NRL Lowdown: How is your team faring after Round 13
WHO starred, who struggled and who’s the next man up? Find out how your team is faring in the Round 13 edition of the NRL Lowdown.
Footy Form
Don't miss out on the headlines from Footy Form. Followed categories will be added to My News.
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 13 edition of the NRL Lowdown.
SHARKS
HOW THEY FARED
They left it (very) late, but the Sharks did what they have for the past two months and emerged victorious from their clash with the Bulldogs.
James Maloney booted a clutch conversion from the sideline in the 80th minute — following Ricky Leutele’s try in the corner — to seal the 20-18 triumph and return the Sharks to the top of the table.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED?
Jack Bird grabbed the plaudits, Ben Barba stole the highlights but Wade Graham was just as important to the Sharks’ success on Monday night. Cronulla cut up the Dogs’ right edge, particularly in the second half, and it was Graham was doing much of the damage. The back-rower has been in standout form this season, and wouldn’t look out of place in a different sky blue jumper later this month.
Meanwhile Jason Bukuya was promoted to start at lock but wasn’t able to make much of an impact in the middle for the Sharks.
INJURY WARD
Sosaia Feki (Groin, TBC), Connor Tracey (ACL, Season), Matt Prior (Knee, Round 14),
David Fifita (Personal leave, Round 16)
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE?
Both of the Sharks’ lower-grade sides — Newtown Jets and the under-20s — failed to see any action as their weekend matches were washed out.
REPORT CARD
A: Keep those porch lamps on, Cronulla fans. Nine straight wins have given Sharks supporters genuine hope of ending their premiership drought and there are few reasons right now to doubt that they can at least give it a red-hot shake. It was a scrappy, rather than spectacular, win this time around but they all count.
STORM
HOW THEY FARED
Boosted by the late inclusion of their two State of Origin superstars, the Storm swept to a convincing defeat of the Panthers.
The 24-6 triumph continued the Storm’s dominance over Penrith and was Melbourne’s sixth victory on the trot.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED?
Cooper Cronk was the star for the Storm, backing up his Origin I heroics with a standout showing against Penrith. He set up Melbourne’s first three tries and capped his performance with a four-pointer of his own off the back of a barnstorming Nelson Asofa-Solomona charge.
Suliasi Vunivalu has enjoyed a hot start to his NRL career, but the Fijian winger came crashing back to earth against the Panthers, making a couple of mistakes in an all-round quiet night.
INJURY WARD
Billy Slater (Shoulder, Season), Will Chambers (Fractured foot, Round 19), Jeremy Hawkins (Hamstring, Round 16), Mark Nicholls (Hamstring, Round 15), Ben Hampton (Calf, Round 14),
Marika Koroibete (Concussion, Round 14).
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE?
Melbourne’s under-20s clash with Penrith scheduled for the Sunshine Coast was washed out, but the club’s two feeder teams managed to play in the Queensland Cup despite the big wet. Sunshine Richard Kennar scored a try in Sunshine Coast’s 16-10 win over Wynnum Manly Seagulls, while fellow outside back Curtis Scott made light of the slippery conditions to set up teammate Ryley Jacks with a nice ball. Forward Slade Griffin was singled out for a strong performance, while halfback Brodie Croft scored a try in Easts Tigers’ 20-12 loss to Burleigh Bears.
REPORT CARD
A: Six wins on the trot, their stars shining, the support cast are stepping up superby and they sit in equal top spot on the ladder. There’s quite a lot to like about the Storm’s season so far.
— Dominic Burke
COWBOYS
HOW THEY FARED
In what was hardly a surprise, the Cowboys easily beat the Knights, racing away to a 46-16 victory in Townsville.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED
Matt Scott showed no State of Origin hangover, running for 156m and making four offloads to help his side to the win.
There was no one who really disappointed for the Cowboys, as shown by the score.
INJURY WARD
Michael Morgan (Concussion, Round 14)
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE?
Matt Bowen continued to wow in the Queensland Cup, setting up two tries and scoring one of his own for the Blackhawks on Sunday. Jahrome Hughes also impressed in Townsville’s 32-12 victory over the Devils.
REPORT CARD
A: It was a great win for the Cowboys, who proved their versatility playing a more open style of football. However, it was against the wooden spoon favourites so it was hardly going to be a big test for them.
