nib Newcastle Knights NRL Head Coach, Adam O'Brien, spoke to the media after his side's 26-point victory over the Gold Coast Titans in Round 16 at McDonald Jones Stadium.
The Knights were dominant from start to finish running out eight tries to two victors with Edrick Lee stealing the headlines with five tries and a Club record for a single game.
The Coach spoke about the performance, Lee's record, Dom Young's improvement, the pressure to perform and returning players.
NRL Match Highlights: Knights vs Titans
ON THE PERFORMANCE
"It was good to hear the team song," O'Brien said.
"I was really happy with our start, I thought we built the game nicely in the first half. Much better (than last week), we heaped a lot of pressure on ourselves last week and we got the opposite this week.
"I thought we applied some early pressure and got into the game cycle and we were content winning some field position.
"I'm really pleased for the players, there is a happy dressing shed, but it's good to see some stuff from training transferring into games.
"There is a lot of individuals to be proud of with Edrick and the five tries, but there is a whole lot of effort that goes into those tries as well.
"Six, seven and one all had a hand in the five tries in the first half.
Team Song: Round 16
"Pleased for (Anthony) Milford, I thought he was outstanding and Adam Clune as well. Tex did a good job filling in for KP.
"They had some great touches and Edrick was good enough to finish them off."
ON CLUB RECORD FOR LEE
"It is special," O'Brien said.
"He is popular amongst the playing group, always got a smile on his face and he's got a big one down there now.
"He has battled away with big injuries and a long absence from the game."
Lee: 'It's pretty special'
ON THE PRESSURE
"I don't think (the win) alleviates any pressure," O'Brien said.
"The means of what we're doing matters and we're ok with the pressure.
"It doesn't completely eradicate some of the things we've done here. We weren't proud of some of those (past performances).
"There were things in those losses we were proud of and we're starting to see more of that in our game.
"I'll stress it's only the one game, and we will get tomorrow right.
"We've got four of the next five at home, so we want to keep doing that."
ON DOM YOUNG'S IMPROVEMENT
"I would have to go a long way back to have someone beat him, he has been exceptional," O'Brien said.
"To see how disappointed he was in the Raiders game last week, whilst it was heartbreaking to see a young bloke so down, it made me excited as well because it means a lot to him.
"He wants to perform, he wants the team to win, he is connected to our town. To get that in 12 months was huge, but what he is doing on the footy field is unreal.
"I'm very grateful to have him."
ON TROOPS RETURNING
"There are strong chances for both (Bradman Best and Jayden Brailey to return)," O'Brien said.
"It will be awesome to see 'Brails' out there playing and we've missed Bradman too.
"There are plenty of things to be pleased about or to be hopeful for, but we just need to keep one foot in front of the other."
