Round 10: Newcastle Knights vs Wests Tigers

[DIEHARD]

Newcastle Knights vs Wests Tigers

EnergyAustralia Stadium Sunday 3pm

Newcastle Knights

1. Wes Naiqama
2. James McManus
3. Adam MacDougall
4. Keith Lulia
5. Cooper Vuna
6. Chris Bailey
7. Jarrod Mullen
8. Danny Wicks
9. Matt Hilder
10. Jesse Royal
11. Chris Houston
12. Cory Paterson
13. Zeb Taia. Subs

14. Scott Dureau
15. Cameron Ciraldo
16. Daniel Tolar
17. Steve Simpson
18. Junior Sau
19. Richard Fa'aoso (two to be omitted).

Wests Tigers

1. Brett Hodgson (c)
2. Taniela Tuiaki
3. Dean Collis
4. Chris Lawrence
5. Shannon McDonnell
6. Benji Marshall
7. John Morris
8. Bryce Gibbs
9. Robbie Farah
10. Keith Galloway
11. Ben Te'o
12. Chris Heighington
13. Dene Halatau

14. Liam Fulton
15. Danny Galea
16. Corey Payne
17. Mathew Head

[DIEHARD]

Marshall and Farah to add bite

WESTS Tigers coach Tim Sheens has welcomed the return of key playmakers Benji Marshall and Robbie Farah but says their teammates will have to carry them through Sunday's NRL clash in Newcastle.

Farah and Marshall are set to return from back and knee injuries respectively for the match against the Knights at Energy Australia Stadium.

?They'll have their own demons to face during the week, they obviously haven't played a lot of footy so it's not an automatic that they'll be back at their best,? Sheens said.

?It's nice to have the boys back but they've got a lot of work to do on their game and everyone else has to lift their game to carry them through.

Marshall has spent the majority of the season on the sidelines after sustaining a knee injury in round one which kept him out for five weeks.

And the five-eighth re-injured his knee in his comeback game against Cronulla in round seven.

?I'm feeling confident this week,? Marshall said.

?We've been put through a pretty extreme training and we've done the hard yards and now it's about getting on the field and doing it out there.?

Farah has been sidelined for over a month with a back injury.

?I've been training with the team for a couple of weeks now,? Farah said.

?I saw a specialist last week and he's cleared me to come back and play so now it's just a matter of getting on the field and getting some fitness under my belt.?

Marshall warns he and Farah lack match fitness and may take some time to hit top form.

?A lot of people are going to be expecting miracles from us but our main goal is just to get through the game.

?We don't want to put too much pressure on ourselves, just because we're back doesn't mean that we're going to set the world on fire.?

?Newcastle are a great side, and at home, even harder to beat.?

Source: http://www.foxsports.com.au

[DIEHARD]

Newcastle Knights: 1. Wes Naiqama, 2. James McManus, 3. Adam MacDougall, 4. Keith Lulia, 5. Cooper Vuna, 6. Chris Bailey, 7. Jarrod Mullen, 8. Danny Wicks, 9. Matt Hilder, 10. Jesse Royal, 11. Chris Houston, 12. Cory Paterson, 13. Zeb Taia. Subs: 14. Scott Dureau, 15. Cameron Ciraldo, 16. Daniel Tolar, 17. Steve Simpson, 18. Junior Sau, 19. Richard Fa'aoso (two to be omitted).

Wests Tigers: 1. Brett Hodgson (c), 2. Taniela Tuiaki, 3. Dean Collis, 4. Chris Lawrence, 5. Shannon McDonnell, 6. Benji Marshall, 7. John Morris, 8. Bryce Gibbs, 9. Robbie Farah, 10. Keith Galloway, 11. Ben Te'o, 12. Chris Heighington, 13. Dene Halatau. Subs: 14. Liam Fulton, 15. Danny Galea, 16. Corey Payne, 17. Mathew Head.

[DIEHARD]

Knights V Wests Tigers Preview

EnergyAustralia Stadium Sunday 3pm

INJURIES, suspension and Origin look set to make life difficult for the Newcastle Knights as they look to rebound from a gruelling loss to Melbourne.

