Our effort against the Warriors was embarrassing and exactly the opposite of what we are trying to become as a footy team.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Everything we have been trying to build at the club this season was cast aside during 80 minutes of bulls..t from us in Tamworth. That's the best way to describe what we dished up.
But I reckon what hurt the playing group more than anything about the performance and what really brought it home to everyone in the dressing room was the reaction of Adsy [coach Adam O'Brien] afterwards.
He gave us a bit of a spray after the game but it was more how devastated he was that we had let our standards slip so dramatically and hadn't turned up with the right attitude to get the job done. He was absolutely gutted and you could hear it in his voice. He took how we played personally and that really hit home with the boys. I can tell you it was an ordinary feeling and one we don't want to experience again.
For whatever reason, we still have these mindset issues with playing against sides below us on the ladder who everyone expects us to beat and who we should beat. There is no question our mental toughness has improved but it is clearly still a fair way from where it needs to be.
We had a real honest, no holds barred review session on Monday where a lot of people had a say on what happened in Tamworth.
Newcastle Knights: The latest Knights news in the Newcastle Herald
A lot came out of it and it again underlined just how important getting every aspect of our team and personal preparation spot on no matter how small.
Now, with the Warriors game gone, it becomes all about how we react against the Sharks on Friday night.
This is a massive game for us in the context of our season but the Sharks, who sit a point behind us in eighth spot, will be every bit as hungry as we are. They are a real confidence, feel-good side the Sharks if you allow them to play the way they want to. Their attack has been firing, they like to use the footy and they have players who can really hurt you if given the footy and the freedom.
It's why the two things that let us down in Tamworth, our ball control and defence, are going to be so crucial. We need to be the team controlling things, controlling the tempo and putting them under fatigue.
I'm looking forward to coming up against Woodsy [Aaron Woods]. We're obviously good mates and he's been going really good for them up front. He's one of the elder statesmen now who has been leading the way.
He doesn't mind a chat on the field either Woodsy so I reckon there'll be a bit of trash talking going on but I'll be ignoring him in that regard, at least until late in the game when hopefully, we've got the two competition points in the bag. I might have a few quiet words to him then.
While you're with us, did you know the Newcastle Herald offers breaking news alerts, daily email newsletters and more? Keep up to date with all the local news - sign up here
IN THE NEWS:
