Newcastle Knight Robbie Rochow has reflected on the side’s loss to the South Sydney Rabbitohs on Saturday and attributes the disappointing result to a lack of conviction in defence.
While the experienced second rower was critical in his appraisal of the game, he assured the team’s faults were achievable to fix by Saturday’s Round 3 match against the Canberra Raiders.
“There were some defensive principles on the weekend that we didn’t live by,” he said.
“We have to stick to our principles a lot better than we did in the first few rounds.
“We know the stuff we’ve done badly and it isn’t hard to fix. A lot of it is effort and a bit of will and determination.
“Once we do, we might get a lot more enjoyment towards the end of games.
“We just have to work towards getting better for this week."
The team reviewed the match in a video session on Monday and identified line speed and ruck defence as areas that require immediate improvement.
“For me especially, it’s about stepping into contact. I think individually my performance wasn’t good enough and I knew that after the first half,” he said.
“I hold myself to a higher standard to that and I saw that in the footage this morning.
“I know the poor errors I made and some of the things I saw defensively can’t happen.
“I take full responsibility for that and will work towards that.
“We are a team and no matter what happens when you have two losses like that to start the season, everyone is feeling it.”
A new week brings with it the opportunity to work towards a better result, with Rochow certain the team has the potential and drive to earn a win at Hunter Stadium.
“It’s such a long season and we know that,” he said.
“We know it’s not extremely hard to turn around, but when you’re tired and fatigued during the games, it’s going to be tough for us.
“We just have to work towards everything we can this week and make sure we don’t start like we have with the poor errors and penalties that we’ve been giving.
“We have to show more fight and determination to turn it around.”
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