NRL Lowdown: How is your team faring after Round 23
WHO’S hot, who’s not and who could still sneak into the finals? Find out who is on track to play September football in the Round 23 edition of the Lowdown.
NRL
Don't miss out on the headlines from NRL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
WHO’S hot, who’s not and who could still sneak into the finals? Find out who is on track to play September football in the Round 23 edition of the Lowdown.
MELBOURNE STORM
LADDER: First, 38 points (181)
WEEKEND WRAP
Gritty win after coughing up 10-0 lead in tricky conditions. Jesse Bromwich and the forward pack were sublime, while Cameron Smith’s work out of dummy half and off the tee kept Storm in the hunt until Joe Stimson powered over the stripe.
INS AND OUTS
Five-eighth Cameron Munster (ankle) could return after missing two games. Tohu Harris likely to spend another week on the sidelines. Felise Kaufusi (leg) copped a knock in the second half but played out the game.
RUN HOME
Knights (away), Rabbitohs, Raiders
PROGNOSIS
Hard to fault a winning formula, but Storm would want to start stringing together solid 80-minute performances before playing for keeps in September. They’re unstoppable at their blistering best and vulnerable in spurts during matches. Two of the next three at home should help Storm build tremendous momentum.
— Gilbert Gardiner
BRISBANE BRONCOS
LADDER: Second, 32 points (+160)
WEEKEND WRAP
The Broncos continued to show what a force they could be in this year’s finals series, notching up a 32-10 victory over last year’s premiers in the Sharks.
INS AND OUTS
Broncos are expected to field the same 17 for this Friday’s meeting with the Dragons. Josh McGuire missed Monday training with illness but is expected to be fine. Joe Ofahengaue still has two weeks of his suspension to serve.
RUN HOME
Dragons (home), Eels (home), Cowboys (away).
PROGNOSIS
Brisbane’s victory over Cronulla proved that their massive effort against the Gold Coast the week before was no fluke. The Broncos have found some red hot form at the perfect time of the season and are true contenders for this year’s premiership.
— Rikki Lee-Arnold
SYDNEY ROOSTERS
LADDER: Third, 32 points (62)
WEEKEND WRAP
In a word ... heartbreak. The Roosters battled it out for 76 minutes with the competition leaders and were ahead by a Luke Keary field goal before the Storm crossed late to snatch victory. A 20-minute period of domination after the break saw the Roosters likely to win but an 11-6 penalty count was always going to make it hard.
INS AND OUTS
The Roosters are likely to take the same squad into their match against the Tigers this week, with Michael Gordon still at least a week away from his injury return.
RUN HOME
Tigers (home), Sharks (away), Titans (home).
PROGNOSIS
The Roosters matched it with the form side of the competition for the whole match and were just beaten in the final minutes. Trent Robinson said he wanted to see more defensive resolve from his men if they were to be title contenders and he got that on the weekend. If they meet again in the finals there is no reason the Tricolours can’t go one better.
— David Campbell
CRONULLA SHARKS
LADDER: Fourth, 30 points (+53)
WEEKEND WRAP
The wheels have well and truly fallen off for the premiers as they were savaged 32-10 by a rampaging Broncos outfit.
INS AND OUTS
Jayden Brailey and Jack Bird are both slated to return this week. Look for Bird to slot in at right centre in place of Kurt Capewell and Brailey to replace Fa’amanu Brown at dummy half. No other changes are expected for the ailing Sharks.
RUN HOME
Cowboys (away), Roosters (home), Knights (away)
PROGNOSIS
Cronulla endured a similar slump at a similar point last season. From Round 21 to Round 26 they lost four games, won one and drew one. You’d be silly to write them off completely but the nature of their loss to Brisbane is certainly concerning. This week’s clash with the injury-ridden Cowboys shapes as one of the most important of the season.
— Nick Campton
PARRAMATTA EELS
LADDER: Fifth, 30 points (-7)
WEEKEND WRAP
Eels coach Bard Arthur wrote to the bosses of fans asking for an early mark so they could turn up to ANZ Stadium on Friday night. But it seems he forget to remind his team to show up after they served up one of their most lacklustre performances of the season, going down to bottom-placed Newcastle 29-10.
INS AND OUTS
Bevan French looks set to return from a hamstring injury and should take his place at fullback.
RUN HOME
Titans (home), Brisbane (away), Rabbitohs (home)
PROGNOSIS
Arthur accused his team of looking for a “soft win” against Newcastle. Parramatta were out-enthused all over the park. At times they lacked composure, were ill-disciplined and struggled with their kicking game. They made 15 errors, 10 of them in the second half making it impossible to compete. The Eels also missed the chance to climbed into the top four.
— Fatima Kdouh
PENRITH PANTHERS
LADDER: Sixth, 28 points (+59)
WEEKEND WRAP
As has become their wont, Penrith won without ever looking too impressive in their 24-16 win over North Queensland. It was the Panthers’ sixth victory in a row.
INS AND OUTS
Trent Merrin is hopeful of returning this weekend against the Raiders. If he were to come back, he would slot straight in at lock for Moses Leota.