To some, the Knights are the surprise packet of the season, currently sitting in seventh spot and looking the goods for a spot in the finals, but just when they felt comfortable the planets have stopped aligning.

Kurt Gidley has a fractured cheekbone, ruling him out of Origin and club football, Danny Buderus and Ben Cross are involved with the Blues and therefore unavailable and back-up hooker Matt Hilder has been hit with a two-game suspension for making dangerous contact with a kicker last Monday night.

To add further worries both props in Jesse Royal and Danny Wicks have ankle complaints, winger Cooper Vuna a thigh problem and second-row forward Cory Paterson a knee injury. All four have been named to play and hope to take their place but are no certainties.

Wes Naiqama moves to fullback for this game, Adam MacDougall comes back into the centres while Scott Dureau, Steve Simpson, Junior Sau and Richard Faaoso have been added to an extended bench.

Should Hilder be ruled out then utility Michael Young is another option to join the side.

On the other side of the fence the Wests Tigers have welcomed back two big guns from injury, giving them plenty of confidence off the back of the bye.

Benji Marshall and Robbie Farah rejoin the side when they?re needed most; the Tigers are currently running eighth, just behind the Knights on percentages.

Marshall?s return at five-eighth sees John Morris shift to halfback and Mathew Head to the bench, while Farah?s inclusion at hooker pushes Dene Halatau to lock and Liam Fulton to the pine. Todd Payten is out injured and replaced by Ben Te?o in the starting side.

Fullback Brett Hodgson needs only five more points to reach 1,200 for his career.

Watch out Knights: The time has come to become squeaky clean. Penalties are killing the Knights in 2008 and if they are to have any chance they can?t have a repeat of the 12-3 penalty count from last Monday night.

They are now the most ill-disciplined side in the NRL having conceded 65 penalties this year and if that trend continues they?ll be blown right out of contention.

The Knights have also only received 46 penalties in their favour, fewer than any team except Penrith (38). Their penalty differential of -19 is the NRL?s worst.

Watch out Wests Tigers: Youngster Jarrod Mullen knows injury made it hard for him to be considered for New South Wales selection but that doesn?t mean he won?t be out to put himself in the frame for game II should he be needed.

Mullen gave his side a chance late against Melbourne with an impressive long-range try, pushing his metres to 122 for the match. He also added 17 tackles and kicked for 323 metres in a solid all-round display.

With Buderus and Gidley out, watch for Mullen to take a stranglehold on the Knights? attack. If he is on song, he?ll pose plenty of questions to the Tigers? defence.

Where it will be won: The Knights are up against it in this game whichever way you look at it and the crucial factor will be how they control Farah. The Tigers? hooker will look to isolate the likes of Wicks and Royal for defensive overload, and when they tire, he?ll pounce.

It will take another superhuman defensive effort, like the one against Melbourne last Monday, to keep Farah?s influence out of this game. If they can do that, then Jarrod Mullen has the goods to conjure a win. If they tire up the middle, then it looks like being a ?roaring? success for Tim Sheens? men.

The History: Played 12; Knights 7, Wests Tigers 5. The past eight clashes have been evenly shared between the clubs; in fact it has taken a win/loss trend. If you are a believer in sequences it is the Tigers? turn for a win. At EnergyAustralia Stadium the Knights have won four of six games played.

Conclusion: The football gods seem to be favouring the Wests Tigers here but never underestimate a Novocastrian in front of his home fans. This Newcastle mob is extremely gutsy but if the Wests Tigers are serious about being contenders then they have to win this game. Remember they?ll also have revenge on their minds? it was the Knights who kept them out of the finals last year with a last-minute, last-round win.

Match officials: Referee ? Sean Hampstead; Sideline Officials ? Adam Devcich & Alan Shortall; Video ref ? Phil Cooley.

Televised: Channel Nine ? Delayed 4pm; FoxSports 2 ? Delayed 6pm.

Source: http://www.nrl.com