NRL Lowdown Round 5: Who’s hot, who’s not and who’s on the block?
WHO’S hot, who’s not, who’s on the cusp and who’s on the block? Find out how your team is faring in the Round 5 edition of the NRL Lowdown.
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WHO starred, who struggled, who’s on the fringe, who’s on the outer, who passed and who failed?
Get the very best analysis from our team of experts in the Round 3 edition of the NRL Lowdown.
BRONCOS
HOW THEY FARED
The night belonged to Titans defector James Roberts, who starred in his first game back at Cbus Super Stadium since his split with the Gold Coast.
It was a spirited contest and Brisbane were made to work for their 24-16 win.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED
Darius Boyd was sensational at fullback while in-form prop Josh McGuire should be handed his maiden Australian jumper for next month’s trans-Tasman Test against the Kiwis. Utility Kodi Nikorima is developing into a neat X-factor for the Broncos. Skipper Corey Parker needs to find another gear.
INJURY WARD
No injuries
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE?
Lachlan Maranta was solid for Norths in the Intrust Super Cup at the weekend after being dropped to make way for the return of hulking Broncos winger Corey Oates. But the Broncos are unlikely to make any changes this week with no injuries to report.
REPORT CARD
B: The Broncos showed good fight and didn’t have it all their own way. Last year’s grand finalists had to weather a stirring Titans fightback to claim Queensland bragging rights. Still room for improvement but Brisbane fans will be happy.
STORM
HOW THEY FARED
Melbourne bounced back from their first loss of the season, but their nailbiting 18-14 win over winless Newcastle was far from convincing.
A short turnaround from a tough Monday night loss to the Sharks no doubt didn’t help, but the error-ridden opening 60 minutes at AAMI Park will make for grim viewing at the Storm’s video review session this week.
In the end a try from winger Richie Kennar in his first game of the season was enough to see the Storm sneak home against a valiant Knights outfit to notch their fourth win of the season.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED
While the Storm looked uncharacteristically out of sorts in attack, one player continued the outstanding form he has shown all season.
Jesse Bromwich seems to get a wrap in this section every week, and he’ll rightly continue to until he stops racking up 15 runs for 136 metres with four offloads thrown in for good measure.
By the same token, star playmaker Cooper Cronk — rare try-scoring double aside — and his halves partner Blake Green will continue to be scrutinised until the start playing with the fluency we know that they are capable of.
INJURY WARD
Matthew White (Calf, Indefinite), Billy Slater (Shoulder, Season), Cheyse Blair (Injury, Indefinite), Curtis Scott (Broken leg, Round 11), Marika Koroibete (Suspension, Round 6),
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE
Melbourne’s outside back stocks have taken a hit in recent weeks, but the cavalry is coming.
Jeremy Hawkins returned from injury to play fullback for Easts in the Queensland Cup and scored a try in the Tigers’ 30-10 win over the Capras. Young winger Tony Tumusa, who was in line to replace the suspended Marika Koroibete before Kennar was preferred, also continued his try-scoring form when he dotted down for Sunshine Coast Falcons in their loss to Redcliffe Dolphins.
REPORT CARD
B: They’re equal top of the ladder despite playing below their best, and most teams would take that with no questions asked. But most teams aren’t coached by Craig Bellamy, and he’ll be expecting significant improvement ahead of the Storm’s biggest test of the season: the Bulldogs on Monday night.
— Dominic Burke
RAIDERS
HOW THEY FARED
Canberra re-established their credentials as a premiership contender with a convincing 22-8 win over the Bulldogs.
The return of star halves Aidan Sezer and Blake Austin helped spark the Raiders into a stirring performance that silenced the usually boisterous Belmore crowd.
The Raiders forwards got quick play-the-balls and were able to catch the Dogs on the back foot, allowing in-form hooker Josh Hodgson, Sezer and Austin and to unleash the likes of Jarrod Croker and Joey Leilua as Ricky Stuart’s side bounced back to the winner’s circle in style.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED
Captain Croker had a night out for the Raiders, crossing for two tries as well as booting three conversions and two penalty goals for a personal tally of 18 points.
Hodgson continued his stunning season, Sezer was the pick of the playmakers, with his booming left foot a feature, while fullback Jack Wighton played his best game of 2016.
The only sour note for the Raiders was the loss of Iosia Soliola to a suspected fractured forearm.