RUN HOME
Raiders (away), Dragons (home), Manly (away)
PROGNOSIS
Penrith have won six in a row but have not been impressive as a team in any of the wins. This game was more of the same — the Panthers did enough to beat a Cowboys team who were destroyed by injuries, but only just. If Michael Morgan had managed to play the entire game and if Coen Hess hadn’t had his worst game of the season, the Cowboys would likely have won. But premiership charges aren’t built on “ifs” and the fact of the matter is Penrith have won six in a row. These final three weeks of the season will give us a better idea of where Penrith sit, starting with this Sunday’s blockbuster against Canberra.
— Nick Campton
MANLY SEA EAGLES
LADDER: Seventh, 28 points (+37)
WEEKEND WRAP
Manly’s top four hopes took a serious hit with their 30-26 loss to Wests Tigers.
INS AND OUTS
Brian Kelly is expected to replace Brad Parker at centre after Parker suffered a knee injury that will sideline him for a month.
RUN HOME
Bulldogs (away), Warriors (away), Panthers (home)
PROGNOSIS
This loss to the Tigers is a serious blow to Manly’s top four hopes. Any team with premiership aspirations and a 20-6 lead over the team coming last should go on with the job but Manly’s defensive frailties undid them again. The Sea Eagles will be favoured in all three of their remaining matches, but they were favourites in this one as well.
— Nick Campton
NORTH QUEENSLAND COWBOYS
LADDER: Eighth, 28 points (+36)
WEEKEND WRAP
Have the Cowboys run past a black cat or shattered a mirror? Their ridiculous injury toll only got worse with fullback Lachlan Coote (ankle/knee), Shaun Fensom (medial) and Justin O’Neill (dislocated elbow) going down in a brave 24-16 loss at Penrith. Fourteen of their top-25 squad are now injured or under clouds.
INS AND OUTS
Where to begin? Kalyn Ponga, who scored a hat-trick in the under-20s on the weekend, looks set to replace Coote at fullback if he doesn’t come up. Javid Bowen could move from wing to centre for O’Neill, with Gideon Gela-Mosby a possibility to come onto the wing. Michael Morgan will have to pass concussion protocol this week, while fellow half Te Maire Martin is a chance to return from a minor knee injury.
RUN HOME
Sharks (home), Tigers (away), Broncos (home)
PROGNOSIS
Injuries certainly haven’t helped, but the Cowboys have now lost three straight to plummet to eighth on the ladder. Their finals hopes are in jeopardy given they are only two points ahead of the ninth-placed Dragons, while the surging Raiders are just four back.
— Jon Tuxworth
ST GEORGE-ILLAWARRA DRAGONS
LADDER: Ninth, 26 points (+99)
WEEKEND WRAP
The Dragons bounced back with a dominant 42-16 win against the Titans at Kogarah Oval on Saturday afternoon.
INS AND OUTS
Centre Euan Aitken could return from a shoulder injury but is more likely for round 25. His return will pose a selection dilemma for coach Paul McGregor with one of Matt Dufty, Nene McDonald and Tim Lafai to miss out.
RUN HOME
Broncos (Away), Panthers (Away), Bulldogs (Home).
PROGNOSIS
The Dragons bounced back in emphatic fashion against the Titans with one of their better attacking displays in recent times. Mary’s men completed well to streak away to a 22-0 lead at half time on the back of their kicking game, which strangled the Gold Coast in the opening forty minutes.
After back-to-back losses to the Knights and Rabbitohs, a win on the weekend has them in reach of the eight but they will need to pick up at least two of their last three matches to be in with a chance of finals footy.
— Fatima Kdouh
CANBERRA RAIDERS
LADDER: Tenth, 24 points (+73)
WEEKEND WRAP
Canberra overcame a struggling Warriors outfit in comfortable fashion in Auckland to keep their slim finals hopes alive.
Rookie of the year in waiting Nick Cotric headlined a rampaging backline performance that steered the Raiders to a 36-16 victory.
INS AND OUTS
In what appeared to be a precautionary move with the match sealed, Joey Leilua left the field late with a suspected knee injury.
Should he miss a match, Michael Oldfield is the likely frontrunner to fill the vacant centre spot. Oldfield is a specialist winger, so the likes of Elliott Whitehead and Mounties gun Eddie Aiono present other options for Ricky Stuart.
Outside of Sia Soliola’s suspension, Canberra are fortunate to face no other injury concerns to their 17.
RUN HOME
Panthers (home), Knights (home), Storm (away)
PROGNOSIS
Three weeks ago the Raiders found themselves needing to win six straight games to play finals footy. Three weeks later the Green Machine remain alive in the 2017 premiership hunt.
Unfortunately for Canberra, their two biggest threats in St George and Penrith both claimed wins in round 23.
Four points separate the Raiders from sixth place, and a slightly inferior percentage to their rivals (Dragons aside) will work in their favour should they remain unbeaten this season.
Sunday’s clash with the Panthers looms as an absolute spectacle for all rugby league fans.
— Tim Williams
SOUTH SYDNEY RABBITOHS
LADDER: 11th, 20 points (-54)
WEEKEND WRAP
The Rabbitohs earned another late-season win with a 28-14 victory over the ailing Bulldogs.
