NRL Tackle Round 19: Coach Adam O’Brien laments Knights “comical” kicking game
Our writers reveal what caught their eye — good and bad — in Round 19, including a “comical” performance by the Knights.
NRL
Don't miss out on the headlines from NRL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Our team of experts run their eye over the Round 19 NRL action.
Likes: Fullback Jordan Rapana epitomised the determination of the entire Raiders side with his desperate hip-bump on full-time to deny Maika Sivo what would have been the match winning try. Rapana ran for 208m, made 11 tackle breaks and scored a try in a corker.
Watch The 2021 NRL Telstra Premiership Live & On-Demand on Kayo. New to Kayo? Try 14-Days Free Now >
When Joe Tapine has a huge game for the Raiders, as he did on this occasion, it inspires the entire pack, who were all enormous. Ricky Stuart said he knew the “grit and want” was embedded in the fabric of the Canberra club and they showed it to win a third game on the trot and revive their finals hopes. Off-contract Eels winger Blake Ferguson had a blinder on his return from exile and showed he has plenty to offer any club that snaps him up in 2022.
Dislikes: A concern for coach Brad Arthur leading into the finals is the way the Eels were physically dominated by a less than full strength Raiders pack. The Eels scrambled OK and were willing, but they were also skittled in the big collisions.
It is now on the likes of Nathan Brown, Reagan Campbell-Gillard and Junior Paulo to dish it out to all the top six teams they play in the remaining rounds and prove there is no chink in their armour. Eels five-eighth Dylan Brown is a wonderful ball runner but can still work on his creativity. He has just one try assist this year and if Mitchell Moses is out again he will need to step up in that department.
— Joel Gould
Player of the year points: 3 Jordan Rapana 2 Joe Tapine 1 Blake Ferguson
Likes: Roosters skipper James Tedesco is aware of the debate around who is the best fullback in the game but he provided compelling evidence of his own claim to that mantle with a display of sheer class. He handled the high ball with aplomb in the first half and then put the foot down to set up four tries and run for 170m while playing with an intent that shone like a beacon.
Tedesco outplayed Kalyn Ponga and had plenty of mates. Joey Manu showed why he is a big moment maestro with a ball steal on winger Dominic Young that turned the match. The Roosters, cursed by injury this year, lost Matt Ikuvalu and Billy Smith to lower leg injuries but showcased the professionalism that makes them a title threat when most clubs would have kissed the semis goodbye.
Dislikes: The comical kicking game of the Knights into the teeth of a howling gale in the second half had Adam O’Brien lamenting the “low football IQ” of his team. Five-eighth Jake Clifford was the worst offender with his high lobs going absolutely nowhere and ensuring Newcastle remained under pressure throughout.
Half Phoenix Crossland was hooked in the second half and paid the price for an underwhelming display. The Knights are mentally weak and the rest of the pack let down the Saifiti brothers, Daniel and Jacob, who gave them a chance early at forcing an upset with the Roosters down on troops. The Knights have looked a gift horse in the mouth this year. Given a dream draw, they have been inept at making the most of it.
— Joel Gould
Player of the year points: 3 James Tedesco 2 Angus Crichton 1 Joey Manu
Likes: Jahrome Hughes is beating down the door of the best halfbacks in the game. The Melbourne maestro has grown immensely this season, and it was evident in the way he managed his side in the second half without their stars. The Storm were far from their polished best, and they needed someone to step up and correct the ship. Hughes was the man to do it.
Hughes’ kicking game, which constantly turned the Cowboys around and forced them into a corner, was the crucial factor. Hughes put in 14 kicks for 309 metres and set up a crucial try for Reimis Smith with his left boot. The halfback was also the Storm’s unsung hero in defence making 32 tackles and only missing one. The Cowboys must be scratching their heads thinking “what if”, after the club let him go in 2016 and have been on a slide ever since.
Dislikes: The bunker loves to stick its nose into the middle of good games. The NRL had made serious improvements to its over-refereeing of games, but it went out the window in Townsville. On two occasions the bunker overruled the on field referee on what appeared to be clear tries.
