NRL Tackle 2021: Experts’ likes and dislikes from Round 5
The defence was woeful and the errors were countless. Even the fans turned on them. Can it get any worse for the Tigers. Check out the Dally M votes from every game and full leaderboard.
Teams
Don't miss out on the headlines from Teams. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Our NRL experts run the rule over Round 5, delivering their likes and dislikes of every game.
RABBITOHS v BRONCOS
Dally M votes
Latrell Mitchell 3, Tom Burgess 2, Dane Gagai 1.
Judge: Ryan Girdler
Like: While Adam Reynolds is at the centre of a contract spat with the Rabbitohs, Souths would be equally mad to lose Dane Gagai. The Queensland Origin flyer has copped criticism for his club form over the years, but he has started the 2021 campaign in sizzling form.
The off-contract Gagai tormented the Broncos on the edge, amassing 153 metres, four tackle busts and two line breaks in a fine three-quarter display. The salary cap is likely to force Gagai out of Souths and at age 30, he would bring crucial experience for battling clubs such as the Cowboys or Broncos.
Watch The 2021 NRL Telstra Premiership Live & On-Demand with No Ad-Breaks During Play. New to Kayo? Try 14-Days Free Now >
Dislike: Jake Turpin and Tom Flegler are meant to be two of Brisbane’s rising stars but they are part of the problem in Brisbane’s pack. No-one can question Turpin’s work ethic - he made 57 tackles against the Bunnies - but he is too one-dimensional. He needs to get creative out of dummy half. And Flegler should cop a rocket from Broncos coach Kevin Walters. Rated a future Origin player, Flegler made just 75 metres and needs to provide more impact off the bench. The rookie prop must rediscover his hard-running aggression.
Fox Sports key stats: Adam Reynolds kicked the first of the new 40m two-point field goals just before half time. Just the Rabbitohs 13th win from 43 starts against the Broncos.
- Peter Badel
WARRIORS v SEA EAGLES
Dally M votes
Daly Cherry-Evans 3, Josh Aloiai 2, Sean O’Sullivan 1.
Judge: Steve Roach
Like: Tommy Turbo is back, baby. Of all the positives Manly fans can take from this fairly ugly encounter – think the regained poise of DCE, the speed of Jason Saab, even the continued rise of Josh Schuster – the biggest ‘like’ came afterwards. Specifically, when coach Des Hasler told media that, yes, Tom Trbojevic was expected back for next Saturday’s game against Gold Coast. Undoubtedly, the other big winner is game host Mudgee, with hundreds more tickets sure to be sold solely on Turbo’s return.
Dislike: Apart from the Warriors attack, which was woeful, it has to be the sight of Manly No.1 Dylan Walker grabbing for an exposed buttock, which seemed funny enough until, quite obviously, it wasn’t. While Tom Trbojevic may be returning for Manly, the Sea Eagles injury
list remains on Code Red, and at double digits, with Walker now gone for up to eight weeks after injuring his hamstring in a tackle that also saw him pantsed. Backrower Jack Gosiewski also suffered an ankle injury coach Des Hasler described as “season ending”.
Fox Sports key stats: Manly’s first win of the season avoiding starting 0-5 for just the third time in club history (1947, 1999). The Warriors had 24 tackles to 14 in the opposition 20 and 66 tackles to 42 in the opposition half.
- Nick Walshaw
PANTHERS v RAIDERS
Dally M votes
Nathan Cleary 3, James Fisher-Harris 2, Brian To’o 1.
Judge: Nathan Hindmarsh
Like: Five weeks into the season is just early enough to start talking Origin, so let the “Brian To’o for the Blues” campaign go forth from this time and place. The nuggety Penrith winger has been getting through ludicrous amounts of work - he’s currently averaging 20.8 runs, 212 metres and just over six tackle busts per game. He was at it again in the win over Canberra,
churning through 251 metres. Throw in his excellent finishing abilities from close to the line and To’o has to be in the conversation, even accounting for the form of incumbent Blues wingers Daniel Tupou and Josh Addo-Carr.
Dislike: Canberra’s attack is very direct - and with the size and power of their forward pack, why wouldn’t it be? But the Raiders are in danger of becoming a little one dimensional, especially with the lack of ball they’re getting to their right edge. Winger Bailey Simonsson is yet to score a try in 2021 and the two centres that have played on that side - Curtis Scott and Seb Kris - are yet to run one in down the right either. It’s an area of improvement for the Raiders and once they get the balance right their attack will look far more well-balanced.
Fox Sports key stats: Brian To’o ran for 250-plus metres for the third time in his career. He busted five tackles and made two offloads. Canberra conceded 30-plus points just three times in 2019-20; They have now done it twice in their past three games.
- Nick Campton
TITANS v KNIGHTS
Dally M votes
Jarrod Wallace 3, David Fifita 2, Tyrone Peachey 1.
