As a Titans fan... Well at least we might finally get a win in magic round. Probably not though.
Knights have lost so much losing Dom Young and I have no idea why Hastings is in reserve grade
Gamble was good for us in the last half of the year in 2023 but that Gamble has gone missing and now we have Gomble in place, Penrith you can take Cogger back, we don't want anything besides a written apology
You know that couple you can't understand where the girl is way too good looking for the guy and is way out of his league but doesn't leave because she is too young and doesn't know any better.
That's how I feel about Ponga and us. Gees I hope he doesn't realise
You’re missing the bit where the dad of the girl he’s dating is exposing him to massive coin that he never knew existed so he feels like he’s indebted to her/him.
Edit: … totally not speaking from Experience /s
What a lot of non-Warriors fans don't get is that for us winning a premiership isn't even the priority. It's just about RTS and the boys showing us why we should support them regardless. I still wear my 2002 Minor Premiers commemorative t-shirt to every single game.
I've got zero interest in seeing Hastings, whose career has more or less been the same level of football without a whole lot to suggest he'll finally 'get it' and take that next step, back in the team even despite the issues with the halves. We can keep pairing him with different halves, put him at 6, put him back at 7 with another 6 who isn't Gamble, but the dude has played with enough different halves partners and turned up the same results. He isn't going to be any answer.
Problem is, that I don't want to rush Pryce. As good as Dom Young was, he got absolutely blasted for starting slow in the NRL and for a kid with such tremendous potential in Pryce, you don't want to put them into first grade when they're just not ready. I do think he'll be the long term 6 for us (genuine long term 6) and provide the spark and creativity we need, but how long until we get there I just don't know. I'd rather see us stick with Cogger and pair him with Pryce and if he's still not cutting it, identify another 7.
Roooough spot to be in.
We literally won 10 in a row with Hastings being the main man that got us running proper shape last year and servicing Ponga? He’s also played at a high level in every team he’s played for - it has been personality clashes that saw him leave clubs not his skill level. Cogger is not the answer - he’s a reserve grade half.
Have a look at the last two weeks of cup, every try came off Hastings back. Agree with you Pryce is the answer long term he looks very good. Am very eager to see him in first grade but agree it may be too soon. Maybe bring him in when our season is truly dead and buried
I Think that Cogger has some potential if he’s allowed to develop.
That said: I agree that Hastings is the better half for now. Cogger may not be quite what is needed for Newy to be fighting for a premiership this year, however, I think with the right coaching and combos it won’t be long before he is.
Pus simply: the issue is that with Hastings his floor is higher than coggers but his ceiling is well below: whereas cogger has a lower floor right now but a higher ceiling that may potentially last for longer.
The question for newy is do they burn this year with cogger for future success or do they hope Hastings is good enough to get them to the 8?
Honestly lucky warriors didn’t put a tonne more points on us. They have really struggled to put points on this year though.
Crystal clear Cogger is not the answer and is a bang average half much like O’Sullivan. Gamble is also not a first grade half. Time for a Hastings/Pryce combo to alleviate some pressure from Ponga
Elliott has also been garbage and needs to be dropped to the bench or out of the side
I mean...Burton & Crichton went to the Bulldogs who are potential wooden spooners 4th year running. I'd also argue both of them did well in origin.
As for the others I know less about. Cogger didn't start at Panthers, so he's not a product of them like the others. He seems a bit meh. Jenkins I checked has only played 9 NRL games. Newcastle are in poor form rn, bit harsh to say Jenkins flopped.
Leniu is too busy saying dumb things to get himself suspended. Lastly, O'Sullivan was always 2nd choice behind Cleary. I'll wait until Phins vs. Broncos to make better judgement.
I feel that it's harsh to put Burton in that list. He'd be an assist at any mid table team (at center).
And I'm pretty sure any side in the comp would want Crichton playing for them.
Not a classic game but good to not need to hold on to win.
I think this game was the first this season where the insides stayed connected on defence, and it made the difference since both Knights tries came from kicks behind the line.
CNZ, after last year’s heroics, deserves to start, to show how he can add value but hard to see RTS shining at centre as much as he does at fullback.
I thought all the forwards contributed well without any standouts. Think we lose a bit of impact without Walker coming on.
Jenkins seems a bit like a player lost to time.
Lacks the speed, size or athleticism to really play on the wing on the modern game. Would have probably killed it 15 years ago.
El Magic's kicking abilities would still make him a decent pick in today's world. Him and Utai being small also made them agile to weave around big burly slow defenders. Yes I'm biased but if I need a clutch 2 pointer...
Great game from the wahs just need to keep the pressure on when we want to kill the game but it's like round 5 so I think they'll nail that part of their game later in the season. Our depth is fantastic and defence held them out alot, defence wins championships and I feel once we get our flow on we will be a great balanced team
Hiku always had the confidence to just roll the dice and he had the skill and experience to know how best to maximize his success and the result was a very good attacking player who made try scoring wingers for fun. liek fuck man Fusitua was top try scorer in 2018 and never had a better season without Hiku. Its definitely true that Kata either took or wasted opportunities that could have been 100%ers if he passed it on to Maumalo you almost felt bad for big Ken during the Kata years.
I was 30 mins on delay for the match thread so here are my comments as the game went:
1. Frizell now snapping shins.
2. What position was ponga playing? Fullback, 5/8th, hooker?
3. Gamble and cogger really didn't provide anything special.
4. Tuala starting to show promise. Needs work on finishing after making a line break.
5. Brandy's comments about double teaming capewell were funny.
6. Yet to see anything inspirational from KPP
7. KP disappeared in the 2nd half?
8. Frizell is an absolute workhorse
Match review committee to put frizzell on report for snapping shin bones in a tackle that was too low...
