Round 24: Newcastle v Gold Coast preview
Thursday night football heads to the Sunshine Coast as the Newcastle Knights look to make certain their top eight spot whilst the Gold Coast Titans will look to keep their top 8 chances alive.
The Newcastle Knights come into the contest sitting in seventh spot on the ladder and have all but secured a second consecutive as they sit four points clear of the Sharks in eighth spot and will need a disaster to lose their position. Last weekend, the Knights were slow to begin against the Bulldogs but were able to come away with a 22-16 victory over the Bulldogs.
A concern for the Knights would be the fact that couldn't put the Bulldogs away in the contest as they could only manage a 10-0 lead at half time despite dominating field position and possession. Newcastle managed to extend their lead out to 22-6 before a late fightback from Canterbury fell short and the Knights won 22-16. The victory almost certainly secured the Knights a top 8 spot as they moved to 24 competition points with their 11th victory of the season and keeping them ahead of the three-way battle for eighth spot.
The Knights have lost David Klemmer for the clash with the Titans through suspension with Sauaso Sue taking his spot in the front row. Boosting the Knights is the return of Tyson Frizell from his suspension with Brodie Jones returning to the bench.
Having lost their top 8 spot last weekend on points difference, the Gold Coast Titans will be hoping to bounce back from their defeat to the Melbourne Storm last weekend with an impressive victory against the Knights this weekend.
A scoreboard doesn't always tell the tale and that was the case for the Gold Coast Titans as they were the strongest of the teams during the first half of their 34-20 defeat to the Melbourne Storm. The Titans were able to lead 16-12 at the half-time break after they were able to score the opening two tries before the Storm fought back. The Titans were then blown away in the second half by Melbourne who were too good for the Titans who themselves weren't disgraced.
The omission of Ash Taylor has forced Justin Holbrook into a number of changes with Tyrone Peachey being named at five-eighth with Toby Sexton named in the reserves. David Fifita has been dropped to the bench after starting last weekend in a change to his regular interchange switch. The Titans also have Mitch Rein returning to the side after missing last weekend.
Last meeting: Round 5 2021 - Titans 42 Knights 16
Who to watch: Since Jake Clifford partnered with Mitchell Pearce in the halves at Newcastle, the Knights have been undefeated and have looked good throughout their winning streak. Coming into this weekend's contest, the Knights will need to improve on last week and Clifford will need to step up a gear leading into the finals if Newcastle want to prove themselves as genuine contenders.
The Titans have a lot of stock riding in the performance of David Fifita and at the moment their investitures in Fifita have been far from paying off for the Gold Coast. Fifita has struggled to make any sort of impact in recent weeks and whilst the Titans are performing ok, they need a lot more out of Fifita if they want to prove that they are going to make the top 8 and then be contenders rather than pretenders.
The favourite: Depending on where you look, the Newcastle Knights are just favourites for the contest against the Titans.
My tip: The Titans looked good for the first half against the Storm last week and if they can put that performance out again then they will be a step above the Knights who were poor last week. Improvement is needed from the Knights after being less than impressive against the Bulldogs and the Titans will have plenty to prove as they go for the final spot in the top 8. Gold Coast by 8.