The black and white interpretation of the obstruction rule robbed the more than 14,000 people at Queensland Country Bank Stadium of a great spectacle. Then the one play where the bunker should have stepped in to stop a clear no try after Murray Taulagi’s blatant forward pass, they couldn’t do it. NRL legend Johnathan Thurston, who was sideline for the game, said afterwards he was disappointed by the officiating.
— Matt Elkerton
Player of the year points: 3 Jahrome Hughes 2 Josh Addo-Carr 1 Heilum Luki
Likes: The likes of Latrell Mitchell and Cody Walker get plenty of credit, but there wouldn’t be a more in-form forward in the game than Keaon Koloamatangi. A week after recording a career-high 223 metres against Canterbury, the big man set a new benchmark for himself by skittling the Warriors forwards for 226 metres.
It’s easy to forget that the 23-year-old is just in his second season of first grade, but it’s no wonder why he was brought into the NSW State of Origin fold for game two.
Dislikes: A week after producing one of their gutsiest performances of the season against Penrith, the way the Warriors’ defence surrendered 60 points in 66 minutes, even against one of the best attacks in the competition, was almost indefensible.
For all the sacrifices they’ve made in basing themselves away from home during the pandemic, if they don’t scratch out two more wins from the final six games, the Warriors are in danger of equalling their worst season in club history.
— Matt Encarnacion
Player of the year points: 3 Latrell Mitchell 2 Keaon Koloamatangi 1 Cody Walker
Likes: There was a ruthless edge to the Sea Eagles. They sniffed blood in the water and went in for the kill, with captain Daly Cherry-Evans shining in one of his best games of the year.
Tom Trbojevic was his usual brilliant self but if the Sea Eagles win the comp they will need Cherry-Evans in top gear where his kicking, passing and running game puts the result to bed, as he did against Wests.
Manly centre Morgan Harper’s hat-trick confirmed he is one of the game’s biggest improvers and a Des Hasler “under the radar” style player with plenty of upside. Tigers rake Jacob Liddle, their best, scored a try and set one up with a 60m burst. The 24-year-old has overcome a cruel early career injury run to show his true worth.
Dislikes: There was no need for Manly forward Josh Aloiai’s late cannonball tackle on his old West Tigers teammate Alex Seyfarth and it should have been more severely punished. Aloiai was lucky to remain on the field, and after being charged will miss game time for Manly. Seyfarth now has an MCL injury and faces a lengthier stint on the sidelines.
In 2014 this style of tackle was outlawed, for the obvious reason that it has the capacity to maim. The Tigers were dominant at stages in the first half but unable to apply the blowtorch. There are not enough match winners in Michael Maguire’s side but plenty of former Tigers like James Tedesco, Josh Addo-Carr and Mitchell Moses shining at other clubs. Recruitment remains an issue for the Tigers.
— Joel Gould
Player of the year points: 3 Daly Cherry-Evans 2 Tom Trbojevic 1 Jacob Liddle
Likes: The Broncos showed some real defensive resolve to hold Penrith tryless in the opening half. Brisbane was under immense pressure early and while the Panthers were clunky, they still managed to hold them out in what were promising signs for the Broncos. While Penrith took a while to get going, it was the usual suspects that got them out of trouble.
Winger Brian To’o was sensational with 212m and bustling backrower Viliame Kikau fired up in the second half to do some damage. The Panthers are in a rough patch at the moment but they will get going again once they have big guns Nathan Cleary and Api Koroisau back on deck.
Dislikes: Broncos prop Tom Flegler should have been sent off for his 10th minute high shot on Isaah Yeo that took the Penrith captain out of the game. Yeo was unconscious before his head hit the ground after being hit flush on the chin by Flegler.
It may have been careless, as opposed to reckless, but Yeo was taken out of the game and Flegler should have been too. It is clear the NRL’s high-contact crackdown has been relaxed since the Magic Round debacle.
— Travis Meyn
Player of the year points: 3 Brian To’o 2 Payne Haas 1 Viliame Kikau
Likes: The composure and talent of young Gold Coast halfback Toby Sexton. The 20-year-old made his NRL debut in the Titans 32-10 win over the Dragons and showed glimpses of just how crucial he will be for the side in future years. He was calm under pressure and busy with the ball, finishing the match with a try, a try assist and a perfect goal kicking performance.