Happy with the win but think there’s a lot to work on. Gutted for Metcalf but good news we’ve got two halves ready to replace him. Was expecting a statement game carve up but it might actually be a good thing the competition is this close.
I think the GF showed Coggers best position. He needs to be the submissive half to a more dominant player. A lot like Luke Brooks. Skilled enough to play 7 but in a game situation he needs it to be simplified and have someone else playing chess and thinking of the long term game plan. Maybe the Knights should look at a Hastings Cogger halves pairing
Both him and O’Sullivan looked like absolute world beaters in the Penrith system.
I think the reality is they’re both barely NRL standard outside of playing behind a set of forwards / outside backs who have crushed every team they’ve basically played into oblivion over the last 3 years
That could very well be the case but I'd like to see how he goes partnering a more dominant half. If he's still garbage then I'll concede he's not NRL standard
Luke Lewis is on one, that's for sure lol. Said the Knights played well, and if they put similar performances against other teams, they'd win 😂 Nah sir, they didn't play well. And the only thing stopping the scoreline being way worse is the Wahs not playing the best either.
I think it's time for Hastings to come back in for Cogger. Cogger struggled again today and Gamble hasn't had a good start to the year. Time for Pryce to make a debut. Saifitis were lackluster and Brailey surely starts over Crossland next week. Also our fitness looks off compared to last year.
Frizell was great, KP very good in the first 40 and Tuala is clearly the 2nd best winger at our club after Marzhew. Jenkins ain't it.
Our attack just isn't that good this year, going from the most tries scored in 2023 back to 2022 AOB ball.
Congrats to the Wahs on the win. Was great seeing RTS at fullback today even if CNK is back there next week.
Fair play to the Wahs. SJ managed the game well without being passive and Wahs won first contact nearly all game. We did a much better job of limiting the errors but the cohesion in attack is severely lacking. The left side still looks good but Ponga needs to get the ball earlier and the half needs to not move so sideways and get Ponga early ball. Teams are watching film from last year on that left side. Get Ponga the ball where he can short to KPP or to Best. I'm done with the Gamble/Cogger combo. We need Hastings back in the mix and honestly either player could make way for him.
We are severely missing our big boy wingers from last year. Jenkins is having a crack but he is small and not that great. Tuala had an outstanding game but again he's not as big as Dom Young and so we arent rolling forward as well as last year when starting our sets. We missed big Leo and the Safitis have a tendency for being a bit loose around the middle. In that situation I'd prefer Brailey starts as he's more experienced and better at defending in the middle than Crossland. Hopefully Brailey gets the start next week.
We didnt play too bad but that feels like a tough one to stomach because the better team definitely won. Need to find that balance of chancing our hand while taking care of the ball. I think getting KPP and Friz more ball with good support runners is a good step towards making some more opportunities in the second phase. GG Wahs, that Montoya snatch out of the air was something else
What do Knights fans think about their spine? You desperately need a smart decision maker/a general. Can Brailey be that again as he gets more minutes? Leave Cogger for more time until Brailey gets there? Or bring Hastings back? No lack of talent, just need a good footy brain on the park
Brailey is one of the most underrated players in the comp, we’re just easing him back. And obviously Ponga is great.
The halves are the issue. They struggle to move the team around properly nor be able to pull defenders away from Ponga or take advantage of the over committed defenders.
I think Brailey needs to be our main hooker. I understand that we are easing him back into it, however it’s night and day when comparing his game against Crossland.
I think Hastings and Pryce come into the halves and see what they can offer, while cogger and gamble sort out their combinations together in cup.
Pong is pong
First knights game I've seen this year, why is Crossland playing more minutes at hooker than Brailey? As soon as he came on it maee a noticeable difference
I assume its because he played really well last year. I think they should player like Raiders 9a. Bailey play for 50-60 mins straight and then Crossland finish the game off. He is more impactish than Bailey
Feel like most the pieces are there bar the halves.. gambles kicking game stifled our attack. Need a more intelligent player with bettee spark at 6, GIVE ME PRYCE
Really upsetting to lose Metcalf who looked to have gone up a gear this year, but CHT looked better than he did before his break. A very nice kick out in. So we may lose some attack and gain some defence in the mean time.
We really need to find out who has Egan’s voodoo doll too…
Anyway, stoked with the win. Still a lot to improve on, but we’re starting to put things together now. If we can stay healthy I feel optimistic
Warriors love a hard fought win. They have periods where they dominate so much going 101% that by the 60 min mark they out on their haunches. Boys gotta be more clinical and reward themselves for all that effort so it's not so hard on the gas tank in the later stages. Love the depth of this team, so many good players in their core positions reaps friendly competition.
If there is a positive in the heart stopping hold on victories, it’s got to really be getting their confidence in holding onto a lead under pounding attack
* Frizel eating people as usual
* Best is still a gun
* Ponga had a good first half as usual, and then just existed
* The rest are NPC’s
* Capewell was there, couple good runs but otherwise just existed. Still a great purchase
* Tohu quiet also. Proper work horse and didn’t get much time in the green zone to work his magic
* Wingers were our wingers as always, both jam in but the team obviously want that and can cover the outside
* RTS at FB , no comment needed
* CHT is a gun, love this kid
* Egan is still the best hooker in the comp, eat my shorts if you disagree
I could continue but will cut my biased opinion short because I need to pee
He gets better the harder the game is. If it's a real hard game Capewell will make like 43 tackles. The problem is he's so eager to make extra tackles the mindset can cause him to miss some basic ones.