INJURY WARD
Sia Soliola (arm, TBC), Jeff Lima (hand, Round 11)
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE?
Sia Soliola suffered a broken arm against the Bulldogs. This opens the door for backrower Luke Bateman to earn a spot on the bench. In NSW Cup, the Mounties thrashed the Cutters 50-16. Hulking winger Kato Ottio scored a hat-trick in a strong all-round performance, making a game-high 158 metres and busting four tackles.
REPORT CARD
A-: Blake Austin and Aiden Sezer had only played one match together before Monday night, but you wouldn’t know it. The halves combined well to give the Raiders an extra edge in attack that they had missed over the past month. With a big forward pack, an exciting halves pairing and the form hooker of the competition in Josh Hodgson, Canberra are a team on the rise.
COWBOYS
HOW THEY FARED
The Cowboys turned in a sensational defensive effort to smash the Dragons 36-0, notching their third win of the season in Townsville on Saturday night.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED
Off-contract fullback Lachlan Coote was excellent and has been the Cowboys’ best player this season. He kicked a 40-20 in the second half helped the Cowboys score their fourth try and put the result beyond doubt. A major highlight was debutant centre Javid Bowen, nephew of club legend Matt, scoring a superb team try.
INJURY WARD
Tautau Moga (ACL, Indefinite), Ray Thompson (Leg, Round 10), Kane Linnett (Shoulder, Round 7)
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE?
He is the reason the Cowboys are prepared to lose Lachlan Coote and he is continuing to turn heads in the NYC. Livewire fullback Kalyn Ponga, who turned 18 last week, proved a constant headache for the Dragons to make it four wins on the trot for the club’s young guns.
REPORT CARD
B: The Cowboys actually played better in their loss to Brisbane but with St George barely able to break their line, their four first half errors went unpunished. The game was in the balance near halftime when the Cowboys lead 6-0 before the boys from North Queensland put the Dragons to the sword.
RABBITOHS
HOW THEY FARED
The Rabbitohs started against Manly with so much intent before losing momentum and barely holding on for the win. But hold on they did and that, in the end, was what counted. A blistering start in Sam Burgess’ return match had everyone thinking it would be a Bunnies blowout before Manly clawed their way back in. It was backs-to-the-wall stuff in the end but South Sydney held on.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED?
Cameron McInnes, the hooker who could never replace the departed Isaac Luke, has been nothing short of impressive since he took over the No. 9 jersey. And on Thursday night McInnes continued his solid form as well as crossing the chalk twice in the opening minutes. Meanwhile, Aaron Gray is looking less and less like he should hold a spot in that team. He is one of those players who stay on for 80 minutes but at the end of the match you can’t really remember him doing anything of note.
INJURY WARD
John Sutton (pectoral, round 18), Adam Reynolds (broken jaw, round 8), Zane Musgrove (wrist, indefinite), Angus Crichton (groin, round 8), Bryson Goodwin (groin, round 6), Alex Johnston (hamstring, indefinite).
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE?
Rabbitohs NYC player Tom Perrin was instrumental in his side’s narrow win over Manly on Thursday. The fullback set up one try with some brilliant drawing of defenders and scored another himself to get the Bunnies over the line.
REPORT CARD
B: South Sydney needed a win and they needed Sam Burgess. They got both against Manly. Michael Maguire still has work to do in terms of finding consistent performances from his players but there are promising signs at the Rabbitohs if they can grind out wins like that.
— David Campbell
SHARKS
HOW THEY FARED
There were positive signs for Cronulla all over the park against the Tigers on Saturday. They took the lead early only to fall behind with three answered tries to their opposition. But in the 35th minute they finally hit back in spectacular fashion thanks to some Valentine Holmes magic. The speedster, who finally found the courage to leave his edge in search of the ball, made a break down the line, drew in some defenders and put in a perfect grubber for James Maloney to claim his first try in Sharks colours. From there the Sharks threw off the shackles and turned in their best attacking performance of the season to run out 34-26 winners.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED?
Cronulla’s forwards played with impact, Michael Ennis was at his niggling best, Ben Barba keeps getting better from the back and Valentine Holmes finally kicked into gear.
Up front Andrew Fifita continues to go from strength-to-strength and put in his most dominant performance of the year. The metre-eater chewed up 170 metres in 51 minutes and made 30 tackles.
