NRL Tackle round 1: Dean Ritchie reveals his likes and dislikes from the opening round

Bryce Cartwright has joined some of the game’s superstars at the top of the Dally M leaderboard after his round 1 heroics. DEAN RITCHIE picks his likes and dislikes from the opening round.

Dean Ritchie casts an eye on the highs and lows of round one, revealing what he liked and disliked from the opening round of the season.

DISLIKES

PUT A CHIP IN IT!

I thought I was back at Allegiant Stadium watching the NFL.

The pass from Cowboys centre Val Holmes to winger Murray Taulagi in Sunday’s match was reminiscent of Patrick Mahomes throwing for Kansas City teammate Travis Kelce in the Vegas Super Bowl.

The pass, which led to a Taulagi try, was close to a metre forward.

“It looks like it has gone forward but the touchie and ref (Chris Butler) were right there,” said Fox Sports’ Cooper Cronk.

I’m against the bunker being issued additional power by ruling on forward passes but passes like this must be eliminated.

The NRL has considered placing a microchip inside the ball to help prevent forward passes. Is it time for a revisit?

The NRL must eradicate such mistakes before a big game is decided by one of these passes.

A pass earlier in the game from Reece Robson to Jeremiah Nanai to score wasn’t much better than Holmes’s.

This Valentine Holmes pass was allowed to play on for a Murray Taulagi try.

LAZY BASICS GO UNPUNISHED

Are we seeing a return of tunnel ball?

We all love a fast play-the-ball but let’s make sure it’s legal and a genuine effort is being made to strike the ball.

Too many times in the opening round we saw players lifting a boot and rolling the ball straight to the dummy-half – it’s not touch footy.

Maybe it’s time for a crackdown.

Jahrome Hughes with a lift-and-roll play-the-ball. Picture: Fox League

WARRIORS CAN’T BACK UP 2023?

Please tell me I’m wrong …

A capacity crowd full of hope and colour following one of the most remarkable seasons in the club’s 29-year history.

And, in true Warriors’ style, they then crumble.

The Warriors let a 12-point lead slip against the Sharks. Picture: Phil Walter/Getty Images

The Warriors led 12-0 after 13 minutes against Cronulla on Friday before falling 16-12.

The entire country – all screaming Up The Wahs – gathered behind the Warriors last season, the side falling just one match short of a grand final.

I feared the expectation for 2024 might be too much and the old Warriors would re-emerge.

It’s far too early to concede that but, as one Auckland reporter posted: “(They) seemed weighed down by the occasion in the second half. Real shame, that.”

I want the Warriors to succeed, for the good of rugby league. I want them to win a premiership. I just hope they’re not one-season-wonders.

ANTI-RUGBY LEAGUE ACTS

Sadly it’s becoming ingrained in our once tough game and no-one in rugby league likes players milking for penalties. It’s not what our game represents.

So it was refreshing to hear referee Peter Gough warn the Warriors, and particularly winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, about trying to exploit penalties.

Dallin Watene-Zelezniak was a guilty party of penalty milking in round one. Picture: Phil Walter/Getty Images

During a break for a captain’s challenge in Friday night’s match against Cronulla, Gough was heard to say, presumably to Warriors skipper Tohu Harris, via the effect microphone: “Go and talk to them all about milking and carrying on every time they think they should get a penalty.

“It stops. I’m not going to cop that and Dallin is probably the worst.”

The worst ‘milking’ I saw over the weekend was from Gold Coast’s Alofiana Khan-Pereira.

TIPPING AGONY

IT might be one of those seasons when you take your footy tips to the rubbish tip.

In what shapes as another unpredictable NRL season, Souths, Brisbane, Newcastle, Warriors, Penrith and Gold Coast all fell against the odds in round one.

“It’s not just the amount of first-up upsets but the nature of them. We’re already getting a sense of improvement in teams like Manly and the Raiders, the Roosters looked incredibly fit and fast,” said TAB’s Rohan Welsh.

“There’s almost a sense of vulnerability now around the Panthers, who have struggled to crack defensive walls against Wigan and Melbourne.”

DOGS OF POOR

Poor old Canterbury fielded $3 million worth of new recruits against Parramatta – but where are the Bulldogs’ middles?

Club general manager Phil Gould has lured some big names to the club for 2024 but nearly all are backs or utilities.

Where is the grunt?

Even after just 80 minutes of 2024, only a brave, or stupid, person would tip Canterbury to play finals footy.

Only one of the seven new buys on the field against Parramatta was a middle – former Roosters, Dolphins, Warriors and Dragons journeyman Poasa Faamausili.

The other recruits were Stephen Crichton, Josh Curran, Drew Hutchison, Kurt Mann, Blake Taaffe and Jaeman Salmon.

Curran is an edge forwards who can play in the middle.

Parramatta’s Junior Paulo and Reagan Campbell-Gillard monstered Canterbury through the middle during the Eels’ comfortable 26-8 round one win at CommBank Stadium.

Canterbury’s pack was bullied by Parramatta. Picture: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images

Long gone are the days of fearsome Bulldogs middles like Peter Kelly, David Gillespie, Peter Tunks and Geoff Robinson – the Dogs of War.

New buy, prop Daniel Suluka-Fifita, has a knee injury while Liam Knight played NSW Cup. The possible signing of former Roosters middle Sio Siua Taukeiaho fell over.

The chase for Taukeiaho and late off-season signing of Suluka-Fifita shows that Canterbury is aware they’re one or two middles short.

