2019 Rd 3 V Knights: Game Day

[Billy Walker]

Cotric is well out of form


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Yep - give Bailey Simonsson a run to sharpen Cotric up. I like this pick on form approach

[LastRaider]

Williams and Hodgson need to take over kicking, Wighton just needs to focus on ball running and he will be right.

I’ve rated CNK for a while now. I hope he just has a consistent year so he can lock down the number 1 jersey for a few years.

Hodgson proved his salt

Williams is miles ahead of Sezar at the moment and although Williams isn’t a long term hope he is providing far more than Sezar and is a good place holder until next year. (Hopefully we recruit a decent half)

Whitehead is looking like he has lost a step. Has he bulked up or is he carrying a few extra kilograms?


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[Bay 67]

What’s the story behind the poxy arrow shooting try celebration CKN does?

It's the "Catniss"

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Do we all need to whistle, kiss and salute with two fingers then?

[RedRaider]

Mission accomplished = 2 competition points. We now total 4 competition points in 3 rounds. It took us 6 rounds to get to this place last year. Of the team performance, the continual turning up in defence (helped by some Knights errors) and the improved aggression and mobility of the side has been on show.

CNK just keeps catching the football. Very consistent. The other players are now looking for him in support plays. If there is an area for him to work on it would be in one on one defence. Based on tonights match maybe JC could take him aside because he made 3 or 4 one on ones which were fantastic, particularly one on Ramien. A kick is only as good as its chase and CNK chase of the Hodgo kick was perfect for his first try. His second try came after Hodgo passed to Sam who passed onto CNK who got it early and therefore had some room and he then displayed a fine right foot step for the try.

The move of John Bateman from the middle to the right edge proved no problem for him. A dynamo in attack and defence. Very impressive early season form and 80 minutes seems no problem for him.

I liked what I saw from Sutton in the middle. Tough defensively and ran hard when his turn came. He reminds me a bit of Aiden Tolman at the same age. The younsters in HorsPower and Hudson Young showed they were right up to NRL level and I like having Havili and Sia inject enthusiasm and experience from the bench.

Sam Williams had a fine game. Scored a try by taking on the line. Put in some fine tactical kicking once Hodgo decided to go his way. After Hodgo's attempt at FG had been put into a Knights player and we had 6 again he only waited a couple of tackles before taking the shot and scoring the FG that put us 7 in front to close out the game. I have said before I think he is a better player than Sezer and I still think that.

Jack was rocks and diamonds. The rocks were the kicks out on the full, the kicks directly to the Knights, the attempt on Ramien when he was easily brushed away for Ramien to score, the poor hands and the dumb penalty after slamming Ponga he then had to work him over and concede a penalty. The diamonds were the charge down and the aggressive running game.

We have the Cowboys at 1300smiles next Saturday so an 8 day turnaround. I hope we get up there a few days early to get used to the humidity. After our first win we came up lethargic for our second match which could in some ways be attributed to both the quality of the opposition and the 5 day turnaround. We won't have those reasons next week imo. Cowboys are a good side but with JT retiring and Taumalolol injured I think we can get them if we play with similar commitment and aggression as tonight. I would not make any changes to tonights side. Give Tapine the time for proper healing.

[Johno]

If I was a player and there was a guy starting ahead of me who not only is **** but also on basically twice the pay, I'd be **** livid.

Sam Williams isn't the solution but he sure as hell is better than Sezer, who's an overpaid plodder that doesn't belong anywhere near first grade.

Give it a rest eh, your boring, the guy doesnt play and you still slag him off.

[Botman]

Cotric is well out of form


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Yep - give Bailey Simonsson a run to sharpen Cotric up. I like this pick on form approach

Lets not and say we did.

[zim]

Thought Ponga was very disappointing today.... I think that was the key to our victory, keeping him quiet. On the other hand Charnze and Bateman were superb for us

We really got into him with ball in hand. He didn’t recover in the first half after Lui went at him like a heat seeker!

Felt like Lui finally started his season today. Along with Sutton they took very positive steps forward.
Sutton looks like he can really be that starter that allows Soliola to stay on the bench.