— Rikki-Lee Arnold
BRONCOS
HOW THEY FARED
Fell to their third straight loss after the Warriors thrashed them 36-18 in New Zealand.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED?
Tevita Pangai Jnr proved yet again what a great buy he is for the club. In just his second appearance, he made the most runs (12) for the Broncos and also pulled off three tackle busts and scored his first NRL try.
It was Brisbane’s left edge that appeared to struggle most, with Jack Reed, Lachlan Maranta and Anthony Milford making seven errors between them.
INJURY WARD
Andrew McCullough (Broken thumb, Round 19), Travis Waddell (Leg, Indefinite), Shaun Fensom (Rested, Round 14), Edrick Lee (Hamstring, Round 14), Shannon Boyd (Suspension, Round 16), Jack Wighton (Suspension, Round 16).
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE?
The Broncos are expected to field a full-strength side this Thursday in a bid to avoid another loss. The only reserve grade player who may have a chance of a call up is Travis Waddell, with Andrew McCullough sidelined with a broken thumb.
REPORT CARD
D: There were very few positives out of that game for the Broncos. While they definitely have valid excuses for the loss — with four Origin players backing up and two missing — they never truly looked in the game. They need to find some fresh spark in attack, with opposition teams having worked out how to shut Anthony Milford down.
— Rikki-Lee Arnold
RAIDERS
HOW THEY FARED
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED?
After three of the roughest weeks one could imagine Jack Wighton bounced back superbly and was arguably the best player on the ground. Wighton scored a try, set up two more, made a line break and had two line break assists in his best performance of the season.
Canberra didn’t struggle to score points by any means but Aidan Sezer and Blake Austin were again quiet. Sezer managed just his second try assist of the season with a pinpoint kick for Wighton but Austin lacked impact and didn’t test the defence as much as Ricky Stuart would have liked.
INJURY WARD
Edrick Lee (hamstring, Round 15), Shannon Boyd (suspension, Round 16), Jack Wighton (suspension, Round 16)
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE?
Edrick Lee is expected to miss another week with a hamstring injury which could open the door for exciting Papua New Guinean Kato Ottio to make his first grade debut. A rangy, high-flying winger who is the leading try-scorer in the NSW Cup, Ottio has come on in leaps and bounds since the start of the season and could be pitched into a shock debut in front of 30,000 people at Suncorp Stadium.
REPORT CARD
B: Canberra ground out a 12-6 lead at half-time then went ballistic in the opening minutes of the second half, putting on three tries as easy as you like. Against a crippled Manly side the Raiders should have stretched the margin to 40 or 50 points. Instead, they got loose with the ball and nearly allowed Manly back in it with the match finishing far closer than it should have. Three wins in a row is a good result but for Canberra to take the next step they need to play consistently for 80 minutes.
— Nick Campton
BULLDOGS
HOW THEY FARED
Just OK. The Bulldogs produced 18 points in the first half but were unable to add anything to that total after the break.
When you play a team leading the competition, you need to be better than that. They struggled to respond in the second half and to shut down the Sharks’ left-side attack.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED?
David Klemmer backed up well from Origin I, running for 191 metres, while Aiden Tolman was his usual reliable self. It was a welcome sight for Bulldogs fans to see Will Hopoate back in the number one and he injected some creativity at the end of sets at times.
The right-side struggled in defence with Cronulla often making huge metres down that edge and creating an overlap with Kerrod Holland and Sam Perrett drawn in off the line and Craig Garvey was off the mark in his delivery from dummy-half when brought into the game for the injured Michael Lichaa.
But most concerning was Moses Mbye’s reluctance to kick on the last with a number of sets ending with the Bulldogs caught in possession.
INJURY WARD
Michael Lichaa (hamstring, TBC), Brett Morris (knee, Rd 16)
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE?
No one this week. Both NSW Cup and Holden Cup matches were postponed because of the weather in Sydney.
REPORT CARD
C: Regardless of leading at half-time, the Bulldogs again failed to go on with it and looked devoid of options when it came to attacking the Sharks’ line. They had a glut of possession they did little with and though stats-wise little separated the teams, Cronulla looked more dangerous with the ball and were able to create find their way across to steal the win at the final siren.