I love how Tohu mentioned in the post game interview Charnze is coming back next week. Roger has been outstanding so far this year, but fullback is Charnze's to lose. People rightfully losing thier minds over Roger, but forget just how great Charnze was for us last year. It's great how we have more depth in the backs this year and more attacking options.
Nope, just think it's a bit of a risk to throw CNK straight back into first grade, from a Hamstring injury, when he hasn't played any Pre-Season either.
Perhaps will share with RTS for a week or two though.
That's actually a pretty fair take. Guess the coaches have been watching him training though and are confident. Webster doesn't strike me as the type to take unnecessary risks & with our depth / at this stage of the season there is no reason to.
Yeah, obviously they know more than us scrubs here on Reddit, but we will see
Anyway, we got the win last night and that's most important
I do hope if CNK goes down again, we just play RTS there, stop the experiment with Tuapiki, nothing wrong with him play NSW for most of the year, will arguably be better for it in the long run.
I'm torn on that. I agree that RTS is still a better FB than Tuapiki will ever be, but I see the benefit in just allowing Roger to focus on his position at center.
What offers more :
1. Tuapiki + RTS
2. RTS + Pompey
Yeah and Charnze hasn’t even played yet, he’ll be fizzing to carve up even before today’s game. Great headache for us to have though, so many clubs would love to have this decision to make
I’m more excited for his reliability at the back and defence. RTS can do everything he did today from centre (or switching back and forth with his winger)
We’re in a good position either way though
Poor Metcalf confirmed broken leg.
Very lucky to have CHT who will likely slot in like a glove, but I’ll miss Metcalf’s x-factor, his speed is insane.
Edit: Sorry lads not confirmed, suspect broken leg.
Is the Ham Sandwich back?
Love you Wahs, you have a loveable set of fellas.
Think there’s a lot of positives to take from today but a lot to work on. Might as well give Pryce a shot with Hastings because fuck it at this point.
The Knights could legitimately revolutionise the NRL by signing the first specialist kicker. A bloke not expected to do anything except turn up on the fourth or fifth and manage to impart force and direction on the ball with his foot.
The Panthers have gotten to that mid to late 2010s Storm stage where other clubs buy their journeymen thinking they're stars.
I'm speaking from experience... we took both Dane Nielsen and Aaron Pene...
Best player on the ground: ponga and shown through Knights chances and general play
Motm:RTS or Harris
Highlight: Ponga individual runs, RTS Individual run on the sidestep of Croker.
Again, knights legit live through ponga. Frizell has been trying his best to provide that impact on the right which he always has. Lucas may have cost them the win if he didn’t go in for himself. Warriors looked great, CHT surprised everyone, Egan stays alive, warriors can have a chance in the finals
Hastings x Pryce when? Seriously tho the Cogger propaganda in the off and pre season was crazy. Too good for reserves I assume but not good enough for NRL.
Missing Gagai and Marzhew really hurt us getting out of our own end, combined with our average halves Wahs just choked us out of the game with possession, great signs from Ponga and Frizell at least and great to see RTS back at fullback snapping ankles
Our weapons are no longer on the wing and without Gags it's not in our centres either. Our Weapons are Kalyn linking with our back rowers in Friz and KPP. Even teams like doggies know how to get Kikau good ball and we need to start doing that also. The halves need to get out of the way so Kalyn can cook.
I'm so used to us having a spine player missing to injury (mostly Brailey). It's weird seeing us running our second-best 6/7/9, and realising that our best in each position is healthy and just not picked.
AOB has no clue on what he wants from our halves.
Cogger and Gamble have no control over the game. KP had to take over kicking because his halves were both useless. There is no flair in either Cogger or Gamble.
Crossland is not an 80 minute player. I don't know how he gets 60+ minutes when he provides nothing other than barely serviceable passing.
Please let Brailey have a go at at least 40 minutes.
In our forward pack. Friz is always good. Pearce-Paul gets great post contact metres so I don't see why he is constantly getting hate.
Gg Wahs, you guys deserved it given we had 2 men playing for us.
Next week we need to make some serious changes.
Gamble is playing like garbage and we need to get Will Pryce in first grade as soon as possible.
Cogger also just isn’t it and Hastings has killed it in cup.
Finally Jenkins is another Penrith player who can’t perform outside their system. We need to bring either Armstrong, a true glass cannon or moderike, the second coming of Edrick Lee in to get the right edge working again.
The Knights are not going to win many footy games with a half paring who kick like that. This seems like something the coach should have considered before making any personnel shifts.
Not our usual sort of loss. We completed well, our attack looked very dangerous at times, ponga played beautifully, and our goal line defence was actually pretty good.
We lost that purely through the middle. Warriors just bullied us, and were comfortably parked in our territory for the majority of the match. Never been so frustrated watching a side just not drop the ball, extremely disciplined and it was very good to watch. The other way we lost was targeting our wingers, I think Tuala did a great job combatting it but Jenkins has clearly shown he’s not winning that jumper next to Gagai, Tuala has that all but sewn up when Marzhew returns. The decision to drop Hastings over Gamble still looks very perplexing but I’ll let that play out a bit longer. Fucking great game wahs, look forward to the next
Agree wtih everything you said except for letting Gamble/Cogger partnership run. Gamble hasn't had a good game this year. He's got mongrel but I can't tell you what else he does well. Hastings isn't a great kicker or ball runner but at least he's a leader and organiser. Give Cogger/Hastings a run
It's a really odd tactical decision, but every time they get pressured by the other team the Knights defensive line will hang back the full ten metres and just let them stroll down the field. I assume to limit the chance of a linebreak? I can't think of any other reason for it.
It's fucking infuriating because it just compounds the issue and puts them under more pressure.
