NRL Lowdown: How is your team faring after Round 19?
WHO starred, who struggled, who’s on the fringe, who’s on the outer, who passed and who failed? Check out the Round 19 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 19 edition of the NRL Lowdown.
SHARKS
HOW THEY FARED
There were a couple of nervous moments but Cronulla did what they had to do to get away with a 32-20 victory against the Roosters.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED?
Ben Barba isn’t back in 2012 but he’s as close as he’ll ever be. The former Dally M medallist was superb from the back, creating three tries and looking dangerous with every touch. He was ably supported by Wade Graham, who always looked likely on the left edge and seems to be building a fine combination with Barba.
The Sharks’ discipline was poor but of real concern will be their right-edge defence. Jack Bird seemed sluggish, Val Holmes was caught out more than once and the Roosters targeted Chad Townsend mercilessly.
It’s something to keep an eye on as the Sharks chase their maiden title.
INJURY WARD
Ricky Leutele (Ankle, Round 20), Andrew Fifita (Suspension, Round 20)
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE?
Jacob Gagan is something of a forgotten man at the Sharks after he lost 2015 to injury but the burly winger/centre still has plenty to offer and crossed for a try in Newtown’s 32-14 win over North Sydney.
REPORT CARD
A: Fourteen wins in a row is a lot. A hell of a lot. The Sharks have a pretty nice draw and they have a real shot at putting together 20 straight wins.
— Nick Campton
STORM
HOW THEY FARED
Melbourne were given an almighty scare by a fired-up Knights side that defied their lowly ladder position with a spirited performance.
In the end the Storm had enough class to run out 20-16 winners and jump back on top of the table ahead of the Sharks’ Monday night clash with the Roosters.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED?
Craig Bellamy’s Storm factory will no doubt churn out another capable replacement, but let’s all stop for a moment to salute the freakish talent that is Marike Koroibete. The blockbusting winger, rugby-bound next year, scored two tries including an effort that no one not named Marike Koroibete (or Corey Oates) would even contemplate, simply barrelling through Newcastle’s Brendan Elliot from five metres out.
Fullback Cameron Munster made his return from an ankle injury that had sidelined him longer than originally expected and looked a little rusty, but will be better for the run.
INJURY WARD
Tim Glasby (Shoulder, Round 20), Nelson Asofa-Solomona (PCL, Round 25), Jordan McLean (Ankle, Round 25), Ryan Morgan (Knee, Round 20), Billy Slater (Shoulder, Season), Marika Koroibete (Ankle, Indefinite)
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE?
The return from injury of Will Chambers has given the Storm’s previously thin outside back stocks a boost, and their depth is growing. Highly rated Curtis Scott’s development continues, the young gun scoring a try in the Sunshine Coast Falcons’ 26-12 Queensland Cup win over Norths Devils. Storm’s other Q-Cup feeder side Easts Tigers fell 20-10 to Souths Logan Magpies. In the under-20s, the Thunderbolts clinched their third win in a row after a Jesse Arthars conversion on fulltime — following Jacob Tongue’s last-minute try — sealed a 26-24 triumph over Newcastle.
REPORT CARD
B+: We’ll leave the final word to beaten Knights coach Nathan Brown, who said after the match of the Storm: “If they’re not the best side in the comp they’re in the top two or three”.
- Dominic Burke
BRONCOS
HOW THEY FARED
The Broncos showed a glimpse of the form they could take into the finals, with a messy but solid 30-10 win over the Rabbitohs on Saturday night.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED
Fullback and first-time skipper Darius Boyd was outstanding at the back just three days after playing Origin, as was winger Corey Oates. Ben Hunt put in an improved performance on recent weeks while Anthony Milford hung tight in defence against massive Bunnies forward Sam Burgess. No one struggled individually, but as a team the Broncos have room for improvement and they will get there once back to full strength.
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE
Centre Marion Seve has to be in serious consideration to make his NRL debut this Friday. With Jordan Kahu expected to be out for 2-4 weeks and Brisbane’s backline stocks already depleted, the young star is next in line. He was 18th man for the Rabbitohs game but could get the call up to play against Penrith. Matt Gillett (shoulder) and Corey Parker (suspension) should return this week.
REPORT CARD
B+: The Broncos were scrappy but their defence and effort was much better on Saturday night. After losing five from six before the Bunnies clash, it was clear to see they had a new spring in their step and some of their confidence back.
— Rikki-Lee Arnold
TITANS
HOW THEY FARED
The Gold Coast were given a Friday night game and put on the performance to match the occasion. They raced into the top eight with a 32-12 victory over the Dragons.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED
Konrad Hurrell was a massive threat for the Titans in just his second appearance for them. Greg Bird also impressed, showing Blues coach Laurie Daley why he did not deserve to be dropped from Origin III while Ashley Taylor was a standout once again.