[greeneyed]

MATCH REPORT: Canberra Raiders manage win over Newcastle Knights



While he was disappointed they gave the Newcastle Knights a sniff, Ricky Stuart says the way they closed out the game highlighted his Canberra Raiders are mentally tough. That's not to say he's getting carried away with their 17-10 victory at Canberra Stadium on Friday night and he knows they're still not the finished product.

"Tough game. We got criticised a lot last year because we weren't mentally tough. They are tough."

CANBERRA RAIDERS 17 (Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad 2, Sam Williams tries; Jarrod Croker 2 goals; Williams field goal) bt NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS 10 (Jesse Ramien, Shaun Kenny-Dowall tries, Kalyn Ponga goal) at Canberra Stadium. Referees: Jon Stone, Tim Roby. Crowd: 10,585.

Read more: https://www.canberratimes.com.au/sport/ ... 518yc.html

John Bateman carrying England's proud NRL legacy

Just how good is John Bateman? For that, just ask Ricky Stuart.

"Some have to win, some try," the Canberra Raiders coach says of football players. He puts Bateman with the former - his upbringing in a rough Bradford housing estate made him that way.

Read more: https://www.canberratimes.com.au/sport/ ... 518xo.html





NRL Match Report: Raiders v Knights: https://www.raiders.com.au/news/2019/03 ... v-knights/

Match Highlights: Raiders v Knights: https://www.raiders.com.au/news/2019/03 ... -29-March/

Press Conference: Raiders v Knights - Round 3 2019: https://www.raiders.com.au/news/2019/03 ... --round-3/ (Ricky Stuart 22:45 min mark)

Round 3 Team Song v Knights: And they go back to the old victory song! https://www.raiders.com.au/news/2019/03 ... v-knights/

[zim]

Peej, he's a natural born footballer. And a complete heart attack

Oh yeah..tru dat !!

I'm so so glad I'm not on the end of his shoulder..ouch.

That's gotta sting..Jamie Soward agrees.

Jack is not a 6 or 1. He's a 3 or 4

Making him a 6 is just dumb. But hey. Let's clap for a gumby out of position.

Lol

x2

[Raider47]

Am I the only one who thought Glasby looked a bit suss before Leilua lashed out? Looked like he was biting or doing something odd?

Video a bit down the page:

https://www.foxsports.com.au/news/kalyn ... 2851ca71e5

[EJ]

What’s the story behind the poxy arrow shooting try celebration CKN does?

It's the "Catniss"

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Do we all need to whistle, kiss and salute with two fingers then?

Yes, that would be amazing.

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[Neeeegz]

Here’s a hypothetical - if we miraculously signed the best 6 in the comp this week would you pick Jack at fullback ahead of CKN? I’d stick with the Clock.

On form, I'd drop cotric and move jack to left centre and Croker to the wing, cnk has a very high ceiling, he has stepped up a gear every game, and looking like a great signing, I think Batemans mongrel is inspirational for the team also

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[simo]

Here’s a hypothetical - if we miraculously signed the best 6 in the comp this week would you pick Jack at fullback ahead of CKN? I’d stick with the Clock.

We would play the best 6 in the comp as a bench utility

[Rickmando]

Lot of credit goes to Rick for tonight. He’s really living up to Pig’s power rankings.

Looking forward to seeing a few of the negos come to Jesus in the next few weeks... let’s all bleed green like the great man!

[KingDynamite]

Am I the only one who thought Glasby looked a bit suss before Leilua lashed out? Looked like he was biting or doing something odd?

Video a bit down the page:

https://www.foxsports.com.au/news/kalyn ... 2851ca71e5

When I first saw it I though he was biting him on the arm. If Joey didn’t make a complaint to the referee I guess it mustn’t have been too bad.

[Elcaptcroker]

Has there ever been a pom that one the clive churchill medal first year in the nrl?


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[woppadingo]

Im happy for that to be called an ugly win. We need those kind of wins to be contenders.
I dont want to go overboard with gushing praise or rabid criticism, but Wighton was awful tonight.
In the end I think we just won because of the improved defense and a few brilliant performances.
Having that defensive attitude tends to build confidence and determination, and it shows.
Some refinement in our attack should keep us in good stead for the next few matches.

