Round 6 | Knights 14-6 Eels @ Hunter Stadium | Easter Sunday @ 3pm

[The Showstopper]

Focus was clearly on defence this week. Points coming on the back of great defence. Wayne is teaching them patience to get the result first and worru about the flashy stuff second. A real learning curve for a team used to lateral rather than direct play.

 

[Rolla]

It is good to win the shit games. Cos if you lose them there isn't much good to say.

Our defence was very solid (i know they didn't offer too much in attack).

Too many errors, ccuthbo wasn't the only one. I also noticed taia and Cuthbo with the arms free a few times and nobody in sight (is there a worse team in the come at trailing for an offload?). I think tahu was annoyed he walked the parra guys ten metres with his arms free before anyone came near him in the second half.

Mullen was brilliant in defence, and his long kicking game could be the best in the nrl.

Tyrone was solid. Took pressure off mullen, looked dangerous running the ball, defended well. I think all his kicks found a parra player on the full, but his goal kicking was good.

 

[K-Man]

I saw some great things.

Taia is back - outstanding game. Footwork, ball playing and defense was all Taia2009 god mode. Tahu was excellent - great defence and made a heap of metres. Mullen and McManus continue in career best form. Sau - he can pass and did it well. That what we've been looking for. Cuthbertson was strong and showed what he can do with the ball in hand. Buderus continues to give us the leadership we've so sorely missed. Uate upping his involvement. Snowden and House producing their high quality workload.

Only really negative thing i could say is that we are carrying Edwards - he is so ordinary, just nothing doing at the moment.

Scoreboard wasn't flashy but i thought we cruised through that game without ever needing to get out of 1st gear.

I think cruising through a game like that and putting yourself at the mercy of one freak chip n chase or bad videos refs call in the final minute is a dangerous game to play.

Yes we cruised, but only because they were somehow even more awful than us. If we are going to shelve our former attack-minded outlook to a game I would at least like to see us employ some famed Wayne Bennett discipline.

That effort was neither positive but risky, nor safe and solid. It was just crap with zero intensity and a total lack of respect for the opposition.

If we brought the game we took to the Storm into today we would have added 40 to our for and against no problems.

2 points is 2 points, but I continue to be underwhelmed by our intensity and discipline (the things I expected to be obvious with Bennett's arrival, even if the polish took time).

 

[RABK]

We didn't need to play excellent, we are still a work in progress and were always committed enough to never give the Eels a sniff. Defence was good whenever it needed to be.

You're been Nuffy mark 2 with all these negative exaggerations of how bad we were.

 

[K-Man]

We didn't need to play excellent, we are still a work in progress and were always committed enough to never give the Eels a sniff. Defence was good whenever it needed to be.

You're been Nuffy mark 2 with all these negative exaggerations of how bad we were.

Defence was good. Ability to brush aside poor moments and not lose our mettle was also good.

I'm certainly not expecting sweeping backline movements every set or Storm-like composure, but I would like to see an ability to assess the situation and realise that the only thing we have to do win a game like this is not throw a forward pass, try a miracle off-load, chip for yourself with 2 minutes to play etc.

I'm happy with a 3-3 start to the season, and we've had a tough draw too, but small discipline issues and attention to detail is I guess what I'm most looking for Bennett to have influenced. At this stage I don't see that we have really addressed those little one per centers that have always been a problem for us.

I actually thought we were fantastic last week on the losing side, so I was disappointed with that we let the Eels bring us down to their level. Not all doom and gloom, just areas I expected to be better by round 6.

 

[jonno_knights]

Funny you mention last week. Our online defence was very poor last week, whereas this week we looked a more cohesive unit defending our own line. I guess you can put that down to the structure of attack of the two opposition teams though. Melbourne really know how to work sets of six to isolate defenders and open gaps, whereas the Eels looked lost most of the time, with next to no direction.

 

[shane1970]

We SUCK!

 

[Joker's Wild]

Scrappy and disinterested. Playing to the opposition? I certainly hope so

Mullen making Moi Moi his bitch was the only highlight

 

[Spot On]

One of the worst games of footy I have seen in a long time. Don't know about this building to something better or a work in progress line of thought. There are some blokes playing in that 17 who are far from first grade standard.

