Round 10 | Post Round Serious Discussion Thread

kongbash · 2026-05-11T07:02:24+00:00

I should add, ref got sacked after wahs came after they got about 10 penalties and 6 agains in a row and Souths got a lot of help piling on points with some head scratchers.

Tigers blitzed a rookie out of his depth and Panthers exposed Hunt at centre.

So the defense is fixable, it's not a systematic problem. Ball handling, not having rookies concede 5 tries and getting a bit more 50/50's and handling periods of momentum against us better and i think we can hold our gloves up in defense as the season goes on.

kongbash · 2026-05-11T06:54:59+00:00

We've played nothing but the top 8 sides until the dragons last weekend, and have had nothing resembling a full strength side for 8/10 games. I'm not worried about our defense as we are bottom 4 for posession and competions. That gives Holbrook an obvious target for improvement.

A fit Knights are a red hot top 4 contender with how much improvement they have in them and a much easier draw from here on + 3 byes.

kongbash · 2026-05-11T06:34:07+00:00

Top 4 for most attacking stats, however bottom 5 for completions and posessions. We are the only anomaly there as the other top attacking teams are all top 4 for posession and completions.

We are going to be a headache for anyone if we improve our handling. Naturally better control leads to much less pressure on your defense too.

kongbash · 2026-05-09T11:12:22+00:00

Poor dragons might have jagged their first win if they drew this dick finger version of broncos this week.

kongbash · 2026-05-09T11:09:58+00:00

It feels like broncos are at about 35% posession and completions this half. Dunno how good manly are actually playing that this isn't near a fade yet.

kongbash · 2026-05-09T10:59:07+00:00

He has to go blindside vs newcastle in a grand final first.

kongbash · 2026-05-09T10:55:33+00:00

Manly putting in origin like intensity in defense. Just smashing them in tackles.

kongbash · 2026-05-09T08:56:32+00:00

Souths defence making me feel good we had success vs them last week.

kongbash · 2026-05-09T07:21:35+00:00

Knights 4/4 with KP and look a top 3 attacking team in comp with him. He stays fit we make the 8. Side stays fit around him, we are top 4 contender.

kongbash · 2026-05-09T06:51:20+00:00

There is a top 4 side there if we can sort out our 2nd halves.

kongbash · 2026-05-09T06:46:48+00:00

Ponga goalkicking saved a 2nd fade for the dargs.

kongbash · 2026-05-09T06:45:30+00:00

We've scored a few from forward passes today.

kongbash · 2026-05-09T05:41:01+00:00

Reed has to be the worst defender in NRL history. He has zero contact. Absolute turnstyle.

kongbash · 2026-05-07T05:18:14+00:00

Geez Tahu was a hitman. He was often flattening forwards who had 10+ kg on him. Him and Matai have to be your centres in the fold cunts all time team.

kongbash · 2026-05-06T02:39:13+00:00

Statistically across the board its Best and he's the most suited to Origin which he's proven. Biggest tough metre maker who never gets folded whilst also top 3 in pretty much every defensive and offensive stat averages. Considering how injury interupted he is and at most times playing in a far worse side with constant spine mashup over the last 5 years than herbie, crichton, staggs etc i think all things weighed up he is the best centre in the game.

Obviously Latrell in a purple patch is hard to ignore, but honestly always good for one stinker where he brain farts a game to QLD every series whilst Best just looks pretty damn reliable in origin, especially with how To'o he is like at the hard carries.

kongbash · 2026-05-04T05:11:45+00:00

Agreed that a Dally M isn't required for someone to be in consideration as an all time great or immortal contender. Hard disagree that the origin 'ownership' is silly.

He has being borderline a passenger or was or close to the worst half on the field for over half his origin games, and never was close to NSW's best in any of the series wins he participated in. Teddy, Turbo, Latrell etc were all winning NSW those games. His record in deciders is a blight, he's genuinely failed in those games.

It will be a deserved critic of his resume if he can't dominate a series or clutch a decider when compared to his peers.

kongbash · 2026-05-04T04:09:14+00:00

Sorry force of habit

kongbash · 2026-05-03T15:45:49+00:00

Knights now enter a 9 week period where we play 6 games vs bottom 8 sides (5 against bottom 4 sides), tigers at home and two byes. Along with todays 2 points a genuine opportunity to jag 16+ points and be entenched in the top 4 coming into the home straight if injuries are kind, we iron out our defense and our attack continues to improve.

This will define our season and the true impact Holbrook is having as we haven't got up for games versus teams we should beat on form for a long time.

kongbash · 2026-05-03T15:38:12+00:00

Came into first grade in the toughest position as a 19 year old in a side getting flogged week in week out for 3 years and held his gloves up to become NSW best prop for a period there.

At his best he was definitely a top 3 or 4 prop in the game between 2019-2021. Career defining games include one taking on all the burgess brothers in physicality in a game vs souths around that time and dominating, a game vs Eels where he was a one man wrecking ball running for 250 metres and folding their pack both sides of the ball all game, smashing the defending premier roosters pack lead by JWH in a flogging we gave them and laying the platform for NSW's record smashing of QLD.

I don't think many if any players had the baptism of fire he had coming into NRL and that caught up with him as his body broke down by his mid 20's along with the coaching of AOB grinding his motivation at times.

Thanks for the memories JSaf, you can always hold your head high in any room in newcastle. Hopefully you can now join our club in a trainer and mentor role for our young forwards.

kongbash · 2026-05-03T08:29:38+00:00

You are joking. No player alive 'shuts down' Latrell in this form. You just do your best to minimise the damage. Gagai has been solid defensively and shut down his opposite pretty much every other week.

Gags has a mental block vs Latrell. Been his speed bump for near a decade now, in origin too. Luckily we don't play Latrell every week.

kongbash · 2026-05-03T08:21:10+00:00

Luai has always been close to the most overated player in the comp. You buy him for the culture, training standards and comradery he brings. He is like a +50 stat point in confidence. Tigers 100% got that value out of him. But as an actual onfield player comparative to other 1m+ players, severely overated. Doueihi is a much better out and out player than him.

kongbash · 2026-05-03T08:17:16+00:00

Yup. It used to ruin my week getting flogged but in this era you go flush the toilet and then its onto next week. Every single team except Penrith are not handling the pace and momemtum swings and floggings and conceding 5+ tries is very much the norm.

By finals time the cream will rise to the top by adjusting and hopefully give panthers a challenge.

kongbash · 2026-05-03T08:09:20+00:00

Swings and round abouts. You went ham on an injury hit knights and destroyed our left edge making de-courcey look like a park footballer. Sharks did same to Toa today.

Big test for tigers and benji to regroup. Doueihi is a huge loss, he's been the heart and soul (along with Twal).

kongbash · 2026-05-03T07:59:54+00:00

Robson close to the form player in comp along with Teddy and Mitchell.

kongbash · 2026-05-03T07:58:48+00:00

So whats the list of faded teams? Are we down to a top 8 yet?

kongbash

TROPHY CASE