Monday Bunker: Close calls kill Raiders, Eels stars fail to fire, Cronk and Keary steal the show

WITH Round three of the competition now done and dusted, our team of rugby league writers analyse the NRL’s talking points in the Monday Bunker.

Monday Bunker: Round Three Wrap

WITH Round three of the competition now done and dusted, our team of rugby league writers analyse the NRL’s talking points in the Monday Bunker.

The Monday Bunker show will be live streamed on our website and Facebook from 12.30pm (AEDT).

If you have any questions for the Monday Bunker crew, leave them in the comments section below.

THERE’S LIFE IN THE STORM YET

Say what you want about Melbourne Storm, but the fact remains the reigning premier is far from a spent force in 2018.

After three rounds, Storm sit firmly in the top four, behind the resurgent and undefeated New Zealand Warriors and Dragons, and equal with the Roosters.

MATCH REPORT: Cowboys v Storm

Billy Slater and Christian Welch celebrate a try against the Cowboys.

What’s more impressive is that despite Melbourne’s clunky start to the season, namely in attack, Storm (74) is the third highest scoring team in the competition behind Manly (78) and Canberra (75).

It could have been higher, too, no question about that, with Storm committing uncharacteristic handling errors in attack in recent weeks.

But the wheel looks to be turning in the right direction for the purple powerhouse despite the loss of 400-odd games experience last year.

Make no mistake, the well-documented personnel changes impact the way Storm plays with and without the Steeden.

Impressively, the quartet, including Cooper Cronk and Tohu Harris, have carried over the strong form-lines at their new clubs.

But Storm has made inroads, with combinations and shape.

Eight-game halfback Brodie Croft has grown in confidence with every offload, while Nelson Asofa-Solomona looks to have embraced the challenge of starting on the field after cutting his teeth as a burst player off the bench.

At the other end of the experience spectrum, evergreen Ryan Hoffman, who replaced Harris in the second row after three seasons in New Zealand, has picked up where he left off at Storm.

Hoffman has built a formidable career doing all the little things, every time he steps onto the paddock.

Let’s call them intangibles, like getting into position quickly and making tackles.

Granted, powerfully-built North Queensland giant Coen Hess busted Hoffman’s line twice last Thursday night but the Cowboys and Maroons bull is something special.

The return of Felise Kaufusi (hamstring) should see a spike in attack and defence in coming weeks, while Storm finds its feet after the World Cup-interrupted preseason.

For now, archrivals Cronulla awaits at Shark Park for what promises to be a brutal contest despite the hosts’ 1-2 start to the season.

— Gilbert Gardiner

CONFUSION REIGNS OVER OBSTRUCTION FARCE

I’M sick of hearing Todd Greenberg make excuses for referees.

The NRL has already admitted they got it wrong penalising Robbie Rockow for not standing square at marker that ultimately robbed Wests Tigers victory against Brisbane.

While that doesn’t give the Tigers two competition points, those type of 50-50 calls will always happen and there is no way the refs will ever get them 100 per cent correct.

But what is a bigger issue and what can’t be excused is the absolute uncertainty and inconsistency around what constitutes an obstruction.

MATCH REPORT: Bulldogs v Panthers

There is no doubt over the summer the NRL has made changes to the interpretation that not even their own officials now agree on.

Last year we were almost getting to the stage where everyone was on the same page, even though we didn’t always agree.

If you hit the outside shoulder, it was obstruction.

If a player ran the inside line, it wasn’t.

But over the weekend it all went arse up.

There is no doubt Canterbury’s decoy runner Will Hopoate hit James Maloney’s outside shoulder and Maloney was not given an unobstructed chance to stop Moses Mbye from scoring.

Moses Mbye on his way to the tryline.

However minimal, Maloney lost time.

So the try should not have been awarded.

As Anthony Griffin said post match, it will only now encourage players to take a dive.

Then on Saturday Canberra had try denied because decoy runner Luke Bateman hit the inside shoulder.

Now people will argue on this occasion the referees made the right decision because Bunty Afoa was checked.

And because it happened so close to the tryline, it did interfere with Afoa stopping Junior Paulo.

But the refs can’t have it both ways.

If that was the case with Paulo’s no try, how can Mbye’s try be awarded?

