Thuga's Thoughts: Round 26 vs Dragons

[thuganomics]

The Knights were simply awesome last week against the Sharks and if we can carry that form into the match against the Dragons this week at Oki Jubilee we will most likely come up with our 7th win in a row. It was one of the best Knights performances in years last Saturday in Newcastle with Andrew Johns, Clint Newton and Milton Thaiday among others showing us their true class. Here are my player ratings from last Saturdays match:


Milton Thaiday - His best game in of Rugby League I have seen him play. His footwork at times was fantastic and if not for a magical performance from the number 7, would of been the Man of the match. 8.5/10

Trent Salkeld- Was questionable in defence and let in a soft try to Luke Covell with a poor attempt at tackle. Needs to improve defence to retain a first grade spot next year. 5/10

Dustin Cooper - His defence was excellent and picked up his first try since round 1 this year. 7/10

Brad Tighe - Every time he touched the ball looked dangerous, especially early on in the match with him scoring a try and setting one up for his winger. 7.5/10

Anthony Quinn - His best game in a long time. He was breaking out of tackles and made the right options in attack and defence. 8/10

Kurt Gidley - He added another option in attack and by that looked much more dangerous. Defence was fantastic and has played well since coming back into first grade. 7/10

Andrew Johns - What a magical performance. The pass to Clint Newton was magical and one of the best short passes I have ever seen. This is some of the best football in Joey's career. 10/10

Craig Smith - He was doing just about everything. This bloke is a inspiration and the club signing up was one of the best decisions ever. 8.5/10

Danny Buderus - Andrew Johns gets all the credit, but this bloke is doing equally as much as Joey is. Made over 100m again from dummy half and is playing some extraordinary football. 8.5/10

Adam Woolnough - Is definitely playing his best football in his career. Getting offloads away and making a lot of meters is all you can ask for a front rower. 8/10

Steve Simpson - Fantastic as usual. Surely has to get a spot in the Kangaroos team at the end of the year. 8/10

Clint Newton - The combination with Andrew Johns is starting to show and has been relishing the chance of playing with him. 8/10

Reegan Tanner - Another solid performance from Reegan. He is about to become the only Knights player to play every game this year. 7/10

Daniel Tolar - Got his first try in first grade this week and will avoid the nudie run at the end of the year. Has come over leaps and bounds this year and is a benchie we can rely on. 7.5/10

Todd Lowrie - Played one of his best games in a while as well. Was hitting the gaps with pace and made a few line breaks. Put on a couple good hits and is starting to get that aggression factor into his game. 7/10

Matthew White - Was good again this week and runs hard with everyone of hit ups. 6/10

Riley Brown - He has a good step on him and he used that a few times last week. A very good utility player and will be pushing for a bench spot next year. 6/10

This week we come up against the other form team in the competition in the Dragons. The Dragons have claimed the scalps of the Eagles, Sharks, Roosters, Cowboys, Broncos and the Eels in their run to the finals and will be looking to add the Knights to that list. The Knights however have 6 scalps of their own coming into this match including the Eels, Storm, Bulldogs, Eagles, Warriors and the Sharks. This has the potential to be one of the best matches in the year and it is incredible that the team currently running last on the ladder is even being considered in winning this match against the favorites against the Dragons. The Dragons coming into this match do have some question marks coming over them. Questions such as will the bye affect their run into the finals and did the Trent Barrett incident affect the team? The Dragons have no weaknesses across the park which makes it hard for attacking teams, but with a player like Andrew Johns in the opposition the Dragons defence has to be on song or else the magician will start to wave his wand. Some other key factors may be thrown into this match come Sunday. If the Broncos defeat the Eels this Friday night, the Dragons will have a realistic shot in getting the Minor Premiership. While if the Rabbitohs go down to the Sharks on Saturday night then the Knights will be with in a wins reach of offloading the wooden spoon which has been their goal for the past couple of months.