— Fiona Bollen
TITANS
HOW THEY FARED
Snatched a last-minute win from the Rabbitohs, after Ashley Taylor kicked an exciting field goal in golden point to hand the Titans a 29-28 victory.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED?
Ashley Taylor showed why he will be a star of the future with his field goal under pressure while Ryan James gave Blues coach Laurie Daley a few things to think about with two tries. Meanwhile, Josh Hoffman ran well last night and scored a try, but needs to work on his discipline with three handling errors to his name.
INJURY WARD
Kane Elgey (ACL, Season), Matt Srama (Knee, Season), David Hala (Elbow, Round 14), Daniel Mortimer (Hamstring, Indefinite), John Olive (Broken collarbone, Round 20), David Mead (PCL, Round 19).
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE?
Konrad Hurrell did not get to make his Titans debut this week, but he should be there come Saturday against the Eels. Nathan Davis could make way for the giant centre.
REPORT CARD
B+: The Titans showed plenty of resilience to win that game but still need to work on their lapses. They were up 18-0 at the 47 minute mark but let the Rabbitohs right back into the match. Staying in a match for the full 80 minutes has been a big issue for the Gold Coast this year.
— Rikki-Lee Arnold
HOW THEY FARED
If ever there was a match that summed up South Sydney’s season so far it was this win. Trailing the Titans 18-0 minutes into the second half, the Rabbitohs forced extra time after piling on the points. They lost, in the end, thanks to poor discipline and poor ball security. Consistently inconsistent — this was South Sydney’s season down to a tee.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED?
Cody Walker. Wow. He continues to make the No. 1 jersey his own. Walker scored a try untouched, broke the Titans defensive line three times and busted a huge eight tackles.
Meanwhile, Nathan Brown has been one of the most energetic Rabbitohs out there this season but on Sunday night he cost his team the game. Brown’s block on Ryan James as Adam Reynolds kicked a field goal saw the potential winning one-pointer rubbed out. Why he thought the block would pass unnoticed at a time we know match officials are cracking down on plays like that is unfathomable. Then there was his ugly stomp on Agnatius Paasi.
INJURY WARD
John Sutton (pectoral, round 18), Zane Musgrove (wrist, indefinite), Angus Crichton (groin, indefinite), Hymel Hunt (pectoral, season), Michael Oldfield (hamstring, round 17), Samisoni Langi (ACL, season), Aaron Gray (knee, round 15), George Burgess (groin, round 21).
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE?
Jamel Hunt, brother of injured first-grader Hymel, was the only shining light in the Rabbitohs’ soggy loss to the Titans under-20s in Sydney. The prop crashed over for his side’s only two tries of the match, the Bunnies going down 14-12 thanks to a late penalty goal.
REPORT CARD
C: The Rabbitohs can produce good football and we’ve seen them do so a number of times this season. But they lack the consistency the top four teams in the competition roll out each and every week. Poor discipline and little mistakes continue to get in the way of what could be a winning team.
— David Campbell
PANTHERS
HOW THEY FARED
Penrith was belted over the weekend by two storms in two states. While the 24-6 score line makes for tough reading, the Panthers were reasonable against a relentless Melbourne side.
The visitors were brave in defeat, but were beaten by a side containing arguably the in-form forward pack of the competition.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED?
Trent Merrin shrugged off his Origin snub to put in a strong performance down south. The back-rower looked dangerous all night, running 16 times including 4 offloads, as well as making 45 tackles.
Jamie Soward had his moments, but failed to overly threaten the Storm’s rock solid defence. He was run through twice on his own line by Bromwich and Proctor for tries, however this was a greater reflection of Cooper Cronk’s ability to isolate a small halfback.
INJURY WARD
Dean Whare (ACL, Season), Te Marie Martin (Shoulder fracture, Season), Peta Hiku (ACL, Season), James Fisher-Harris (Broken thumb, Round 18), James Segeyaro (Groin, Round 14).
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE?
The NSW Cup side claimed a 42-24 win over the Tigers in torrential rain at Leichhardt Oval. James Segeyaro was ruled out pre-match with a groin complaint, allowing rake Sione Katoa to start as named. Katoa played a starring role in laying on several tries, but appears well down the pecking order in the club’s hooker ranks.
REPORT CARD
C: There is a plenty to like about the Panthers at the moment, but the side were simply beaten by a better team in Melbourne.