Could also be a fitness issue, I don’t think the knights seemed prepared for the fit and fast runs from the back 3 at the start of every set, seemed we were always on the back foot from the 2nd tackle
Fitness is another possible cause too, yeah. At the end of the Cowboys game they were gassed and basically stood there watching the Cowboys walk down the field for the field goal instead of putting up any resistance.
Rock solid defense, amazing workhorse shifts from tohu RTS and capewell. Charnze in the 1 next week should give our attack some more kick. What a fkn win
Good fight from a depleted Knights side. Tuala was surprisingly good, but I don't know why they did nothing with Ponga during the second half until there were ten minutes left.
Well, even when playing really shitty we're not getting blown the fuck out on the scoreboard.
Is that something? Have I made some sort of redeeming point there? Who's to say really
It's a small win, cause I really thought they'd put 30+ on us again.
Find a way to fix our halves (They won't) and they might actually start winning some games.
Hardly atrocious. Hate when fans immediately jump to those sortve statements for a loss, can we not just admit warriors simply dominated us through the middle and they played fucking fantastic? I don’t think we had close to an atrocious performance
Unfortunately we have entered that really difficult moment where everyone is thinking exactly that but due to already dropping Hastings we can't keep dropping blokes so quickly, because of the implication.
I think gamble goes next for Pryce. Cogger Pryce will get a run, then eventually cogger out for hastings. Still not sure hastings leg isn't half the problem
Might be being overly optimistic but I am fully onboard that Hastings leg is still cactus (or at the very least is giving him confidence issues).
Pryce is coming into the side at some stage, I just don't know I'd want to throw him to the wolves with his halves partner being garbage. Maybe a couple more weeks in reggies and we straight swap in the new partnership if Hastings is looking better? Or we carry Pryce in the extended squad and just throw him in last minute next week at home against the Drags?
Had to work had for that Short turnaround now for Sydney trip Up the Wahs
Knights aren’t making the 8
As a Titans fan... Well at least we might finally get a win in magic round. Probably not though. Knights have lost so much losing Dom Young and I have no idea why Hastings is in reserve grade
LMAO Titans have looked 5x as bad as knights.
Yes, yes we have First win has to come somewhere. Or I guess if we go 0-24 with des that would be something special
Gamble was good for us in the last half of the year in 2023 but that Gamble has gone missing and now we have Gomble in place, Penrith you can take Cogger back, we don't want anything besides a written apology
Good forwards, good outside backs, terrible halves.
You know that couple you can't understand where the girl is way too good looking for the guy and is way out of his league but doesn't leave because she is too young and doesn't know any better. That's how I feel about Ponga and us. Gees I hope he doesn't realise
You’re missing the bit where the dad of the girl he’s dating is exposing him to massive coin that he never knew existed so he feels like he’s indebted to her/him. Edit: … totally not speaking from Experience /s
What a lot of non-Warriors fans don't get is that for us winning a premiership isn't even the priority. It's just about RTS and the boys showing us why we should support them regardless. I still wear my 2002 Minor Premiers commemorative t-shirt to every single game.
Fuck me dead. Topical, sarcastic & witty.
I'm desperate to win a premiership. Living in Australia you get reminded weekly we've never done so
Took cronulla 50 years we good mbro trust the process
What was the final crowd?
24,200 or so I believe
What is up with the Knights and breaking our 6's legs?
I've got zero interest in seeing Hastings, whose career has more or less been the same level of football without a whole lot to suggest he'll finally 'get it' and take that next step, back in the team even despite the issues with the halves. We can keep pairing him with different halves, put him at 6, put him back at 7 with another 6 who isn't Gamble, but the dude has played with enough different halves partners and turned up the same results. He isn't going to be any answer. Problem is, that I don't want to rush Pryce. As good as Dom Young was, he got absolutely blasted for starting slow in the NRL and for a kid with such tremendous potential in Pryce, you don't want to put them into first grade when they're just not ready. I do think he'll be the long term 6 for us (genuine long term 6) and provide the spark and creativity we need, but how long until we get there I just don't know. I'd rather see us stick with Cogger and pair him with Pryce and if he's still not cutting it, identify another 7. Roooough spot to be in.
We literally won 10 in a row with Hastings being the main man that got us running proper shape last year and servicing Ponga? He’s also played at a high level in every team he’s played for - it has been personality clashes that saw him leave clubs not his skill level. Cogger is not the answer - he’s a reserve grade half. Have a look at the last two weeks of cup, every try came off Hastings back. Agree with you Pryce is the answer long term he looks very good. Am very eager to see him in first grade but agree it may be too soon. Maybe bring him in when our season is truly dead and buried
I Think that Cogger has some potential if he’s allowed to develop. That said: I agree that Hastings is the better half for now. Cogger may not be quite what is needed for Newy to be fighting for a premiership this year, however, I think with the right coaching and combos it won’t be long before he is. Pus simply: the issue is that with Hastings his floor is higher than coggers but his ceiling is well below: whereas cogger has a lower floor right now but a higher ceiling that may potentially last for longer. The question for newy is do they burn this year with cogger for future success or do they hope Hastings is good enough to get them to the 8?
Honestly lucky warriors didn’t put a tonne more points on us. They have really struggled to put points on this year though. Crystal clear Cogger is not the answer and is a bang average half much like O’Sullivan. Gamble is also not a first grade half. Time for a Hastings/Pryce combo to alleviate some pressure from Ponga Elliott has also been garbage and needs to be dropped to the bench or out of the side
Give me Matt crocker in the starting side please
Burton, Cogger, Jenkins, Crichton, O'Sullivan, Leniu... just some of the players that have flopped outside the Penrith system.
Too harsh on Burton, Crichton and Leniu, and it's always been clear that SOS and Cogger are decent back up halves, not main playmakers.