Teams for Round 24 Clash

Sunday, 4 September 2005
3:00 PM
Oki Jubilee Stadium

1. Milton Thaiday
2. Trent Salkeld
3. Dustin Cooper
4. Brad Tighe
5. Anthony Quinn
6. Kurt Gidley
7. Andrew Johns (c)
8. Craig Smith
9. Danny Buderus
10. Adam Woolnough
11. Steve Simpson
12. Clint Newton
13. Reegan Tanner

Interchange:

14. Daniel Tolar
15. Matthew White
16. Riley Brown
17. Todd Lowrie

1. Clint Greenshields
2. Colin Best
3. Mark Gasnier
4. Albert Torrens
5. Wes Naiqama
6. Trent Barrett (c)
7. Ben Hornby
8. Luke Bailey
9. Dean Young
10. Jason Ryles
11. Ben Creagh
12. Lance Thompson
13. Shaun Timmins

Interchange:

14. Ashton Sims
15. Justin Poore
16. Corey Payne
17. Michael Ennis
18. Michael Henderson

Referee
Tony Archer
Video Referee
Paul Simpkins
Touch Judges
Jason Walsh, Russell Turner

Channel 9 Delay
Sun 4 September 4.00PM

Thuga's Key Match up's​

Clint Greenshields vs. Milton Thaiday

When Matthew Head got injured against the Tigers the question was put to the Dragons to fill that void. They moved Ben Hornby up from fullback and then they brought up this bloke Clint Greenshields who has done an amazing job. His positional play, support play and ability to catch a swirling bomb in the air are all of a high standard. Clint Greenshields will face his toughest test of his career this week when he comes up against Andrew Johns and his kicking game. Johns is probably the best general play kicker in the game and will test young Clint Greenshields all day long. Greenshields opposing number this week is Milton Thaiday is showing his skills at the back as well in the past couple of weeks. Thaidays positional play has improved out of sight after the minor injury he suffered a few weeks back and now is one of the most damaging Knights players on the field. He is one of those players that when he touches the ball, we expect something to happen. He reminds me sort of a David Peachey, when he can just come up with something remarkable out of nowhere. Thaiday in broken play is dangerous and the Dragons kick chase must be on song or there may be trouble lurking for the men in the Red-V.

Andrew Johns vs. Ben Hornby

This is Joey's last match before he heads to England to play for Warrington in their finals campaign. But right now he has some unfinished business as far as the NRL season goes. Joey has been in the best form of his career in the past 10 weeks and has been doing everything in his power to offload the spoon before the season ends. Last week the maestro was superb, with him sending some great short passes, having a solid kicking game and kicking some great goals. Andrew Johns has thoroughly out played the likes of Jonathon Thurston, Brett Kimmorley, Tim Smith, Matt Orford, Brent Sherwin and Michael Monaghan in the past 2 months and will be looking to add Ben Hornby to that list. Hornby who has made a successful positional move will face his hardest test in the number 7 jersey when he comes up against the best in the business. Hornby has been solid and the most consistent Dragon over the past two years and is now showing his skills playing at halfback. His kicking game is very good and he has some good vision. Trent Barrett is the main play maker for the Dragons but this bloke right here supports Barrett extremely well. But the key to the winner of this match is Andrew Johns, so I guess there is just one question that we will all want to know the answer to. Will the King make Kogarah his kingdom?


Craig Smith vs. Luke Bailey


Two inform front rowers going at each other on a Sunday afternoon in front of a packed crowd, there’s just about nothing better. Luke Bailey has been in great form since the first State or Origin and will need this sort of form in the finals to help the Dragons win their first premiership as a joint venture. Luke Bailey will enjoy the battle this week against a veteran in Craig Smith, who has been one of the best front rowers all year in a struggling team. I would just hate to imagine the score lines that we would have put on us if we didn’t sign Craig Smith. Smith will be coming up against his former club and if the last match that he came up against the Dragons has anything to go by, this match is definitely going to be fiery.


Some of the Props average stats:

Craig Smith - season average:

Tackles – 28.7
Offloads – 0.9
Hit ups – 15.6
Meters gained – 130.7
Miss tackles – 1.2


Luke Bailey - season average:


Tackles – 27.4
Offloads – 1.3
Hit ups – 15.6
Meters gained – 132.2
Miss tackles – 2.3

Thuga's Tips




​

Eels vs. Broncos​

The Eels are on fire and the wounded Broncos now are on their hit list. If the Eels win they will wrap up the minor premiership, while if the Broncos win either them or the Dragons will take it out. The Eels are in to hot of form to be defeated right now to be honest.
Eels by 18


Sharks vs. Souths

The last game at home for the Sharks this year should be enough motivation to win. The Sharks are a different team at home and SHOULD get the cash on Saturday night.
Sharks by 14


Raiders vs. Eagles

Another important match, with the Eagles having a chance to secure the final top 8 spot. They come up against the Raiders who are playing at home and like the Sharks are a different team at home. Raiders to win in a close one.
Raiders by 2


