Round 19: KNIGHTS vs TITANS

[K2G]

Some of the most exciting footy in attack we've played all year ... Good win and i enjoyed watching. While i agree with T4L that this win will likely fuel teke's #savecarty movement, i think the winning feeling will be short lived. Too little, too late.

I think the team has banded together after the announcement of the internal review and increasing public scrutiny of Carty. I wouldn't expect anything less. But emotion only gets you so far. A coach without any technical proficiency will only get you so far. Realistically i don't think the team can keep it up, and anyone who isn't a blind supporter who watched that game, would be asking themselves;

- Why can't we play like that at home, in-front of our own fans?
- How can we use injuries as an excuse following every loss after a win like that?
- Why has the likes of Kingston and Ioane played so little footy for us?
- How does Don keep loosing his spot?
- Why has it taken this many games to look something like a NRL standard team?
- Why is Zillman an auto-pick and VC of the club when we play better without him on a consistent basis?

On another note, Mini was amazing today. I think contract talk has made him hungrier. If he keeps playing like he did today, there's no reason why we shouldn't take him on for another year. On the flip side, if today taught us anything, it's that the club needs to start trusting the young new faces coming through to lead the club forward. Kingston, Ioane, Don, KFFL, Roberts, Carter ... out with the old I say.

[Nick]

Nice to win, but against a team on song we would have been slaughtered. 67% completions and 41 missed tackles!

In saying that, our on line defence was again fantastic in most cases. Gordon played well, although being able to pass well both sides is a prerequisite for playing away from the wing. He looked like he hasnt been through any team runs at full back.

[Titan4Life]

Yep out with Bailey, Harro, Zillman and other under performers. In with Carter, Ioane, Kingston, KFFL, Don and Mead (at FB)

We also need to resign Mini if he keeps up the great performances of the last 4 or so games.

[lonegull]

Just thinking did we only use 16 players today, Blair was on bench but never got game time

[Jonathonbcode]

Ugh, I've got a bad feeling Cartwright will be around for a looooooooong time, now...

[teke]

Ugh, I've got a bad feeling Cartwright will be around for a looooooooong time, now...

Internal review was wrapped up at the 80th min today apparently.

[mup23]

3-8 with Zillman, 5-1 without him
2-7 at home, 6-2 away

[DavidBouveng]

*ive said for along time Taylor is good at centre. gets a little bit more space and if he offloads the winger is outside his man already. I think Taylor will be close to our player of the year.

*Roberts is a beast and Don needs to be in the team every week. KFFL has great urgency and effort. all three need to play

*I think we have a real backline sorted if mead plays FB over Zilllwad as performances dictate he should.

*mini deserves one more year more than bailey white and even Myles.

*get the kids in, they are the ones brining the good juju right now.

*still prefer mortimer to our regular halves i think too.

[TITAN PETE]

The Knights could not handle the emotions of the day but I'll give credit to the Titans Defence early in the game & I think they broke Newcastles spirit , no team should ever win a game after missing 41 tackles so I think purchasing a Lotto ticket should be a must.


#sackcarty

[Mexican titan]

Agree with most comments here. I thought Mortimer and Taylor were the best and Mortimer was everywhere we needed him to be. He at least looks as if he can set up a few things and if we had a decent 5/8 our halves problem would be fixed.
I thought I would be off walking the dog by half time but they kept me there until the end. Newcastle had it all to play for so a good win.
As others have mentioned - what could a decent coach do with this lot.

[teke]

The Knights could not handle the emotions of the day but I'll give credit to the Titans Defence early in the game & I think they broke Newcastles spirit , no team should ever win a game after missing 41 tackles so I think purchasing a Lotto ticket should be a must.


#sackcarty

Amen

#sackentirecoachingstaff

[TITAN PETE]

Titans steal the show in Newcastle
By Jack Brady
NRL.com
4:20pm Sun 20th July, 2014


On what was always going to be a special day for the Newcastle community regardless of the result as they celebrated injured player Alex McKinnon in the RiseForAlex Round, the Gold Coast Titans have come away with an unscripted 22-8 win over the Knights.

