nib Newcastle Knights forward Jacob Saifiti spoke with Knights TV in the sheds after the loss to the St George Illawarra Dragons and admits there were just too many errors.
“We’ve done it to ourselves the last couple of weeks… the errors in yardage and penalties,” said Saifiti.
“To give a side like the Dragons that, with the quality people they have in the team, they’re going to make you pay and that’s what they did tonight.
“They’ve got a freak side and we just didn’t turn up today and while across the park there were some standouts, yardage errors and penalties were disappointing.”
With a completion rate of 67 per cent and just 41 per cent of possession, Saifiti maintains the Knights needed to do better.
“It was no coincidence that the first two rounds we were the highest completing team and the last couple of weeks we have been very average,” he said.
“The Dragons outfit are a quality side and if you give any side that much possession, you’re going to pay for it.”
Despite some less than impressive stats from the Knights, one that did stand out was Slade Griffin who recorded the most tackles of the match for both teams with 45 in the match.
Saifiti acknowledged there were some positive glimpses in the defensive efforts.
“We had a fair few defensive sets on our line and we turned up.
“I thought the effort was there but we cracked, I was poor there in the middle in a couple of efforts and it’s just something we’ve got to be better at under fatigue.
“It’s something definitely to work on and it’s frustrating.”
Despite the result, Saifiti is looking forward to next week back at home after almost a month on the road.
“Hopefully we get a good crowd for the Broncos game,” Saifiti stated.
“We reassess, do what we need to do, and get ready for a tough Broncos outfit and it’s only up from here.
“It’s a lot of hard work to put in and get to where we were in the first couple of weeks but I’m looking forward to it.”