INJURY WARD
Connor Tracey (ACL, Season)
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE
Newtown were too good for the Tigers, posting a 38-14 win the NSW Cup. Forward David Fifita made his return from a golden staph infection and proved hard to handle in defence. Jacob Gagan was impressive again and bagged a double. Fa’amanu Brown scored a nice solo try thanks to a show-and-go and a display of strength to muscle his way over to score.
REPORT CARD
B+: All of a sudden Cronulla’s attack has come to life and it looks exciting and potent. Coupled with their gritty defence, the Sharks have the makings of a side that can really give this competition a shake. After knocking off the Storm and outplaying the Tigers, they’ll go into Round 6 confident of earning three wins on the trot against the Titans at home.
— Fatima Kdouh
BULLDOGS
HOW THEY FARED
Not great. The Raiders came out fast and the Bulldogs had little response in the first half and weren’t able to come back.
Missed tackles really hurt them but their attack was disjointed with too many passes going to ground or being off the mark and last-tackle options becoming more desperate as the clock wound down.
Canberra’s defence came up quick and Canterbury didn’t adjust.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED
Sam Kasiano was strong off the bench and had his best game of the year, while Will Hopoate was again solid at the back and picked up plenty of metres, plus crossed for a try.
Tony Williams, despite a couple of good runs, gave away a number of penalties and could be in trouble with the judiciary for a couple of incidents. Moses Mbye and Josh Reynolds lacked some communication with it unclear who was controlling the play.
INJURY WARD
Brett Morris (knee rd 16), Chase Stanley (hamstring, Rd 8-9), Adam Keighran (shoulder, indefinite)
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE?
Both the Dogs’ lower-grade sides had losses at the weekend, the reserves being pipped by Wyong and the under-20s losing an early 12-point lead to go down 24-18 to the Raiders. Dane Chisholm had another solid game at halfback in NSW Cup as did second-rower Renouf To’omaga.
REPORT CARD
B-: The Bulldogs’ failure to adjust to their opposition resulted in a scrambling performance and poor choices in attack. The ill-discipline from the side also put them under unnecessary pressure and they’ll be found out by other top sides if they continue with that type of play. In a competition as tight as this, that one loss has dropped them to seventh position and games don’t get easier, so closing the gap between their best and worst performances will keep them among the better sides.
— Fiona Bollen
EELS
HOW THEY FARED
The Eels were less than 10 seconds away from notching their fourth win of the season before Jamie Soward and Waqa Blake combined to set up Bryce Cartwright’s matchwinning try.
Brad Arthur’s charges had shown what is becoming trademark grit to turn a 12-6 deficit into a hard-fought 18-12 lead, only to see it all unravel in the dying stages.
Penrith’s “Carty Party” celebrations would have been brutally hard to watch for a Parra side that gave its all, but just couldn’t quite put the Panthers away.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED
The Eels didn’t quite get there in the end but it wasn’t for lack of trying on Corey Norman’s behalf. The five-eighth continues to grow as a player for the Eels and did everything he could to drive his side to victory.
On another day, winger Clint Gutherson could have had a couple of tries but his hands let him down and he wasn’t able to take advantage of some great offloads from the impressive centre Brad Takairangi.
INJURY WARD
Anthony Watmough (Knee, Indefinite), Nathan Peats (Dislocated elbow, Round 6), Matt Woods (Hamstring, Round 9), Tim Mannah (Shoulder, Round 8), John Folau (Foot, Round 6)
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE?
Nathan Peats is due back from a dislocated elbow this week in what would be a welcome boost. While Norman and Kieran Foran have been steadily improving, the new halves pairing will relish the return of the Eels’ first-choice hooker.
REPORT CARD
B-: There’s no questioning the effort of this Eels outfit, and as their attacking combinations continue to improve there should be more wins on the horizon. How the Eels bounce back from the disappointment of a defeat that left captain Kieran Foran “gutted” could be telling.
— Dominic Burke
TITANS
HOW THEY FARED
The Titans weren’t disgraced by any means in front of 21,080 but just couldn’t find the killer blow despite mounting a gallant comeback after trailing 22-4. The loss brought an end to the Gold Coast’s run of five straight wins at home but it proved their early-season competitiveness is here to stay.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED
David Mead was one of the Gold Coast’s best but could make way for returning fullback William Zillman (calf). Rookie half Ashley Taylor performed admirably. In just his sixth NRL appearance, the former Broncos young gun had the bulk of the playmaking duties, as Greg Bird filled in at five-eighth.