It was largely a very flat Newcastle performance in front of 26,401 emotional Knights supporters and the Titans made them pay with two first half tries.

A masterstroke decision by Titans coach John Cartwright to move Dave Taylor to the centres paid off enormously and while a Knights mini-comeback occurred in the final quarter of the game it wasn't enough to win the game.

The writing was on the wall after ten minutes when Titans five-eighth Brad Takairangi was denied the first try of the afternoon after it was ruled that he dropped the ball upon trying to ground it.

With the Gold Coast barraging the Knights defence for the majority of play thereafter, winger Anthony Don scored a long distance try supporting a blistering James Roberts line break to post the game's first points and gain a 6-0 lead for his team in the 19th minute.

The Titans wouldn't let up and continued to mount pressure. Two errors from Akuila Uate within a minute didn't help the Knights' cause and a bullocking Taylor made them pay after he shook off three defenders to cross for the Titans' second try of the afternoon.

The sideline became Jake Mamo's worst enemy right on halftime when he showed amazing reflexes to pick up a Daniel Mortimer grubber drilled towards the sideline. Tiptoeing his way downfield, Mamo found space and would've run the length of the paddock but the touch judge noticed he put a foot on the white stripe.

Down 12-0 at halftime, the Titans continued the Knights' pain when a Mark Minichiello dummied his way over the line in the 53rd minute. A long ball to Taylor saw the giant centre seemingly wrapped up by Uate but he used his strength to flick it out the back to Minichiello to deceive his way past Dane Gagai to help his team to a 16-0 advantage.

A groin injury to Knights captain Kurt Gidley then compounded the Knights' woes.

Newcastle proved there was life in them late in the piece when the old dogs Jeremy Smith and Willie Mason channelled their inner-halfbacks to set up a Joey Leilua try with 18 minutes remaining. It was Mason who wrapped around Smith, allowing the necessary space for Leilua to push through defenders to score his seventh try of the season.

An offside penalty from the Titans at the ensuing kick-off almost paid dividends again for the Knights but fullback Darius Boyd was ruled to have perhaps controversially knocked it on despite questionable contact from the defence.

However a 70th minute try kept the Knights in with a chance on the back of some great work from Tyrone Roberts.

Their second four-pointer of the afternoon came from them simply working over the Titans right-edge defence with aplomb in three consecutive tackles. Some great lead up work from Jarrod Mullen and Mamo allowed Roberts to score – though he missed the crucial conversion which would have narrowed the gap down to one converted try.

But with two scoring plays required and the clock against them the Knights weren't able to mount the comeback, and a brilliant late grubber from Mortimer helped Roberts stretch the final margin out to 14 on the back of a sideline conversion from Kevin Gordon as they kept their finals hopes alive.

Titans 22 (Don, Taylor, Minichiello, Roberts Tries; Gordon 3 Goals) defeated Knights 8 (Leilua, Mamo Tries) at Hunter Stadium. Crowd: 26,401.

[DIEHARD]

I didnt get a chance to watch the game yet. But very happy about the win, seems we had some good performances from some players including Don (Where has he been?! He must be a starter every week now)

Bit of a bummer we crashed the party for the Knights but hype aside, the Knights just dont cut it this year.

[C-Whiz]

If more players were told they just aren't good enough to be rewarded we would get more turnouts like the one Mini put in today.

As with most of our wins, they flatter us and didnt tell the story, but a win is a win.

Flash has no place in this team anymore, among others who have traded on reputation and sentiment for too long, the coach included.

- - - Updated - - -

Players with something to prove is the key to a hungry team.

Make a list of current players who honestly play like they really want to prove a point and that is your team.

[nimud]

Was a great day to be a Titans fan in the midst of a BIG Knights home crowd.

I could tell we were a chance the first hit up Dave Taylor took. He had an immense first half, and I'd be happy to see him in that position again next week.

Anthony Don took some good bombs, and KFFL was busy. Mini and Bull led up the middle all day.

I spoke to both Srama & Blair, and both said they were injured, so why we only played with 16 men all game.

Taka is not a 5/8. Mortimer does enough to steer the team though.

Why we don't see this Titans team every week I don't know, but a great showing in Newcastle after such a disgraceful performance here last season.