Team v Warriors

[roopy]

Unchanged - unless Cross is ready a week early.

Maddog always takes weeks longer than you expect for any injury - so i take his saying he's nearly ready to mean another 2 or 3 weeks.

 

[Johns Magic]

Unchanged - unless Cross is ready a week early.

Articles I've read have him returning in Round 4

 

[Spike]

The only changes I'd make would be for MacDougall and Cross if they are ready to come back from injury. In that case Lulia and Wicks would drop back to the NSW Cup.

 

[~knights~]

Articles I've read have him returning in Round 4

round 5

Cross sees side being more than half successful
By BRETT KEEBLE

INJURED enforcer Ben Cross has targeted a 60 per cent winning record as an achievable goal for the Knights this year and one that could mean a top-four finish.

The premiership-winning former Melbourne prop is busting to join his new teammates and hopes to do that when the Knights host Brisbane at EnergyAustralia Stadium on April 13.

"I was thinking for those first five rounds, if we can get at least three out of five, it will go a long way to setting it up for us to go really well," Cross said.

"That goes for the whole season. If you break the year up into five-week blocks and we can keep getting three out of five, we should be sitting pretty well in the comp."

Last year the Warriors finished fourth with 13 wins and a draw from 24 games a tick under a 60 per cent record. The Bulldogs and Bunnies were sixth and seventh with 50 per cent, and eighth-placed Brisbane had 11 wins and 13 losses.

Cross is well down the road to recovery from pre-season surgery to pin a fractured scaphoid bone in his right wrist but has ruled himself out of the away game against the Warriors tomorrow week.

"I've got to see the surgeon on the Friday before the Auckland game, so that's definitely out, but hopefully I'll be right for Brisbane," Cross said.



* Newcastle Central Knights assistant coach Jarrod O'Doherty must feel like a teenager whose parents have given him the keys to the family car for a couple of weeks.

The former Knights back-rower and 2000 NSW Country Player of the Year is in charge of the unbeaten NSW Cup team in Auckland this weekend because coach Rick Stone stayed behind to fulfil his duties as assistant to Brian Smith for last night's NRL game at Parramatta.

O'Doherty will again call the shots when the Central Knights play Manly at Brookvale next Sunday because Stone will be with the NRL squad in Auckland for the game against the Warriors.

The Central Knights left yesterday for today's NSW Cup game against Auckland Vulcans at Henham Park, Otahuhu the old stomping ground of Cooper Vuna and former Knight George Carmont.

Chris Bailey, Matt White and Aku Uate stayed behind on stand-by for last night's NRL game against the Eels. Bailey sustained a foot injury in the Central Knights' 40-18 victory over the Bulldogs last Saturday, but X-rays have cleared him of a fracture.

Newcastle's NSW Rugby League junior rep teams take on Parramatta at The Gardens today at 3pm (Harold Matthews) and 4.30pm (SG Ball). The Knights are unbeaten in under 16s (Matthews) and have lost just once in under 18s (Ball).

 

[Jobdog]

Unchanged hopefully.

 

[aqua_duck]

I think we're a good shot against the warriors, if we can stifle their go forward, we'll be in with a big shot. I think we've got a far superior 1,6,7,9 combination. Alot will depend on handling and defence, we definately can't afford to go in half hearted defensively against their big forwards. I'd like to see lots of kicks early in the tackle count into the corners, and attacking kicks targetting the enigmatic Manu Vatuvei and the inexperienced Aiden Kirk

 

[Spike]

I think Kirk is injured. They've been using Lance Hohaia back there.

 

[otori]

Yeah Kirk got injured in the round two game against the Eels but the same holds true for targetting an inexperienced fullback. Without McKinnon they'll have a bit of a suspect backline with Vatuvei already a liability under the high ball.

Hopefully Dureau will use that incredible bomb that even Luke Burt fumbled!

I'm not gonna list a team as the only changes I want to see are Matt White and either Bailey or Taufua come in for Ciraldo and Wicks.

