Josh Mercer previews the Round 16 clash between the Newcastle Knights and the Gold Coast Titans.
MATCHDAY NEWS
MATCHDAY SCHEDULE
Newcastle Knights Vs Gold Coast Titans
Venue: McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle
Date: Friday, July 1, 6:00 pm
MATCHDAY TEAM NEWS
Related: NRL Team List Tuesday
Embed from Getty ImagesKnights: 1. Tex Hoy 2. Edrick Lee 3. Dane Gagai 4. Enari Tuala 5. Dominic Young 6. Anthony Milford 7. Adam Clune 8. David Klemmer 9. Chris Randall 10. Jacob Saifiti 11. Tyson Frizell 12. Mitchell Barnett 13. Kurt Mann 14. Simi Sasagi 15. Leo Thompson 16. Mathew Croker 17. Pasami Saulo 18. Jake Clifford 19. Lachlan Fitzgibbon 20. Bradman Best 21. Hymel Hunt 22. Daniel Saifiti
Tex Hoy comes into fullback for Kalyn Ponga, who suffered a concussion in Origin two on Sunday night. Bradman Best (elbow) and Daniel Saifiti (knee) have been named as reserves and could be possible starters. Dane Gagai will be monitored after his short turnaround from Origin two.
Embed from Getty ImagesTitans: 1. AJ Brimson 2. Greg Marzhew 3. Brian Kelly 4. Patrick Herbert 5. Jamayne Isaako 6. Paul Turner 7. Toby Sexton 8. Jarrod Wallace 9. Erin Clark 10. Isaac Liu 11. Sam McIntyre 12. Beau Fermor 13. Tino Fa’asuamaleaui 14. Tanah Boyd 15. Moeaki Fotuaika 16. Jaimin Jolliffe 17. David Fifita 18. Corey Thompson 19. Herman Ese’ese 20. Aaron Booth 21. Kevin Proctor 22. Sosefo Fifita
David Fifita returns from a knee injury on the bench. Corey Thompson (knee) and Kevin Proctor (bicep) have also been named as reserves.
Referee: Chris Butler
MATCHDAY PREVIEW
If there was ever a game suited to the dreaded Friday 6pm timeslot, it’s this game. At the start of the season, that wouldn’t have been the case, with the Knights knocking off the Roosters in Round 1. And while they may have lost to the Eels in Round 1, you would have thought that Titans would be a top-eight side. But here we are in Round 16, and both haven’t had the season we thought they would.
The Knights only went down by two points to the Raiders, and they had a chance to win the game after coming back from 14-0 down. To win against the Titans, they will have to play as they did in Round 15, and they can very much do that even without Kalyn Ponga.
Like the Knights, the Titans put up a good fight against the Sharks, losing by only eight points against a top-four side. The Titans can match it with some top eight sides when they’re on their game, but they have looked abysmal this year. David Fifita returning is a bonus, but Justin Holbrook still doesn’t know how to use his million-dollar man properly.
The winner of this game will be which team decides to show up on the day. Though the Knights are missing Ponga, they still have the skill to do the job. The Titans have their trump card in Fifita; if they use him right, they can win this game.
Embed from Getty ImagesINTERESTING FACT
Out of 25 games, the Knights have won 13, and the Titans have won 12.
MATCHDAY PREDICTION
Knights by four.
Follow Nothing But Rugby League on Facebook
Just wanna know your predictions for Thursday and Friday night’s matches.
thanks,
Helen
Prediction for round 16 please