“It was similar to how I thought it would pan out,” coach Justin Holbrook said. “He’s a smart halfback, very mature for a 20-year-old. He’s got a 30-year-old brain which is terrific. He’s a really good organiser and has a good kicking game.” There’s a reason the Gold Coast were so desperate to hold on to this kid and the proof was in the pudding on Sunday.
Dislikes: The way the Dragons are falling out of games through costly errors and missed tackles. The Dragons were in the contest for the first half hour of Sunday’s game, trailing by just two points after the first 30 minutes. But costly errors and missed tackles allowed the Titans to pile on the points, scoring four consecutive tries to take the game out of reach.
Understandably, the club is dealing with player bans and relocating to Queensland. However they need to tidy up their ball control to hold on to their top eight spot. The Dragons made 13 errors and 31 missed tackles for a 68 per cent completion rate and these are worrying signs heading into the final weeks of the 2021 season.
— Chris Honnery
Player of the year points: 3 David Fifita 2 Jarrod Wallace 1 Corey Thompson
Likes: It’s not often a player from the losing side can stake a valid claim for man of the match honours, but Luke Thompson went agonisingly close with a spirited performance to drag his side back into the contest.
The Englishman spent 10 minutes in the sin bin and scored a try in the first half, but he was immense in the second 40 as he set up a stunning four-pointer with the strength, speed and footwork of the game’s elite. He finished with 190 metres and 10 tackle busts, and was the only Bulldogs forward to crack triple digits.
Dislikes: Shaun Johnson may have lost a yard of speed over the years, but he was showing signs of his best on Sunday with a couple of try assists before disaster struck. It remains unclear when he’ll be back, but any hamstring injury is a concern for a player who has suffered plenty over the years.
He missed the finals last year and the start of this season due to an Achilles injury, and he loomed as Cronulla’s most important player as they pushed for the top eight. Hopefully we’ll see the Warriors-bound playmaker again this season, but there’s no guarantee.
— Martin Gabor
Player of the year points: 3 Sione Katoa 2 Luke Thompson 1 Shaun Johnson
Classic hamstring strain for Shaun Johnson, has a complex history of lower limb muscle strains + achilles rupture in 2020. Most recently missed 2 weeks in May due to minor hamstring strain. At least a 2 week return to play, but likely longer considering mechanism + his history pic.twitter.com/MomW4Ftt3P
— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) July 25, 2021
COMPOSITE PLAYER OF YEAR LEADERBOARD
Nathan Cleary, Cody Walker 24
Tom Trbojevic 22
Daly Cherry-Evans 20
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck 18
Latrell Mitchell* 17
James Fisher-Harris, Ben Hunt, Jahrome Hughes, William Kennedy 16
Clint Gutherson, James Tedesco 15
Adam Doueihi 14
David Fifita* 13
Reed Mahoney, Ryan Papenhuyzen, Mitch Moses 12
Daine Laurie, Brian To’o 11
Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Payne Haas, Joseph Manu, Sam Walker, Scott Drinkwater, Daniel Saifiti, Benji Marshall 10
Alexander Brimson, Isaiah Papali’I, Kalyn Ponga, Keaon Koloamatangi 9
Josh Addo Carr, Valentine Holmes, Paul Vaughan*, Harry Grant 8
Luke Brooks 7
Tino Fa’asuamaleaui 7
Cameron Munster 7
Joseph Tapine 7
Jayden Brailey 7
Shaun Johnson 7
*ineligible
Originally published as NRL Tackle Round 19: Coach Adam O’Brien laments Knights “comical” kicking game
Daley’s cheeky Luai joke that will annoy Maroons to no end
Eight months after sealing their fourth premiership with the Panthers, Batman and Robin are back together again. And it’s a decision that could annoy Queensland more than any other, writes DAVID RICCIO.
The Maroons blunder that is now etched in Origin folklore
The Maroons have had their courage questioned in a way no other Queensland side have before, writes MATTY JOHNS, which is why NSW would be foolish to not expect a fight in Origin II.