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE
David Shillington should be close to making a comeback from a pectoral injury. But after last week’s performance, the Titans do not need any other shake ups at the moment.
REPORT CARD
A-: The Titans completed 85 per cent of their sets on Friday night and put in the strong victory with 50/50 possession against the Dragons. They still struggled with discipline, making nine handling errors but it was a strong performance overall. And given they were wooden spoon favourites at the start of the year, it was definitely enough to get Gold Coast fans excited for a potential finals campaign.
— Rikki-Lee Arnold
WARRIORS
HOW THEY FARED
The Warriors saw a chance to entrench themselves in the top eight washed away in rain-soaked Perth, when Daly Cherry-Evans’ golden-point field goal sealed a thrilling win for struggling Manly.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED?
Young gun Bunty Afoa announced himself to the NRL with an eye-catching performance in just his second outing at senior level. The 19-year-old, stepping in for the injured Bodene Thompson, played the right-edge second-rower’s role to perfection, running two great lines off halfback Shaun Johnson to bag a try-scoring double.
Meanwhile livewire attacker Tui Lolohea struggled ... just to get on to the field. The fullback/winger/centre/half has played everywhere across the backline for coach Andrew McFadden, but this time was positioned firmly on the bench right up until extra-time, when he was finally injected for a couple of minutes.
INJURY WARD
Ben Henry (Knee, Indefinite), Sione Lousi (ACL, Season), Jacob Lillyman (Ankle, Round 20), Bodene Thompson (Ankle, Round 20), Roger Tuivasa Sheck (Knee, Season), Charlie Gubb (Suspension, Round 25)
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE?
While the Warriors’ remain inconsistent at NRL level, it’s a different story in the NSW Cup where they hold a share of top spot thanks to a 24-22 win over Manly. Halfback Mason Lino scoring a try and booted three goals before going off injured in the narrow win. Forward Isaiah Papalii scored two tries as the Junior Warriors fell 32-22 to Manly in the under-20s.
REPORT CARD
C: The conditions made it tough in Perth but the Warriors still had their chances to clinch this one, but couldn’t come up with the winning play. Clinging on to eighth place thanks to for-and-against, they now face a tough trip to well-rested Canberra.
— Dominic Burke
PANTHERS
HOW THEY FARED
The Panthers stormed home in the second half to earn a 22-18 victory against a gallant Eels side at home.
After being starved of possession and coming up with some poor defensive reads in the first half, the Panthers conceded four tries.
But as momentum shifted early in the second stanza, some deft ball-playing from Matt Moylan and Bryce Cartwright kept the men from the foot of the mountain in the game.
Worryingly for coach Anthony Griffin, his side wasn’t able to put the match away and an error-filled final 20 minutes kept the Eels’ chances alive right up until the death.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED
It’s not often the one who starred is the one struggled. But that’s the case with Bryce Cartwright. He struggled to take control of the game and again was caught out defensively but there is no doubt Cartwright’s skill and vision got the Panthers over the line.
And despite the mixed performance coach Anthony Griffin was full of praise for the youngster, saying the problem wasn’t Cartwright but the fact some of his teammates aren’t as talented as he is making it hard for them to read the five-eighth’s game.
Tyrone Peachey and Josh Mansour are deserving of an honourable mention for their contributions.
INJURY WARD
Te Marie Martin (Shoulder fracture, Indefinite), Sam McKendry (ACL, Season), Dean Whare (ACL, Season), Peta Hiku (ACL, Season), Reagan Campbell-Gillard (Elbow, Round 20)
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE?
Penrith’s late charge was denied by the Cutters as they fell to a 22-18 loss in the NSW Cup. They went into the halftime break with the lead but let Illawarra back into the match early in the second half. Zach Dockar-Clay, George Jennings and Malakai Watene-Zelezniak all crossed the line for tries.
Te Maire Martin is edging closer to a return from a shoulder injury with Round 21 his likely comeback date, when he will likely slot into the halves with Nathan Cleary, shifting Bryce Cartwright into the backrow.
REPORT CARD
B-: The Panthers showed what they are capable of in patches but failed to put the Eels to the sword when they had the chance and never had a stranglehold of the game.
— Fatima Kdouh
DRAGONS
HOW THEY FARED
The Dragons failed to recover from their loss to Manly last week, going down 32-12 to the Titans. St George Illawarra had plenty of chances to get back in the game but just couldn’t find the opposition try line.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED?
