Newcastle’s strong start to the year continued with a deserved 34-24 win over the Warriors in another thrilling clash at McDonald Jones Stadium.
Though the Knights ran out easy winners in the second half, this was far from a foregone conclusion. The Kiwis showed the fight that has become their trademark and had the difference within four points with 20 to play before a mounting injury toll caught up with them.
Both sides suffered: Te Maire Martin was taken off with a suspected broken leg and Wayde Egan left early after a head knock, reducing the visitors to a two-man bench rotation, while Newcastle will sweat on hooker Jayden Brailey after what appeared to be a knee injury.
It was another pulsating fixture, with attack dominant over defence on a fast, dry track in Newcastle. The hosts were missing star man Kalyn Ponga and his replacement at five eighth, Tyson Gamble, but understudy Phoenix Crossland stood up in both attack and defence, while their impressive backline always threatened.
The Warriors were also depleted, lacking captain Tohu Harris, but more than played their part. Shaun Johnson, their best all year, was excellent again and got plenty of support from Charnze Niholl-Klokstad from fullback. In the end, it wasn’t enough, but one suspects that Andrew Webster will take more positives than negatives from this performance.
“I did feel a bit of deja vu,” he said. “I was saying to myself if we win this one I don’t know if I will be celebrating as hard this week.
“I’m a bit frustrated with how its happening. We’re good at sticking to the plan when we’re behind. You could be coaching worse teams, the boys never give up.”
If there’s a set of fans anywhere in the world who deserve to see a good footy team, it’s Newcastle fans.
There’s certainly a feeling around the place at the moment that the good times are, if not back again, then looking a little more likely to return than previously.
It’s been a rough trot, some of which was their own doing but also plenty that was not. Last year, for example, they had to worst injuries of anyone for most of the year and rarely had anything close to their best on the park.
“I’m sick to death of talking about last year, and I am the one to constantly do it,” said coach Adam O’Brien.
“I’m going to stop doing it. It’s a different group, new season, new players, new staff, everything’s different. We’re having a crack, but there is still plenty for us to get better at.
“But certainly if we’re going to compete at the back end of the year we have to get better at stuff too.”
There seems to have been a serious rethink in the off-season, and not just the much-vaunted move of Kalyn Ponga to the halves.
It’s all been about the backfield. The signing of Greg Marzhew has been something of a master stroke, because he replicates what they already had on the other edge in Don Young. Chuck in another great pickup, Lachie Miller, and you have a reborn back three that excels in yardage.
Sure, there’s errors there too, but in terms of what was available short term and what they can produce right now, it looks like great business.
Last year, they were fourth for back five metre percentage, the amount of their yardage that was generated solely by backs, so it is clearly what they were attempting to do last year as well, but that was with a much weaker five than they have now.
Miller is third among fullbacks in the NRL and Dane Gagai second among centres, plus they’re getting production out of Young, Marzhew and a fit Bradman Best.
Tonight, their metre ranking was topped by four backs, including both centres, which indicates the way that they are trying to go about things. It’s likely limited by talent elsewhere, but in terms of year-on-year improvement, there’s plenty of it.
When you see blokes like Phoenix Crossland, Mat Croker and Leo Thompson – who probably wouldn’t play first grade at other clubs – playing as well as this, it speaks to a system that appears to be working.
When you see a chase like that to run down Edward Kosi in the first half – with Tyson Frizell, a veteran backrower, leading it – it speaks to a playing group that has absolutely bought in.
The draw has been somewhat kind thus far and gets tougher in the coming three weeks, but there’s plenty to like about the Knights thus far, and they were great value for a win tonight.
Sure, the defence is still not what it could be. Sure, they lack a bit of finish at times in good ball. But the building blocks are there.
Nobody is asking them to win the comp, and those long-suffering fans in the Hunter will know that this is about getting better rather than being the best. The Knights are certainly getting better.
Shaun Johnson has been exceptional of late, warming hearts left right and centre.
Last week he picked the team up on his shoulders and delivered them to an emotional victory over the Sharks, and tonight he backed it up even when the result didn’t come.
The Warriors captain was worth plenty in attack tonight, but even more as a controller. Where he made his name as a spark plug, this year he has morphed into a sensible old head with kicking and game management skills to go with the finesse.
On a night where a lot went wrong for the Warriors, Johnson kept them in the game long after they had any right to be there. Moreover, he’s been doing it consistently week to week.
This has generally been the thing with Johnson, particularly in his later years. There have been flashes over the last few seasons that there was something in there still, which made it all the more frustrating that we got to see it so infrequently.
It didn’t help that he was often in a beaten team, or playing at less than full fitness, or not playing at all – he managed ten appearances in 2021 and 16 in 2020.
One thinks of the narrow victory over the Cowboys last year, when Johnson was excellent, or the games at home to the Tigers and Bulldogs late in the season, or the loss to Souths at Magic Round.
The difference was that they were four games out of 21 played, and spread fairly evenly across the year. One game in five was great, but that’s not enough.
This year, it’s been consistently good. Halfbacks are, more than any other position, dependent on the players around them to be able to execute their role, so perhaps it is the successes in other areas of the team that are helping Johnson along.
Given that he was a mercurial player even at his mid-2010s peak, there might be something to be said for a settled environment and a positive atmosphere too after years away from home.
The biggest factor, in all likelihood, is probably Webster. The Warriors coach knows that the bulk of his side is young and beaten down by time away from home and two years of defeats.
They need a veteran player, one who plenty of this side would have grown up idolising, with leadership qualities and the proverbial first yard in the head.
At the moment, they’re getting that, and the Warriors are reaping the benefits.
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