While after a loss, a lot of people want everyone from the Prime Minister to the bartenders replaced; it’s certainly not the time to get ahead of ourselves as fans.
The reality is, you just can’t take a lot out of a loss like that.
The boys may as well have changed into their boardies and played a game of ‘kill the dill with the pill’ in the wave pool of Wet n Wild.
Now I know we’ve all been on an emotional yoyo this season, but with that, there comes good news.
The yoyo has come down and now it’s time for it to come back up!
The victims this week, the Newcastle Knights! Wait… Déjà vu anyone?
The Knights are going to come out firing this week for more reasons than one.
They were comprehensively outplayed by the Cowboys on Monday night but after an emotional win over the Sharks the week before; they were understandably fatigued for their trip up north.
Saturday afternoon (yep Saturday afternoon!) will be a different game altogether.
Round 2 saw our boys play a Knights team without Darius Boyd and Jarrod Mullen.
This weekend sees Boyd back and there have been plenty of rumours about Mullen’s return.
Will this be the week he comes back? Look, who cares?! It doesn’t matter who we’re playing against, we need to be at our best.
To do so, we have some returning ammunition of our own. And what ammunition is more threatening than big Papa? Josh Papalii returns!
Equally difficult to deal with in attack and defence, the big fella is the injection we’re looking for as fellow bash brother Joel Edwards rests his head this week.
Given the choice of tackling Papalii or a horse (an unfair comparison I know), I’m choosing the Wild West every time.
Not only is the horse easier to tackle but I’m also pretty good at cheating at cards. Let’s keep that between you and me.
There’s a lot to love about this week’s match up and to save you from reading a novel (congrats for getting this far), I’ll try to run through my highlights.
As usual, the amazingly talented Anthony Milford features.
The battle between Milford and Boyd is one to watch as both will be looking to impress Queensland selectors, despite being in the running for different positions.
There’s another two players who will also be the centre of attention –pardon the pun. Jarrod Croker and Joey Leilua are attacking machines and both will be keen to impress.
Matt Allwood and Dane Gagai will have their hands full trying to prevent them going further ahead on their clubs’ top try scorers list.
For the record, Uate is tied with Leilua for top try scorer at the Knights but who’s worried about that guy? Not me!
To be honest, both sides have deadly backlines when they’re on song.
I rant at length every week about the battle of the forwards going a long way to deciding who will win the game.
While it’s important again this week (very!), the game will come down to two other things – goal line defence and last tackle options.
Our boys will have their chances on the Newcastle line and if they’re patient and force repeat sets, we’ll win by 50. Well, maybe not 50 but we will win.
Conversely, when tested on our own line, a staunch defensive line will frustrate the Knights.
While capable at their best, they don’t have the most creative attack in the world and a staunch defence will frustrate them out of the contest.
The Knights are a confidence team and it’s important to knock any confidence out of them early, which I’m sure we can do.
See you all at the game. Carn Raiders!!!!!
