thuganomics
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A great performance last week has the Knights looking as near certainties to make the finals in 2006. The boys defended out of their skin at times against the Sharks and if we can defend like that for the rest of the season we will be very hard to beat. This is the way I saw how the team went last week against the Sharks.
Milton Thaiday: Still working his way back into first grade. Was getting more involved and looks like he is getting more confident, and I would expect him to explode in the next fortnight. 5/10
Brian Carney: Another solid performance. Has really played out of his skin in the past 2 months or so and looks like he wants to leave Newcastle with a bang. 6/10
Matthew Gidley: His defence was excellent down that right hand side. Made some good runs and looked dangerous with the ball in his hands. 6.5/10
George Carmont: One of Georges best games of the season. Was decent in defence and made a few solid runs. 6.5/10
Anthony Quinn: Wasn't as heavily involved as some of the other backs but didn't make any crucial errors to my recollection. 5/10
Jarrod Mullen: Was looking very good while on the field. His kicking game looked on song and he even made a try saving tackle on Albert in bizarre circumstances. 4/10
Andrew Johns: Was one of his best games in a long time. His kicking game was clicking and chose when to take the line on superbly. If he starts firing now we will be very hard to beat come Semi-Final time. 8.5/10
Adam Woolnough: Has impressed me in the past 2 weeks when he has started the game. Always makes great runs and very good in defence. 6.5/10
Danny Buderus: Much like Johns, was one of his best matches in a while. The brightest thing I saw from Danny was his kicking though. He put in some good long kicks and more of that would really come in handy come the business end of the season. 8/10
Josh Perry: Our best front rower of the night. If Josh can get his discipline under control and keep making those big runs and smashing the opponents forward he will be a force to be reckoned with in the near future. 7/10
Steve Simpson: Was again very good. A classic Steve Simpson game where he just does his job and does it with full 100% commitment. 7/10
Clint Newton: Was good with out being great. Still waiting for Clint to have one of those great games he was producing last season. Hopefully its not that far around the corner. 6/10
Kirk Reynoldson: What do you say about this guy? Just a fantastic effort with plenty of meters made and 50+ tackles. Thats the bloke that we wanted when we bought him in 2004. 8.5/10
Craig Smith: I thought he was very good. 14 hit ups for 106m and 22 tackles. Will need to work his way back into the starting side with Wooly playing so well. 6/10
Reegan Tanner: Did a few great tackles but still didn't give us that impact we need. Shouldn't be in first grade. 4.5/10
Luke Davico: Made an average of 8m per run. Need to see more of him though. 5.5/10
Todd Lowrie: One of Todds better games of the season. Good runs and some good hits. 6.5/10
Teams for Round 22
Bluetongue Central Coast Stadium, 3pm
Shaun Foley
Amos Roberts
Ryan Cross
Iosia Soliola
Sam Perrett
Brett Finch
Josh Lewis
Shane Shackleton
Craig Wing
David Shillington
Anthony Tupou
Craig Fitzgibbon (c)
Ashley Harrison
Interchange:
Chris Flannery
John Doyle
Setaimata Sa
Mickey Paea
Milton Thaiday
Brian Carney
Matthew Gidley
George Carmont
Anthony Quinn
Jarrod Mullen
Andrew Johns (c)
Craig Smith
Danny Buderus
Josh Perry
Steve Simpson
Clint Newton
Reegan Tanner
Interchange:
Luke Davico
Adam Woolnough
Todd Lowrie
Kirk Reynoldson
Daniel Abraham
(one to be omitted)
Referee - Tony Archer
An important game to say the very least. A game where we should win, will be interesting to see if the boys come with the attitude of showing up for the victory or working for the victory. The Roosters have a major winning streak on us winning their last 8 contests between us. A major point that the results don't tell us that in 6 of those losses we didn't have Joey Johns. This Sunday will be our best chance to break the hoodoo with the Roosters still under strength and still have not won back to back games in season 2006. The Roosters played a excellent second half last week against the Cowboys and if they play with that attitude this week we could find ourselves in alot of trouble. I'm going on the line here and saying that if we do not win this game we will not win the 2006 NRL Telstra premiership.