INS AND OUTS
The only change might be the return of Angus Crichton to the starting line up, otherwise the Rabbitohs are expected to name the same 17.
RUN HOME
Warriors (home), Storm (away), Eels (away)
PROGNOSIS
The Rabbitohs have made some great strides in recent weeks and showed plenty of improvement again in this victory. Damien Cook was again strong in the middle, Alex Johnston had one of his better games at fullback and the Burgess twins had their best games of the season. Just like last season, the Rabbitohs best football has come once their finals chances evaporated.
— Nick Campton
NEW ZEALAND WARRIORS
LADDER: 12th, 18 points (-100)
WEEKEND WRAP
The Warriors showed more fight than usual but collapsed under the weight of their own errors and defensive mistakes in a 36-16 loss to Canberra.
INS AND OUTS
Kieran Foran is expected to return at five-eighth but given the promising performances of Mason Lino and Ata Hingano, Stephen Kearney could be tempted to ship the underperforming international out a few weeks early. No other changes are expected.
RUN HOME
Rabbitohs (away), Manly (home), Tigers (away)
PROGNOSIS
As with Canterbury, the song remains the same for the Warriors. Without Shaun Johnson they seem bereft of attacking ideas. Promising players have stagnated and there are still too many passengers in this team. This listless season cannot come to an end soon enough.
— Nick Campton
CANTERBURY BULLDOGS
LADDER: 13th, 18 points (-127)
WEEKEND WRAP
The Bulldogs have two wins in their last 12 games and this 28-14 loss to the Rabbitohs went the same way as much of the other 10 losses they’ve endured in this horror stretch.
INS AND OUTS
Des Hasler will spin the wheel and throw some new combinations in this week as the Bulldogs vainly try to fix something that already seems irreparably broken, but only God and Des know what those changes will be.
RUN HOME
Manly (home), Titans (away), Dragons (away)
PROGNOSIS
The Bulldogs will be likely safe from the wooden spoon but could slip as low as 15th if they go winless and the Tigers win one of their last three. All the issues facing the club are well known and show no sign of vanishing. This grim death march to the end of the season is increasingly difficult to endure.
— Nick Campton
GOLD COAST TITANS
LADDER: 14th, 18 points (-152)
WEEKEND WRAP
In a worrying signs for the Titans, they have now conceded 96 points in two weeks and have slumped to a four-game losing streak after doing down 42-16 to the Dragons.
INS AND OUTS
Gold Coasts’ injury woes could be about to get worse with Jarryd Hayne (ankle), Jarrod Wallace (knee), Kane Elgey (sternum) and Ash Taylor (knee) are all in doubt for next week.
RUN HOME
Eels (away), Bulldogs, Roosters (away)
PROGNOSIS
The Titans continue to struggle for any kind of form on the footy field but that all seems a footnote to the Jarryd Hayne v Neil Henry showdown reaching boiling point this week, with both player and coach likely to be shown the door.
A bottom two finish is still a possibility with both the Knights and Tigers finishing the season with a wind up their tails.
— Fatima Kdouh
WESTS TIGERS
LADDER: 15, 16 points (-158)
WEEKEND WRAP
The Tigers stole a last-gasp 30-26 victory over the Sea Eagles with a try to Malakai Watene-Zelezniak in the 79th minute sealing a come-from-behind win at Leichhardt Oval.
INS AND OUTS
Backrower Chris Lawrence (pectoral) was a pre-game withdrawal with Michael Chee-Kam replacing him in the starting side. Hooker Matt McIlwrick left the field with concussion but should be available this weekend.
RUN HOME
Roosters (away), Cowboys, Warriors
PROGNOSIS
After starting strong, Manly raced away to a 20-6 lead at half-time and looked ready to blow the Tigers off the park. But as has been the case in previous weeks, Ivan Cleary’s men were prepared to have a dig and were duly rewarded. They are still struggling to convert possession into points in the opposition’s red zone but on the weekend they managed to execute when they needed it the most.
— Fatima Kdouh
NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS
LADDER: 16th, 14 points, (-162)
WEEKEND WRAP
Newcastle got their fifth win of the season and their third in a row, upsetting Parramatta 29-10
INS AND OUTS
No changes expected, gotta ride the hot hand.
RUN HOME
Storm (home), Raiders (away), Sharks (home)
PROGNOSIS
Newcastle have improved in each of their three wins and this victory was one of the club’s best under Nathan Brown. The improvement of Brock Lamb, the excellent display from Dane Gagai and the defensive effort to hold Parramatta to just 10 points would all be highlights for the Novocastrians. Winning another game seems like a tall order but the Knights won’t be pushovers by any means.
— Nick Campton
Originally published as NRL Lowdown: How is your team faring after Round 23
Blunt admission after historic beat down
Parramatta Eels coach Jason Ryles did not mince his words after his team suffered a historic loss to kick start the 2025 NRL season.
Sunday SuperCoach wrap: Don’t buy Storm players!
Yes, that sounds like a very strange headline after such a dominant performance from Ryan Papenhuyzen and the Storm, but there is a good reason.