[Sterlk]

Bit of a scrappy game, but good to get another win. 2/3 so far, a rare thing for us.

[Neeeegz]

No it's not. It's an era that we have a team that can challenge, and a traditional halfback like Sammy can do enough. We are looking bloody good this year

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[Neeeegz]

Here’s a hypothetical - if we miraculously signed the best 6 in the comp this week would you pick Jack at fullback ahead of CKN? I’d stick with the Clock.

It’s a split halves era, that’s just what it is
Signing a 6 vs 7 doesn’t matter a great deal now save for someone needing to “own” the kicking game, which we are struggling with

Long it feels like Jack is fine
Short is apparently Georgey Boy’s strength, Hodgson can deliver quality at both
I think that’s fine

I agree Jack will stay in the halves but my hypothetical was more aimed at who’s the better fullback. If Jack wasn’t needed in the halves I couldn’t pick him at fullback ahead of CKN

If Austin could tackle we'd never ever know who CHuNK was !!!

There is a lot to be said for that. I’m a big fan of moving on the players that hold a spot but don’t look like premiership material. I think sometimes we get too attached to mediocre players who put in the occasional good effort. Move em on and uncover the next one I say.

There is no I in team, look at all premiership teams, each person does their job, and the great players can shine

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[Westsydneyraider]

Can someone please start a Williams vs sezer vote thread volume 6 !!

[Neeeegz]

Think We could be without Leilua for a week for the elbow. Assuming Taps is back maybe Bateman goes to centre and Sutton retains his #13 jersey?

If not, maybe oldfield is back from injury and slots in there?


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Why would Oldfield come straight back ?

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[Raiders666]

Bateman could be one of the greatest Signings since Meninga... im not even joking

[Danaman137]

Think We could be without Leilua for a week for the elbow. Assuming Taps is back maybe Bateman goes to centre and Sutton retains his #13 jersey?

If not, maybe oldfield is back from injury and slots in there?


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Why would Oldfield come straight back ?

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Because Leilua could serve a week for the elbow.. and oldfield can play centre... did you even read the post?


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[Billy Walker]

It’s a split halves era, that’s just what it is
Signing a 6 vs 7 doesn’t matter a great deal now save for someone needing to “own” the kicking game, which we are struggling with

Long it feels like Jack is fine
Short is apparently Georgey Boy’s strength, Hodgson can deliver quality at both
I think that’s fine

I agree Jack will stay in the halves but my hypothetical was more aimed at who’s the better fullback. If Jack wasn’t needed in the halves I couldn’t pick him at fullback ahead of CKN

If Austin could tackle we'd never ever know who CHuNK was !!!

There is a lot to be said for that. I’m a big fan of moving on the players that hold a spot but don’t look like premiership material. I think sometimes we get too attached to mediocre players who put in the occasional good effort. Move em on and uncover the next one I say.

There is no I in team, look at all premiership teams, each person does their job, and the great players can shine

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I agree - we are shaping up nicely but when you run the ruler over them there are a few I don’t see as being in a premiership winning team. Sometimes need to make selections with the head not the heart

[zim]

Just got through the replay.
Anyone that thinks that was reffed with any kind of consistency has their head firmly wedge between their buttocks.
We did really well to overcome our own mistakes and the lopsided interpretations.
We don't win that game last year.

[Woodgers]

I disagree with most of the comments here.

That was a clunky win and we should have buried them but it wasn't that bad and again, the defence was improved on 2018 so we're improving as a whole. We're not polished and we're scrapping but at least we are doing that and i'm happy with the commitment. For the first time in a long time i'm more critical of the attack than the defence, which to me is a good thing. In may ways I think Ricky is so focused on the simple game play off the back of the defence that we're in our shell with the ball. My evidence to support this is our outside backs are seeing no decent ball, they're just rucking it out, and our edges like Whitehead (and Tapine when he plays) are not as dangerous as previous years so far. I think the coach wants conservative football with a focus on playing percentages to try get points on the ladder so we're not chasing. It's not pretty but i'm OK with it as we've changed a fair bit this year.