Results between the 2 teams since 2002
Round 5 [12 Apr 02] W 28-12 v Roosters (A)
Semi-Final [22 Sep 02] L 12-38 v Roosters
Round 2 [21 Mar 03] L 10-14 v Roosters (H)
Round 10 [18 May 03] L 14-36 v Roosters (A)
Qualifying Finals [13 Sep 03] L 8-36 v Roosters (A)
Round 6 [18 Apr 04] L 22-32 v Roosters (H)
Round 15 [18 Jun 04] L 4-48 v Roosters (A)
Round 9 [08 May 05] L 2-32 v Roosters (A)
Round 17 [02 Jul 05] L 14-28 v Roosters (H)
Tupou has been in blinding form for the Roosters and is a possible bolter for the Australian Tri-nations squad at the end of the season. His running game is fantastic and always has an offload on him and with guys like Amos Roberts and Craig Wing in the team, his offloads become more of a danger.
Tupou's stats in Round 21 against Cowboys:
10 Hit up's
109m
1 Line Break
18 Tackles
5 Offloads
Steve Simpson on the other hand has been fantastic all season for the red and blue. A certainty for the Australian squad at the end of the season and is making a name as one of the best back rowers in the world at the moment. His combintation with Johns is priceless to the Knights and I expect him to run non-stop at Brett Finch or Josh Lewis.
Simpson's stats in Round 21 against Sharks:
7 Hit up's
52m
0 Line Breaks
33 Tackles
0 Offloads
Two of the best hookers in the world going head to head here. Craig Wing's form as of late (much like the Roosters) has gone down hill and he seems to be playing without confidence and without passion. We all know how deadly he can be though. Wing has great acceleration out of dummy half and can catch lazy forwards out of position. He has a great passing and his kicking game from dummy half is one of his biggest attributes. His rival over the past few years in Danny Buderus played one of his best matches all season last week against the Sharks at Toyota Park. He ran well, defended well and what impressed me most was that he took the initiative to put in a few decent kicks. If there was ever a game that Craig Wing was going to be up for and have a blinder, it will be this game against the Knights and against the best hooker in the world. With hookers like Cameron Smith, Luke Priddis and Robbie Farah breathing down Craig Wing's neck for the second choice hooker position in the Tri-nations squad at the end of the season, Im expecting Craig Wing to have a big game and possibly a match winning performance.
Two of the best centers going around at the moment going head to head here. Both are playing their last season in the NRL and both are in great form for their respective clubs. Cross who is bound for Rugby Union in 2007 has been consistently solid for the Roosters so far this year. Cross has some great speed and has the ability to open up something for his wing man when there is nothing on. Cross is always solid in defence and will be a danger man for the Knights come Sunday. Matthew Gidley who is bound for the UK in 2006 has been going great guns for the Knights in 2006. Has played in just about every match this season and is looking to leave the Knights with a premiership. Gidley has formed a good combination with Irish winger Brian Carney down the right hand side, but the good thing for Knights fans is that I don't think that its anywhere near as good as it can be. Come finals time I expect the combination to be in full swing and it will be a huge weapon for the Newcastle side.
Eels vs Dragons
A Friday night thriller in the making. The Eels are on a huge role and it will take a lot for the Dragons to stop that momentum. The Eels here for me in a close game. Possible Golden point.
Eels by 4
Storm vs Tigers
The Tigers are coming of a great victory but I don't think that they will be able to come down to Melbourne and beat the Storm. The Storm to win here but the Tigers to give them a fright.
Storm by 4
Warriors vs Sharks
A tough game to pick. Depends on what attitude the Warriors show up with. With no Wiki it makes them less intimidating but the home ground advantage makes me think that they will win this game.
Warriors by 8
Cowboys vs Bulldogs
Must win game for the Cowboys. The Dogs coming of the bye might be vunerable but with the squad that they have they should win this and win this comfortably.
Dogs by 20
Raiders vs Broncos
The toughest match to tip of the round. The Raiders were awsome one week and dreadful the next, while the Broncos look like they are on the slide again this year. In this case I normally tip the home side.
Raiders by 4
Souths vs Penrith
Souths have been playing some good football this year but I don't know if they will be able to beat the Panthers who are playing some great footy. Can't see Penrith losing this game.
Penrith by 24
Roosters vs Knights
The Knights must win this game to be true contenders for the title. The hoodoo I think will be broken and I think the boys are up for another big game this week. This will be a close match and lets just hope the boys show up with the same effort as they did last week and more.
Knights by 6
Thats Thuga's Thoughts for this week. Hope you enjoyed the read guys and I am welcome to any feeback.
Go The Knights!
