Round 20: Knights v Wests Tigers preview
Tigers Playing for Pride as Knights Look To Continue Strong Form
The Newcastle Knights and Wests Tigers are both around the bottom of the table and will almost certainly not feature in finals football, but their recent form could not be more different, with the Tigers coming off two beltings in a row, including an NRL era record, while the Knights last game before their bye was among their best in at least a decade, hammering the Bulldogs by 66-points.
When looking at the Knights playing roster, it's easy to understand why they're sitting in 14th place with a record of 6-9-1, but the way they've played so far this season has been so much better than their win total would suggest. They've endured losses by 6 or less against top eight calibre opposition such as the Panthers, Broncos and Cowboys and could've easily jagged another couple of wins against the Sea Eagles and Warriors earlier in the year if things had gone their way. Being involved in the demolition job against Canterbury will do a lot of their inexperienced players a world of good, and there is no doubt that this is a team on the rise.
For the Tigers, things are looking dire to say the least at the moment. The same issues that have plagued the club for years are running as rampant as ever and there seems to be little sign of any genuine change that may put the club back on the right track. Injuries to players in key positions haven't helped them, but there is no excuse for some of the football they've played in recent weeks, however they did show some heart to remain competitive with the Sharks for 55-odd minutes last week.
On paper, the Tigers probably have an advantage in the forward pack over the Knights, the return of representative hooker Api Koroisau a huge inclusion for the visitors. Newcastle have been playing good footy though and have been able to keep largely the same 17 together over the past couple of months, the benefits of doing so becoming apparent in their last game against the Bulldogs.
For the Tigers to have any chance of causing the upset, their forwards will need to dominate from the outset and beat the Knights into submission, as the hosts simply have too much firepower out wide to go down in a shootout. It's certainly not an impossible task for Wests, but with the difference of form both sides are in, it's hard to see Newcastle being troubled.
Last meeting: Round 2 2023 - Wests Tigers 12 Knights 14
Who to Watch: Since being overlooked to the Queensland fullback role earlier this season, Kalyn Ponga has gone from strength to strength, playing the kind of football that has reminded the NRL world why the Knights have invested so much in him as their long-term fullback and captain. Since shifting back to the custodian role, Ponga has been heavily involved in the Knights attack, tearing edge defences to pieces down short-sides with his blistering speed as well as his sneaky good passing game. You'd struggle to find a Newcastle player without an impressive stat-line from the Bulldogs game, and Ponga's was as dazzling as you'd expect, finishing with 2-line breaks, 3-line break assists, 3 try assists and 9 tackle breaks. Against a Tigers side that has struggled defensively all season, expect another huge performance from the Knights marquee man.
It's no coincidence that the Tigers brief rise this season ended abruptly as soon as Api Koroisau got injured against the Titans. Koroisau is pretty much the only player on the Tigers capable of bringing anything resembling an attacking structure or gameplan to the side when close to the opposition try-line, and while they have struggled to score points all season, they've averaged just 6 per game in the three full matches he's missed since the injury, a sharp drop off from the 26 averaged in the four game beforehand (granted, a slightly inflated figure due to the 66 point drubbing of the Cowboys). Koroisau won't be able to do it all himself against Newcastle, but if his forward pack can give him a decent platform to work off, he may just be able to manufacture enough points for the Tigers to defend themselves to victory.
Favourite: The Knights are 12-point favourites in this one at the time of writing.
Tip: The Knights are at home and in much better form, easy tip this one. Knights by 18.
