Sydney Roosters ruthlessly expose Knights' disturbing lack of passion and desire

Winning and success taste so much more palatable. Not that this current crop of Knights players would know because they are yet to win anything.

On Saturday night against the Sydney Roosters, they couldn't even win respect.

In the first 20 minutes when most of the damage was done, the Knights should have been fresh but the Roosters were on a completely different level. Never mind they were without four of their best players.

They were physical, played with urgency and at a speed that blew the home side off the park. They were the hare up against the Knights' tortoise in a contest where 'slow and steady' never wins.

Yes, you can make the argument that the Roosters' squad was superior to the Knights on the night, even without James Tedesco, Boyd Cordner, Luke Keary and Jake Friend. But 34 points superior? Come on.

Where was the hunger, the desperation, the passion for the jersey, the personal pride in performance from Knights players? Why did it appear like the Roosters wanted it so much more?

It's not the first time Adam O'Brien has asked similar questions of his men. After the loss, he admitted his side doesn't seem to have the same level of hunger as the Roosters.

"Whether it's because we don't know what it tastes like to get it I don't know," he said. "But just getting picked [in the NRL] can't be enough for us."

Which begs the question: Does the coach need to shake up his team and put the wind up some individuals by making some changes ahead of a clash with an equally desperate Canberra Raiders in Wagga?

There will be a forced change with Blake Green out while Edrick Lee's return and the likelihood Hymel Hunt will also be back equates to three changes without even trying. But should there be more?

If you are talking about hunger, effort and pride in the jersey, Brodie Jones' performance against Cronulla springs to mind. But he has featured for just 15 minutes in each of the next two games.

Ironically, a big part of the solution to the Knights' current woes centres around nothing more than the basics - players running with intent and sticking their tackles.

The Knights are being dominated with and without the ball at the ruck. They are playing off the back foot and being monstered when they have the footy, with their attack looking like a disorganised rabble at times as a result. And then, when they haven't got the footy, they are again on the back foot, being caught out by quick play-the-balls and what suffers first is defensive line speed. It's a cycle that leads to fatigue and a real brittleness around both edges.

The fix is everything to do with effort, desire, heart.

Get that right then the fun returns.

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