Cheers,
Thuga
Milton Thaiday: Still working his way back into first grade. Was getting more involved and looks like he is getting more confident, and I would expect him to explode in the next fortnight. 5/10
Brian Carney: Another solid performance. Has really played out of his skin in the past 2 months or so and looks like he wants to leave Newcastle with a bang. 6/10
Matthew Gidley: His defence was excellent down that right hand side. Made some good runs and looked dangerous with the ball in his hands. 6.5/10
George Carmont: One of Georges best games of the season. Was decent in defence and made a few solid runs. 6.5/10
Anthony Quinn: Wasn't as heavily involved as some of the other backs but didn't make any crucial errors to my recollection. 5/10
Jarrod Mullen: Was looking very good while on the field. His kicking game looked on song and he even made a try saving tackle on Albert in bizarre circumstances. 4/10
Andrew Johns: Was one of his best games in a long time. His kicking game was clicking and chose when to take the line on superbly. If he starts firing now we will be very hard to beat come Semi-Final time. 8.5/10
Adam Woolnough: Has impressed me in the past 2 weeks when he has started the game. Always makes great runs and very good in defence. 6.5/10
Danny Buderus: Much like Johns, was one of his best matches in a while. The brightest thing I saw from Danny was his kicking though. He put in some good long kicks and more of that would really come in handy come the business end of the season. 8/10
Josh Perry: Our best front rower of the night. If Josh can get his discipline under control and keep making those big runs and smashing the opponents forward he will be a force to be reckoned with in the near future. 7/10
Steve Simpson: Was again very good. A classic Steve Simpson game where he just does his job and does it with full 100% commitment. 7/10
Clint Newton: Was good with out being great. Still waiting for Clint to have one of those great games he was producing last season. Hopefully its not that far around the corner. 6/10
Kirk Reynoldson: What do you say about this guy? Just a fantastic effort with plenty of meters made and 50+ tackles. Thats the bloke that we wanted when we bought him in 2004. 8.5/10
Craig Smith: I thought he was very good. 14 hit ups for 106m and 22 tackles. Will need to work his way back into the starting side with Wooly playing so well. 6/10
Reegan Tanner: Did a few great tackles but still didn't give us that impact we need. Shouldn't be in first grade. 4.5/10
Luke Davico: Made an average of 8m per run. Need to see more of him though. 5.5/10
Todd Lowrie: One of Todds better games of the season. Good runs and some good hits. 6.5/10
Teams for Round 22
Bluetongue Central Coast Stadium, 3pm
Shaun Foley
Amos Roberts
Ryan Cross
Iosia Soliola
Sam Perrett
Brett Finch
Josh Lewis
Shane Shackleton
Craig Wing
David Shillington
Anthony Tupou
Craig Fitzgibbon (c)
Ashley Harrison
Interchange:
Chris Flannery
John Doyle
Setaimata Sa
Mickey Paea
Milton Thaiday
Brian Carney
Matthew Gidley
George Carmont
Anthony Quinn
Jarrod Mullen
Andrew Johns (c)
Craig Smith
Danny Buderus
Josh Perry
Steve Simpson
Clint Newton
Reegan Tanner
Interchange:
Luke Davico
Adam Woolnough
Todd Lowrie
Kirk Reynoldson
Daniel Abraham
(one to be omitted)
Referee - Tony Archer
An important game to say the very least. A game where we should win, will be interesting to see if the boys come with the attitude of showing up for the victory or working for the victory. The Roosters have a major winning streak on us winning their last 8 contests between us. A major point that the results don't tell us that in 6 of those losses we didn't have Joey Johns. This Sunday will be our best chance to break the hoodoo with the Roosters still under strength and still have not won back to back games in season 2006. The Roosters played a excellent second half last week against the Cowboys and if they play with that attitude this week we could find ourselves in alot of trouble. I'm going on the line here and saying that if we do not win this game we will not win the 2006 NRL Telstra premiership.