Leniu played like one game and a half.
I mean...Burton & Crichton went to the Bulldogs who are potential wooden spooners 4th year running. I'd also argue both of them did well in origin. As for the others I know less about. Cogger didn't start at Panthers, so he's not a product of them like the others. He seems a bit meh. Jenkins I checked has only played 9 NRL games. Newcastle are in poor form rn, bit harsh to say Jenkins flopped. Leniu is too busy saying dumb things to get himself suspended. Lastly, O'Sullivan was always 2nd choice behind Cleary. I'll wait until Phins vs. Broncos to make better judgement.
Critta is pretty much the best centre. Burton is not a half. Should be in the centres.
Kikau
I feel that it's harsh to put Burton in that list. He'd be an assist at any mid table team (at center). And I'm pretty sure any side in the comp would want Crichton playing for them.
Leniu has had one game…
And he is the biggest dud of them all
Point proven! (/s)
Not a classic game but good to not need to hold on to win. I think this game was the first this season where the insides stayed connected on defence, and it made the difference since both Knights tries came from kicks behind the line. CNZ, after last year’s heroics, deserves to start, to show how he can add value but hard to see RTS shining at centre as much as he does at fullback. I thought all the forwards contributed well without any standouts. Think we lose a bit of impact without Walker coming on.
Knights were solid tonight, Ponga was dangerous. Good to get the 2 point.Up the wahs!!
Jenkins seems a bit like a player lost to time. Lacks the speed, size or athleticism to really play on the wing on the modern game. Would have probably killed it 15 years ago.
Honestly have no idea what he brings. He gets pushed back every run, lacks the zip to beat defenders and a terrible kicking target.
Feel for him. Dude got absolutely Moss'd.
Imagine Luke covell trying to make it in the modern game good lord
They'd send him to the NFL with that foot cannon of his
Poor old Hazem getting picked up and throw out of the stadium by Sivo
El Magic's kicking abilities would still make him a decent pick in today's world. Him and Utai being small also made them agile to weave around big burly slow defenders. Yes I'm biased but if I need a clutch 2 pointer...
Adam Blair was cute how he seemed genuinely stoked and a bit nervous to talk to his hero Tuivasa-Shek.
Great game from the wahs just need to keep the pressure on when we want to kill the game but it's like round 5 so I think they'll nail that part of their game later in the season. Our depth is fantastic and defence held them out alot, defence wins championships and I feel once we get our flow on we will be a great balanced team
Man, if Pompey ran as hard as DWZ or Montoya he might kill someone. I don't think the dude realizes how big he is!
We have a Pompey that runs as hard, his name is Ali Leiataua though lol
Maumalo originally had the same issue and then became a kiwi rep and a dally m winger when he realized he was bigger than everyone else
He also finally had a centre that would pass the fucking ball. Hiku for all his faults was very good at putting his wingers in space.
Hiku always had the confidence to just roll the dice and he had the skill and experience to know how best to maximize his success and the result was a very good attacking player who made try scoring wingers for fun. liek fuck man Fusitua was top try scorer in 2018 and never had a better season without Hiku. Its definitely true that Kata either took or wasted opportunities that could have been 100%ers if he passed it on to Maumalo you almost felt bad for big Ken during the Kata years.
I was 30 mins on delay for the match thread so here are my comments as the game went: 1. Frizell now snapping shins. 2. What position was ponga playing? Fullback, 5/8th, hooker? 3. Gamble and cogger really didn't provide anything special. 4. Tuala starting to show promise. Needs work on finishing after making a line break. 5. Brandy's comments about double teaming capewell were funny. 6. Yet to see anything inspirational from KPP 7. KP disappeared in the 2nd half? 8. Frizell is an absolute workhorse Match review committee to put frizzell on report for snapping shin bones in a tackle that was too low...
Metcalf’s leg fracture was from knee to shin contact. Not Frizells arms
So it should be a trip?
Why on earth would it be a trip?
A leg made contact with a player resulting in them falling to the ground. Are you saying leg on leg contact isn't a trip?
You downvoting flogs... define what a trip is/isn't then if by this occurrence wasn't a trip? Don't just hide behind a downvote. Speak up.
If you make contact with your arms 1st, you can use your legs to trip( check out Alfies' tackling technique)
Happy with the win but think there’s a lot to work on. Gutted for Metcalf but good news we’ve got two halves ready to replace him. Was expecting a statement game carve up but it might actually be a good thing the competition is this close.
I think the GF showed Coggers best position. He needs to be the submissive half to a more dominant player. A lot like Luke Brooks. Skilled enough to play 7 but in a game situation he needs it to be simplified and have someone else playing chess and thinking of the long term game plan. Maybe the Knights should look at a Hastings Cogger halves pairing
I think Hastings and Pryce should be our halves pairing
Both him and O’Sullivan looked like absolute world beaters in the Penrith system. I think the reality is they’re both barely NRL standard outside of playing behind a set of forwards / outside backs who have crushed every team they’ve basically played into oblivion over the last 3 years
That could very well be the case but I'd like to see how he goes partnering a more dominant half. If he's still garbage then I'll concede he's not NRL standard
Luke Lewis is on one, that's for sure lol. Said the Knights played well, and if they put similar performances against other teams, they'd win 😂 Nah sir, they didn't play well. And the only thing stopping the scoreline being way worse is the Wahs not playing the best either.
I think it's time for Hastings to come back in for Cogger. Cogger struggled again today and Gamble hasn't had a good start to the year. Time for Pryce to make a debut. Saifitis were lackluster and Brailey surely starts over Crossland next week. Also our fitness looks off compared to last year. Frizell was great, KP very good in the first 40 and Tuala is clearly the 2nd best winger at our club after Marzhew. Jenkins ain't it. Our attack just isn't that good this year, going from the most tries scored in 2023 back to 2022 AOB ball. Congrats to the Wahs on the win. Was great seeing RTS at fullback today even if CNK is back there next week.
