Round 11 of the NRL is done and dusted with close results and high-scoring affairs as the talking point continues to be the ongoing rulings involving the hip-drop tackle as the NRL is struggling to find consistency with the call as many fans and players are up in arms about the games take on the tackle.
Jarome Luai, Kalyn Ponga, Latrell Mitchell, and Hudson Young were notable standouts across the round. No doubt all men are on the verge of Origin 1, which kicks off at the Adelaide Oval on the 31st of May.
Storm v Broncos
Melbourne bounced back Thursday night delivering a well-earned victory 24-16 over Brisbane who looked strong in the early stages until Reynolds was taken off injured due to a head knock. Hughes and Munster got back to their damaging ways with the pair all over the attack from start to finish. Munster crossed over to open the scoring in the 11th minute. Hughes notched two try assists, 100 running metres, and a line break. Feeding off Hughes was a powerful performance from Will Warbrick who bagged two tries and cemented that wing position.
As for Brisbane, there were glimpses of brilliance, especially from Reece Walsh, but Melbourne simply controlled the football all night. The controversial sin bins were another talking point of the night. Three Broncos got sent for 10, notably Patrick Carrigan was sent for a so-called ‘hip-drop’ on Payne Haas which had many viewers confused as there wasn’t much in it. Carrigan was dumbfounded by the decision, as it was a soft call that didn’t even make it to the match review committee’s charge sheet the next day.
Bulldogs v Warriors
A crowd of 14 thousand at Accor Stadium saw the Bulldogs succumb to the Warriors 24-12 in what was an impressive victory for the Shaun Johnson-led outfit. SJ continues to impress finding his form of old, forcing line dropouts and exposing the Bulldogs’ defence with a lovely grubber into the in-goal that Josh Curran landed on opening the scoring. Notably, Addin Fonua-Blake had a game to remember scoring 1 try and getting 162 metres for 12 runs.
The Bulldogs were disappointing, they had the team to match it, but their attack was very flat and offered no spark. From what I take from this, the scoreboard pressure dug the dogs into a dark hole that they simply couldn’t get out of. Matt Burton tried to do everything he could, he didn’t receive much help. Time to see whether Ciraldo will shake up the halves, welcoming Kyle Flanagan back into the squad.
Panthers v Roosters
Penrith won 48-4 over the Roosters who offered nothing to the back-to-back champions on a dewy Friday night at the foot of the mountains. Many fans wanted a tight content with a response from the Chooks. What the fans got was a dominant Jarome Luai performance as he scored a try and set three up. He steered the ship around letting Cleary take a back seat and convert an impressive 8/8. The highlight of the night was Scott Sorenson. He was on fire! The backrower claimed two tries and never stopped dominating the Roosters’ defence all night, leaving the tricolours scratching their heads all night.
As much as the Chooks would have liked to respond with a close victory, they ultimately delivered their worst performance all year. No attack was ever shown, with an out-of-position side looking very lost. Over the past two weeks, they have scored only two tries at the back end of the game. This should be a huge concern considering the players they have. It was commendable to see Trent Robinson take responsibility for this loss. He must take it back to basics with all players and proceed from there. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Sam Walker, and Joseph Manu are now injured which will make it challenging to string a convincing performance against another lost outfit in the Dragons, this Friday night at Kogarah.
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Rabbitohs v Wests Tigers
South Sydney won a 20-0 dominant game against the Wests Tigers who held on defensively until the 73rd minute which saw Souths run away with the victory. Latrell Mitchell had another great game claiming a try, a try assist, seven tackle breaks and 12 individual points. The right side is getting talked about more this year as Campbell Graham dominates that edge taking the spotlight off try-scoring freak Alex Johnston on Souths left side. Overall, it was a solid win for Souths as they gave the Tigers zero hope of scoring. This cements the Rabbitohs as premiership favourites, sitting firmly in first place.
The Tigers’ effort should be commended in this game, as the score could have been a lot higher. They held on for most of the game but unfortunately, things slid away with ten minutes to play. The Tigers completed and defended well, but it all came down to Brandon Wakeham and Luke Brooks who offered nothing in attack. If the Tigers are to turn these close contests into victories, they will have to put themselves under pressure and take a risk in order to see tries.
