A annoyed Adam O’Brien has urged his ‘distracted’ Newcastle gamers to change off social media after they served up a dismal attacking efficiency in a 32-2 residence battering by the Bulldogs.
Coming off the bye, the Knights’ four-game win streak got here crashing down in a sloppy efficiency highlighted by 15 errors and the late sin-binning of Jacob Saifiti for a deliberate headbutt on Reed Mahoney.
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Knights coach O’Brien took intention at his gamers after the defeat, saying: “It’s been a very long time since we’ve had a efficiency like that, that’s gonna take some getting over …
“We in all probability must batten the hatches down, get off social media, and don’t learn an excessive amount of of what you guys (journalists) are going to put in writing. Possibly we had been studying an excessive amount of of that main as much as this one about how good we had been going. Now we’ll look inward and attempt to repair it.”
“There have been some guys there that clearly appeared like they had been distracted of their performances,” he added. “We lacked a little bit of creativity on the ball. That appeared like a group that had had every week off.”
O’Brien started his press convention after the sport by labelling it a: “dangerous, dangerous evening. It’s a tough one to swallow … I’m simply very upset.
“I believe there was loads of effort, little doubt. However effort by itself is just not going to win you the sport. I do assume the primary 20 minutes we did a hell of a job defensively conserving them down their very own finish.
“We had a few tries disallowed, they bought a pair towards the run of play. I believe that actually deflated us, annoyed us, and we by no means overcame it.”
Significantly poor was rookie fullback David Armstrong, who has been a standout since debuting – with the Knights having gained four-straight since he changed the injured Kalyn Ponga within the primary jersey. He dropped two key kicks, was caught out of place on one other handful of events, and was usually poor.
It comes after rumours this fortnight linking Armstrong to a transfer to the Sydney Roosters this season. Adam O’Brien informed the Newcastle Herald not too long ago that the membership had already provided Armstrong a contract extension in a bid to stave off the Chooks – however tonight mentioned the switch gossip could have gotten within the 23-year-old’s head.
“Probably,” O’Brien conceded. “He’s solely a younger bloke. He’s been in 4 video games, he’s been getting loads of pats on the again. It’s all new to him.
“There’s all of the hypothesis, contracts and administration and all that. He’s younger, he’ll study from it.”
Knights’ skipper Jayden Brailey was equally upset after dishing up an effort that noticed loads of drenched Newcastle followers trudge out of McDonald Jones Stadium with over 10 minutes to go.
“Positively not a pleasant feeling within the abdomen tonight, particularly right here at residence. It’s not good,” Brailey mentioned.
Andrew Johns tore shreds off his previous group for serving up a dismal show in entrance of an enormous residence crowd.
“Take a look at the climate, take a look at the individuals who have turned out, sitting within the rain, they usually’re tossing this up?” Johns mentioned on 9.
“Cling your heads in disgrace.
“You may sit at residence and watch it on TV reside and free, they usually flip up, and that is what they toss as much as their followers?
“The Bulldogs, two gamers within the sin bin and the haven’t scored a strive, the Knights. They haven’t appeared like scoring.”
Johns urged the Knights to play Will Pryce of their subsequent sport following a poor efficiency by Jackson Hastings and Jack Cogger within the halves.
“They’ve to drag the set off subsequent week … they must decide as a result of Cogger and likewise Hastings have had no pace in the best way they’ve performed,” Johns mentioned.
“There is no such thing as a power or operating menace, and all of the motion and the passing has been sideways.
“They must put Will Pryce in subsequent week. There is perhaps deficiencies in his sport, however they must do one thing.”
Initially printed as ‘Get off social media’: O’Brien slams ‘distracted’ Knights as rookie flops amid Roosters hyperlinks