I'd like to think the defence was good but don't kid yourself about the opposition attack - there wasn't any. None. That said we managaed two tries - a fantastic piece of work by Sau and a forward pass from Sau in the second half. We have little as well.

Mullo must be congratulated again. That was the type of game you would expect him to stand up in when everyone else is doing everything they can to f**k it up with error, after error, after error. He too would have had a shocker in the past, tried to push everything that wasn't on and simply gone to pieces. Not this 2012 version though - he was simply magnificent and played like a bloke who has a shit load of first grade experience but now with the skill, composure and brains to match. Just brilliant to watch.He can only get better and better.

The rest, well, the pack sucks balls basically. I tip me hat to Timana, Jimmy and Junior today. Roberts did enough for his first run. Hopefully he gets the 7 and Wayne utilises Kurt's strengths. Bench utility specialising in relieving Buderus.

 

[Noname36]

Mullen making Moi Moi his bitch was the only highlight

Yep. This and Sau actually PASSING the ball, not for one but TWO tries were really the only positives I could take away.

 

[The Red Afro]

What a shit game. We have this uncanny knack for playing crap against crap sides.

The lone positive has got to be we didnt capitulate like we usually would in previous years.

And of course Sa'u passing the ball twice. Hopefully its not another 5 game wait :sarcasm:


Lots of credit to our halves. Another strong performance from Mullo and well deserving of the motm award. Here's a thought, Gids to fullback and Boyd to centre? He's like the anti-Sau - never running and always passing.

 

[IanG]

And Aku Uate scoring the first try. *Kaching* *Kaching* thank you very much!

 

[The Showstopper]

Mullen is giving Sticky plenty to ponder. His defence is some of the best I have ever seen from a half. If Pearce is more deserving then clearly I am a poor marker. Mullen is looking more origin by the week.

 

[Rolla]

I tip me hat to Timana, Jimmy and Junior today.

His yardage was good again, but tough leaving aku out in your backline praising when he was our best winger. Did a heap of work (looked like he took every tough hitup at a set opposition), more jamming tackles than Jimmy and two tries. I know the tries were easy but Mcmanus did drop an easier one cold that would of killed the game (one of his only errors this year).

Jimmy was good tonight but that error was horrible and Aku was comfortably better imo. I think we expect so much of Aku we stop recognising his 'good' games.

 

[Nuffy]

Ugly game all round.

Happy to win, thats the main thing however we looked flat as a tack which surprised me after last weeks energy.

We defended well and won a game which we'd have lost in the past but our attack is looking worse not better after each outing.

Mullen was the best by far and his tackling of Moi Moi was a highlight. Jimmy and Tahu are a very solid combination. I thought that Roberts went well.

Nice to see Uate cross the stripe and I was gobsmacked at Sau's pass for the first try, where did it come from? He reverted to type when he failed to position Uate not long after.

Parra were awful full stop.

Final point I think Edwards needs a few weeks off subject to injury within the squad because he is looking ordinary and adds nothing right now.


PS, the most energy I saw today at the ground was one A Johns bolting through the carpark to get a headstart on the traffic.

 

[Rolla]

Mullen is giving Sticky plenty to ponder. His defence is some of the best I have ever seen from a half. If Pearce is more deserving then clearly I am a poor marker. Mullen is looking more origin by the week.

Is it a problem that Carney and Mullen are both a lot more effective at 5/8 than half?

Jarrod was great tonight, he stood up when he would normally contribute to the collapse.

 

[Rolla]

Final point I think Edwards needs a few weeks off subject to injury within the squad because he is looking ordinary and adds nothing right now.

To be honest i am shocked he is still there. It looks like a matter of time.

 

[Nuffy]

To be honest i am shocked he is still there. It looks like a matter of time.

I'm more surprised at his declining performance, he looked like a bloke that would be in the backrow for 10 years, now hes lucky to be holding his place.

I understand that he's been offered a contract and is sitting on it. Gutsy move.

 

[Rolla]

Maybe it is playing on his mind.

I'm not sure that his performances are too different to last year. The big hits aren't there though and perhaps they were taking the focus away from the fact that he doesn't have a lot to offer. I haven't given up hope but he needs to improve his game in quite a few areas.

 

[Matt23]

Watching that game was like being stabbed in the eye with a sharp stick.