Monday Bunker: Bunnies title favourites, can Canberra rise to the top?
WITH Josh Hodgson back, can the Raiders surge into finals contention? Are the Rabbitohs the real deal? Our rugby league writers analyse the NRL’s talking points in the Monday Bunker.
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WITH Round 15 of the competition now done and dusted, our team of rugby league writers analyse the NRL’s talking points in the Monday Bunker.
WHY RABBITOHS ARE FRESH TO DEATH
Rabbitohs 42 Eels 24: Souths slice Eels up
PLAY what’s in front of you.
That’s the truly refreshing mindset Anthony Seibold has given his chargers all season.
South Sydney’s showing against Parramatta on Thursday night could be the best we’ve seen from the men in red and green.
Led by Cody Walker, the Rabbitohs scored twice off scrum plays and twice off tap movements.
It’s the type of football that encourages fans to switch the TV on and puts bums on stadium seats.
Whether you’re a die-hard fan of the club or a sworn enemy, a South Sydney premiership has potential to do wonders for the game of rugby league in Australia.
Teams over the years tend to mimic successful sides, generally premiership winners.
Think the robotic Storm side of the late 2000s, or the recent dual grand finalist Bulldogs team driven by ball playing forwards.
If every team played like the Bunnies – or at least attempted to - the game would be mesmerising.
However for the rest of the competition to adopt Anthony Seibold’s methods the side needs to have success.
Success that can only be measured in the form of an NRL premiership.
Obviously this lavish attacking football isn’t easily produced.
The current Rabbitohs squad have a contingent of very gifted attacking-minded footballers.
If they can go all the way in 2018 we may see future halves utilise a four-man overlap rather than kick to a winger in the deep.
- Tim Williams
WARRIORS DO THE JOB AGAIN
Warriors 23 Cowboys 16: North Queensland sink to another depth
IT feels like people keep waiting for the Warriors to fall over.
It always happens, that’s what they say, they always draw you in with promises of flick passes and barnstorming runs and incredible moments before they break your heart.
But not this time.
Now we’re past the halfway point of the season and New Zealand are still doing it. Their 10-4 record is identical to Penrith’s and they have a two point buffer from fifth placed Melbourne.
It appears certain New Zealand’s finals drought, which stretches back to 2011, will come to an end this season. The question now is just how far they can go.
Against North Queensland, the Warriors got up on the back of their defense, resolve and smart kicking game, three traits they’ve lacked in the past.
It was the sort of game they lost in the past, but this isn’t the past and these Warriors are something different.
As ever, they’re not being taken seriously. And half of the footy fans out there won’t realise how good they are until the Warriors are right on top of them.
But they’re good. They’re really good. And only getting better.
- Nick Campton
JWH HITS NEW PEAK AS ROOSTERS RISE
Roosters 32 Panthers 6: Tricolours announce title credentials
JUST when you thought big Jared Waerea-Hargreaves’ best days on the footy field were behind him, the 29-year-old turned back the clock with a performance that has to be rated right up with the very best of his career.
And if there was any doubt about the Roosters’ premiership credentials they were also well and truly answered in Friday night’s 32-6 belting of Penrith.
Waerea-Hargreaves’s effort was largely overshadowed on a rotten night of injuries for both teams.
But Fox Sports Stats show that it was only the second time in his career that Waerea-Hargreaves has played the full 80 minutes _ the other game was round 14, 2016.
The 224m he ran against the Panthers was also second only to his career-high effort of 225m in round 13, 2016.
With Dylan Napa suffering a first half ankle injury and Sio Siua Taukeiaho not playing because of the birth of his baby boy, Trent Robinson called on Waerea-Hargreaves to lead the way and he didn’t take a backward step all night.
Waerea-Hargreaves and indeed the entire Roosters pack has been under the pump going all the way back to when they were steamrolled by Jason Taumalolo in last year’s finals series.
While everyone expected their star-studded backline would click into gear at some stage, the lingering concern was whether they still had the upfront muscle to match the competition heavyweights.
Well, Friday night answered that question.
And charging into the second half of the season, Waerea-Hargreaves has shown he is still the man to be leading the charge.
- Paul Crawley
BULLDOGS HIT ROCK BOTTOM
Titans 32 Bulldogs 10: Gold Coast destroy pathetic Canterbury
WHERE to now for the hapless Bulldogs?
Canterbury coach Dean Pay lamented his team’s training efforts and watched on as they were suitably punished by a Gold Coast side who looked in control for the entire 80 minutes.
The Titans walked away with their first win outside of Queensland this season, led by an inspired performance by Blues hopeful Ryan James.
Pay admitted the ongoing innuendo surrounding the club shedding players had finally caught up with the playing group.
Canterbury must now play without their best attacking weapon in Moses Mbye who played his final game before joining the Tigers this week.