INJURY WARD
Kane Elgey (ACL, Season), Karl Lawton (Groin, Round 6), Oshae Tuiasau (MCL, Round 8), Will Zillman (Calf, Round 6), Nathaniel Peteru (Knee, Round 6), Nathan Davis (Shoulder, Round 6), Matt Srama (Knee, Season), Tyrone Roberts (Knee, Round 6), David Hala (Elbow, Indefinite), David Shillington (Hip flexor, Round 6), Ashley Taylor (Shoulder, Round 6).
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE?
Cameron Cullen staked his claim for a Titans debut in Burleigh’s 26-6 Intrust Super Cup win over Norths at the weekend, setting up three of four tries in a man-of-the-match performance that has him in contention to face Cronulla on Sunday. Cullen warmed up with the Titans last Friday but coach Neil Henry opted for Greg Bird to replace Tyrone Roberts at five-eighth against Brisbane. Roberts (knee) and halfback Ashley Taylor (shoulder) are in doubt for the Sharks clash and Cullen has done all he can to convince Henry to pick him.
REPORT CARD
C: The Titans have now lost 15 of the 20 matches they’ve played against the Broncos, their worst record against any team in the NRL. The Titans went into the game with an air of confidence about them having notched three wins in the opening four rounds of the season but those victories came against Newcastle, Wests and Canberra with Brisbane proving they’re in a different league to most of the competition.
WARRIORS
HOW THEY FARED
The Warriors might just have finally kickstarted their season with a thrilling golden-point win over the Roosters.
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck returned to haunt his old club, scoring a magnificent matchwinning try after a brilliant run from winger Tuimoala Lolohea to make it two victories on the bounce and ease the pressure on coach Andrew McFadden.
Two-try playmaker Shaun Johnson and marquee recruits RTS and Issac Luke all turned in their best games of the season in encouraging signs for the Warriors faithful.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED
Johnson, Tuivasa-Sheck and the fantastic Lolohea — who surely needs to be closer to the ball rather than being stuck out on the wing — won plaudits for their attacking genius, but a couple of deserve credit as well. Big Ben Matulino continued his impressive start to 2016 and was ably supported upfront by veteran Jacob Lillyman.
And while the points flowed for the Warriors, it wasn’t the happiest of days for Jeff Robson who is yet to click alongside his electric halves partner.
INJURY WARD
Thomas Leuluai (ACL, Round 6), Ligi Sao (Dislocated shoulder, Round 6), Ben Henry (Knee, Indefinite), Bodene Thompson (Ribs, Indefinite), Nathaniel Roache (Ankle, Indefinite),
Solomone Kata (Knee, Round 6), Manu Vatuvei (Hamstring, Indefinite)
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE
Manu Vatuvei limped off with a hamstring injury, which could open a spot on the wing depending on the severity. While Konrad Hurrell could be pitched into a starting role, genuine wingers Ken Maumalo and David Fusitu’a both scored tries in the Warriors’ NSW Cup 26-14 loss to Wentworthville.
REPORT CARD
B-: The joy of two-straight triumphs has to be tempered by the fact that both those victories came against sides with a combined zero wins to their credit. Still, the Warriors showed the attacking flair that fans on both sides of the Tasman — well, Roosters supporters aside this week — have been craving and they’ll be looking to build on that when they return home to face the Sea Eagles on Saturday night.
— Dominic Burke
TIGERS
HOW THEY FARED
The Tigers’ attack clicked but they continued to leak far too many points in their loss to the Sharks. A lack of grit in the middle cost them dearly as Cronulla ground their way back into the match through sheer forward power in the second half.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED
James Tedesco isn’t just the best player at the Tigers, he might be the best fullback in the competition. Despite copping a knee to the face early and a hearty shot to the ribs during the David Nofoalouma try, Tedesco scored two tries and always looked like his side’s best bet.
Tim Simona again struggled to put his stamp on the match and was starved of the ball on the left edge. The dangerous Samoan international is yet to score a try this season and has just two tries in his last 18 matches.
INJURY WARD
Matt Ballin (ACL, Round 10), Justin Hunt (Back, Round 6), Curtis Sironen (Hamstring, Round 7)
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE?
Five-eighth Veiru Mapesone was in everything during the 42-24 Holden Cup win over Cronulla, scoring a try, setting up two more and kicking five goals. Mapesone has been one of the Tigers’ best all season and is one to keep an eye on.