— Tim Williams
WARRIORS
HOW THEY FARED
Superbly. Fresh from a week off and facing a Brisbane side fielding four players backing up from Origin 1 — and missing two more rested Maroons — the Warriors burst out of the blocks against the Broncos and never let up.
Electric halfback Shaun Johnson was the engineer, sparking his struggling side to easily its best win of the season.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED
To the delight of rugby league fans everywhere — except possibly those who follow the Broncos, but even then — Shaun Johnson channelled Shaun Johnson and lit up Mt Smart Stadium in the way only he can. He scored the first try with a ridiculous show-and-go, set up the second with an audacious grubber and regather and laid on another (sharp dart across-field, casual pinpoint cut-out pass) in a sublime all-round performance.
Fullback Tuimoala Lolohea was similarly sharp, winger David Fuistu’a showcased his phenomenal finishing skills and prop Jacob Lillyman continued his strong season with another strong showing up front capped by a rare try.
After the stick we’ve given the Warriors this season, we’re not going to take the shine off such a welcome performance by singling out any strugglers.
INJURY WARD
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (Knee, Season), Ben Henry (Knee, Indefinite), Thomas Leuluai (Knee, Indefinite), Sione Lousi (ACL, Season).
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE?
It’s not like they’re running short of blockbusting forwards, but the Warriors look to have another one on their books in Toafofoa Sipley. The 21-year-old prop, who made his NRL debut last month, barged over for two tries in the Warriors’ 32-14 win over Wentworthville Magpies in the NSW Cup.
REPORT CARD
A: The Warriors have teased so often in their recent history that it’s way too early to get carried away. But this was a comprehensive demolition of a competition heavyweight — Origin-affected or no — so let’s enjoy it for that. Nothing less than victory away to the hapless Knights will suffice on Saturday.
— Dominic Burke
SEA EAGLES
HOW THEY FARED
While comfortably outgunned by a rampant Raiders outfit, you couldn’t help but feel for the Sea Eagles. Star halves duo Daly Cherry-Evans and Jamie Lyon were forced from the field along with Brenton Lawrence, adding to the club’s growing casualty ward. The injuries will likely force Dylan Walker back into the halves after finally making the switch back to his preferred centre position a fortnight ago. The loss hands Manly a 4-8 record, meaning the likelihood of a finals appearance is fading as quick as Jamie Buhrer’s memory after being floored by Raiders recruit Junior Paulo.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED
Matt Parcell continues to be a shining light in Manly’s tough season with a strong performance in the nation’s capital. His 80-minute role as the club’s sole hooker looks safe with Api Koroisau likely to deputise in the halves pending the severity of the injuries to Cherry-Evans and Lyon. Parcell busted five tackles and crossed for a try late in the game.
Brett Stewart failed to inject himself into the game however, running just three times while making two mistakes.
Meanwhile, heir to the No. 1 jumper Tom Trbojevic put in another strong performance on the wing placing more pressure on the Manly great.
INJURY WARD
Jayden Hodges (ACL, Season), Tim Moltzen (Knee, Season), Isaac John (Pectoral, Round 16), Jorge Taufua (Broken collarbone, Round 14), Martin Taupau (Suspension, Round 15), Feleti Mateo (Neck, Round 14), Steve Matai (Neck, indefinite), Daly Cherry-Evans (Round 17, Indefinite), Jamie Lyon (Hamstring, Round 15), Brenton Lawrence (Pectoral, TBC).
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE?
The club’s NSW Cup team were washed out on Saturday, while the NYC team were thrashed 38-14 by the young Raiders. Despite the lack of excitement in the lower grades, Manly may be forced to blood some fresh faces with injuries causing havoc in the top squad.
REPORT CARD
D: The loss was Manly’s fourth straight, and with added injury concerns to key players, the streak could get far worse.
— Tim Williams
TIGERS
HOW THEY FARED
It was wet, rainy and cold at Allianz Stadium on Sunday and the Tigers were outmuscled 32-18 by a Roosters side that just wanted it more.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED?
As ever, James Tedesco was the best thing about the Tigers. The star fullback returned from a shoulder injury and was his side’s best player, scoring a try and setting up two more. If not for his skills at the back the Tigers would have been well and truly walloped.
Aaron Woods was backing up from Origin but there can be no excuse for the listless performance he put in. Woods was utterly dominated by Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Sam Moa, failing to make significant metres and falling off many simple tackles.
