NEWS that Nathan Brown was departing at season's end failed to stir the Knights for a run into the finals.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Knights CEO Phil Gardner is hoping for a "hell of lot better reaction" after assistant coach Kristian Woolf was on Tuesday handed control for the final two games.
Just 24 hours after Gardner declared that Brown would see out the season, despite offering to walk away from the job on Monday following a listless 42-point loss to the Tigers, the club performed an about face.
"Nathan Brown thought and I thought that the players and the team would galvanise and we would have a fantastic run into the final series," Gardner said.
"Unfortunately that has not happened. What we saw on the weekend was a poor result by anyone's estimation.
"Since then, we have been discussing what is the best way for the club to go forward.
"After those discussions with Nathan, he told me he thought it was in the club's best interests if he finished up now. Nathan has put the club, players and town first, not himself."
Roosters and former Melbourne assistant Adam O'Brien is expected to be confirmed as the new head coach by the end of this week.
In the meantime, Woolf, who is likely to take over at English Super League club St Helens from the Gold Coast-bound Justin Holbrook, will act as interim coach for games against the Titans at McDonald Jones Stadium on Saturday and Panthers at Penrith eight days later.
"I hope we get a hell of a lot better reaction this week, and I think we will," Gardner said.
Asked to explain the Knights lack of effort against the Tigers, the club boss was unequivocal.
"I think if any of us know that, that would be the new head coach," he said.
Knights captain Mitchell Pearce said the defeat was on the players' heads.
"We really let our coach down, we let our fans down, and as a team it was totally unacceptable," Pearce said in the Herald on Tuesday.
"There was a whole lot of things that went wrong, and I think all the criticism that's coming is warranted.
"There's no excuse from our end about the week that went on and led into that."
There has been growing speculation that Brown had lost the dressing room, which Pearce dismissed as "rubbish".
Woolf has been in charge of the Knights defence, which had improved markedly, before the recent slide.
Only competition leaders Melbourne had given up less points in the opening 13 rounds.
Brown, who gave teenage sensation Bradman Best a debut against the Tigers, appeared likely to give an opportunity to some of the club's other young guns in the final fortnight.
However, Woolf, given the circumstances, has made just one change to the 17 which surrendered 46-4 to the Tigers.
Connor Watson returns from a knee injury at hooker in place of Danny Levi, who has been left out of the 21-man squad.