REPORT CARD
C: The Tigers still have major issues with their edge defence and their ability to control the middle of the field. Until they rectify it, these inefficiencies will continue to cost them. Perhaps moving the impressive Ava Seumanufagai to the starting side would help alleviate the latter.
— Nick Campton
PANTHERS
HOW THEY FARED
Things could have ended very differently for the Panthers. After Jamie Soward missed a conversion to equal the scores late in the match the result looked all but settled. To their credit, the Panthers took a never-say-die attitude right until the last play, where a last-gasp clutch play stole an 18-16 victory against the Eels. It’s the kind of win which is sure to galvanise this team’s season. Cartwright had his breakout match of the year and fittingly he was was the winning try-scorer.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED?
While the game was won at the death off the boot of Soward, it was the class of fullback Matt Moylan which came to the fore on Sunday afternoon.
Moylan gives the Panthers an added edge in attack and his presence only highlighted how much they had missed him - he was heavily involved and defended and organised well.
New recruit Peta Hiku had a game to forget. After a decent start to the season, the centre struggled defensively throughout the match.
INJURY WARD
Dean Whare (Calf, Round 7), Viliame Kikau (Ankle, Indefinite), James Segeyaro (Broken arm, Round 7), Brendan Atwood (Arm, Indefinite)
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE
Penrith blasted Manly off the park in the NSW Cup, with a 50-12 victory and were impressive across the board. George Jennings and Zac Dockar-Clay found the try-line in the one-sided affair. Fullback Sam Clune and winger Josh Hall crossed the line for two tries apiece.
REPORT CARD
C+: Winners are grinners and the Panthers were wearing smiles that stretched from ear to ear at recovery on Tuesday morning. This win might be the turning point of their season. A loss on Sunday would have left them with just one win from the first month of footy. Instead, their last gasp victory is sure to fill this young side with confidence and help kick-start their season.
— Fatima Kdouh
SEA EAGLES
HOW THEY FARED
After being railroaded in the early stages of the match by South Sydney, the Sea Eagles somehow managed to turn the momentum of the game and stem the flow of points against them. Despite having the bulk of possession for 60 minutes they failed to execute in attack and couldn’t make the most of their opportunities — highlighting just how important Daly Cherry-Evans is to this side’s attacking game.
And how vulnerable did Manly look in the middle without Jake Trbojevic? He shoulders a huge amount of the workload and they missed him on Thursday night.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED?
After being hyped as one of their star recruits Api Koroisau found himself languishing in the NSW Cup. But he returned to the NRL side with big shoes to fill in the place of DCE and to his credit he made the most of the call-up. Yes his last-tackle options were not great at times but when he ran the ball he looked dangerous. His performance will give coach Trent Barrett plenty to think about.
Who struggled? Nearly everyone in the first 15 minutes as the Rabbitohs pounded them through the middle to lay on three tries.
INJURY WARD
Jake Trbojevic (Knee, Round 6), Tom Symonds (Calf, Round 6), Jamie Buhrer (Broken thumb, Round 9), Jayden Hodges (ACL, Season), Daly Cherry-Evans (Ankle, Round 9)
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE
Manly had a tough time of it in the NSW Cup, outclassed 50-12 by the Panthers. Young prop Addin Fonua-Blake never stopped trying and was rewarded for his efforts with two late tries.
REPORT CARD
C: There were impressive moments from Api Koroisau and Dylan Walker but in general Manly’s attack lacked direction and the best kick in attack came from the unlikeliest source in Siosaia Vave. Their effort in defence was solid but it might not be enough to secure wins if they don’t have the goods in attack — five different last-tackle kickers in the first half just isn’t going to cut it.
— Fatima Kdouh
DRAGONS
HOW THEY FARED
The start of a three-week tour through Queensland that includes matches against both grand finalists was always going to be a tough ask for the Red V and so it proved against the Cowboys. The Dragons showed off their trademark defence in the opening 40 minutes but ended up going down 36-0, with their limitations in attack once again under scrutiny.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED?
Jack De Belin has been strong for the Dragons in recent weeks and he was again against the Cowboys. JDB ran for just shy of 100m and was solid in defence for the Red V all night. Meanwhile, Benji Marshall is fighting for a contract but he seems determined to make that fight an uphill battle. Marshall is not the player he once was and that was evident when he skipped 40m across field for no metres gained only to be bundled into touch.