INJURY WARD
Nathan Milone (Knee, Indefinite), Rod Griffin (Knee, Round 14), Tim Grant (Rib, Indefinite), Matt Ballin (Knee, Indefinite).
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE?
Esan Marsters has been pushing for a top-grade berth for some time and the dynamic back-rower was again one of the Tigers’ best in their 42-24 loss to Penrith in the NSW Cup. Marsters crashed across for a try and always looked dangerous with the ball in hand.
REPORT CARD
D: The Tigers lacked direction, poise, football smarts and toughness in their lost to the Roosters. It’s a wonder they didn’t lose by more. There is tremendous talent in this side but unless they are given the correct game plan it seems unlikely that said talent will be fulfilled this season.
— Nick Campton
ROOSTERS
HOW THEY FARED
Well, it was certainly wet and to put on 32 points is no mean feat in horrendous conditions at Allianz Stadium on Sunday. They may have been playing a team that is also struggling for consistency in 2016, but a 14-point win over the Wests Tigers would have been a huge confidence booster for the Roosters.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED
Big credit goes to Sio Siua Taukieaho who kicked 6/6 from all over the park in torrential conditions, but many of the forwards put in massive metres, three cracking the ton (Dylan Napa, Aidan Guerra, Sam Moa) and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves covering an enormous 222 metres.
INJURY WARD
Latrell Mitchell (ankle, TBC), Isaac Liu (ankle, TBC), Mitchell Pearce (calf, TBC), Shaun Kenny-Dowall (toe, Rd 15), Boyd Cordner (foot, round 17) Vincent Leuluai (knee, Round 12), Ian Henderson (leg, indefinite)
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE?
The under-20s was postponed because of the weather, but Wyong braved the conditions at North Sydney Oval and came away with an emphatic 30-4 win. Tyler Cornish, Mitch Williams and Abraham Papalii were the most impressive for the Roos.
REPORT CARD
A-: They deserve a solid rating just for the performance they produced on a day when a team would have been forgiven for not being up to scratch. It was a whole-team effort that allowed them to edge closer to the rest of the competition. Still in 15th, the upside is the Roosters are just two points off the Tigers and Manly, and four off 10th place. With half a season still to play and Parramatta still to be stripped of points, there remains a glimmer of finals hope on the horizon.
— Fiona Bollen
KNIGHTS
HOW THEY FARED
Newcastle looked fatigued after their close-run effort against the Eels the previous Monday night and in the end struggled to keep pace with the Cowboys in a 46-16 loss.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED?
Nathan Ross has been the Knights’ best player all season and he again looked the most dangerous of any Newcastle player. Thriving in his new role at centre, Ross helped set up a fine try for winger Cory Denniss with a bust from deep in his own half. If Ross is to miss a week with a calf injury he will be a serious loss for a Newcastle side who sorely need his speed and class.
Sione Mata’utia carried the ball well but was found out in defence on several occasions while experienced pair Tariq Sims and Jeremy Smith were again listless in both attack and defence. Despite his advanced age, the Knights are right to expect more out of Smith, who showed little of the hard edge for which he became renowned.
INJURY WARD
Nathan Ross (calf, TBC), Peter Mata’utia, (Knee, Round 16), Jarrod Mullen, (Hamstring, Round 16), Brock Lamb, (Ankle, Round 19), Will Pearsall, (Ankle, Round 17), Chanel Mata’utia, (Knee, Round 16). James McManus (Concussion, Season)
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE?
If anyone was on the edge for the Knights they’d already be in first grade.
REPORT CARD
D: The short turnaround seemingly killed the Knights’ chances before they began and they looked off the pace after the opening quarter. They’ll be hopeful of a better effort this weekend against the Warriors.
— Nick Campton
Originally published as NRL Lowdown: How is your team faring after Round 13
Get your 2019 NRL tipping chart
Whether you’re getting the office together or just organising the family tipping competition, you’re going to need a tipping chart. We’ve got you covered. DOWNLOAD YOUR CHART HERE.
Storm’s new iceman sledges Cronk
WITH Cooper Cronk’s departure last season, Cameron Munster has emerged as Melbourne’s clutch hero in 2018, and the playmaker let his former teammate know all about his new-found talent.