The Game

[Knights01]

Geez another 'so close yet so far' game... now don't get me wrong it is great seeing them give their all - which is fantastic compared to last season's efforts (from some players)... but it will soon frustrate the players if this trend continues...

Might be a little bias here - but geez I thought the boys were the slightly better team on the day. We gave them 2 'gifts' before halftime which hurt oh so much. However a credit to the new attitude - as they boys played hard right until the final whistle. I thought Bederus, Gidley, Duerau were all sensational. I was impressed with Bailey's first outing for '08 as well - surely have to find a slot for him somewhere in next week's team!!!

Now I am expecting them to make the Top 8 - however I don't see why they can't - however the road doesn't get any easier with the Roosters, Titans and Storm in the next 3 games.

I am sure if the boys keep their heads high and that intensity up they will be ok!!

 

[jimmyo]

Knights are so close to being a good team they are frustrating to watch - lost the game this time due to bad goal kicking (Naiqama is a good kicker give him a go) and poor reffing. Chris Bailey has to be the permanent 5/8th surely - give him more ball, he just constantly worries defences every time he plays.

 

[perverse]

Knights are so close to being a good team they are frustrating to watch - lost the game this time due to bad goal kicking (Naiqama is a good kicker give him a go) and poor reffing. Chris Bailey has to be the permanent 5/8th surely - give him more ball, he just constantly worries defences every time he plays.

bailey will not oust mullen at 5/8th, but he definitely needs to be playing first grade. what a waste to have him playing in reserves.

 

[antonius]

We should never have let Ennis go, I always rated the guy. Lulia is sh*t, and how does Ciraldo get into the side he's crap as well, Bailey is streets ahead of him, and surely has to get the nod next week at his expense if Mullo is fit. Sorry to all the Wicks fans out there put he goes nowhere with the ball, and has trouble moving sideways more that 10mm to make a tackle (the bloke is too slow, and to fat) Kidley was outstanding all game. as was Danny. I thought Pato and Bailey were good for us as well. Kids needs to get some goal kicking tips or hand the job over to Wes, and yes Dureau is a fair goalkicker as well. We were right in the game until the 5 mins before halftime, and then the turn around from what should have been a penalty, to Hodges scoring in the next play.

 

[Super Sub]

We were the better team for about 75 minutes of the game today, that 5 minutes before half time where we gave away a few penalties and they scored those soft tries really did kill us off.

I think that the team just has to learn to get ahead, that's 4 games in a row now where we have been chasing points late in the game, we got away with it against manly but Parra stung us, the warriors were just too good and the broncos were pretty much handed the game by half time.

I think once the boys learn how to build a lead early in the game we will win a lot more than we lose. But letting other teams fly out of the blocks like that is really killing us.

Pretty much what everyone else said, Bedsy and Kurt were so so so good! Bedsy is going to be a huge loss for us next year, and yes if we could get Ennis to come back that would make a good long term replacement.

Bailey was oozing class today, he looked like breaking the line on several occasions and his passing game IMO is up there with the likes of Dureau and Mullen.

This game really gave me a fair bit of confidence in the team's ability though, if we can fire up and beat the roosters next week I think we will be well set to beat the titans. But yeah there will need to be a change or two in the backline, depending on who is still unjured of course. Lulia should be dropped at least for a few weeks to find his confidence and maybe we could bring mad pup in for a shot at the centres. Anyway I hope Dureau is fit next week because we really need his kicking game to be a chance against the better teams.

 

[Coopah_Knights]

1. do you think gidley's very high work rate could affect his goal kicking?
2. also chris bailey can kick he did last year for premier league.
3. im sick of vuna runnign across the line David Peachey style!

 

[Nuffy]

First point, I am sick of ex Newcastle players coming back to EAS and carving us up, Ennis killed us today.

Second, the Luilia / Vuna side was a liability all day, Keith seems unable to catch under pressure. They really squandered some chances and in the 2nd half the Luilia drop / Hodges try killed the game.