Judge: Scott Sattler
Like: The Titans have suddenly become one of the NRL’s most entertaining teams to watch and it will be a failure if they miss the finals in 2021. Star recruit David Fifita is living up to
his $1.2 million-a-season price tag and has scored a remarkable six tries in five games, including his first ever NRL hat-trick against Newcastle. It will be difficult for Fifita to keep up this sort of form, but when he has a blinder it goes a long way to the Titans winning. Fullback AJ Brimson is also hitting his straps after an injury-affected pre-season in what is a good sign for the rising Titans.
Dislike: The Knights are quickly becoming one of the NRL’s greatest disappointments of 2021. They may have some key players sidelined through injury, but Newcastle could not have asked for an easier draw to start the season and they have failed dismally. After five rounds the Knights are yet to face a top eight team from 2020, yet they only have a 2-3 record and have lost their past three games. This poor start may come back to haunt them later in the year. The Knights crawled into last year’s finals before being thumped in week one and just making the top eight this season will now be a tough task. They showed little defensive desire against the Titans in what was a very poor performance.
Fox Sports key stats: David Fifita became the first forward to score a hat trick of tries since Tariq Sims against the Broncos in the 2018 finals. Three straight losses for the Knights - their worst streak since the middle of 2019.
- Travis Meyn
BULLDOGS v STORM
Dally M votes
Ryan Papenhuyzen 3, Felise Kaufusi 2, George Jennings 1.
Judge: Chris Heighington
Like: Not content with scoring four tries last week, Ryan Papenhuyzen also proved himself to be the human flash by burning past Kyle Flanagan to score a miracle try. On a hot-streak that is rivalling that of Jarryd Hayne in 2009 or Ben Barba in 2012, Papenhuyzen’s superhuman efforts are a sight to behold. Even for Craig Bellamy. “I didn’t think he was any chance at all when George first kicked it, and thought it was going dead,” Bellamy said. “But typical Paps,
he doesn’t give up. He’s got a great nose to sniff out an opportunity and he kept competing,” Bellamy said.“He’s turned into a consistent player, and his consistency is at the highest level.”
The Bulldogs also got a glimpse into the future with Jake Averillo and Jackson Topine showing themselves to be stars of generation next in a spirited second half.
Dislike: Adam Elliott and Jack Hetherington were left clutching at air as Christian Welch ran straight through a marshmallow middle to score the year’s softest try.While it has been their attack that has been making headlines, the Bulldogs proved equally inept in defence with Melbourne needing to pass the ball once or less for three of their four first half tries.
An under-15s side is expected to have better online defence than what the Bulldogs presented in the first half. “I wasn’t happy with some individual efforts in defence in the first half,” Barrett said. “They were not good enough. Our attack wasn’t our problem.”
Fox Sports key stats: Bulldogs avoid becoming the first team in premiership history to be held to 0 in four straight games with their try to Luke Thompson in the 22nd minute. Ryan Papenhuyzen became the first player since Latrell Mitchell in round two and three in 2018 to score 20 points or more in consecutive games.
- James Phelps
ROOSTERS v SHARKS
Dally M votes
Jared Warea-Hargreaves 3, William Kennedy 2, Sam Walker 1.
Judge: Greg Alexander
Like: Sam Walker put on a show and led his side to victory in just his second game. He had a rough first half where he was targeted by the Cronulla attack and gave up a try to Will Kennedy. But when the big moments came he shone. After laying on a try to Brett Morris in the first half he produced to ripping balls on either side of
the field and also scored one of his own to lead the Roosters to victory. And the scary thing is teammate Angus Crichton said the best is yet to come.
Dislike: Cronulla’s implosion. There is no way they should have lost that game. They have a stench of a side who have forgotten what it is like to win in big games. They panicked and just when they needed to steer the ship they went totally of the boil. They are desperate to shed the tag of not being able to beat a top eight side but when they blow golden opportunities like that, the stigma is going to stick for a while.
Fox Sports key stats: Jared Waerea-Hargreaves ran for over 200 metres for just the sixth time in his career (first time off the bench) - he also made 23 tackles without missing one. Cronulla has now won 12 of 14 against teams which missed the finals last season, but none from 12 against last year’s top eight.
- Michael Carayannis
TIGERS v COWBOYS
Dally M votes
Scott Drinkwater 3, Adam Doueihi 2, Reuben Cotter 1.
Judge: Billy Moore
Like: The Cowboys had every right to turn up to Leichhardt expecting another brutal day at the office. They hadn’t won’t a game and had been dealt a huge blow with Jason Taumalolo ruled out a day before the game. Instead, they produced their best 40 minutes of the season, a week after they produced one of the worst games in the club’s history. They moved the ball with ease and played with a confidence that has been missing all year. They won’t play finals footy, but there is a light at the end of a tunnel that seemed endless just a week ago.