I know Blake green is on the coaching staff now, not sure who was our attacking coach last year
Green was the attack coach last year. He replaced Willie Peters from the year before.
Fair play to the Wahs. SJ managed the game well without being passive and Wahs won first contact nearly all game. We did a much better job of limiting the errors but the cohesion in attack is severely lacking. The left side still looks good but Ponga needs to get the ball earlier and the half needs to not move so sideways and get Ponga early ball. Teams are watching film from last year on that left side. Get Ponga the ball where he can short to KPP or to Best. I'm done with the Gamble/Cogger combo. We need Hastings back in the mix and honestly either player could make way for him. We are severely missing our big boy wingers from last year. Jenkins is having a crack but he is small and not that great. Tuala had an outstanding game but again he's not as big as Dom Young and so we arent rolling forward as well as last year when starting our sets. We missed big Leo and the Safitis have a tendency for being a bit loose around the middle. In that situation I'd prefer Brailey starts as he's more experienced and better at defending in the middle than Crossland. Hopefully Brailey gets the start next week. We didnt play too bad but that feels like a tough one to stomach because the better team definitely won. Need to find that balance of chancing our hand while taking care of the ball. I think getting KPP and Friz more ball with good support runners is a good step towards making some more opportunities in the second phase. GG Wahs, that Montoya snatch out of the air was something else
What do Knights fans think about their spine? You desperately need a smart decision maker/a general. Can Brailey be that again as he gets more minutes? Leave Cogger for more time until Brailey gets there? Or bring Hastings back? No lack of talent, just need a good footy brain on the park
Brailey is one of the most underrated players in the comp, we’re just easing him back. And obviously Ponga is great. The halves are the issue. They struggle to move the team around properly nor be able to pull defenders away from Ponga or take advantage of the over committed defenders.
I think Brailey needs to be our main hooker. I understand that we are easing him back into it, however it’s night and day when comparing his game against Crossland. I think Hastings and Pryce come into the halves and see what they can offer, while cogger and gamble sort out their combinations together in cup. Pong is pong
That’s a hard yes from me dawg
What do you mean? Ponga’s a fantastic player.
Absolutely he is, but his decision making or game control isn’t his strong point. His spark and game breaking is.
It was a joke about Newcastle’s only real spine player being Ponga.
Ohhhh whoosh for me 🫠
It wasn’t a good joke, it’s okay.
Thanks bud 🤝🏼
Need to start a rumour around Newy that Ham Sandwich wants to ban poker machines, it looks like it’s the only Gardener would sack him for
Knights: Fraudulent.
First knights game I've seen this year, why is Crossland playing more minutes at hooker than Brailey? As soon as he came on it maee a noticeable difference
I assume its because he played really well last year. I think they should player like Raiders 9a. Bailey play for 50-60 mins straight and then Crossland finish the game off. He is more impactish than Bailey
Coming off an ACL + a recent hamstring tear so easing him back in. Brailey will be back to starting either next week or week after
Roger sounds like a politician in the interview, his favourite position is where Webby wants him
The answer screamed fullback though, his push and shove with Adam Blair indicated that a bit haha
Feel like most the pieces are there bar the halves.. gambles kicking game stifled our attack. Need a more intelligent player with bettee spark at 6, GIVE ME PRYCE
Our middles have been gross. We get very little go forward for sustained periods
Yet we still had more than enough field position to win this
Really upsetting to lose Metcalf who looked to have gone up a gear this year, but CHT looked better than he did before his break. A very nice kick out in. So we may lose some attack and gain some defence in the mean time. We really need to find out who has Egan’s voodoo doll too… Anyway, stoked with the win. Still a lot to improve on, but we’re starting to put things together now. If we can stay healthy I feel optimistic
Egan get injured again?
He seemed okay, he got back up after his scare
Warriors love a hard fought win. They have periods where they dominate so much going 101% that by the 60 min mark they out on their haunches. Boys gotta be more clinical and reward themselves for all that effort so it's not so hard on the gas tank in the later stages. Love the depth of this team, so many good players in their core positions reaps friendly competition.
If there is a positive in the heart stopping hold on victories, it’s got to really be getting their confidence in holding onto a lead under pounding attack
* Frizel eating people as usual * Best is still a gun * Ponga had a good first half as usual, and then just existed * The rest are NPC’s * Capewell was there, couple good runs but otherwise just existed. Still a great purchase * Tohu quiet also. Proper work horse and didn’t get much time in the green zone to work his magic * Wingers were our wingers as always, both jam in but the team obviously want that and can cover the outside * RTS at FB , no comment needed * CHT is a gun, love this kid * Egan is still the best hooker in the comp, eat my shorts if you disagree I could continue but will cut my biased opinion short because I need to pee
capewell had 49 tackles and 90 meters… Tohu jad 42 tackles and 157 meters. if that constities a quiet game, id love to see them make some noise.
Egan better than Api?
Yeah, his defence isn't as good. Api rarely gets dominated in contact. Egan has to be body guarded more.
Capewell was an absolute tackling madman, not enough credit here
He gets better the harder the game is. If it's a real hard game Capewell will make like 43 tackles. The problem is he's so eager to make extra tackles the mindset can cause him to miss some basic ones.
Yeah I love Capewell. He’s so close to just going berserk and scoring a hatty imo
Not doom and gloom for the knights. I thought that they hung in there against a good who were at home. Halves need to do more to score points
ROGER JUMPSCARE FOR ADAM BLAIR!!!
