Pearce and Ponga combo prove too much for Raiders

Hodgson had an uncharacteristically off day Albo - took lots of bad options and didn't seem to have much energy - along with a lot of other players. And yes the bench didn't offer as much punch as they can. Havilli was OK but didn't see much of Sia and Jordan Rapana looked a bit lost in the second row when Jack went off - which is to be expected. I think you're spot on with who played well and who didn't. If you look at the stats the Raiders had a lot of possession but they weren't that threatening - particularly in the first half. Credit has to be given to the Newcastle defence which was up for the whole game. Bradman Best could be anything - big unit with skill.

The Pearce and ponga combination, does not surprise me one iota.They are both thinking footballers with the skill to match. The guy who has surprised me is the one with the fabulous name Bradman Best.Built like an Abrams tank and as fast as an Exocet missile, he creates havoc when he has the pill in his hands.One scary canary to have to tackle.If he isn't an outside chance for SOO selection ,based on what I've seen, then I'll go to OPSM.Just don't hold me to it.

You are a tough marker , Paul ! Ponga was outstanding . He usually is early in the season . Hopefully he can keep it up for the full season this year. But I also thought Pearce was very good and controlled the match with a great kicking game . Klemmer was outstanding with 5 offloads , 14 hit ups & 38 tackles in 50 minutes, and budding super start Bradman Best made a mess of the Raiders right side defence most of the match. McCullough added some much needed starch to the Knights guts defence with 61 tackles. I thought this was the best performance from a Knights team in some seasons, and the Raiders were well contained till late in the match. Whether the Knights can maintain this form will be the big test for coach and team.

Ramien looks so much more threatening in a Sharks jumper and this Bradman Best could be anything. He shredded Curtis Scott and he's only 18! Like what Staggs brings as well. And Bronson Xerri looked as though he could be anything but will likely spend a deal of time on the sidelines after the steroids episode. Some exciting talent around in the centres. Personally I'd like to see young Cotric have a crack at right centre for the Raiders with Jordan Rapana on his outside. He used to dominate there in the U20s.

True 40/20 - they had a night out against the Broncos who are light on for experience. Will be interesting to see how the chooks ago against teams with good defence.

It will be interesting Paul. Both teams will be fired up after having losses when they were expected to win. Both Madge and Ricky will be tearing strips off the players who can expect a tough week on the track. I'm not making any predictions on this one. You'd think the Raiders have the better squad but Benji has had the wood on us in the past. BJ Leilua will be fired up for a big game also against his old club. I'm expecting a great game and a close margin.

Geoff, I think the Raiders need Hodgson firing on all cylinders for the team to really perform. He had a poor match yesterday . Too much fiddling around the rucks and taking wrong options. That's why the Knights pack handled the Raiders easily for most of the match, apart from the odd burst from Papalii late in the match. Williams was left to try to conjur up something and his kicking game was outstanding. Horsburgh & Tapine worked tirelessly and Papalii had a big 2nd half. But Whitehead was also unusually ordinary and the bench offered little impact. I am wondering if the match day flying might be having an impact on some of them ?

I've been thinking about your first paragraph Geoff and perhaps this might be "the loss the Raiders had to have". I've no idea what the talk's been like on the east coast, but any discussion about title winners this year has to include your boys, which might have led to them thinking they only had to turn up and the premiership was theirs. I feel very sorry for Madge's boys next week. I suspect Ricky will be keen for the Green Machine to really do a number on them. I suspect the scoreline might reflect a hiding.

The Chooks looked unreal but the Morris twins won't be running amok against strong defences and that's when Mitchell will be sorely missed. Flanagan looks good also but how will he go under the blow torch?

You are a bit generous with the B+ Taree - I'd rate them a C-. Got behind early but at least they found a way to come back. George and Papa dragged them back into the game. Losing Jack effectively killed them off and the Knights hung on. Good signs for them.

Agree – the Raiders were favourites to win the comp after beating the Storm and that lasted one week! They are now second favourites with the Storm. Hate to say it but the Roosters are still the benchmark – they were awesome against the Broncos and no Teddy. Mind you they had very little opposition. Respect to the Knights they were very good across the park as you say with Ponga the standout. A real contrast to last season where the Knights looked listless and lacked intensity. The change of coach has done them a lot of good. This time it was the Raiders who lacked energy – Ricky obviously didn’t see it coming – if you are off your game slightly and the opposition is on there is a good chance you will lose. New dynamic to the comp this season with the Knights and Panthers in contention. And great to see the Titans get a win. I don’t think anyone saw that coming.

I thought Ponga had a very good game but felt the rest of the team all did their parts, with no-one really standing out. That's a good thing IMO, because it means the effort was balanced, rather than relying on one player to do everything. As for being premiership favourites, I recall a comment from a few weeks ago that premierships aren't won in May and that has to apply to the Knights. This was certainly a confidence building win, but they have to keep it going for a another 4 or 5 months and not lose too many players to injury along the way.

Very little intensity from the Raiders – particularly in defence. I think there was a letdown after the win over the Storm the previous week and everyone talking them up. No excuse for that though. You need to be up for every game in the NRL. To be fair the Knights were very good for the whole 80 minutes and well coached. Ponga and the Knights forwards played well and Bradman Best belted Curtis Scott who needs to have a look at his defensive reads. The right side looked pretty vulnerable at times. I’d like to see Jordan Rapana starting and Simmonson back on the bench. Wighton and Hodgson didn’t provide much spark in attack and there didn’t appear to be much leadership in terms of revving the players up. The players looked tired. Very disappointing. On the bright side George Williams was very good again as were CNK and Papa. They really missed Bateman’s energy yesterday. They’ll have to lift for the Tigers next week – BJ versus Curtis Scott will be interesting. I think we miss him. The acid will be on Scott to show something.

You get the feeling true centers are making their way back into the game. Best simply standing wide and running hard and staright was a nightmare for the Raiders. Ramien was a beast against NQ. Staggs takes his opposition personally. Suli, Crichton Marsters and I dare anyone to stand in front of Olam on the charge.

‘proves’

I am very disappointed with the outcome. However the Knights played very, very well. Ponga was amazing. I don't know why the Raiders were flat, Chanze dropped two balls & the Knights were just too good. But. As a true Raiders fan I just hope that the team gives it a red hot go every week. I suppose they did, but only just. B+