Andrew Johns/Laurie Daley Cup: Top-10 star performers from round four

From gamebreakers to pointscoring machines, find out who made our list of star performers during round four of the Andrew Johns and Laurie Daley Cups.

Find out who was in our list of top performers during round four of the Johns and Daley Cup. Picture: DC Sports Photography

There were once again incredible comebacks and plenty of drama during round four of the Andrew Johns and Laurie Daley Cup competitions.

With some of the best young rugby league players lighting up the field across the state, find out how the teams fared with our match reports and talking points, and check out who made our list of top performers for the week.

CHARLIE WOOD (NORTHERN RIVERS TITANS)

The front-rower was absolutely immense in the Titans’ 22-12 victory over the Roosters in the Johns Cup.

Playing big minutes in the middle, Wood took countless tough carries into the line and got through a mountain and defensive work, even forcing some errors with big shots.

CALLUM COONEY (ILLAWARRA SOUTH COAST DRAGONS)

Callum Cooney claimed a hat-trick for the Dragons. Picture: John Appleyard

The big back-rower had a day out as the Dragons made a huge statement to the rest of the competition in the 36-0 hammering of fellow heavyweights Newcastle in the Johns Cup.

In addition to his strong yardage and solid defence, Cooney crossed for a stunning eight-minute hat-trick that helped rip the game apart.

KOBHAN NEAN (NORTHERN TIGERS)

KobhanNeancame up with some crucial plays for the Tigers. Picture: Warren Gannon Photography

With his team trailing 16-0 at halftime, the Tigers’ fullback came up with a string of clutch plays to help his side claim a last-gasp 16-all draw.

Nean came up with an excellent grubber for Kobe Walden to score in the corner and make it 16-10, before laying off the final pass for centre Cohen Matthews to go over at the death.

THOMAS CONNOLLY (MONARO COLTS)

The hooker came up with the big moments as the Colts downed Riverina 32-14 in the Johns Cup.

After a tight opening to the game, Connolly got the scoring going 20 minutes in after burrowing over from dummy-half. A few minutes later he caught the markers napping again as he scooted over for his second to give Monaro halftime lead.

Connolly’s contributions continued after the break, with the hooker laying on a nice-cut-out ball for Marlowe Young’s try and putting on the final pass for Drew Marshall to crash over as the Colts ran away with the game.

SEBASTIAN TAYLOR (MACARTHUR WESTS TIGERS)

Sebastian Taylor was at his explosive best for Macarthur. Picture: Martin Ollman

He might have had the number two of his back and was playing in the centres, but Taylor was charging like a steam train with a barnstorming performance in Macarthur’s 48-32 win over Western in the Johns Cup.

He kicked off the pointsfest with a powerful run on an angle to score the opening try of the game and then backed that up shortly after with an equally destructive dart out of dummy-half for his second.

Taylor then showed off his speed in the second half when he pinned the ears back to get around the chasing Rams’ defenders to help set up a wonderful 75m team try.

ISAAC FOTU-MOALA (CENTRAL COAST ROOSTERS)

Isaac Fotu-Moala had a hand in everything for the Roosters. Picture: Sue Graham

With one try and four assists, the halfback was absolutely inspirational as he helped trigger an incredible comeback that saw the Roosters score four tries in the final 13 minutes to defeat the Titans 26-22 in the Daley Cup.

Having put teammate Zac Stokes through a gap for the first try of the game, Fotu-Moala got the comeback going with another great ball for Keenan Tufi to score.

After creating a linebreak up field he then backed up on the inside to cross himself before crucially putting in two dangerous kicks that led directly to two late tries that allowed the Chooks the steal the game at the death.

AUSTYN AH TOON-HOTENE (NEWCASTLE-MAITLAND REGION KNIGHTS)

Austyn Ah Toon-Hotene was outstanding for the Knights. Picture: Michael Gorton

Along with an excellent performance from lock Fletcher O’Doherty, the big prop was outstanding for the Knights as they caused arguably the upset of the season in defeating Illawarra 26-20 in the Daley Cup.

With huge carries through the middle, Ah Toon-Hotene got the Knights on the front foot early in the game and also outmuscled four Dragons to score a try as the team ran out to what was ultimately a match-defining lead in the first half.

TOBY BATTEN (NORTH COAST BULLDOGS) 

Toby Batten (in blue) put in another outstanding performance for the Bulldogs. Picture: Sue Graham

A regular in the list, the halfback put on another playmaking masterclass in the table-topping Bulldogs’ 40-14 win over the Northern Tigers in the Daley Cup.

Whether through grubbers, cut-out balls or a big palm-and-step combination, Batten was a constant threat for the Tigers’ defence and duly finished with one try and three assists for his efforts.

JACK MILNE (MONARO COLTS)

Jack Milne had an incredible day out for Monaro in round four. Picture: Martin Ollman

With three tries, nine goals and 30 points, the Monaro lock had a day to remember as his side hammered Riverina 58-6 in Canberra.

Whether running over the top of defenders, hitting dangerous lines or acting as a link man in the middle, Milne was in the thick of the action in what was comfortably the biggest winning margin in either regional representative competition this season.

PATRICK TOOMALATAI (MACARTHUR WESTS TIGERS)

Patrick Toomalatai starred for the Tigers. Picture: Warren Gannon Photography

In such a game of fine margins, the powerful centre came up with a series of clutch plays to see the Tigers home 30-26 in a thriller against Western.

It started early on when he broke the line and set up winger Tyler Volcov with an excellent offload for the first try of the game, before playing a crucial role in the Tigers’ stunning comeback.

With brute strength Toomalatai carried two defenders in a powerful run before a quick play-the-ball allowed teammate Ryan Mackander to score from dummy-half, while just a couple of minutes later he did it all himself as he scored with a damaging run direct from a tap.

And to cap things off, with the Tigers trailing by two very late in the game the centre showed great effort and anticipation to help his team regather the ball from a kick-off, from which they marched down the field and scored the winner just a couple of plays later.