Cowboys vs. Storm

Important match for both teams. Both teams need to come into the finals with momentum and a win here will give them a lot of it. The Cowboys at home are to hard to tip against for me.
Cowboys by 10


Roosters vs. Bulldogs

Hard match to tip but I guess you have to assume the Roosters will win only because the Dogs have nothing to play for. Roosters to win this but in a close match.
Roosters by 4

Tigers vs. Panthers

My upset of the round and I am going to tip the Panthers. Panthers look in great form and the Tigers I believe may be a bit rattled with last weeks loss. Panthers in a close one.
Panthers by 6

Dragons vs. Knights

I believe the Knights can get the money here if they continue that great form. Its a real hard match to tip and its a toss of a coin job and i flipped a Knights victory.
Knights by 4

Thanks for reading fellas.

One more Thuga's Thoughts of the year to come which will be a 'season in review'.

Cheers,
Thuga

 

[Alex28]

You were far too kind to Kurt Gidley for your review of the Sharks game - I thought he was pretty awful to be honest...

 

[miketyson]

Nice read thug!

(Except for tipping the knights)

Your going down on Sunday ...

 

[Jobdog]

Great read as per usual Thugskees, looking forward to the year in review next week. Hopefully we can beat those Dragons this week and end what has been a disappointing year on a high.

 

[antonius]

Great review as usual Thuga, I thought you were a little generous with Coops points, I thought Tighe was way more than half a point ahead of him, but hey it's all opion eh? I do think Salkeld is improving, his defence under the high ball is a definate plus when looking at the other guys we've playing on the wing this year, and his cross kick last week for a try was something a little different from our winger, his defence needs work but I reckon he's getting there. We'll get the Dragons this week, Eels will shut out the minor premiership tonight, Sharks will beat Souths, and we'll have the motivation going our way, Knights by seven.

 

[Hutty1986]

. We'll get the Dragons this week, Eels will shut out the minor premiership tonight, Sharks will beat Souths, and we'll have the motivation going our way, Knights by seven.

You mean you hope the Knights will get the Dragons

 

[RABK]

f**k off ya troll Hutty!

Knights by 16.

 

[Hutty1986]

LOL, i was just having a look at Thuga's Rd 26 Preview, thought i'd comment


It'll be a great game-Dragons by 8

 

[RABK]

Should be there Shaggis.

 

[Squishy_Da_Byatch]

No matter who wins on Sunday, Newcastle can hold their heads high knowing that they made all those critics, and alot of other fans on this particular site, eat their words from earlier. As I recall they said at the start of this season, that what we were seeing was the start of a drought for the Newcastle Knights!

Admittedly at the start of the season, things really didn't look good for the Knights, but it was the Knights turn to have their run of injuries (more so than normal) and the result of this was low confidence, low esteem, and I must say a terrible losing streak, but as the key players returned and as their confidence grew, the team began to soar!

This is when you saw the 1997 and the 2001 Premiership side come through, you saw what Newcastle was made of, you saw many of the top teams start to panick as they watch this knights side go from zero's back to hero's. With each win the Knights confidence grew and the oppositions plummeted, as they realised what they were comming up against.

Newcastle has really thrown the spanner into the works for this season's race to the finals, they have shown which teams can make it and which can't, and as we have seen alot of teams aren't what alot of people first thought they were. Yeah they were sitting pretty at the top BUT put them up against the inform Knights and they soon lost their cool and their confidence, and to an extent made them doubt themselves that they really had what it takes.

If it wasn't for the fact that the Knights were riddled with injuries, they would have been number one and perhaps even going all the way again. Every team has their bad times, and unfortunately for the Knights it started at the beginning of the season and lasted 13 rounds, a couple of rounds sooner and they still would of been up there. Because of this little hiccup for the Knights, all other teams should count themselves lucky or they may not have ended up where they are today. Even when both St George and the Knights were at medium strength the game when down to the wire, and i believe we will see a re-play of this on Sunday.

But if Newcastle DO come away with the spoon, they have to be pretty impressed, as they are the first team to be sitting on so many points and come away with it. Which shows what an awesome team they are, and that no matter much they are beaten down they will always come back to bite everyone on the butt!

We know what they can do, we know how well they can do it, so bring on 2006, cause i tell you now, that there will be no mercy given. They may not have been in it this year, but there will be alot of catching upto do next year.

 

[Kazaf]

Great read Thug, I really do enjoy reading your previews.

