Monday Bunker: Alarm bells ringing, title contender’s trump card
MONDAY BUNKER: Top eight team looms as finals cannon fodder, big takeaway from heavyweight clash and more — our rugby league writers analyse the NRL’s big talking points.
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WITH Round 22 of the competition now done and dusted, our team of rugby league writers analyse the NRL’s talking points in the Monday Bunker.
BEATEN BRONCOS LOOM AS FINALS CANNON-FODDER
NORTH QLD 34 BRISBANE 30: JT leaves Broncos’ top-four hopes in tatters
Alarm bells are ringing for the Broncos.
They have crashed to eighth spot after their loss in the Queensland derby and on current form, the Broncos will be cannon-fodder if they sneak into the finals.
Brisbane have problems in several areas. For a start, their ill-discipline is costing them dearly and they need to address the horrendous 46 per cent completion rate that blighted their first half in Townsville.
Defensively, they have leaked a whopping 70 points in the past two games and Souths will put 40 on them this week if they don’t tighten up around the rucks.
Brisbane’s halves Anthony Milford and Kodi Nikorima face a huge test against in-form Souths pair Cody Walker and Adam Reynolds at Suncorp.
For the Cowboys, it’s too little too late. Despite an epic win, they have slumped to last on percentages and are now in serious danger of winning their first wooden spoon in 18 years.
An away trip to Cronulla this week is daunting but they will be buoyed by hulks Jason Taumalolo and Jordan McLean, who combined for a whopping 426 metres against the Broncos.
— Peter Badel
ELECTRIC WARRIORS REMIND WHY THEY CAN STILL BE A THREAT
NZ 20 NEWCASTLE 4: Warriors on the brink of ending finals drought
It’s watching a performance like the one Roger Tuivasa-Sheck threw up on Friday night that reminds rugby league fans why they love the game.
His 280 metres gained from 22 runs brought excitement with every step. And his step was on. You could almost feel it every time you saw it.
If he can turn out performances like that for the next two months then the Warriors can be a threat.
Their attack is electric when it hits the mark. Not only through the usual suspects of RTS and Shaun Johnson, but Blake Green too. He directed with his boot, Johnson with his passing.
But that’s all good when it’s on for the Warriors, if it’s a bit off, then they’re in trouble. The Knights were unable to capitalise properly on the Warriors’ stuttering start to the game, just the four points to show for it.
Sides sitting above the Warriors will be less forgiving.
We’ll get a better indication of how they will go in September in coming weeks. Canterbury will offer a tougher defence to penetrate than what the Knights did and how they handle the Panthers, another team that can hurt with an unpredictable attack, will most likely be their greatest test of the remaining rounds.
If they’re on, they’re on. But that question will always be there when the Warriors are playing: will they be on?
— Fiona Bollen
PACK TRIUMPH GIVES ROOSTERS TRUMP CARD
SOUTH SYDNEY 14 ROOSTERS 18: Chooks outlast Bunnies in blockbuster
To the NRL’s undoubted chagrin, South Sydney’s clash with the Roosters went the way of several of their blockbusters this season and was not the epic once imagined.
The match felt like two heavyweights in a sparring session, not a title bout.
The Roosters were without Luke Keary, the Rabbitohs were without Greg Inglis, Rob Jennings, Campbell Graham and, after the third minute, Alex Johnston, rendering most of the clash inadmissable evidence.
Very little of the action will be applicable if the two teams meet again in the future but what will loom large in the minds of both sides is the battle between the forwards.
Neither teams could get their halves or backline going but the Roosters managed to win the middle of the field and that’s not nothing at this point of the season.
South Sydney have the bigger names but the Roosters, mainly via Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Sio Suaia Taukeiaho, did the job up the guts and no matter how good Damien Cook may be the Rabbitohs are still defined by their middles and the momentum they provide.
George and Tom Burgess did a good enough job but their older brother Sam had one of the worst games of his life, dropping every ball that mattered and robbing the Rabbitohs of much of their forward power.
The Roosters backline may click better in the future or it may not, but knowing they can stand up to one of the strongest packs in the league will go a long way.
It’s an ace they can hold on to for quite a while.
Melbourne’s loss to Cronulla means the Roosters have sole ownership of the top spot of the ladder but the Rabbitohs can still be counted among the premiership contenders.
If the two foundation clubs meet again, know the Roosters have a trump card few in the NRL can match and they will no doubt favour their chances if a rematch ensues.
— Nick Campton
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NO. 1 REASON TITANS CAN LOOK TO PROMISING FUTURE
GOLD COAST 16 PENRITH 17: Cleary defies ‘lies’ to spark Panthers
The Titans have entered the dangerous wooden spoon territory following their heartbreaking 17-16 loss to the Panthers on Saturday, but they may have also unearthed their future fullback.
AJ Brimson debuted for the Titans in Round 10 but has played every game at five-eighth.
That was until Saturday when a dislocated wrist for Michael Gordon meant coach Garth Brennan had no choice but to move Brimson to fullback.
It’s a role he has played sporadically in the under-20s and Intrust Super Cup, but one he excels at.
That was evident again on Saturday, with Brimson praised for his defensive efforts.
And with Tyrone Roberts and Tyrone Peachey to join the Titans next season, Brimson could be wearing the No. 1 jersey for a few years to come.