Kurt Mann, much maligned at the beginning of the season, was the standout player for the Dragons. He scored two tries through sheer force of will and saved another. Josh McCrone was thrust into the starting side at the 11th hour after Benji Marshall pulled out. The makeshift five-eighth made just one run, blew a couple of kicks and missed five tackles.
INJURY WARD
Dylan Farrell (back, indefinite), Mose Masoe (ACL, season), Ben Creagh (knee, indefinite), Josh Dugan (broken jaw, round 25), Benji Marshall (hamstring, round 20).
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE?
The Illawarra Cutters halves pairing led the team to victory against the Penrith Panthers. Drew Hutchison and Shaun Nona played a part in three of the four tries in the 22-18 win.
REPORT CARD
D: The Dragons sit just outside the eight with the Titans loss and if their hopes of making the finals come down to point differential they are done. Once again, on Friday night, we saw the Red V simply throwing the ball around in the opposition 20m zone hoping for a miracle. There was no plan, no set play. And it cost them.
— David Campbell
SEA EAGLES
HOW THEY FARED
A gutsy performance from the Sea Eagles saw them steal a 15-14 golden point victory against the Warriors in the driving rain over in Perth.
Manly completed well, especially in the opening 40 minutes, and stood-up in defence when the Warriors tested their line in the second half.
Once again, the Trbojevic brothers Jake and Tom were influential and Darcy Lussick was impressive from the front in what were testing conditions for a forward.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED?
Jake Trbojevic is in a league of his own when it comes to desperation footy. If there’s a tackle that needs to be made or a last-ditch effort to be hard, Trobjevic is usually the man making that play. And it was this commitment which effectively helped Daly Cherry-Evans slot the winning field goal in golden point. The workhorse not only charged down a Shaun Johnson field goal attempt but regathered the footy putting his side in a position to steal victory.
INJURY WARD
Tim Moltzen (Knee, Season), Steve Matai (Neck, Season), Brenton Lawrence (Pectoral, Season), Matt Parcell (Hamstring, Round 20), Brett Stewart (Knee, Indefinite), Isaac John (Pectoral, Indefinite), Brayden Wiliame (Suspension, Round 20), Dylan Walker (Hand, Round 23), Jayden Hodges (ACL, Season)
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE?
In the NSW Cup, Manly was denied a last-gasp victory after a try to Ben Fritz was denied when a cut-out pass in the lead-up was ruled to have floated forward. In the end, the Warriors snuck home with a 24-22 victory at Brookvale Oval. Young forward Liam Knight also returned from a broken ankle in the same match.
Hooker Matt Parcell is scheduled to return from injury in round 20 which could see Api Koroisau move from hooker into the halves for Jamie Lyon to take his spot in the centres.
REPORT CARD
B: The Sea Eagles’ effort against the Warriors has kept them in the finals race and they’ll go into Monday’s clash against the Rabbitohs confident they can make it four wins on the trot.
— Fatima Kdouh
RABBITOHS
HOW THEY FARED
The Rabbitohs went down 30-10 to the Brisbane Broncos. Both sides had been suffering from poor form of late and one side was always going to bounce back. Unfortunately for South Sydney’s flickering finals hopes it was the visiting side that got up.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED?
Cody Walker again showed his worth, proving to be the main attacking spark for the Rabbitohs. Playing from fullback, Walker made six tackle busts and two line breaks in a bid to get his side home. The inexperienced left edge of the Rabbitohs defence was exposed over and again by the Broncos as Ed Murphy and Joe Burgess struggled.
INJURY WARD
Zane Musgrove (wrist, indefinite), Hymel Hunt (pectoral, season), Samisoni Langi (ACL, season), Bryson Goodwin (arm, indefinite), Siosifa Talakai, ankle, indefinite), Tautatasi Tasi (knee, indefinite), Michael Oldfield (hamstring, round 21), Adam Reynolds (quad, round 20), Greg Inglis (suspension, round 22).
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE?
The NYC Bunnies slumped to a 52-20 defeat against the young Broncos. When it rains it pours and all that ...
REPORT CARD
D: What can you say? The Rabbitohs try hard — sometimes — but it just isn’t enough. They’re sacking players, making schoolboy errors on the field and sit 13th on the ladder with next to no hope of turning things around.
— Dave Campbell
EELS
HOW THEY FARED
In a testament to Brad Arthur’s ability as a coach, the Eels keep turning up to play football amid the toxic dramas currently plaguing the club.
After skipping away to an 18-6 lead at halftime, Parramatta was unable to withstand the pressure piled on them by the Panthers when the tide of possession turned early in the second half. And Penrith laid on three tries in 12 minutes.
They remained in the contest until the very end but handling errors and a lack of execution made it difficult to find the extra gear needed to steal a victory.