Anthony Griffin and Ricky Stuart were both absolutely within their rights to ask what the hell is going on.

The referees are clearly as confused as the rest of us.

— Paul Crawley

RUSTY BIRD STRUGGLES ON DEBUT

IS Jack Bird worth $800,000 a season? We’re about to find out in the coming months. Brisbane’s big-money recruit made his long-awaited return from a shoulder reconstruction against the Tigers and it was a tough night at the office for Bird.

The NSW Origin utility made three handling errors and struggled for impact playing at left centre in the Broncos’ ugly 9-7 win.

MATCH REPORT: Broncos v Tigers

Jack Bird made his Broncos debut.

Bird is clearly rusty and needs to be given time to find his feet at Brisbane, but with the big bucks comes high expectations and he will need to improve against the Titans this Sunday in the Queensland derby.

Bird looked noticeably bigger and must shed some kilos to rediscover the zip that made him one of the most lethal attacking weapons in the game.

For the Tigers, Luke Brooks looks a different player this season to the halfback who lost his way under former coach Jason Taylor. Brooks was the best player on the park and his clash this week with Eels playmaker and former halves partner Mitchell Moses shapes as the duel of the round.

— Peter Badel

THE EPIDEMIC KILLING THE RAIDERS

RICKY Stuart can talk about referees all he wants, but the fact of the matter is this. The Raiders have lost 22 matches since the start of 2015 by six points or less, with 21 of those matches finishing in defeats by four points or less.

Their three losses this season have come by a combined total of five points. In two of those matches, they led every single second of the game until the 78th minute or later. Stuart can point fingers all he likes — perhaps it’s a strategy to preserve his players confidence — but the fact of the matter is that Canberra’s record in close matches has become an epidemic that threatens to kill the Raiders season before it truly begins.

MATCH REPORT: Raiders v Warriors

Stuart said it himself after the loss to the Warriors — the way Canberra responds to this hardship will make or break their season. But the exact problem that needs to be fixed is difficult to diagnose because each of Canberra’s losses have come in different fashion. A Jack Wighton error and lapses of positional play delivered the winner for the Titans, a Blake Austin brain snap in defence cost them against the Knights and against the Warriors it was the total and complete surrender of the defensive line on the two most important sets of the game.

Be it a failure of physical fitness, mental strength, forward management or what have you, things must change for the Raiders. More minutes for Siliva Havili and the end to the crippling Aidan Sezer shuffle would be a fine start — Sezer has put on a brave face publicly but he clearly dislikes playing hooker and the team’s attack grinds to a halt when he jumps in at dummy half. Sezer, the most talented half at the club, must start with either Sam Williams or Blake Austin and play there for 80 minutes.

Shaun Johnson celebrates kicking a second field goal to win.

The return of Joseph Tapine will allow Elliott Whithead to move back to the middle and he should help the line speed at the very least.

Canberra’s season and the fans sanity is already on the brink after just three matches, three matches the club would have expected to win. The loss to Penrith in Bathurst last season shattered the confidence of the playing group for several weeks — how much longer before these closes losses totally hamstring the year?

It would be remiss not to mention the resolve and resilience of the Warriors. They deserve their unbeaten status totally and showed all the mental toughness that Canberra currently lack, a huge departure from the losses of the past. Given the commitment they showed throughout the 80 minutes, particularly with some special efforts on last gasp tackles close to the line, they have qualities Canberra should aspire to.

— Nick Campton

BIG GUNS FAILING TO FIRE FOR EELS

JARRYD Hayne’s injury perhaps sums the Eels’ predicament up best.

The star signing injuring himself kicking off and being forced from the field after 30 minutes. The Eels were at their defensive best against the Sharks but their attack is a rabble.

MATCH REPORT: Sharks v Eels

This from a side who has the likes of Hayne, Corey Norman, Bevan French, Mitchell Moses and Michael Jennings in their backline.

Their match against the Tigers now looms as a must-win game.

For the Sharks we saw glimpses of the old Cronulla. They built their game on defence and grinded Parramatta out of the game.

Halves Chad Townsend and Trent Hodkinson controlled and kicked them to victory for what was Cronulla’s first win of the season.