Third, ruck defence was so lazy in the first half, we got busted at will and that was the difference in the end.

We had a good dig in the 2nd half but errors continue to cost us big time.

At some point our luck should change, we aren't having a whole lot of it at the moment.

Finally, Kidley and Bedsy are worth twice what we are paying them, incredible efforts.

 

[Jobdog]

I'll have my two cents worth.

Firstly, apologies if what I'm about to say has been said, I just CBF reading it all

1 - Kidley just gets better and better every week. Its amazing the difference two years can make where I was leading the chorus of "piss off to Parra with Hagan Kurt" group. Thank christ that didn't happen. Every week he puts in and keeps trying, he just needs some others to go with him.

2 - Bedsy was outstanding today, I thought that Kurt might have shadowed him for MOTM at the ground, but then again thats only my opinion. Was quite unusual that our ruck defence was just about non-existant, over the first four rounds, its been pretty good.

3 - Vuna - can he please be given the next couple of weeks in NSW Cup so he learns how to catch a ball? Mind you, on the flip side of that, half our side should be back in the NSW Cup learning the basics of catching a football - its not that hard...

4 - On the team as a whole, it could have gotten very ugly at 26-8 at halftime, but we kept on fighting til the end and that is a very encouraging sign. We just need to get rid of these stupid schoolboy errors such as penalties, simple one on one missed tackles (see Ben Cross and Zeb Taia's "attempts" today that led directly to two tries) and dropping simple passes and we'll make the eight no worries at all.

 

[Hanscholo]

My 2c...

Firstly, a wonderful game plan. If anyone had any doubts as to our coach then today should have dispelled them. That was the first game in years i can recall seeing anyone get outside the Broncos, and they did it time and again.

For mine we were the better side for much of that game, we squandered chances and let in far too many easy tries.

Our defence behind the ruck was targetted and full marks to Bennett. He has noticed we get 4 into tackles and that leaves space in behind the ruck a lot of the time. In saying all that, i cant excuse those missed tackles, that was totally inept and lazy defending.

Another issue that should be put to bed is Gidley in the halves. He played first receiver on many occassions and looked right at home there. I dont see any reason why he shouldnt be considered there in the future and on his display today he may have earned himself a blues no 7 jersey.

The good:

Chris Bailey showed me that he has a future in this game as a 6, his ball playing at times was very much johns like. His ball to put Lulia away was like watching a tape of Andrew. Kurt Gidley as a first receiver, he had a blinder there. Tolar had a good game, tried his backside off. Houston and Ciraldo both looked like damaging ball players to me today. Taia was good for the most part. Our defence, as bad as it was in patches for the most part was good. Cross went well for his first run. Wes Naiqama played well in both positions. Lulia's defence on Hodges was a highlight for me. Patterson on fringe running. Buderus once he started running was great, he needs to do more of that.

The bad:

Shocking defence behind the play the ball, just terrible lazy work too many times there. Fa'aoso and Wicks failed to make any impact. We lacked patience at times, not just throwing wild passes but poor kick options on the 5th that didnt take advantage of our field position. Poor handling from our backs. Poor handling from Lulia. The impetuousness of Patterson. A lack of conviction with our kicking game, bombing brisbane from mid field is pathetic. Our inability to stop brisbane taking dummy half runs on a fast play the ball.

All in all i took more out of that than i was disappointed with. On balance the side is still improving and today showed that they have both the attack and defence to go places in this comp if its applied with consistency and patience. Its a shame to see 2 points go wasted when i think we should have won that game, and by some margin.

Last thing...We need a goal kicker.

 

[Jobdog]

Another issue that should be put to bed is Gidley in the halves. He played first receiver on many occassions and looked right at home there. I dont see any reason why he shouldnt be considered there in the future and on his display today he may have earned himself a blues no 7 jersey.

Wait a minute. Please tell me you didn't just say that :crazy:

 

[TooheysNew]

Another issue that should be put to bed is Gidley in the halves. He played first receiver on many occassions and looked right at home there. I dont see any reason why he shouldnt be considered there in the future and on his display today he may have earned himself a blues no 7 jersey.

