We have all seen our fair share of ugly games in the NRL as has Newcastle Knights coach Wayne Bennett, but in his eyes, his side’s narrow 8-6 win over the Penrith Panthers, was just about the ugliest game he has ever seen.
With errors galore by both sides, there was no beating around the bush by Bennett when asked about his thoughts on the game.
It wasn’t good,” the seven-time premiership-winning coach said.
“I’m not happy but I’m pleased we got the two points … imagine if it went into overtime.”
The Panthers pushed hard for a victory, despite being decimated with injuries, as Wes Naiqama (knee), Cameron Ciraldo (hamstring), Matt Robinson (concussion) and Josh Mansour (leg) all went off.
It was a tough game overall and an ugly one at that, but it could have been very different had the video referee not disallowed a try to the Panthers.
It was Tim Grant who barged over the line, but the video referee ruled that Cameron Ciraldo had interfered with opposition defender Alex McKinnon, resulting in some form of obstruction, despite the incident occurring away from the play.
Cleary was honest about his side’s performance and admits they just were not up to scratch, citing fatigue as a reason behind the loss.
“It was a tough night,” Penrith coach Ivan Cleary said.
“We put ourselves into a position to win the game but we couldn’t get there … probably because of fatigue.”
The win means that the Knights are still undefeated at home.
3. James McManus
2. Tim Grant
1. Adam Cuthbertson