 

[antonius]

. We'll get the Dragons this week, Eels will shut out the minor premiership tonight, Sharks will beat Souths, and we'll have the motivation going our way, Knights by seven.

You mean you hope the Knights will get the Dragons

Well Eels 28-14. That's part one gone to plan, now for the Sharks to do their bit.

 

[antonius]

No matter who wins on Sunday, Newcastle can hold their heads high knowing that they made all those critics, and alot of other fans on this particular site, eat their words from earlier. As I recall they said at the start of this season, that what we were seeing was the start of a drought for the Newcastle Knights!

Admittedly at the start of the season, things really didn't look good for the Knights, but it was the Knights turn to have their run of injuries (more so than normal) and the result of this was low confidence, low esteem, and I must say a terrible losing streak, but as the key players returned and as their confidence grew, the team began to soar!

This is when you saw the 1997 and the 2001 Premiership side come through, you saw what Newcastle was made of, you saw many of the top teams start to panick as they watch this knights side go from zero's back to hero's. With each win the Knights confidence grew and the oppositions plummeted, as they realised what they were comming up against.

Newcastle has really thrown the spanner into the works for this season's race to the finals, they have shown which teams can make it and which can't, and as we have seen alot of teams aren't what alot of people first thought they were. Yeah they were sitting pretty at the top BUT put them up against the inform Knights and they soon lost their cool and their confidence, and to an extent made them doubt themselves that they really had what it takes.

If it wasn't for the fact that the Knights were riddled with injuries, they would have been number one and perhaps even going all the way again. Every team has their bad times, and unfortunately for the Knights it started at the beginning of the season and lasted 13 rounds, a couple of rounds sooner and they still would of been up there. Because of this little hiccup for the Knights, all other teams should count themselves lucky or they may not have ended up where they are today. Even when both St George and the Knights were at medium strength the game when down to the wire, and i believe we will see a re-play of this on Sunday.

But if Newcastle DO come away with the spoon, they have to be pretty impressed, as they are the first team to be sitting on so many points and come away with it. Which shows what an awesome team they are, and that no matter much they are beaten down they will always come back to bite everyone on the butt!

We know what they can do, we know how well they can do it, so bring on 2006, cause i tell you now, that there will be no mercy given. They may not have been in it this year, but there will be alot of catching upto do next year.

Have to admit I was one of those that feared we were seeing the future for us at the time. It does show though how much influence Johns has on players, without him around a lot of our guys were looking average at best, when he hit his straps, guys like Tighe (who admittedly was stuck out on the wing a fair bit) Carmont, Quinn, seemed to grow another leg, Thaiday also has added very much to our attacking abilities. Even last week when he went off early we did seem to be a little lost with our plays, or lack thereof. The future with him now around till 2008 looks a lot rosier than it did around April May time.

 

[Hutty1986]

Whoever finishes 8th should give their finals berth to Newcastle.
The Westie wankers would be crapping themselves

 

[Hutty1986]

Well Eels 28-14. That's part one gone to plan, now for the Sharks to do their bit.

Rabbitohs 26 Defeated Scum 22

 

[Squishy_Da_Byatch]

Have to admit I was one of those that feared we were seeing the future for us at the time. It does show though how much influence Johns has on players, without him around a lot of our guys were looking average at best, when he hit his straps, guys like Tighe (who admittedly was stuck out on the wing a fair bit) Carmont, Quinn, seemed to grow another leg, Thaiday also has added very much to our attacking abilities. Even last week when he went off early we did seem to be a little lost with our plays, or lack thereof. The future with him now around till 2008 looks a lot rosier than it did around April May time.

It does, I guess though that is a bad thing, it makes you wonder....are the Knights going to be like the roosters when Joey goes? That's the only thing. BUT every team has to go through rough patches, after all the players are only human. They are back on their feet and next year they will be a BIG force to reckon with.

 

[Hutty1986]

Very well played Newcastle, you should be extremely proud of a fantastic end of season run

 

[Jono078]

Since Joey returned from Origin 3, I think our record is

7 wins
2 losses

So that is pretty good imo, and 1 was an extra time loss. Cant wait for next season, but its gonna be tough to be at the top with so many other teams gonna improve aswell.

 

[Squishy_Da_Byatch]

Thank you for giving the dragons a wake up call. That game was a hard earned game for the Red and Whites! and they needed it. It's good to see them not be another stat comming off a bye! Good game all round.

Well played Knights and look up in 2006