— Michael Carayannis

SOGGY SEA EAGLES STRUGGLE IN THE WET

Anthony Seibold earned his first win as NRL coach as the Bunnies ran over the Sea Eagles 34-6 at ANZ Stadium on Saturday.

Unlike their dominant display the week before against the Eels, Manly struggled through the middle as South Sydney’s big men stamped their authority on the match.

MATCH REPORT: Rabbbitohs v Sea Eagles

Sam Burgess was impressive for the Rabbitohs.

Skipper Sam Burgess lead the way with his powerful running and set the tone with his efforts in defence — an area which his side had needed to improve on after defensive lapses hurt them against the Panthers.

The tries rained down on Parramatta in round two but the wet weather proved to be a huge dampener on the Sea Eagles’ attack in this game.

Trent Barrett’s men usually rely on their second phase play but conditions meant they had to put away the offloads. They also missed 40 tackles and made 11 errors. In the post match Barrett conceded they were beaten in every facet of the game.

For the Rabbitohs, Robert Jennings crossed for a hat-trick, rookie halfback Adam Doueihi controlled the game well and Alex Johnston was a standout with some fine touches.

— Fatima Kdouh

THERE’S A NEW SHOW IN TOWN

TITANS 8 DRAGONS 54: Dragons flex title muscle with thumping win

ANALYSIS: Gold Coast v Dragons — five things we learned

FORGET Michael Morgan and Johnathan Thurston, Ben Hunt and Gareth Widdop are the NRL’s hottest playmaking duo.

The St George-Illawarra halves have had a sensational start to the season with the Dragons unbeaten after three rounds.

Sunday’s 54-8 thrashing of the Gold Coast Titans in Toowoomba was impressive on a number of fronts.

The Dragons physically mauled their opponents which allowed Hunt and Widdop to carve up in space.

While Roosters duo Cooper Cronk and Luke Keary are starting to hit their straps, Hunt and Widdop are setting the standard.

They are dynamic and balanced and look like they have played together for years.

On the other hand, the Titans are facing a long week of soul searching after a deplorable defensive effort.

Conceding nine tries is never acceptable and there were times where the Titans looked completely at sea.

Rookie coach Garth Brennan has a tough task on his hands to turn things around before a daunting derby against the Broncos on Easter Sunday.

— Travis Meyn

ROOSTERS CROW A WARNING TO RIVALS

YOU hear that? Can you pick up that noise drifting across the wind somewhere from Sydney’s east?

That’s the sound of the Roosters clicking.

MATCH REPORT: Roosters v Knights

Luke Keary starred for the Roosters.

They’re not all the way there, not yet. They may not fully hit their straps for some time. But the signs are all there.

Cooper Cronk kicked the Knights to death, terrorising the Novocastrians with long kicks, short kicks, kicks that swung back like Cam Bancroft had a go at the ball, kicks that seemed to be trash but actually worked out to be effective.

It was Cronk’s first truly virtuoso performance for his new club, and it showed why the Roosters were right to choose him over Mitchell Pearce. Pearce tried hard, as he always does, and set up Newcastle’s only try with a fine kick of his own.

But for all of Pearce’s desire and hustle, he just doesn’t have the finishing touch of Cronk. Few halfbacks ever have. The Roosters forwards also improved — Jared Waerea Hargreaves’s move to the bench looks to be a winner in particular.

Luke Keary’s combination with Cronk is also coming along well. The nippy Keary is a fine compliment for Cronk and is thriving with the team’s increased width.

There’s still some improvement left — the Roosters still made some errors they would rather leave behind and James Tedesco’s combination with Cronk is still coming along — but this is a team on track to be everything they were predicted to be.

Newcastle were thrown back to earth from the top of the world, but it’s important to remember where they are. They’re still a roster in transition, and matching it with the best teams in the competition might be a bit too much of an ask right now.

The Knights competed as well as they could, but a double strike just before halftime killed any momentum they may have had. Some basic errors, such as Tautau Moga’s two passes over the sideline, did them in.

These mistakes should be ironed out with more consistent football together and more time to work their way to their full potential.

But this was a stark reminder that while the Knights have already come a long way from last season, they’re still far from what they can be in the future.

— Nick Campton

Originally published as Monday Bunker: Close calls kill Raiders, Eels stars fail to fire, Cronk and Keary steal the show