Gordon has indicated before that he will play wherever the Titans need him and Brimson could bring some excitement to the spine, especially if Roberts or the versatile Peachey join Ash Taylor in the halves.
Brimson is expected to get another few weeks at fullback before the end of the season, with Gordon in doubt.
It could go a long way to deciding his future.
— Rikki-Lee Arnold
SHINING LIGHTS IN SORRY SEASON FOR SEA EAGLES
MANLY 18 CANTERBURY 6: Sea Eagles soar clear of wooden spoon
There’s been little to take from a tough season for the men from Brookvale.
A true shining light has been the transformation of strike centre Brian Kelly and rampaging front-rower Addin Fonua-Blake.
The pair, both 22, look set for big futures following stellar 2018 campaigns, highlighted by dominant displays against the Bulldogs on Saturday night.
Fonua-Blake plays in the style of Canberra’s Junior Paulo and has evolved into an elite prop forward.
Kelly has always oozed class, but has benefited from additional time in the top grade since debuting at the beginning of 2017.
Born in Lismore, Kelly played for NSW under-20s and looks a serious State of Origin prospect going forward.
Kelly’s ability to slice through the slimmest of cracks in an opposition defensive line with his lightning quick footwork will be an asset for Manly well into the future.
— Tim Williams
SORRY SAINTS STRUGGLING TO STAY RELEVANT IN TITLE RACE
PARRAMATTA 40 ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA 4: Dreadful Dragons on the slide
The Dragons were quite simply embarrassing with their season now on life support after a night which could not have been any more disastrous.
Gareth Widdop season hangs in the balance with fears he will miss the rest of the season with a shoulder injury while the loss also sees the Dragons fall out of the top four for the first time this year.
They lacked intensity in defence and imagination in attack. Their premiership favouritism now seems like an age ago for a Dragons side who are now battling to stay relevant in the competition.
The Eels have been on the improve in the past month and had been building to a strong performance. They are off the bottom of the premiership ladder for now at least and despite a tough run home are showing signs of why many thought they would have been a top eight team.
Jarryd Hayne has returned to his best and capped off another good performance with a first half treble but the star was Mitchell Moses in the No. 7 jersey. He laid on four tries and scored one of his own in his best performance of the season.
— Michael Carayannis
CLEARY’S MEN SNEAKING INTO FINALS CALCULATIONS
CANBERRA 20 WESTS TIGERS 22: Cleary’s silence tarnishes vital win
Wests Tigers win when they shouldn’t. That’s what they’re about in the Ivan Cleary era.
The Tigers scored three of their four tries on Sunday when Joey Leilua was in the sin bin. It felt like Canberra could score whenever they wanted in the final 10 minutes, only they didn’t end up doing it.
Cleary’s men were far from impressive, same as last week against Newcastle, but that doesn’t matter. The Tigers won, that’s what really matters and they did what they needed to do and literally not a single thing more. Benji Marshall is 18-1 against the Raiders. The finals dream is alive.
They have a real shot at making the top eight now and they don’t need to be great through the whole 80, they just need to do enough, when it counts, to win their last three games.
That’s what the Tigers have excelled at all season. Not being stellar for the 80, just doing what they need to do when they need to do it and getting away with it.
That’s what happened against Canberra. That’s what happened in the two matches against Melbourne, against the Roosters and the Dragons and South Sydney. That’s just how the Tigers do it.
After all that has happened to them over the course of the season, the Benji comeback and the Farah return and the Cleary rumours and all the rest, there’s still a very good chance this season could end in finals footy for the first time since 2011.
The Wests Tigers, the weirdest team that ever lived, have a chance to sneak into the finals and sneaking in would make sense for them cause if you let them sneak up on you they’ll do a job and get the cash before you know what’s what.
The equation for the Tigers is simple. They cannot lose again and they need Brisbane to go down at least once. The Broncos face the Rabbitohs and Roosters over the next two weeks. Smart money says they’ll drop at least one.
The Tigers need to beat the Dragons, Sea Eagles and Rabbitohs. A few weeks ago that seemed impossible. Now? Maybe it can happen. Maybe they can do it. They just need to be good enough for long enough, and they’ve done that plenty of times before.
— Nick Campton
CONCERN AS SLOPPY STORM THROW IT AWAY AGAIN
MELBOURNE 14 CRONULLA 17: Sharks statement sounds warning to contenders
Old habits die hard and could bring undone a golden opportunity for Storm to be the first NRL side to win back-to-back crowns in more than a quarter of a century.
Poor completions sounds horribly cliche and repetitive but shoddy ball control is the reigning premier’s Achilles heel.
When the Storm hold on to the ball they invariably win.
When they don’t, it is often a close - but losing - contest.
You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to work out possession and in turn pressure is king.
Yet all too often Storm has failed in both departments, most recently resulting in back-to-back losses for the second time this season.
Storm had not lost consecutive meetings since 2015 before this season.
Melbourne has only itself to blame for the three point loss to Cronulla, having gifted the Sharks territory and possession for much of the first half.
They operated at a miserable 61 per cent completion rate after 40 minutes and in doing so leaked points. Had it not been for Will Chambers’s deft hands in close the margin could have been a lot worse.
The next three weeks - all winnable games - will determine whether this team is hungry enough to go all the way ... again.
- Gilbert Gardiner