INJURY WARD
Dylan Farrell, (back, indefinite), Mose Masoe (ACL, season), Yaw Kiti Glymin (hamstring, indefinite), Ben Creagh (knee, indefinite).
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE?
No-one, people. No-one. That’s how poor the NYC Dragons and the Illawarra Cutters performed over the weekend. The young Dragons went down 38-18 to the Cowboys while the Illawarra Cutters crashed to Mounties 50-16. The Dragons are performing poorly and there is not much hope in the lower ranks either.
REPORT CARD
D: They say defence wins premierships but you still need the ability to score points to get over the line. That is where the Dragons are constantly falling short. Time and again they have consecutive sets of six in the opposition 20 but they give up possession with silly mistakes or show next to no attacking plan. The Dragons will scrape the odd win this season as they have done already but without a remedy for their attacking failures they are going nowhere fast.
— David Campbell
KNIGHTS
HOW THEY FARED
The Knights are getting there. On another day and with a little more luck they could have won their match against the Storm but the things that have let them down all season — a lack of discipline and too many handling errors — killed them in the end as they crashed to their fourth loss in five matches.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED
Dane Gagai and Nathan Ross were again among the Knights’ best as they tried their hardest to get sets off to a good start. Robbie Rochow was switched to prop and worked hard with little luck, totalling 96 metres from 15 carries.
Despite a fair chunk of good field position and an even share of possession Jarrod Mullen and Trent Hodkinson failed to generate much in attack. Hodkinson did put in the kick for Korbin Sims’ second-half touchdown but it was more due to a great chase by the Knights prop and a poor decision from Cameron Munster than anything special from the NSW halfback.
INJURY WARD
David Bhana (Ankle, Round 10), Chanel Mata’utia (Knee, Round 8), James McManus (Concussion, Season), Tariq Sims (Suspension, Round 6), Daniel Saifiti (Knee, Round 6), Sione Mata’utia (Concussion, Round 6), Kade Snowden (Various, Round 6), Jake Mamo (Ankle, Round 6), Danny Levi (Back, Round 6)
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE?
A return to the under-20s did Cory Denniss a world of good with the young centre running for 156 metres and creating three line breaks and two tries in the Knights’ 34-26 win over Melbourne.
REPORT CARD
Newcastle are getting closer to their first win of the season and played with a renewed vigour against the Storm. If they can be a little more creative in attack and get more out of players like Akulia Uate they could give the Tigers a red-hot go.
— Nick Campton
ROOSTERS
HOW THEY FARED
The Roosters started well against the Warriors but defence and fundamental errors are letting them down. It was a valiant effort. They fought back to the lead and looked to have it won only to concede a late penalty meaning it went to golden point. Then, one of those costly errors occurred again and gifted the Warriors the chance to win. A heartbreaking loss was compounded by it being their former star fullback Roger Tuivasa-Sheck who scored the matchwinner.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED
Again, Shaun Kenny-Dowall was in top form with two tries by half-time and injecting himself into the play at every opportunity.
It was a day to forget for Dylan Napa who had two huge blunders; one when he didn’t process that the ball was dropping short and knocked on a kick-off after scoring, then he gave away a penalty near full-time that allowed the Warriors to level the scores.
Aidan Guerra is suffering a bit from the reshuffle among the halves spots and needs to be able to play his game from the second-row where he’s so effective.
INJURY WARD
Jared Waerea-Hargreaves (ACL, Rd 11), Boyd Cordner (pectoral, Rd 9), Dale Copley (pec, indefinite), Ian Henderson (broken leg, indefinite), Vincent Leuluai (knee, indefinite), Mitchell Pearce (suspended, Rd 9)
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE
Wyong staged a strong comeback against Canterbury on Sunday and the performance of Omar Slaimankhel since shifting to the halves from fullback has been impressive. The 20s also had a win thanks to a big match from hooker Grant Garvey, who was capably supported by Joseph Manu in the centres.
REPORT
B-: Defensive lapses continue to mar the performances and allow opposition teams into the contest. The Roosters are still desperately missing their senior players with the younger charges lacking clarity in their decision-making at crucial points. Five losses to start the season is demoralising and with a few weeks to battle on with the personnel they have a available, knocking off teams like the Rabbitohs and Panthers — who may not be top of the table but can guts out a win — will be tough tasks.
— Fiona Bollen
Originally published as NRL Lowdown Round 5: Who’s hot, who’s not and who’s on the block?
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