KNIGHTS DOMINATE BUT FAIL TO PUT ROOSTERS AWAY

What has happened to the Sydney Roosters?  Grand finalists last year to now at the bottom of the ladder.  The Newcastle Knights however are doing pretty well considering there might be a degree of expectation around next year as opposed to this year, with Wayne Bennet taking the reins in 2012.

The game started as a bit of a stalemate until the Roosters scored in the 8th minute from what was really the Knights halfback’s second mistake.  Justin Carney eventually scored near the left post for the Roosters.

But as seemed typical of the whole game for the Roosters, they quickly made a mistake from the kick off in the first play the ball after the kick off.  The Knights pounded their line briefly and then Sa'u got a lovely short ball on the line and went over on the left.

This took the wind from the Roosters sails a bit and the Knights started to dominate.  Essentially, they went on to dominate through into the second half.  They had an 8.00% domination for the first half which generally translates into being perhaps more than one try ahead.  But their mistakes were their undoing as they were for the Roosters.  In fact the Roosters largely went missing in the first half as their attack misfired and they seemed a wee bit lethargic as well.

The second half wasn’t quite the “mistakathon” of the first half but there were mistakes nonetheless.  There was a huge highlight when Uate made an inspiring try saving tackle on a storming Minichiello in the 52nd minute.  Minichiello is extremely hard to tackle at the best of times but to stop him in his tracks, lift him and push him back one-on-one was nothing short of miraculous.
 
The Knights then had an enormous amount of possession from about the 60th minute to the 70th minute, but they only got through once for an 18-4 lead meaning the Roosters had to score three times, which was never going to happen.

Unfortunately, in the 73rd minute, there was a play that was indicative of the Rooster’s day.  They were on the attack and Todd Carney was all but tackled and passed from the ground......to the Knights.  Despite having that bad day, Rooster’s second try came largely against the play.  From the half way, Todd Carney made a break and got a sort of inside out pass to a sprinting Minichiello who went in under the posts.  These two combining beautifully but all too late.

The Knights finished well over the top of the Roosters for a second half domination of nearly 10% and overall domination of just on 9%.  18-10 and 3 tries to 2 was perhaps a little in favour of the Roosters given the domination, but a good win by the Knights nonetheless.  It keeps them in the top eight.  But Brian Smith has a few problems with his Roosters.

SEA EAGLES AT THE DEATH AGAINST THE EELS

Unfortunately, no narrative for this one.

But the Manly Sea Eagles were a wee bit lucky to get away with this one at the death against the Parramatta Eels.

A pretty good game though, that left the Sea Eagles second on the table!

STATE OF ORIGIN #2 – NSW KEEP THEIR BOOT ON QLD’S THROAT TO WIN A CLASSIC

What a game!  Ricky Stuart’s NSW selections win the game with the more mobile pack and with their own self belief coming in the second half....finally!

QLD started pretty strongly and got the first points with a penalty in the 2nd minute.  But then NSW started to dominate a little.  Showing their lack of confidence in themselves though, they opted for a difficult kick at goal in the 13th minute when they had QLD under the pump.  It was exacerbated by Soward missing it.  This NSW team still had a little to learn about themselves and about game tempo.

They gave away a soft try to QLD as well when Smith managed to weasel his way through a gap close in to the line.  But shortly after that, NSW got one back with Lewis outjumping Origin 1 debutante Yow Yeh to score.  The Blues had their second try when their own debutante, Hopoate, went over in the left corner.

From here NSW dominated marginally and it even swayed QLD’s way for a bit.  But it was the cunning selection of faster, higher work rate back rowers that probably won it for NSW as they got on top of QLD.  The Turning Point for me was when QLD got a crucial penalty but didn’t execute cleanly and they eventually lost the ball.  NSW suddenly realised they could win the game if they kept their aggression going.  And they did.  Scoring their third try in the 76th minute, they kept their boot on QLD’s throat ...something QLD were used to doing.

Game III in Brisbane is going to be a cracker!!!

COWBOYS CAN’T RIDE WITHOUT THURSTON AGAINST THE SEA EAGLES

I was a bit crook last weekend so no narrative for this game between the Manly Sea Eagles and the North Queensland Cowboys.

It wasn’t a bad game but the Cowboys don’t seem to keep it together without their inspirational Captain, Thurston.

PANTHERS SCRAPE THROUGH OVER TITANS

There is a point in a season for some teams where they have to get desperate just to give themselves a slim chance or just to save face.  For others that same point might be where they need to keep winning to guarantee a position in the finals. They need to win to maintain the momentum because if they stumble, they are gone. 

The former team is at the bottom of the hill just trying to get started knowing they have a huge mountain in front but also knowing it isn’t quite too late.  The latter team is part way up the mountain but knows, if they slip, the lead climbers will be out of reach.

The Gold Coast Titans are in the former’s position at the bottom of the mountain, whilst the Penrith Panthers are in with a chance if they keep winning.

The Titans certainly came out relatively hard and it augured well for their must-win home game.  A try in the fifth minute to Mead off a Prince bomb seemed to signal their intent and that their horrible run of being held up over the try-line from last week’s game was over.  But after that try, the Panthers slowly tightened the screws, much like the St George Dragons do.

The second try of the game, to Jennings, also seemed to be an omen.  It was Jennings’ first try in the NRL this season!  Alas, later in the game, he injured his ankle and it looks like he is gone for Origin II.  But that try coming off a Waterhouse charge down showed just how fast Jennings is....again.  Maybe this will open the flood gates for him and Penrith.

The Panthers second try came from a little grubber by Dennis which finished with Kingston diving on it.  The Panther’s mostly dominated this half but the late come back in that first half by the Titans held that domination score to just 3.50%. 

The Titans started the second half as they finished the first, on top.  They scored as a result, just three minutes in.  And it was Preston Campbell trickery that did it.  He was 9 metres out and he dribbled it from left of the posts toward the posts. He had to tap it again with his foot but then managed to dive on it just before it went over the dead ball line.  It was 10 all at this point.

Later, Civoniceva split the Titans right up the middle from 50 metres out and then eventually Purtell went over under the posts. The Panthers dominated then for most of the half and with less than ten minutes to go, the Panthers’ Walsh popped over a field goal to ensure the Titans had to score twice.  I marked this as a turning point as the Titans responded and for a short while dominated.  But it was as if it was their last real shot and they never recovered after releasing that shot.  The Panthers then camped down on the Titans line with some massive possession and eventually the Titans broke.  The Panthers scored to make it 23 to 10 and four tries to two.

Overall it was a pretty scrappy game with the less scrappy team the winner.  But that scrappiness is perhaps indicative of their standing in the competition ladder.  That scrappiness leads to a disjointed attack and defence and that puts pressure on the team and lets good teams get in and to dominate.

A second half domination of 10.00% and an overall domination of just short of 7.00%, should have been more for the Panthers.  But alas, their own game let them down.  In the end, it was the Panthers that held their play together enough to keep climbing up that ladder and left the Titans languishing.