Cowboys v Dragons
A beautiful Saturday afternoon of rugby league at Queensland Country Bank Stadium saw the Cowboys find their form, winning back-to-back games for the first time this year. Dominating 42-22 over the Dragons it was a pleasure to see Val Holmes, Murray Taulagi, and Scotty Drinkwater displaying exemplary games. One of the most talked about topics of the night was Heilum Luki! He was on fire dishing out two tries and running for 185 metres in the impressive victory. The 22-year-old raised the eyebrows of Queensland coach Billy Slater who will have him contesting on the back of the instant energy, size, and skill he could offer to the QLD forward pack.
Captain Ben Hunt would have been the most disappointed with his team’s performance. On a night that should have been remembered for Hunt’s 300th game, a milestone that only 46 other players have achieved. All eyes were on coach Anthony Griffin. The way Griffin handled young playmaker Jayden Sullivan was a disappointment, after being sin-binned in the 20th minute with the Saints conceding three tries in his absence, Sullivan never returned to the field. He ultimately decided for Hunt to play halfback and had Moses Mbye play hooker for the remainder of the game. After a disappointing 6th straight loss in the competition, questionable decisions from Griffin will only lead to questions from worried fans, who deserve better. UPDATE: Since the time of writing, Griffin has been sacked by St George.
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Raiders v Eels
The Green Machine are flying under the radar claiming their 5th straight win, defeating Parramatta 26-18 on a freezing night in the nation’s capital. Overall, the Raiders dished up a solid performance, notably Hudson Young had a fiery game in the second row scoring 1 try, 103 run metres, 2 tackle breaks and 27 tackles. Another fiery character who played well was Corey Horsburgh who claimed the most tackles for Canberra on the night. If both men keep up their consistent form, no doubt both Freddy and Billy will grab the phone to call these lads for this year’s Origin series.
Parramatta had a decent crack, but Canberra was too classy in the end. Missing Mitchell Moses was the biggest loss as Parra had to adapt to Jake Arthur running the show. Parramatta didn’t have the finest ball handling that night dishing up 12 errors and completing at 63%. Notably, the officiating was average, leaving the Eels hung to dry with a 10-3 penalty count. Parramatta will be looking to turn things around with a big performance this Friday as they take on premiership favourites South Sydney.
Knights v Titans
Newcastle came to play on Sunday with an impressive team performance coming off the bye. The star of the pack Kalyn Ponga dished up his most impressive performance all year just in time for the QLD Origin selection. Winning in a high-scoring affair 46-26, Ponga set up three tries, scored one of his own and ran for 175 metres as the Knights recorded a resounding victory on home soil. Bradman Best was criticised over the week for his trip to Bali, but that clearly didn’t affect his form as he was at his barnstorming best with no Bali hangover in sight, returning with a notable Bali sleeve tattoo he crossed over for two tries lighting up McDonald Jones Stadium.
The Titans once again this year gave away another lead, this time opening the gates up for Newcastle who scored three tries in the 15 minutes, effectively putting the game to bed. Concerningly, Gold Coast missed a staggering 48 tackles in the contest, the majority coming in the second half. The shining light from all the negatives would have to be young star Alofiana Khan-Pereira who is making a name for himself. We can’t forget about David Fifita who was Titans’ best on the field scoring two and having the most running metres from both teams, being 234.
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Sea-Eagles v Sharks
The Battle of the Beaches was a close game with Cronulla winning 20-14. A packed-out Sunday afternoon on the hill at Brookie was a sight to see. It was a gritty victory for the Sharks after a disappointing loss last week to the Dolphins. Nicho Hynes continues to show his fine form as he looks to get into a Blues jersey. The Sea Eagles scored a few late consolation tries but it wasn’t enough to win, as Cronulla held on to claim two competition points.
Manly would have liked to win that game but their attack never took off. Once again it is concerning to see Tom Trbojevic on the field as he clearly isn’t 100% fit to play. At one stage Cronulla attacked hard down the right side leaving Tommy in the shadows as he simply wasn’t fast enough for the outside backs. It appears his injuries have caught up with him recently, and his confidence is low. Manly diehard and podcaster Edward Simpson of Hello Sport fame was notably concerned saying “He isn’t playing to his ability right now. His playing within himself. I don’t know if that’s PTSD, he just isn’t himself right now.” I personally think it wouldn’t hurt for Anthony Seibold to rest Tommy or give him a spell in the NSW Cup to grow his confidence. Hopefully sooner rather than later Tom is back to his destructive ways again. His simply great for the game.