LOL. Tell us another one.

He looked good because of the roll on we got (and it wasn't set up by him), and the fact that he took every touch after Scotty went off.

 

[Hanscholo]

I did...And with Dureau out you can bet he will be our 7 next week. If he keeps his form he is a shoe in, the rest are either too young or not up to it.

Im not sure if you were watching GIdley was playing half back in attack for the entire game.It has nothing to do with Dureau going off. He is full back in defence and half in attack.

As for his selection for NSW, Its something Gould alluded to on the Sunday Roast. I may be wrong, im not saying he'll get it but im saying he will come right into calculations the closer we get to the game.

 

[KniGhTs BaTTLeR]

I haven't heard a whisper of a complaint about Kids goal-kicking from when he took over until he has ONE BLOODY BAD DAY IN sh*tTY CONDITIONS. Fair Dinkum, leave him there.

I am so pissed off.

1. Brisbane are cheating scumbags. One for taking Wes out and 2 Hodges tried to trip Patto over when he scored his first try, it's just dead-set pathetic.

2. There were about ten thousand forward passes particularly from Ennis and a couple leading to tries.

3. Our defence was sh*thouse

4. We have the worst execution behind Souths, we should have been ahead by alot more than 8-6 in those first 20 mins. Lulia killed us out there, piss him off.

5. Cross should have been on the bench his unfit.

6. Bedsy :thumb. Absolutely outstanding.

We should have won that. Now we have the hardest draw. Roosters Titans Storm. Although we do have 2 byes in round 7 and 11 so hoefully we can beat the Tigers and Warriors in between that 2nd bye and get a wriggle on from there.

 

[Pika]

Our ball handling was terrible.

As for the middle, I have been saying all year how good Royal and Tolar have been in defence. There were two clean breaks up the middle in the first half. First miss was by Faas and Cross, second by Cross and Wicks.

How do we win? We need our meter men. This is a case of we should be able to have our cake and eat it too.

We reduced our ruck penalties this week, which was a major goal for the week, well done to the boys. Shame we leaked a mountain of points in doing so.

We will need to get the balance right this week to beat the Roosters.

 

[antonius]

My 2c...


Another issue that should be put to bed is Gidley in the halves. He played first receiver on many occassions and looked right at home there. I dont see any reason why he shouldnt be considered there in the future and on his display today he may have earned himself a blues no 7 jersey.

The good:

Houston and Ciraldo both looked like damaging ball players to me today. Taia was good for the most part. Our defence, as bad as it was in patches for the most part was good. Cross went well for his first run. Wes Naiqama played well in both positions. Lulia's defence on Hodges was a highlight for me. Patterson on fringe running. Buderus once he started running was great, he needs to do more of that.

Kidley looked good in the halves because there was no pressure on him, start him there and it's a different story, he simply can't lead the team around the park, and I repeat his general kicking game isn't up to it.
I can't see what you see in Ciraldo, his defense is suspect, and for the most part I hardly notice him out there, Houston is streets ahead of him, if Mullo is back next week I'd replace Ciraldo with Bailey.

 

[keeney]

Ciraldo, Lulia and Vuna all need to be pissed off to reserve Grade.

 

[macavity]

Ciraldo, Lulia and Vuna all need to be pissed off to reserve Grade.

agreed

if we want a defensive player who can hit hard and take some runs

look no further than Mark Taufua

if we want a good ball-playing centre

Bailey is your man

and if we want some points on the wing

Aku it is.

 

[roopy]

The backrow in the NSW cup game was Ciraldo, Willie Tupou and Mark Tuafua and i think Tupou was the best closely followed by Tuafua with Ciraldo a fair way behind them.

Tupou has had his first decent injury free run at the club and he is starting to look the goods. If he keeps improving at the same rate for the rest of the season he will look like his brother.

 

[Frederick]

So, wait, did Ciraldo actually play both NSW cup and FG?

 

[Jobdog]

No, they just said he did