Mbye too echoed his coach’s sentiments in declaring the uncertainty had become a distraction for players.
The Bulldogs played without Kieran Foran and the Morris twins but even their inclusions would do little to spark a Canterbury side who now must try and avoid the wooden spoon.
- Michael Carayannis
UNDERMANNED SEA EAGLES WANT RELIEF
Dragons 32 Sea Eagles 8: Saints go marching over Manly
SHOULD Manase Fainu be allowed to play in the NRL? Manly coach Trent Barrett strongly believes so.
The 19-year-old hooker, who is registered as a development player, had originally been named at No.9 for the clash against St George Illawarra on Saturday night, but the NRL denied him his debut.
They ruled the Sea Eagles already had enough hookers in their top squad.
With Api Koroisau sidelined, Barrett was forced to start winger Matt Wright at hooker, while five-eighth Trent Hodkinson spent some time at dummy-half.
The Sea Eagles coach slammed the NRL’s decision not to register the youngster and said the club will try everything they can to get him on the field.
“It’s all a bit of a shit-fight at the minute, for want of a better word, but it is what it is and it would make it a hell of a lot easier if I could pick the kid at hooker and we could finish the year on a good note,” Barrett said.
A number of overseas clubs are interested in signing Jackson Hastings, and if the out-of-favour playmaker leaves it could open the door for Fainu to be elevated to the NRL squad.
“I haven’t really got involved in it, to be honest, but we do understand that there is interest overseas [for Hastings] and he’s got until June 30 to work that out,” Barrett said.
“And if that does eventuate it’ll open a spot for Manase to come in but if it doesn’t I’m going to be sitting here every Monday applying for the same dispensation for him.”
- Michael Blok
NOBODY CAN FINISH LIKE COREY OATES
Broncos 20 Sharks 16:Oates magic wins it for Brisbane
ANY winger worth his salt is adept at finishing around the corner post but the effort Corey Oates pulled out to beat Cronulla is one of the best ever.
Oates was fully extended and halfway to Wollongong when he planted the ball down to secure the victory over the Sharks.
The big unit has enough of these finishes to be considered among the best in the game.
Kyle Feldt and David Fusitu’a are the other two in the decider with the Queenslander with Val Holmes, Jordan Rapana and Melbourne duo Suliasi Vunivalu and Josh Addo-Carr not far behind.
- Nick Campton
STORM DISSECT SLOPPY KNIGHTS
Storm 28 Knights 10: Newcastle collapse under their own errors
CLINICAL and measured is what the Melbourne Storm do and in one of their tougher seasons in recent memory, with significant roster upheaval, that’s what they’re still doing.
On Sunday they waited for their chances against Newcastle in a testing wind and when those opportunities came, they took them.
With Cooper Cronk no longer guiding them at halfback, Billy Slater in and out with injury, it’s the first time in a while they’ve had to try different options in key positions.
Captain Cameron Smith said post-game it’s only been in recent weeks that the side has really settled and with big name players still to return to their lineup, there’s no doubting Melbourne will once again be hitting form at the right end of the year.
“The last month it’s been a lot more familiar for everyone, but in saying that we’ve had so many changes to our lineup this year, through injury and suspension, guys going away with representative football, it’s the most changes to our lineup I reckon we’ve had in a long time,” Smith said.
“But the guys who have come in and played in those positions where those experienced players have been for a long time, they’ve done a really good job ...
“It took us a little while to sort of get in our groove. I think more so the last couple of weeks we’ve probably found that. But then you look at we’re still missing Jesse Bromwich. Still missing Billy Slater. They still need to come back. That’s exciting for us.”
- Fiona Bollen
CAN RAIDERS RISE TO FINALS FOOTY?
Raiders 48 Tigers 10: Hodgson dazzles as Raiders rip Tigers
THE importance of this win for Canberra can’t be overstated.
Nevermind that it brought them within four points of the top eight with a crucial clash against eighth-placed Brisbane in two weeks time.
Nevermind that they finally released the shackles that have weighed them down all season.
No, what really matters was Josh Hodgson. Josh Hodgson is back. Josh Hodgson is here, at last. Josh Hodgson makes all things possible for Canberra.
The English rake was superb on return from an ACL injury, playing a hand in four of Canberra’s nine tries and setting up Josh Papalii for a crucial score moments after coming on the field.
The Raiders have left themselves with much to do to make the finals. Siliva Havili did a fine job in relief, but Hodgson might be the best hooker in the world not named Cameron Smith.
A tough draw means there’s almost no margin for error in the final 10 matches of the season, and they’ll have to win at least seven to make it to the promised land.
It begins with Brisbane next weekend, a match that can narrow Canberra’s gap to the top eight to a mere two points.
It’s at Suncorp Stadium and Brisbane will start as warm favourites. But Canberra have Hodgson, and as he showed on Sunday that’s really something.
- Nick Campton