He could well play origin this year if he plays at that level every week.

 

[Rolla]

they have 4, too. Widdop is a talent.

I thought i read he was injured or something.

 

[Yosh]

I think the Storm are too good to not bring their A-game tonight, whether Cronk had re-signed or not, so I don't think him re-signing will effect them too much, despite Mark 'Hyperbole' Geyer saying there would be a 40 point difference between the two scenarios.

I think the first 20 mins is the key. If we can compete with them for that period (and I like Kade and Richie combining for this reason) and let them know it isn't going to be a walkover, we can go forwards from there. If they score a couple of early tries they'll get into that mindset of thrashing us and we'll be lucky to go with them.

If anything the final 10 is key. Against two sides this year we kept them scoreless until the 78th minute but they snuck one in late on us. Against the Broncs we let like 14 points in during the final 10 or so minutes.

I have no doubt our boys can compete and will do is proud but i think the last 10 minutes of tonights game will really show how far we've come under WB.

 

[rabble]

Us by 7. Looking at the stats a couple of weeks ago, i think only 1 storm forward went 100 mtrs.

 

[perverse]

the Storms pack is absolutely excellent at mitigating the workload across the entire pack. you rarely see "standout" statistics from an individual. a true team effort in each and every one of their wins, punctuated by the freak talent of their spine.

 

[Tom155]

Tonights Side

Knights 13: Boyd, McManus, Sa'u, Tahu, Uate, Gidley, Mullen, Snowden, Buderus, Fa'aoso, Houston, Taia, McKinnon

Bench: Costigan, Edwards, Cuthbertson, Tetevano

 

[Burwood]

Will be very interested to see how they play/rest Buderus tonight. And I can't see him coming off willingly in a match up against Smith.

 

[Jobdog]

It's really important we stick with them for the first 20 minutes and take the crowd out of it. If we do something similar to what we did against the Dogs last week we're in with a big show.

 

[Burwood]

I wonder how the referees will police the ruck? I seem to remember a few times in the past where Melbourne have been in the papers for particular wrestling tactics, and the following week it is the team playing against Melbourne that get pinged for it. I think we'll see on several occasions tonight where Newcastle players throw their hands up in the air and look towards the referee appealing for penalties.