KNIGHTS
Knights coach Adam O’Brien doesn’t know what he’s going to take away from his side each week, so it’s no wonder he said it was « a huge concern » leading to a playoff final
Newcastle experienced shock in their 36-6 loss to the Titans on the Gold Coast, a loss that cost them a home final after the Rabbitohs knocked out the Roosters 60-8 to move Newcastle up to sixth position
Instead of playing at home in next week’s playoff semi-final, the Knights will head to ANZ Stadium and face a confident South Sydney side
Rather than worrying about the location of next week’s semi-final, O’Brien is focusing more on the state of mind of his players
« This is a major concern that concerns me at the moment, » said O’Brien
« Moving forward is something I need to deal with – whether it’s summer – but it won’t help me next week
« Next week we hope to follow the trend, we are on the rise My number one goal is to correct this consistency
« I don’t think it has anything to do with the abilities of the players It’s between the ears »
Jacob Saifiti is on report for crusher tackle on Young Tonumaipea and risks missing Suds clash
« It was really tough He was going out of line and then all of a sudden they fall at your feet He can’t go away, » said O’Brien
« It’s huge to potentially miss a semi-final in a situation that he literally can’t go away from. Hopefully he’ll be fine there »
Titans key men AJ Brimson and Ash Taylor have outperformed Knights stars Kalyn Ponga and Mitch Pearce and O’Brien will need more next week
« I don’t want to isolate anyone, but there were definitely a number of guys who I thought needed a bigger contribution, » O’Brien said
The Knights were tasteless with the ball in their hands, making just two line breaks at the Titans’ nine
They didn’t handle the expansive Gold Coast style which is a concern before the clash of the Rabbitohs
« The Titans threw us a lot and had three downs down the field we didn’t show up, » said O’Brien
« We are up against a team that is also doing it next week and playing a similar mark »
« It’s not ideal before the finals, and like I told the group, we have to move on very quickly because this performance, and me continuing, is not going to help us next week
« We have to find a way to come up with a real plan to make the most of our season next week »
Newcastle Knights
World news – UA – O’Brien: ‘Great concern’ as last home chance is missed