Results between the 2 teams since 2002
Round 5 [12 Apr 02] W 28-12 v Roosters (A)
Semi-Final [22 Sep 02] L 12-38 v Roosters
Round 2 [21 Mar 03] L 10-14 v Roosters (H)
Round 10 [18 May 03] L 14-36 v Roosters (A)
Qualifying Finals [13 Sep 03] L 8-36 v Roosters (A)
Round 6 [18 Apr 04] L 22-32 v Roosters (H)
Round 15 [18 Jun 04] L 4-48 v Roosters (A)
Round 9 [08 May 05] L 2-32 v Roosters (A)
Round 17 [02 Jul 05] L 14-28 v Roosters (H)
Thuga's Key Match up's
Anthony Tupou vs Steve Simpson
Tupou has been in blinding form for the Roosters and is a possible bolter for the Australian Tri-nations squad at the end of the season. His running game is fantastic and always has an offload on him and with guys like Amos Roberts and Craig Wing in the team, his offloads become more of a danger.
Tupou's stats in Round 21 against Cowboys:
10 Hit up's
109m
1 Line Break
18 Tackles
5 Offloads
Steve Simpson on the other hand has been fantastic all season for the red and blue. A certainty for the Australian squad at the end of the season and is making a name as one of the best back rowers in the world at the moment. His combintation with Johns is priceless to the Knights and I expect him to run non-stop at Brett Finch or Josh Lewis.
Simpson's stats in Round 21 against Sharks:
7 Hit up's
52m
0 Line Breaks
33 Tackles
0 Offloads
Danny Buderus vs Craig Wing
Two of the best hookers in the world going head to head here. Craig Wing's form as of late (much like the Roosters) has gone down hill and he seems to be playing without confidence and without passion. We all know how deadly he can be though. Wing has great acceleration out of dummy half and can catch lazy forwards out of position. He has a great passing and his kicking game from dummy half is one of his biggest attributes. His rival over the past few years in Danny Buderus played one of his best matches all season last week against the Sharks at Toyota Park. He ran well, defended well and what impressed me most was that he took the initiative to put in a few decent kicks. If there was ever a game that Craig Wing was going to be up for and have a blinder, it will be this game against the Knights and against the best hooker in the world. With hookers like Cameron Smith, Luke Priddis and Robbie Farah breathing down Craig Wing's neck for the second choice hooker position in the Tri-nations squad at the end of the season, Im expecting Craig Wing to have a big game and possibly a match winning performance.
Matthew Gidley vs Ryan Cross
Two of the best centers going around at the moment going head to head here. Both are playing their last season in the NRL and both are in great form for their respective clubs. Cross who is bound for Rugby Union in 2007 has been consistently solid for the Roosters so far this year. Cross has some great speed and has the ability to open up something for his wing man when there is nothing on. Cross is always solid in defence and will be a danger man for the Knights come Sunday. Matthew Gidley who is bound for the UK in 2006 has been going great guns for the Knights in 2006. Has played in just about every match this season and is looking to leave the Knights with a premiership. Gidley has formed a good combination with Irish winger Brian Carney down the right hand side, but the good thing for Knights fans is that I don't think that its anywhere near as good as it can be. Come finals time I expect the combination to be in full swing and it will be a huge weapon for the Newcastle side.
Thuga's Tips
Eels vs Dragons
A Friday night thriller in the making. The Eels are on a huge role and it will take a lot for the Dragons to stop that momentum. The Eels here for me in a close game. Possible Golden point.
Eels by 4
Storm vs Tigers
The Tigers are coming of a great victory but I don't think that they will be able to come down to Melbourne and beat the Storm. The Storm to win here but the Tigers to give them a fright.
Storm by 4
Warriors vs Sharks
A tough game to pick. Depends on what attitude the Warriors show up with. With no Wiki it makes them less intimidating but the home ground advantage makes me think that they will win this game.
Warriors by 8
Cowboys vs Bulldogs
Must win game for the Cowboys. The Dogs coming of the bye might be vunerable but with the squad that they have they should win this and win this comfortably.
Dogs by 20
Raiders vs Broncos
The toughest match to tip of the round. The Raiders were awsome one week and dreadful the next, while the Broncos look like they are on the slide again this year. In this case I normally tip the home side.
Raiders by 4
Souths vs Penrith
Souths have been playing some good football this year but I don't know if they will be able to beat the Panthers who are playing some great footy. Can't see Penrith losing this game.
Penrith by 24
Roosters vs Knights
The Knights must win this game to be true contenders for the title. The hoodoo I think will be broken and I think the boys are up for another big game this week. This will be a close match and lets just hope the boys show up with the same effort as they did last week and more.
Knights by 6
Thats Thuga's Thoughts for this week. Hope you enjoyed the read guys and I am welcome to any feeback.
Go The Knights!
Cheers,
Thuga