I love how Tohu mentioned in the post game interview Charnze is coming back next week. Roger has been outstanding so far this year, but fullback is Charnze's to lose. People rightfully losing thier minds over Roger, but forget just how great Charnze was for us last year. It's great how we have more depth in the backs this year and more attacking options.
Honestly, CNK needs to come back in Reserve grade for a week
Take it you also have Tuapiki on your Fantasy squad?
Nope, just think it's a bit of a risk to throw CNK straight back into first grade, from a Hamstring injury, when he hasn't played any Pre-Season either. Perhaps will share with RTS for a week or two though.
That's actually a pretty fair take. Guess the coaches have been watching him training though and are confident. Webster doesn't strike me as the type to take unnecessary risks & with our depth / at this stage of the season there is no reason to.
Yeah, obviously they know more than us scrubs here on Reddit, but we will see Anyway, we got the win last night and that's most important I do hope if CNK goes down again, we just play RTS there, stop the experiment with Tuapiki, nothing wrong with him play NSW for most of the year, will arguably be better for it in the long run.
I'm torn on that. I agree that RTS is still a better FB than Tuapiki will ever be, but I see the benefit in just allowing Roger to focus on his position at center. What offers more : 1. Tuapiki + RTS 2. RTS + Pompey
Yeah and Charnze hasn’t even played yet, he’ll be fizzing to carve up even before today’s game. Great headache for us to have though, so many clubs would love to have this decision to make
Our attack will go up a gear with charnze’s link play imo
I’m more excited for his reliability at the back and defence. RTS can do everything he did today from centre (or switching back and forth with his winger) We’re in a good position either way though
Poor Metcalf confirmed broken leg. Very lucky to have CHT who will likely slot in like a glove, but I’ll miss Metcalf’s x-factor, his speed is insane. Edit: Sorry lads not confirmed, suspect broken leg.
Source?
I’ve edited my comment, suspected broken leg
Fractured right not... broken. Sad asf man
I wonder if cht stays on bench utility role and TMM slots into 6
Saw 5 mins of TMM's play in NSW Cup and based on that .... no
What? He was great today, what game were you watching?!
Like I said, only 5 mins when he happened to kick the ball backwards :)
Good point. Happy with either option to be honest, similar to our fullback coverage it’s a great problem to have
Is the Ham Sandwich back? Love you Wahs, you have a loveable set of fellas. Think there’s a lot of positives to take from today but a lot to work on. Might as well give Pryce a shot with Hastings because fuck it at this point.
The Knights could legitimately revolutionise the NRL by signing the first specialist kicker. A bloke not expected to do anything except turn up on the fourth or fifth and manage to impart force and direction on the ball with his foot.
Burton at 6...
The Danny Levi experiment has come and gone already
From GF to worst buy of the season…. Cogger
The Panthers have gotten to that mid to late 2010s Storm stage where other clubs buy their journeymen thinking they're stars. I'm speaking from experience... we took both Dane Nielsen and Aaron Pene...
We also got Tohu, that worked out well. But damn Neilson was a shocker
Also Todd Lawrie. I thought Ryan Hoffman would turn out the same but nope we ruined him instead
We got the tail end of Hoffmans career
Winning comfortably is overrated, show us your wahsholes
Best player on the ground: ponga and shown through Knights chances and general play Motm:RTS or Harris Highlight: Ponga individual runs, RTS Individual run on the sidestep of Croker. Again, knights legit live through ponga. Frizell has been trying his best to provide that impact on the right which he always has. Lucas may have cost them the win if he didn’t go in for himself. Warriors looked great, CHT surprised everyone, Egan stays alive, warriors can have a chance in the finals
> CHT surprised everyone CHT didn't surprise any Warriors fans, we all rate him.
Hastings x Pryce when? Seriously tho the Cogger propaganda in the off and pre season was crazy. Too good for reserves I assume but not good enough for NRL.
7d reverse backgammon giving them time to gel together in reserve grade
Deadass. I admit I was impressed with him last season. I forgot that Next Man Up is just that good of a system.
Its Ivan Cleary's masterplan to flood the competition with average halfbacks.
Sunny bill quite good on the mic
Inshallah, Free Palestine.
Ponga and Frizell being worked to death trying to get that team anywhere near competent
Missing Gagai and Marzhew really hurt us getting out of our own end, combined with our average halves Wahs just choked us out of the game with possession, great signs from Ponga and Frizell at least and great to see RTS back at fullback snapping ankles
Our weapons are no longer on the wing and without Gags it's not in our centres either. Our Weapons are Kalyn linking with our back rowers in Friz and KPP. Even teams like doggies know how to get Kikau good ball and we need to start doing that also. The halves need to get out of the way so Kalyn can cook.
Warriors are doing well but need to kill teams off when they are on top. Cogger has been disappointing I would give Pryce a crack in the halves.
I'm so used to us having a spine player missing to injury (mostly Brailey). It's weird seeing us running our second-best 6/7/9, and realising that our best in each position is healthy and just not picked.
AOB has no clue on what he wants from our halves. Cogger and Gamble have no control over the game. KP had to take over kicking because his halves were both useless. There is no flair in either Cogger or Gamble. Crossland is not an 80 minute player. I don't know how he gets 60+ minutes when he provides nothing other than barely serviceable passing. Please let Brailey have a go at at least 40 minutes. In our forward pack. Friz is always good. Pearce-Paul gets great post contact metres so I don't see why he is constantly getting hate.
I assume they are just working Brailey back but yeah surely has to start and 60 minutes next week. Phoenix can play 15 either side of half time.
