NRL round 11: Adam O’Brien’s scathing assessment of Newcastle Knights performance

Newcastle Knights coach Adam O’Brien was less than impressed with his club’s performance on Sunday, admitting he felt “embarrassed”.

Newcastle Knights coach Adam O’Brien was less than impressed with his club’s performance on Sunday, admitting he felt “embarrassed”.

Newcastle Knights coach Adam O’Brien delivered a brutally honest assessment of his team’s performance after their six-point loss to the Canterbury Bulldogs on Sunday.

Despite entering the round 11 fixture as outright favourites, the Knights lost to 16th-placed Canterbury 18-12 at McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle.

Newcastle were unable to muster a point in the opening 60 minutes, with unforced errors and fumbles plaguing their offensive play.

In total, the Knights committed 13 errors and had a completion rate of 79 per cent. Comparatively, the Bulldogs made six errors and boasted 89 per cent completion rate.

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Speaking to reporters after the final siren, O’Brien admitted he was “embarrassed” by the performance, conceding it was “easily” his toughest day as Newcastle head coach.

“The way we started, I’m embarrassed for the people who sat out in that rain for 80 minutes. It’s not good enough,” O’Brien said.

“We’ve got to work out what sort of team we want to be and what we want to get out of this season, because I feel like we think we’re entitled to everything at the moment.”

Adam O'Brien signed as Newcastle Knights head coach this year.

After registering only one defeat in the opening six rounds, Newcastle’s premiership chances have taken a massive hit, suffering surprise losses to Canterbury and the North Queensland Cowboys during a “patchy” period for the club.

The Knights have not recorded consecutive NRL wins since before the coronavirus lockdown.

“The team needs to understand it’s the NRL. You need to turn up. Any team can beat any team,” O’Brien said.

“I thought we had a really good week at training, but it’s this sense of entitlement I think we’ve got at the moment … I need to get to the bottom of it.

“The attitude, and the starts and our lack of complete performance have been really patchy. That to me tells me that you think things are going to happen.

“They’re not walking around saying that they’re entitled — they’re playing that way.

“For whatever reason … we just can’t stay on task week for week, and we can’t stay on task for 40 minutes.

“There aren’t many who can say they were happy with their performance tonight.”

Adam O'Brien says he is 'embarrassed' for the people who sat out in the rain at McDonald Jones Stadium and watched that match.

Clearly disappointed with his players' attitude against the Bulldogs.

Not mincing his words. #NRLKnightsBulldogs

— Lachlan McKirdy (@LMcKirdy7) July 26, 2020

Fox Sports reporter Simon Brunsdon tweeted: “The Knights were garbage but this public spray from AOB is heartening at least for fans … time for players to respond.”

O’Brien also confirmed two of his players had suffered season-ending injuries during Sunday’s encounter. Star hooker Andrew McCullough had his hamstring torn off the bone after a tackle, while utility Connor Watson ruptured his Achilles’ tendon.

Next weekend, the Knights will take on the Melbourne Storm at Sunshine Coast Stadium.