The Tackle: Broncos problems aren’t confined to halves; Rookie of Year battle gets very tasty
His team has been terrible but Bulldog Jake Averillo is quietly putting himself in a great position for next season. Our writers wrap R12, plus full DALLY M VOTES.
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Our rugby league writers reveal what caught their eye — good and bad — in Round 12 of the NRL, plus check out the Dally M votes from every game and full leaderboard.
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BRONCOS v STORM
Like: The stunning emergence of Storm fullback Nicho Hynes. The 24-year-old is the most improved player in the league and he would be the perfect purchase for the Broncos. Stuck behind Ryan Papenhuyzen at the Storm, Hynes has a nice creative touch and has developed the confidence to back himself taking on the line. While Hynes torched the Broncos, Brisbane unearthed a back-row sensation in debutant TC Robati. The 19-year-old from New Zealand is a hulk at 105kg and runs with the fearlessness of a young Gorden Tallis. He can develop into a destructive force on the edges.
Dislike: Critics keep hammering the Broncos for their lack of halves but Brisbane need to sort out their front-row rotation if they want to play finals again. The Broncos are mad if they release Matt Lodge to a rival NRL club in the coming weeks. Lodge is the spiritual leader of the Broncos pack and combines well with Payne Haas. Without Lodge, the likes of Tom Flegler and Ethan Bullemor are simply not ready for regular starting roles in the NRL. If the Broncos can’t provide grunt upfront, halfback recruit Adam Reynolds will be a sitting duck next season.
Fox Sports key stats: The Storm are only the fifth side in premiership history to have scored 30 or more points in at least six straight games - Manly in 1983 (7 games), Bulldogs in 2003, Knights in 2001 and Broncos in 2000 (all 6). Broncos’ ninth loss of the season - 5th by more than 25 points.
- Peter Badel
Dally M votes:
Judge: James Smith
3 Brandon Smith (MEL)
2 Nicholas Hynes (MEL)
1 Jesse Bromwich (MEL)
COWBOYS V WARRIORS
Like: In his final game for his hometown outfit, Jake Clifford could hold his head high. Soon after the one-point thriller, it was confirmed the Tully product would leave North Queensland early to take up his contract with Newcastle. Clifford’s kicking game forced several repeat sets in the opening half, while he scored a brilliant solo try - again off a deft grubber. Post-match, he was in tears as he was embraced by teammates, his face revealing the NRL’s worst kept secret in recent times. And Cowboys coach Todd Payten was full of praise for the 23-year-old. “He’s had a lot of stuff bubbling away for months now – some innuendo and speculation, his wife is 20 weeks pregnant so he’s got a bit on his plate,” Payten said. “He was left out of the team in round three, he didn’t kick stones, he just went about his business. He worked hard and that quality from him and the maturity highlights his strength and it will only hold him in good stead.”
Dislike: The Cowboys keep searching for that perfect 80 minutes. Against Newcastle, the Cowboys very nearly achieved this, only for back-to-back sin bins to cruel them of a chance. But even in the midst of a winning run, which is now six of their past eight encounters, North Queensland are still yet to truly piece together an 80-minute performance. They came out of the blocks firing against the Warriors to go into halftime with a 22-6 lead, only to see that margin quickly unravel. With five minutes to go they suddenly found themselves down by six, only for a moment of Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow magic and a composed Valentine Holmes to get them home. Against the competition heavy hitters, forfeiting a start like they had will not be forgiven.
Fox Sports key stats: Sixth field goal of Valentine Holmes’ career - all after the 75th minute, and all match winners. He kicked the field goal against the Broncos in round 9. Second time this season the Warriors have lost scoring 28 points or more.
- Nick Wright
Dally M votes:
Judge: Steve Roach
3 Scott Drinkwater (NQL)
2 Valentine Holmes (NQL)
1 Reece Walsh (NZL)
TIGERS V DRAGONS
Like: The battle for NRL Rookie of the year is proving to be the hottest field in years. While Roosters teenager Joseph Suaalii owned all the hype early — and was outstanding on Saturday night — the schoolboy still isn’t, right now, atop the podium of a Class of 2021, which includes the likes of Warriors youngster Reece Walsh, Roosters’ No.7 Sam Walker, Manly Sea Eagle Josh Schuster and $150,000 Wests Tiger Daine Laurie. Playing in his first-ever Indigenous Round, the Tigers No.1 was outstanding as he scored one try, orchestrated two more and looked threatening every time he touched the footy. While he may not be the leader for Dally M Rookie honours just yet, the competition is only halfway through, so who knows what sort of season Laurie could finish up with? Or even Suaalli? What you cannot argue is that, following the retirement of some genuine superstars, and future Immortals in recent years, Generation Next has undeniably arrived.
