Worst Knightmare: Canberra lose to Newcastle in thriller

There is such a preoccupation with size these days . If your pack is lacking size it may well be noticeable ,but the Raiders pack clearly has plenty of size . They look to be a bit short in the fitness and mobility department .They get tired and don't stick at their defence or guys simply run past them cause they are too big and too slow . To concede 60 points to the Titans and Knights in the first two rounds is a real worry .Now they will be tested in the next month by injuries . I know it's early in the season but the similarities to 2017 are scary .

Hi Albo - I think you are being a bit harsh on Papalii in 2017 - he was one of the Raiders better players for the season - he came fourth in the fans pick for player of the year behind the two wingers and Paulo. I thought he always gave 100% last year and was our most dangerous and consistent back rower. He had a quiet game by his standards yesterday but I think the Knights were ready for him. I thought the same as scar82 and suggested elsewhere that Ricky should think about putting Abbey at full back and shift Wighton to centre to replace BJ. I'd also bring Garvey on to the bench whose been killing it for the Mounties to share the hooking duties with Havili and put Sezer back to half back. Unfortunately Sam Williams has to go for now as hehas shown he is pretty suspect in defence. I think these changes offer a lot more stability. I've been happy with Boyd, Paulo and Lui up front but I agree with you that Bateman offers very little apart from tackling as he barely dents the line. I don't know what Ricky sees in him - he's a bit of a favourite by the look of it. He's not much different to Shaun Fensom who tackeled his heart out but got very little metres from his runs. I'd be giving Liam Knight from the Mounties a crack in place of Bateman. He has a bit of size and hopefully a bit of mongrel.

Once a player comes to Newcastle they very very rarely want to leave. He'll be a Knight for life now.

Jimmy, the big bonus for Ponga & the Knights was the signing of Pearce. He and Ponga are working beautifully together making Ponga's introduction to the new club at NRL level to be a lot easier than if the Knights didn't get Pearce. And as for the Cows letting Ponga go, I think they might rue the decision to save all their cap for Morgan and the pack , leaving them pretty light on for outside backline stars including the fullback spot.

Yep ! I generally agree there, scar82 ! Whilst they have some big boppers eating up the metres with the ball, they have a pretty average spine trying to ice the opportunities. They are pretty one dimensional there relying on kicks to the wingers with the Rapana right side being main focus. Cotric seeing little ball. Little attack through the middle or edges. Then in defence, these big boppers are less effective against more mobile packs. They are obviously missing Josh Hodgson around the rucks, and Tapine is a loss with his more mobility in the pack. I think Papalii had a poor 2017 and is looking ordinary so far this season. Bateman tackles well but is too small to be effective with the ball. Whitehead is a beauty and still starring in their pack with Soliola the next best. Wiiliams & Sezer each ran once only with the ball last night. I like your suggestion of moving Wighton to centre especially with Leilua out for a time, and bring young Brad Abbey into fullback who looks to have some ability. But for mine they still need to sort out the halves and get the right mix in the pack.

I'm extremely happy for Nathan Brown.He is a good coach and now has decent "cattle " to work with. You can't beat experience ,guile and speed, the Knights now have that in their capacity. I'm not writing the Raiders off at this early stage, they have too much class, but gee they need too learn from the West Tigers what goal line defence is all about.

The Raiders defence is shameful. No commitment at all to defend their goal line and it's been going on for over a decade with this club. It's just that in 2016 and some other years we made finals we could always score more points than the opposition.

Ponga is a beauty, Knight Vision ! I still can't believe the Cows let him go ? I sure am happy to have him in my Supercoach team ! But I reckon by season's end it will be Mitchell Pearce who might be proven to be the buy of the year, particularly for the Knights. He has got them home in the two tight games they have had to start the season and he will surely get them home in a few more this season. He has them ticking along nicely out on the park. All the new buys at the Knights are going really well and have melded well with the existing young forwards they already had. Guera , Griffin , Lilyman, Watson, Heighington, Kenny -Dowell are all going well. The old Roosters connection is a real positive fitting well into Pearce's running of the team.

He's only signed until age 24, no guarantees the knights will hold onto him after that

Actually I thought Boyd and Paulo were two of the Raiders better players. Plus Ricky now has them rotating so they are not on the field at the same time which I think is the best strategy. Josh Papalii wasn't as effective as he normally is but I don't think it was due to him being unfit. I think we need to give more credit to the swarming Newcastle defence which didn't give him much room to move. There were other reasons the Raiders lost.

Raiders need to move a few players. I think papalii needs more fitness and he needs to be used on rotation. Soliola would probably be better taking his spot and move him to prop. They missing tapine n now leilua but need to use a strong defender on the edge. Probably Williams needs to drop off. Sezer to return to half back cos he is a better defender. Williams attacks well but lacks defense. Haavili and garvey rotate off the bench Booker and lock role. Wighton to leiluas centre and try new fullback the kid from n.z. myt lack attack but during attack wighton goes to fullback again. But Ricky has some serious issues atm.come on raiders.

It was the defence in the halves and backs that let them down.

The Knights are a much better side this year but the Raider’s defence was very poor. The Knights scored almost every time they attacked within 30m of the line and their tries were hardly elaborate — they were mostly simple barge overs from back rowers following bad defensive reads. The defence from the Raiders was very poor on both edges — if they do not improve in this area they are serious spoon contenders. To some it is a mystery what the Raiders lose close games but it is not that hard to work out — it is their poor defence. In close games they just can’t hold teams out. And it is much worse this year. The only positive from the Raiders is their attack, which is excellent.

Good to know the bunker has gone back to making the obstruction rule clear as mud again, rather than the black and white rule its been for the last few seasons.

I thought it was a big risk for the Knights FT but the bigger the risk the bigger the reward. Good luck to the kid.

He always showed heaps of promise at the Cows . I always thought his lack of strength would go against him. I should have reminded myself that Billy Slater was rag dolled regularly early in his career. Ponga was excellent on the weekend and you may be right about his future, Top class fullbacks are a rare breed.

I can recall the Knights coping a bagging for signing Ponga on such big money from some fans. He's only played a handful of games was the cry. JT only saw him play a handful of games and was desperate to keep him at the Cows. If a player looks like a future super star and you have been wooden spooners twice in a row do they not understand the logic of signing Ponga?

Raiders need to shed some of those fat dudes. I understand the game moving toward bigger and bigger players but a whole team of fat dudes isnt going to win a game of footy.

"to justify his lofty price tag."- Knights got a bargain. Maybe a lofty price tag for a kid but a deadset bargain for any quality NRL fullback. I'm calling it now - buy of the year. One thing is certain and that is the Cows will regret letting the kid leave. He's a freak ! By the end of his career he will go down as a Knights legend.....and that's at the very least

Hard luck for the Raiders but well done Newcastle. Neither side deserves to lose that one but Newcastle were probably more composed at the end. Raiders will bounce back in style next week against the Warriors.