Also proving costly was Michael Gordon’s dodgy boot — the fullback usually kicks at about 85 per cent but he only managed one from four on Sunday.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED?
You would not have known Clint Gutherson had never played an NRL game in the halves. The makeshift five-eighth was called upon to replace the suspended Corey Norman and he more than delivered — he was creative in attack and dangerous when he took on the line. The winger turned pivot made two linebreaks, a try assist and scored a try himself.
It was a day to forget for Beau Scott, who was forced into the centres after Michael Jennings went down with a hamstring injury. Usually the glue in Parramatta’s defence in the middle third, Scott was found out on numerous occasions defending on the edge.
INJURY WARD
Anthony Watmough (Knee, Season), Kepeli Tanginoa (Ankle, Round 21), Mitch Cornish (Knee, Round 20), Kieran Foran (Shoulder, Season), John Folau (Fractured wrist, Round 22), Kaysa Pritchard (PCL, Round 22), Semi Radradra (Knee, Round 25), Vai Toutai (Medial, Round 21), Luke Kelly (ACL, Season), Brad Takairangi (Hamstring, Round 20), Michael Jennings (Hamstring, Indefinite)
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE?
The Eels also went down 24-16 to Panthers in the under-20s — fullback Mason Cerruto was lively in attack, scoring three tries. In the NSW Cup, the Wentworthville Magpies handed the Knights a 40-8 thrashing with fullback Honeti Tuha also bagging a hat-trick in a man-of the match performance.
Brad Takairangi will be a welcome return to the NRL side with the Eels looking thin in the backrow. He’ll take his place in the centres leaving Manu Ma’u to return to the forwards.
REPORT CARD:
C+: With their finals aspirations all but over, their attitude and will to win will be truly tested during their run home, now that they only have pride to play for.
— Fatima Kdouh
ROOSTERS
HOW THEY FARED
The Roosters showed a little more life than usual and gave the Sharks a bit of a scare but their terrible edge defence cost them dearly in their 32-20 defeat.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED?
Mitchell Pearce tried every trick he knew to get the Roosters a rare win but his execution let him down at times. Boyd Cordner was again excellent on the right edge and really tried to lift the tempo with his defence.
The Roosters won three straight minor premierships on the back of their defence but those days seem further and further away with every passing week. Both the right and left edge defence were awful and exploited by the Sharks whenever they wanted.
Blake Ferguson carried the ball well but his atrocious reads are a constant hindrance.
INJURY WARD
Ian Henderson (Broken leg, Indefinite)
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE
What a difference a couple of months makes. Jackson Hastings and Jayden Nikorima were the Roosters starting halves at the beginning of the season — now they’re both back in the Under 20s with Nikorima shifted out to the centres. The duo looked likely in the Roosters 38-28 win over the Sharks.
REPORT CARD
C.The Roosters definitely showed a little more fight but they remain just three points ahead of Newcastle. Regardless of injuries and off-field issues with the roster they posses such a result isn’t good enough.
— Nick Campton
KNIGHTS
HOW THEY FARED
The Knights produced perhaps their best 80 minute performance of the season but came up just a little short against Melbourne and went down 20-16.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED
Jake Mamo produced the spectacular stuff with two tries but the Knights second rowers Sione Mata’utia and Mitch Barnett were the Novocastrians’ best. Mata’utia seems to have really found his feet in the forwards, although a jaw injury will stall his progress. Meanwhile Barnett, a mid-season signing from Canberra, has a great work rate, just enough of a hard edge and an excellent ability to slip offloads and get quick play the balls.
Brendan Elliot managed to land his first try in Knights colours but the former Roosters was well and truly dominated by Marika Koroibete. For some reason, Elliot seems to have brought some serious niggle into his game since joining the Knights but has yet to make a real positive impact on the field.
INJURY WARD
Jake Mamo (suspension, Round 21-22), Jaelen Feeney (Ankle, Indefinite), Tyler Randell (Ribs, Round 22), Kade Snowden (Various, Season), James McManus (Concussion, Season), Brock Lamb (Ankle, Season), Robbie Rochow (Pec, Season), Sione Mata’utia (Jaw, Round 24)
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE?
Fullback Nick Meaney had a strong game for the Knights under-20s but it wasn’t enough to hold off a fast-finishing Melbourne Storm side who stole a 26-24 with an after the siren try and conversion. Despite the result the Knights finals hopes are still alive and they are still in control of their own destiny.
VERDICT
B: The win is coming. Newcastle played with a renewed effort on Sunday and the return of Jarrod Mullen and Nathan Brown finally settling on a strong forward rotation have them poised to grab their second win of the season.
— Nick Campton
Originally published as NRL Lowdown: How is your team faring after Round 19?
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