Canterbury had limited field position and possession – and they were gritty – but the season ahead looks modest, if not bleak. Parramatta led 20-0 in the second half.

LIKES

THREE-WAY TIE FOR DALLY M

Bryce Cartwright, Nicho Hynes and Tom Trbojevic sit atop the Dally M leaderboard after the opening round.

JWH PRIMED FOR MANLY ROUND TWO REUNION

ROOSTERS enforcer Jared Waerea-Hargreaves is back and ready to terrorise Manly next week – thanks to a rare quirk in the draw.

Waerea-Hargreaves actually served a suspension – and played – in the same round over different weekends.

The Kiwi prop was serving a seven-game suspension from last year, his final match ban being in Las Vegas.

Jared Waerea-Hargreaves played round one of the NSW Cup. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

He was then issued approval by the NRL to play in the Roosters’ NSW Cup game on Saturday at St Mary’s, a match Penrith won 28-22.

So in a strange oddity, Waerea-Hargraves missed playing NRL against Brisbane in round one last weekend but played round one in NSW Cup this weekend.

The Roosters had sought clarification over Waerea-Hargreaves with the NRL.

After a NSW Cup hitout, Waerea-Hargraves is now expected to return for the Roosters’ massive game against Manly at Brookvale this coming Sunday. He will replace suspended Spencer Leniu.

Waerea-Hargraves wasn’t the only star to play reserve grade at St Marys.

The Roosters also fielded Connor Watson, Dylan Napa, Egan Butcher and Michael Jennings, playing his first game back at the Roosters. Penrith chose Mavrik Geyer, Tyson Peachey, Daine Laurie, Paul Alamoti and Brad Schneider in their NSW Cup side.

SIGN OF THE TIMES

KICKING poor old rugby union these days is almost cruel but check out this photo.

Empty grandstand at the Super Rugby clash between Moana Pasifika and the Melbourne Rebels in Hamilton on Friday. Picture: Stan Sport

The rah-rahs are not only on-the-nose here in Australia but also in New Zealand, where the game was once untouchable.

The Warriors NRL side sold out its round one game against Cronulla in Auckland on Friday night after selling out a pre-season game at Apollo Projects Stadium, in Christchurch, on February 18.

And here is a photo of a Super Rugby game played in New Zealand on Friday between Moana Pasifika and the troubled Melbourne Rebels. It shows a completely empty grandstand at MG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton.

In years gone by, league people would gloat about this. These days, it’s just sad how far a once mighty game has sunk.

RED HOT DRAGONS

I tipped Saints to make the eight in The Daily Telegraph’s off-season guide and copped it from punters.

Gee, it fell quiet on social media on Saturday night.

It was a happy night for Ben Hunt and the Dragons. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

Bravo Dragons, what a remarkable way to kickstart Shane Flanagan tenure as head coach. The road is long but the belief has begun, this was a statement win against Gold Coast.

Maligned and dismissed in recent years, St George Illawarra’s blew Gold Coast away with a stunning attacking style.

Four unanswered tries during a 20 minute period in the second half gave Saints their first away win in 18 months. Reluctant winger Zac Lomax ran for career-high metres while Tyrell Sloan scored three tries.

CHOOKS MAKE RIGHT LENIU CALL

Sydney Roosters took the honourable option by pleading guilty over Spencer Leniu’s “monkey” comment to Brisbane’s Ezra Mam.

The Roosters could have pleaded not guilty, taken Leniu to the judiciary and concocted some cockamamie defence, but they didn’t.

Interestingly, top Sydney lawyer has claimed the NRL judiciary would have found it “extremely difficult and highly improbable” to secure a guilty conviction due to “scant and contaminated evidence.”

“In respect to proving a conviction, without a truly independent source, on the scant evidence available, it would have been extremely difficult and highly improbable for a judiciary to find that the offence was committed,” McGirr said.

“My personal belief is that they would find the allegation hard to prove without any independent evidence. His own teammates are supporting him but are they totally independent? I say possibly not. Their versions could be contaminated.”

‘EMBARRASSING’ TITANS TO BOUNCE BACK

The expectation was high, the performance was low.

Amid high expectations ahead of the new Des Hasler era, Gold Coast crashed in the second half, belted 28-4 by St George Illawarra.

It was an extremely underwhelming showing from the Gold Coast Titans in round one. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

Titans skipper Tino Fa’asuamaleaui admitted the performance was “embarrassing.”

Gold Coast were pedestrian in attack, they dropped ball, failed to kick-off ten metres and fell away defensively.

The former Manly coach looked as crestfallen in the coaching box, this a horrible start at Robina.

The Titans were, to be fair, without injured stars Jayden Campbell, David Fifita and Kieran Foran.

Des will bounce back, but he’ll have to wait until after a round two bye when he heads to Belmore to confront his former club.

FIVE-TRY HAUL IN RESERVE GRADE

He was a schoolboy sensation who scored five tries in 56 minutes on the weekend.

Parramatta centre Samuel Loizou – whose sister dates Roosters prop Spencer Leniu – dazzled in a NSW Cup game against Canterbury on Saturday at CommBank Stadium.

In his side’s 38-36 loss, Loizou scored tries in the 12th, 15th, 25th, 31st and 68th minutes.

He played one NRL for Parramatta in 2021 before spending the following three years in reserve grade.

This year, Loizou tried his luck at Wests Tigers this season. He was granted a second-tier deal and decided to return to the Eels.

Five tries later … wise choice.

Originally published as NRL Tackle round 1: Dean Ritchie reveals his likes and dislikes from the opening round