CNK has been fabulous. We measure players on stats and for a fullback, catching bombs and doing those things but this guy is showing more than that. Like the other new bloke Bateman, this guy is bringing energy and he's pushing up and supporting the ball carrier and trying to work the 2nd phase. These aren't measurables but it's a big reason why we're 2-1 so far. He's doing well and improving.

Cotric is struggling but he's not making mistakes and playing badly. The thing with him is he's set such a bar we expect more from him. He'll come good and I think he might just need a try or a break or something but he's not a concern. You wouldn't trade him or Rapana for any other wingers in the comp. At the very least at the moment he is safe which will do me. He doesn't need to be some kind of messiah in a side playing down train tracks in the middle of the field.

BJ will again cop his medicine for the silly elbow but otherwise he was good. He defended wonderfully and he took some good carries for the forwards. Why do people insist on compacting 80 minutes into 1 simple play to define an entire performance? He was above average.

Williams is a better fit for the side than Sezer. He isn't a superstar but he seems to have more command on the players outside him in attack than Sezer does, and his passing and kicking is better too. If he can keep working on the defence i'm happier for him to stay rather than put Sezer back in because he's the alleged NRL half.

Wighton is consistently being judged on a few bad kicks a game which aren't ideal, but his overall 80 is decent tonight. He's trying his guts out and his defence is good. The bloke defends nicely for most the game and cops it for a miss on Ramien which probably every half in the comp gets palmed off on, sometimes a powerful runner does that to any defender. Jack is leading the kick chase every time, and his efforts on things like the charge down to turn things before halftime are again deemed irrelevant over a missed tackle and a few overcooked kicks. I'd like to see Jack back off the kicking, especially if we persist with Williams because he doesn't need to be the man there. He should be used for kicking mostly when we desperately need territory.

Soliola is the best bench prop in the NRL at the moment for me. I'd love to start him, he adds so much. I think if we can keep moving forward and getting more out of Sutton, Horsburgh, Lui and Guler, we can start Sia with Papa and really push but I understand why Rick wants 1 of them on the park at all times.

Finally, Bateman has been incredible for us. He's the 1%'r we need. He's bringing energy and aggression and heart. Like Sia he is one of the few players we have that does everything with intent, and it rubs off. Hats off to Ricky here, he's a brilliant buy.

[zim]

Excellent post Woodgers.

[Westsydneyraider]

Excellent post Woodgers.

1000% agree with you. Great post !!

But to Cotric is struggling is harsh.
He may not have to same impact but he is not struggling.

[Westsydneyraider]

Excellent post Woodgers.

1000% agree with you. Great post !!

But to say Cotric is struggling is harsh.
He may not have to same impact but he is not struggling.

[Zip Zip]

Not a great performance, but super happy with the win. A game that I think we lose last year

Poor old Jack had about as bad a game as I can ever remember from a Raiders player, but no need to go on about it. He’s a confidence player and he needs to show why he’s our highest paid player next week. Shake it off and play better.

Another good defensive display too. Only conceding slightly over 10 points per game through three rounds is a huge improvement.

In the past few seasons, we’ve been begging the team to ‘find a way to win’ and I feel like these are the types of games we’re talking about. Win ugly, get the two points and move on to next week.

Love CNK, Sutton looked like he’ll make it in the NRL, Hudson looked good and Sia, as always, came on and made a difference to our ruck and line speed.

Nice work lads.

[hrundi89]

Yeah Joey's had a strong start to the season for mine.

The elbow was silly, and Glasby deserves an Oscar, and he needs to get that out of his game.

[BJ]

Great effort from all the forwards tonight. The played hard and ran straight all night.

The only time Lui didn’t run straight was when he veered straight into Ponga and really shook the young bloke up. Thumbs up for the forwards effort.

[Cranky Old Man]

I agree with the criticisms of the refereeing, I thought it was appalling right through, although a couple of the worst decisions actually went our way (eg, Edricks tackle) but mostly the poor reffing of the ruck and ten favoured the Knights.
The reffs from the Titans game was the best for a long time, not infallible but even handed, and sensible to the conditions.

[greeneyed]

GALLERY: Round 3 Canberra Raiders V Newcastle Knights: https://www.pinterest.com.au/theghraiders/pins/

https://www.pinterest.com.au/theghraide ... a-raiders/