Dislike: NRL trainers stopping games for their own errors is a bizarre and somewhat ordinary look. Which is exactly what happened in this one when St George Illawarra were attacking the tryline and a Wests Tigers trainer ran onto the field, shouting for play to be stopped so hooker Jacob Little could be taken from the field for a HIA. Which was the correct decision, sure. But that decision, you could argue, had seemed obvious three minutes earlier when the Tigers No.9 copped a serious, if accidental, knee to the melon from Dragon Tariq Sims. Yet immediately afterwards, Liddle was allowed stay on the field. A decision the Tigers doctor, after reviewing the tape sideline, quickly overturned. Which then meant a Tigers trainer was sent back out to stop play as the Dragons were attacking the tryline with all momentum. Which given the final scoreline, had no one complaining too much. Just as it meant, thankfully, Liddle was removed as he should’ve been three minutes earlier. But is there a better way to get to the right decision?
Fox Sports key stats: The Dragons have won just one of their past seven games and that was against the Bulldogs in round 9. James Roberts scored the 12th double of his NRL career - his first since round 2, 2019.
- Nick Walshaw
Dally M votes:
Judge: Andrew Johns
3 Daine Laurie (WST)
2 Luke Brooks (WST)
1 Luciano Leilua (WST)
PANTHERS V BULLDOGS
Like: It would take a very keen eye to find many positives from Canterbury’s season thus far, but the emergence of Jake Averillo as a genuine halves option is one of them. The 20-year old began the season at five-eighth but has looked likely at halfback in recent weeks, with his kicking game especially coming to the fore. With Matt Burton needing a halves partner for next season and Averillo also possessing good speed off the mark, he could be a good fit alongside the impressive Panther.
Dislike: Penrith played like a team with something else on their minds, and fair enough - with up to 10 players in contention for Origin spots. And with the Bulldogs entering the clash as the longest outsiders of any team in any game this century, it was always going to be hard for Ivan Cleary’s side to find their best. The next six weeks present a new challenge for the Panthers, as they lose players to the interstate series, as the greatest threat to their lengthy winning streak is not any team they may face but the wear and tear of three brutal representative matches.
Fox Sports key stats: Panthers just the third team in history to start a season 12-0. Manly went 15-0 in 1995 and Souths won all 12 games in 1925. Five straight losses for the Bulldogs for the second time this season.
- Nick Campton
Dally M votes:
Judge: Corey Parker
3 Stephen Crichton (PEN)
2 James Fisher-Harris (PEN)
1 Brian To’o (PEN)
RABBITOHS V EELS
Like: Damien Cook has been really down in recent weeks and was rightly just clinging onto his Origin jersey. But when South Sydney’s power game gets going, it frees Cook up to do what he can do best. And that’s run. Cook scored the opening try with a solo effort from the scrum and answered any critics about his spot in the NSW team. He had plenty of space off the back of his forwards. He gave everyone a reminder just how lethal he can be when his forwards roll forward. Keaon Koloamatangi is also developing into a genuine strike weapon on the Rabbitohs edge.
Dislike: Parramatta’s right edge is school-aged like. Coach Brad Arthur swapped his centres with Waqa Blake being moved from right to left, but the problems still existed. For so long, Blake had been the whipping boy of the Eels’ defensive woes, but he can’t be blamed for this one. Blake Ferguson rushed up and left his outside man unmarked allowing Dane Gagai and Alex Johnston to have a field day. It would be wrong to pin it all on Ferguson as there is a clear communication breakdown with that side of the field.
Fox Sports key stats: Rabbitohs’ third straight win over the Eels - they have scored exactly 38 points in all three games. First back-to-back regular season losses for Parra since late 2019. They lost both finals matches last season.
- Michael Carayannis
Dally M votes:
Judge: Roy Masters
3 Dane Gagai (STH)
2 Cody Walker (STH)
1 Damien Cook (STH)
ROOSTERS V RAIDERS
Like: When most clubs lose a key player or two, it’s goodnight and goodbye. The Sydney Roosters aren’t most clubs. We’d run out of space listing all their unavailable stars, but suffice to say, the majority of them are rep and/or premiership-winning players. Yet the Chooks compete every single week no matter who pulls on a jersey. Trent Robinson calls it a “get-on-with-it attitude” and nobody epitomises that more than Joseph Manu The Kiwi was a critical component of this comeback win, scoring two brilliant and opportunistic solo tries as the Roosters finished all over the top of dispirited Canberra.