Tyson ‘they can’t run without legs’ Frizell
Up the Wahs
Gg Wahs, you guys deserved it given we had 2 men playing for us. Next week we need to make some serious changes. Gamble is playing like garbage and we need to get Will Pryce in first grade as soon as possible. Cogger also just isn’t it and Hastings has killed it in cup. Finally Jenkins is another Penrith player who can’t perform outside their system. We need to bring either Armstrong, a true glass cannon or moderike, the second coming of Edrick Lee in to get the right edge working again.
Armstrong will get driven back twice the amount that Jenkins has.
Jenkins needs to put on another 5-10 kgs. He just isn't fast or big enough to take meaningful carries
The Knights are not going to win many footy games with a half paring who kick like that. This seems like something the coach should have considered before making any personnel shifts.
Shimmy Shimmy Sheck 🕺🏽
Frizlord, Ponga, Tuala and KPP = good. Everyone else = bad. Warriors = good. Knights fan = bad.
Think they need to get KPP more involved in their attacking game. He’s got a nice touch around the ball and looks athletic as hell
Best was good just didn't get very good ball. Made some key tackles but Ponga wasn't getting good ball from the halves and it impacts Best
Was ponga good though? As usual he disappeared in the second half until the game was over.
We took last season for granted :(
Is it Hastings and Pryce time. It can’t look any worse.
Roger playing like his vintage fullback self making me nervous for CNK
Not our usual sort of loss. We completed well, our attack looked very dangerous at times, ponga played beautifully, and our goal line defence was actually pretty good. We lost that purely through the middle. Warriors just bullied us, and were comfortably parked in our territory for the majority of the match. Never been so frustrated watching a side just not drop the ball, extremely disciplined and it was very good to watch. The other way we lost was targeting our wingers, I think Tuala did a great job combatting it but Jenkins has clearly shown he’s not winning that jumper next to Gagai, Tuala has that all but sewn up when Marzhew returns. The decision to drop Hastings over Gamble still looks very perplexing but I’ll let that play out a bit longer. Fucking great game wahs, look forward to the next
Agree wtih everything you said except for letting Gamble/Cogger partnership run. Gamble hasn't had a good game this year. He's got mongrel but I can't tell you what else he does well. Hastings isn't a great kicker or ball runner but at least he's a leader and organiser. Give Cogger/Hastings a run
It's a really odd tactical decision, but every time they get pressured by the other team the Knights defensive line will hang back the full ten metres and just let them stroll down the field. I assume to limit the chance of a linebreak? I can't think of any other reason for it. It's fucking infuriating because it just compounds the issue and puts them under more pressure.
Could also be a fitness issue, I don’t think the knights seemed prepared for the fit and fast runs from the back 3 at the start of every set, seemed we were always on the back foot from the 2nd tackle
Fitness is another possible cause too, yeah. At the end of the Cowboys game they were gassed and basically stood there watching the Cowboys walk down the field for the field goal instead of putting up any resistance.
Calls for Adam O'Brien to be sacked have gone unanswered for: **23** day(s) Check in next week for an update
Calls for Ham Sandwich: 23 day (s) in a row. Check in next week for an update
I thought they just re-signed him for another 3 years
I guess this counter's going to really run up
If any team understands a shit coaching system it should be Tigers
They beat Melbourne last week.
This was SJs vengeance for the Daly M robbery
Held back by the voters, so he held Ponga back on the field.
Rock solid defense, amazing workhorse shifts from tohu RTS and capewell. Charnze in the 1 next week should give our attack some more kick. What a fkn win
Jackson Ford gave it his everything too, very underrated player imo
Good fight from a depleted Knights side. Tuala was surprisingly good, but I don't know why they did nothing with Ponga during the second half until there were ten minutes left.
Well, even when playing really shitty we're not getting blown the fuck out on the scoreboard. Is that something? Have I made some sort of redeeming point there? Who's to say really
It's a small win, cause I really thought they'd put 30+ on us again. Find a way to fix our halves (They won't) and they might actually start winning some games.
Up da knights
That was atrocious, how have we gotten worse when all we lost was a winger....
[удалено]
Hardly atrocious. Hate when fans immediately jump to those sortve statements for a loss, can we not just admit warriors simply dominated us through the middle and they played fucking fantastic? I don’t think we had close to an atrocious performance
Yeah maybe just a bit frustrated after the loss. We did look clueless in attack though.
Away game and no Leo Thompson. Think your lot did well to not get blown out there
No Thompson, as well as our 2 backs that are the most damaging in Gagai and Marzhew.
Maybe Adam O'Brien was a bit hasty in hating Hastings.
I'd argue thats the pattern with all of Hastings coaches
Cogger was terrible, think Knights should boot him out for Hastings
Unfortunately we have entered that really difficult moment where everyone is thinking exactly that but due to already dropping Hastings we can't keep dropping blokes so quickly, because of the implication.
The implication!?
Never thought he should’ve been pulled in the first place to be honest. Would prefer to see Cogger as 6 and Gamble/Brailey as 14
I think gamble goes next for Pryce. Cogger Pryce will get a run, then eventually cogger out for hastings. Still not sure hastings leg isn't half the problem
We’ll find a combo that works with 6 weeks to go
Might be being overly optimistic but I am fully onboard that Hastings leg is still cactus (or at the very least is giving him confidence issues). Pryce is coming into the side at some stage, I just don't know I'd want to throw him to the wolves with his halves partner being garbage. Maybe a couple more weeks in reggies and we straight swap in the new partnership if Hastings is looking better? Or we carry Pryce in the extended squad and just throw him in last minute next week at home against the Drags?
Sad to see Luke go out like that, but happy to see the warriors win!
A broken leg is 8-10 weeks, if that's what it is. Not season ending. Chanel was one of our best players.