PISTOL PETE'S LOCK OF THE WEEK.

2012

Round 4

My lock of the week is the Raiders to upset the tigers at Campbelltown stadium.

Firstly, The raiders players live closer to compbelltown than the tigers players. There are some worried tigers fans who have come into 2012 with GF expectations and will turn on their team after their first dropped ball. Benji who is arguably one of the best players of his generation and a great arguement for including kiwis in the state of origin will be under pressure from the crowd. Benji's goal kicking shows that he struggles under a certain type of pressure or does not spend enough time practicing. Whatever it may be the tigers have to start grinding out victories until later in the season when the passess start sticking. The raiders are the last team that you want to be grinding out a win against. The green machine sponsored by "Milk" will come away with two points and the lock of the week

2011
ROUND 1
Cowboys over Broncos - CORRECT

ROUND 2
Cowboys over Knights - incorrect

ROUND 3
"I watched too much footy analysis last week, so called experts talking about how teams will or will not perform based on the first game in march. Look at all the teams that lost in round 1 and turned it around in round 2. On any given day any team can match up out enthuse and beat any opposition. It is the attitude of the iceman to sit and wait until a mistake is made and then pounce, the lock is all about knowing which team will turn up with this attitude.


The knights would have brought that attitude to their opening two games by setting the goal of coming back to Newcastle with 4 points, a simple plan for simple footballers. The cowboys after proving to themselves that they could win a game of footy relaxed their attitude, they obviously put too much into the first game and could not get themselves up two weeks in a row, although I thought that the coach could have used last years debacle to at least get a run of four straight for 2011.

After losing two as well as the charity shield they should have received the "stop thinking about the finals, think about the next game of footy because if you don't there will be no finals" this is a great piece of psychology, you get the players to stop thinking about finals footy by telling them to win the next game for the sake of finals footy. The irony would be lost on the souths forward pack but not the importance of winning this weekend.
My lock of the week is the bunnies"
CORRECT

ROUND 4
My lock of the week is the knights, it was tipping against the dragons last year that ended my 8 week streak of correct locks of the week, however the 2011 dragons are not as formidable in the 16 team format. Bennet is departing and the smart money is that he will be in Newcastle, this will have an effect on both teams with the knights eager to please. Add to this that it is Newcastle's first home game of the year, they would have set a goal for themselves to come back to energy Australia stadium with 6 points to face the 2010 premiers*. That being said they have 4 points and a belief that the Sts are beatable if you out enthuse them.


The knights will come out hungrier for this one and come away with the points and the lock.
INCORRECT

ROUND 5
My lock of the week is the dogs on Sunday. Again my lock is tipping against the Sts and I will be proven correct come the back end of the season. The dogs came crashing down to earth and if Moore is any kind of coach he can hit the players with the "this is the game you prove that you are premiership material" speech. The dragons offer a slow grind and field position on the back of penalties and high completion rates. Discipline and enthusiasm is what is needed to beat the dragons. Gilmiester was known as the axe and Gillespie was known as cement, these two hard hitting warriors were not large in size but brought discipline and enthusiasm to every contest. What makes Bennet a great coach is that he instils discipline and enthusiasm in his players, but offers very little in the form of tactics. To beat st goerge you just have to match these two characteristics and teams with attacking flair and tactics should edge passed st george every time.


If the dogs do not beat the dragons this week then moore should be sacked as the coach as he will prove that he is more adept at criticising referees and externalising losses rather than motivating and structuring his team

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