Dislike: In a year of stinkers, this was the worst performance by any team in 2021. The scoreline says they got close, but it would have been a travesty had the Tigers won given their start. The effort in defence was woeful and their errors were countless. Surprisingly, but deservedly, the Leichhardt faithful turned on them at half-time and booed them off the field. It takes something extreme for any set of fans to do that, let alone on a sunny Sunday afternoon at Leichhardt Oval. This was meant to be a day to get the job done for Tommy. It couldn’t have gone any worse.
Fox Sports Key Stats: Tigers wingers David Nofoaluma and Tommy Talau proved to be the biggest metre-eaters on the pitch. Nofoaluma clocked up 171m while youngster Talau managed 138m.
- Martin Gabor
EELS v DRAGONS
Dally M votes
Paul Vaughan 3, Adam Clune 2, Mikaele Ravalawa 1.
Judge: Luke Lewis
Like: After a horror run with injury, it’s great to see a fit and firing Jack Bird back doing what he does best at his boyhood club. The Dragons centre scored his first senior try in St George Illawarra colours, beating opposite Marata Niukore with pace and power after running onto a flat Matt Dufty pass in the seventh minute. It set the scene for what was to follow.
Bird endured a nightmare two-year stint at Brisbane but is starting to show the sort of form that won him a premiership with the Sharks in 2016. He is a major reason why the Dragons are stunning the rugby league world with their unexpectedly good start to the season.
Dislike: Brad Arthur asked his side to show more creativity and go in search of points after going in 18-0 down at the break. But we’re pretty sure his instructions didn’t include kicking the ball to the back fence or throwing passes to touch judges. The Eels lost their way badly after the Saints went down to 12 men following Tariq Sims’ sin-binning early in the second half. Shaun Lane put in a grubber that was last seen travelling up O’Connell St, Mitchell Moses threw a pass to Maika Sivo that nearly hit a touchie and Blake Ferguson dropped the ball cold in a simple tackle.
Fox Sports Key Stats: Back-to-back wins for the Dragons over the Eels - they had won one of the 10 games previously. St George Illawarra finised the round in the top four for the first time since round 23, 2018.
- Adam Lucius
DALLY M LEADERBOARD
Latrell Mitchell 10
Ryan Papenhuyzen 10
Nathan Cleary 8
Reed Mahoney 8
David Fifita 7
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck 7
Tino Fa’asuamaleaui 7
William Kennedy 7
Brett Morris 6
James Tedesco 6
Adam Doueihi 5
Ben Hunt 5
Cody Walker 5
Daniel Saifiti 5
James Fisher-Harris 5
Kodi Nikorima 5
Damien Cook 4
Hudson Young 4
Jarome Luai 4
Paul Vaughan 4
Viliame Kikau 4
Bradman Best 3
Brian To’o 3
Cameron Munster 3
Chad Townsend 3
Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad 3
Clint Gutherson 3
Corey Norman 3
Jamayne Isaako 3
Josephe Tapine 3
Josh Papali’i 3
Junior Paulo 3
Zac Lomax 3
Jarrod Wallace 3
Daly Cherry-Evans 3
Jared Warea-Hargreaves 3
Scott Drinkwater 3
Addin Fonua-Blake 2
Angus Crichton 2
Christian Welch 2
David Klemmer 2
George Williams 2
Jayden Brailey 2
Lindsay Collins 2
Luke Brooks 2
Maika Sivo 2
Matt Burton 2
Matthew Moylan 2
Mitch Moses 2
Nathan Brown 2
Tariq Sims 2
Tom Eisenhuth 2
Valentine Holmes 2
Xavier Coates 2
Tom Burgess 2
Josh Aloiai 2
Felise Kaufusi 2
Adam Clune 2
Adam Elliott 1
Alexander Brimson 1
Anthony Milford 1
Ashley Taylor 1
Benji Marshall 1
Daine Laurie 1
Daniel Alvaro 1
Dylan Edwards 1
Isaiah Papali’i 1
Jack Bird 1
Jordan Rapana 1
Josh Hodgson 1
Josh Mansour 1
Justin Olam 1
Marata Niukore 1
Mark Nicholls 1
Toby Rudolf 1
Dane Gagai 1
Tyrone Peachey 1
Sean O’Sullivan 1
George Jennings 1
Sam Walker 1
Mikaele Ravalawa 1
Reuben Cotter 1
More Coverage
Originally published as NRL Tackle 2021: Experts’ likes and dislikes from Round 5
Stars snubbed in wild Kangaroos bombshell
Mal Meninga has dropped bombs on three of the biggest stars in the game as the Kangaroos coach announced his squad.
NRL fans crash Brockmann run, told off
After fans finished up at Accor Stadium, some ventured next door to pay Nedd Brockmann a visit, with one fan being told to quiet down.