 

[roopy]

The Warriors hate Bedsy.
He carves up against their less mobile big guys when they get a bit tired, and he looks to be hitting form at exactly the right time.

 

[League_God]

1.Gids
2.Aku
3.Wes
4.Sau or doogs
5.Vuna
6.Mullen
7.Scotty
8.Wicks (aggresion to match warriors)
9.Danny Buderus
10.Fa-aso (aggresion to match warriors)
11.Houston
12.Patto
13.Zeb


14.Bailey (will give the warriors tiring forwards hell with his mobility/ball skills)
15.Royal(will give them hell with his offloads)
16.Hilder(same as bailey)
17.Tolar(a goer)

 

[KniGhTs BaTTLeR]

double post

 

[KniGhTs BaTTLeR]

1.Gids
2.Aku
3.Wes
4.Sau or doogs
5.Vuna
6.Mullen
7.Scotty
8.Wicks (aggresion to match warriors)
9.Danny Buderus
10.Fa-aso (aggresion to match warriors)
11.Houston
12.Patto
13.Zeb


14.Bailey (will give the warriors tiring forwards hell with his mobility/ball skills)
15.Royal(will give them hell with his offloads)
16.Hilder(same as bailey)
17.Tolar(a goer)

Ciraldo did nothing wrong, he doesn't deserve to lose his spot. Him and Houston were a handful out wide.

 

[Pika]

Wicks and Faas will always be impact.

Wicks does not have the defence to handle fresh props and Faas would be far less effective against fresh props.

Is it just me, or do some people foget that Royal and Tolar do all the hard graft and wear down an opposition so when Wicks and Faas come on, the impact is at its best?

 

[KniGhTs BaTTLeR]

Wicks and Faas will always be impact.

Wicks does not have the defence to handle fresh props and Faas would be far less effective against fresh props.

Is it just me, or do some people foget that Royal and Tolar do all the hard graft and wear down an opposition so when Wicks and Faas come on, the impact is at its best?

I think alot of people know that it's just a select few who either watch the game extremely drunk or just don't understand footy properly.

 

[Johns Magic]

Is it just me, or do some people foget that Royal and Tolar do all the hard graft and wear down an opposition so when Wicks and Faas come on, the impact is at its best?

I bet Cross will do that but still be able to make good metres.

 

[keeney]

That's cos Cross si a stand out prop, its a hard job and I think Toalr adn Royal do an adequate job of it. I mean, for a pack as inexperienced as ours, our defence in the nmiddle has been our greatest asset.

 

[shane1970]

Ciraldo did nothing wrong, he doesn't deserve to lose his spot. Him and Houston were a handful out wide.

.
Done nothing wrong because he DIDN'T do that much. LEAST hit-ups of the forwards. LEAST metres made. LEAST amount of tackles by a forward. And not ONE tackle bust. For mine he should be dropped.

 

[Pika]

I bet Cross will do that but still be able to make good metres.

He will laso provide more impact in defence.

I am not suggesting Tolar or Royal are better than Cross, but they should be forwarded te respect they have earnt.

Our starting front row has been great this year. Fighting well above its weight.

 

[KniGhTs BaTTLeR]

.
Done nothing wrong because he DIDN'T do that much. LEAST hit-ups of the forwards. LEAST metres made. LEAST amount of tackles by a forward. And not ONE tackle bust. For mine he should be dropped.

He will be the first one dropped when we have our key forwards back from injury, but as for next week, I think he deserves his spot.

 

[BG]

.
Done nothing wrong because he DIDN'T do that much.

Can't say I'm convinced in Ciraldo either, but to be fair it was a terrific offload by him that almost netted us a try in the first set of the game. If the final pass hadn't gone forward I reckon we could have led the game from start to finish. He did look pretty strong on another hit-up and a couple of tackles, but yes overall involvement seemed average as the stats bear out. I remember seeing him in a game for the Sharks where he was next to useless, so I'm already noticing an improvement. Doubt he'll be a superstar but I wouldn't completely right him off just yet.