Josh Dugan’s try inside the final five minutes proved to be the difference between the two sides in tight contest played in wet conditions in Newcastle.
Bennett said despite the heart-breaking nature of the loss, he was pleased with the application shown by his players.
“We just made a couple of errors and of course it put us under pressure. It wasn’t because the boys weren’t making an effort,” Bennett said.
“We probably were (tired). We worked pretty hard and that’s what happens when you work hard.
“They weren’t any fresher than we were, they just got a couple of bounces, a bit of luck and it just wasn’t working for us.
“We’ve just got to keep at it, there’s no other way to turn it around.
“The effort was good, the guys turned up to play here tonight, so with that attitude they’ll turn it around. Without the effort, they’ll turn nothing around.”
Mullen agreed with his coach, saying ill-discipline had proved costly for the Knights.
“Both sides came to play hard tonight and it was a bit of a defensive battle there, but like Wayne said, the bounce of the ball went their way
“Giving away penalties when they were coming out of their end killed us.
“We were locking them in good, but the same as last week, we were letting them off the hook and they were able to attack our line and get a few repeat sets on us and that was the difference in the end.”
Bennett refused to lay blame on Knights winger James McManus, whose knock-on led to Dugan’s match-winning try.
“He’s been probably close to our best player all year, but at the end of the day a mistake he made may have cost us dearly,” Bennett said.
“He made a poor play, but he’s hardly made any (all season) and that’s why I’m not going to be critical of him.”
One positive the Knights took out of the match was second-rower Beau Scott’s return from injury.
“I was pleased to have him out there. Obviously it’s going to be a bit of a process because we’re 13 weeks into the season and he’s played two of them,” Bennett said.
“He’s a long way behind everyone else in terms of match fitness and everything like that, so we just wanted to get him started tonight.
“I wasn’t expecting a lot from him, but I was pleased with what he brought.”
The Knights travel to Melbourne to face the Storm at AAMI Park next weekend.
Knights stand-in captain Jarrod Mullen said the match is looming as a crucial fixture for the Club.
“That’s three (losses) in a row now and we’re going to Melbourne before the bye,” he said.
“We need a win before the bye to get a bit of self-belief back in the team. It’s going to be tough down there.”
Source : http://www.newcastleknights.com.au
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