Dislike: Resilience and toughness - the Raiders used to have both in bucket loads. Not anymore. Canberra simply can’t stay in contests for 80 minutes, as the litany of second half collapses clearly illustrate. They led the patched-up Roosters 10-0 at the half-hour mark and then conceded 44 points in the next 50 minutes. Ricky Stuart insists the off-field dramas are not affecting on-field performances, but tight-knit sides do not fall apart like that on a regular basis. It appears the Green Machine’s premiership window is shut tight - and no-one has the key to reopen it.
Fox Sports key stats: Canberra has won just one match since round 4 (v Bulldogs at Magic round). Jared Waerea-Hargreaves (212 metres) cracked 200 metres for just the seventh time in his career - first time he has done it twice in a season (207 v Sharks rd 5)
- Adam Lucius
Dally M votes:
Judge: Greg Alexander
3 Joseph Manu (SYD)
2 James Tedesco (SYD)
1 Jared Waerea-Hargreaves (SYD)
SHARKS V TITANS
Like: Welcome back Jesse Ramien. The Sharks powerhouse was one of the game’s best centres when he left Cronulla for Newcastle in 2019. Fans in the Shire were devastated to lose him. But the move proved a disaster for both club and player and Ramien could not get on the M1 quick enough when the Sharks offered him a chance to return. It’s fair to say Ramien hadn’t quite recaptured his form of old in his second coming - until now. The one-time Origin candidate was back to his destructive best in Coffs, destroying the Titans’ fragile defence out wide. More of the same, please
Dislike: The Gold Coast - great place to holiday, not so great at producing reliable NRL teams. The Titans could have finished round 12 inside the top eight but instead found themselves stuck in ninth after rolling over for the Sharks. It’s hard to work out why they were so flat for a game of such importance. If you know, drop Justin Holbrook a line because he must be running out of answers. Gold Coast scored after just four minutes and appeared up for the contest before leaking the next 38 points. Ordinary was one way to describe it - but just short of disgraceful was closer to the mark.
Fox Sports key stats:
- Adam Lucius
Dally M votes:
Judge: Ben Hannant
3 Shaun Johnson (CRO)
2 Matt Moylan (CRO)
1 Aaron Woods (CRO)
KNIGHTS V SEA EAGLES
Like: The Newcastle Knights would be significantly higher on the ladder if everyone played with hooker Jayden Brailey’s commitment. The skipper, who moved to the Knights from the Sharks before last season, has been a shining light in 2021 and has played with the same determination and willingness, no matter what’s been happening around him. Brailey again led his side on Sunday against the Sea Eagles with 31 tackles and came up with the big play at the end to set up the match-winning try for Daniel Saifiti. He’s not the loudest voice in the Hunter, but he leads by his actions every week. Good things will come if his teammates follow his lead.
Dislike: The NRL’s crackdown is now officially a farce. Everyone appreciates the need to protect the head of players, but what we’re seeing is no longer rugby league. The Bunker was brought in to remove the howler, but instead they are looking for opportunities to interfere when there is absolutely no reason to stop play. The game is at a crossroads heading into State of Origin if the NRL is content to bring play back 50m to penalise players for tackles that do zero damage. The whistle was the star of the show on Sunday on a day when the players should have been celebrated for a brutal showdown, where both teams fought for the points like their lives depended on it.
Fox Sports key stats: Reuben Garrick led all players in run metres, pushing almost 200m on the night. That makes it three straight games with 150 run metres.
- Martin Gabor
Dally M votes: To come
Judge: Chris Heighington
3 Tyson Frizell (NEW)
2 Daniel Saifiti (NEW)
1 Daly Cherry-Evans (MAN)
DALLY M LEADERBOARD
21: Nathan Cleary
17: Roger Tuivasa-Sheck
16: James Fisher-Harris
15: Tom Trbojevic
13: Latrell Mitchell
12: William Kennedy, James Tedesco, Ryan Papenhuyzen
11: Adam Doueihi
10: Ben Hunt, Scott Drinkwater, Benji Marshall, Reed Mahoney
9: Daly Cherry-Evans, David Fifita
8: Mitch Moses, Cody Walker
Dally M Medal voting will now become secret until the end of the season
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