The Alex McKinnon Cup - it's been the big talking point this week after we all returned to training on Tuesday with our tails between our legs after the Sydney Roosters debacle.
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We take on St George Illawarra for Macca's Cup on Sunday at home and it's embarrassing to be reminded we've never won it in five attempts.
The bloke is a big part of this club and everyone knows the history. He's a real valued member of our footy staff, doing a great job as recruitment boss and is an absolute inspiration to us all at the Knights. Yet, for whatever reason, we haven't been good enough on the day against the Dragons when his trophy has been up for grabs.
We need to rectify that. We need to get the job done on Sunday in front of our home fans and put a smile on Macca's face in the process.
There has been some more soul-searching going on this week after the performance against the Roosters. I seriously thought we were ready for them. There are no excuses for what we dished up.
They punched us in the face early and just blew us off the park. They played with intensity and everything they did was at 100 kmh but it's not like we weren't expecting it because we'd talked about how they would come at us early. We just didn't go with them. We sat back and let them dominate us and didn't respond at all.
Once they had the momentum, they'd racked up 24 points before we could wrestle it off them. Like I said, there are no excuses and it's just disappointing and really frustrating because of the peaks and troughs in our form from week to week.
The frustrating part is putting in performances like that and like we did against the Cowboys and the Bulldogs knowing how well we can play when we do have our minds purely focused on the job. Adsy [coach Adam O'Brien] was as angry as he's been all season after the Roosters game and it's easy to see why. No-one would be more frustrated than him with our form fluctuations.
Over the next two weeks, we've got to rediscover our identity again and give ourselves the best possible chance to make some noise during the finals.
As well as playing for the McKinnon Cup on Sunday, we'll also be playing in front of the club's Old Boys, the ex-players and officials who built this place and created its culture. That's a responsibility we carry that won't be lost on us either.
As far as the team goes, Tex Hoy gets his first opportunity to start at five-eighth and there is no doubt he'll get targeted by the Dragons. But he's a brave fella Tex whose been waiting in the wings and learning a lot off Pearcey, Blake Green and Kalyn [Ponga].
I'm really keen to see how he goes because there is no doubt he can be a spark for us in attack.
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