Adam O'Brien has taught his side how to play tough and be resilient in defence. Now he has to teach them how to use the footy in attack.
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The Knights have been copping plenty of praise for their grit, effort and commitment in defence against the Panthers on Thursday night. But let's be brutally honest here, shouldn't that be the standard? Why shouldn't that level of effort be a given every week?
It says something about how far this side has left to go to match the heavyweights when you are getting pats on the back for being brave and resilient after being beaten by 18 points.
All that sort of talk does is feed a soft mentality, something this club has been fighting hard to rid itself of. Leaving players feeling warm and fuzzy inside by praising them for having a crack is not going to solve the side's mental issues.
Did the Panthers' defence earn any praise for being gritty and resilient after letting in just one try in 80 minutes? Nope. Why? Because there is now an expectation they will be at that level every week because they always are. That is their standard. It was nothing out of the ordinary.
The Knights will know they have turned a corner on that front when they earn no such praise for a whole-hearted defensive performance following a defeat.
But if the Knights coach has had a battle on his hands getting his players to understand what is required at this level week in, week out when it comes to defensive commitment, he now faces the task of developing his side's attack to the point where it can threaten rival sides from anywhere on the field.
Right now, he is having to rely too heavily on individual brilliance - mainly from Kalyn Ponga and Bradman Best - to score points. The one-out charges from forwards for four or five tackles followed by a kick doesn't cut it with the new rules and the way the game is played now.
End-of-set options have been worse than poor over the past few weeks as well and need some real attention.
Yes, the chopping and changing of personnel in key positions because of injuries is a big factor but you play with the cards you're dealt. The right execution with a little more daring in attack has to be the aim going forward if the attack is to evolve.
Jones on radar
Brodie Jones' eye-catching performances against the Titans and Sharks in recent weeks have not surprisingly caught the attention of rival NRL clubs.
Jones' agent Clinton Schifcofske told us this week he has already fielded calls from a couple of rivals asking about the former Cessnock junior's availability.
"There is interest there which is good and not unexpected but Brodie is a Cessnock boy who wants to stay at the Knights so I don't think there will be an issue there," he said. "I've had a quick chat with Clint Zammit [Knights recruitment boss] so I know he is wanted by the club going forward."
Mouth-guard mayhem
Knights staff were seen frantically searching the dressingroom just prior to kick-off on Thursday night after Blake Green told them he could not find his mouth-guard.
It was only after another mouth-guard was located in a cup next to Tyson Frizell's belongings that the mystery was solved. Frizell had picked up Green's guard by mistake and despite wearing it prior to putting it in his sock during the Anzac ceremony, didn't realise the difference. We're presuming it was washed before being handed back to Green.
Big funeral
The emotional funeral of Knights junior Elijah Faalua, who was killed in a car accident two weeks ago, attracted a huge crowd of 1500 people during the week. Knights and Wests Group boss Phil Gardner made the NEX Club available for the service and Alex McKinnon spoke.
Panthers' scrum try illegal
Should the slick scrum move that Penrith worked on Thursday night that led to a crucial Dylan Edwards' try under the posts for a 16-6 lead against the Knights be deemed illegal?
Panther Isaah Yeo picked the ball up from the back of the scrum and found Edwards with an inside pass before he wrong-footed Daniel Saifiti to cross from close range.
But replays of the try, presumably not noticed by the video ref, clearly shows the Panthers forwards still bound in the scrum and moving forward, taking potential Knights defenders with them, well after the ball had come out of the scrum.
Clever, but surely against the rules.
Player of the Year
Kalyn Ponga and Jayden Brailey have bridged the gap on leader Daniel Saifiti to just one point with the Knights prop not polling any points in our Player of the Year competition in the side's past two matches against Cronulla and Penrith.
Knights v Sharks:
3 Kalyn Ponga 2 Brodie Jones 1 Tyson Frizell.
Knights v Panthers:
3 Kurt Mann 2 Jayden Brailey 1 Kalyn Ponga.
Current leader board: 8- Daniel Saifiti 7- Jayden Brailey, Kalyn Ponga 4- Connor Watson, Brodie Jones 3- Bradman Best, Mitch Barnett, Kurt Mann 2- Tyson Frizell 1- David Klemmer.
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