Monday Bunker: Giant killers blow NRL premiership race wide open
Talk that the premiership was a battle between three teams blown apart, a State of Origin contender times his run perfectly and more — our writers analyse the NRL’s big talking points.
With Round 13 of the competition now done and dusted, our team of rugby league writers analyse the NRL’s talking points in the Monday Bunker.
GIANT KILLERS BLOW TITLE RACE WIDE OPEN
Rabbitohs v Knights: Read the full match report
Go back a month and most assumed this NRL title race was a closed shootout between the Storm, Roosters and Rabbitohs, well before we even hit the halfway point of the season.
But the form of Newcastle, Canberra and Cronulla in particular in recent weeks has blown that theory apart.
As all three showed again over the weekend, the back end of this season is going to be a lot more interesting than most imagined possible.
And you could probably throw Manly into the equation now they are back at near full-strength.
But none have been more impressive than Newcastle who have now put the cleaners through the Roosters and Rabbitohs in consecutive games.
Yes, the Roosters were without Cooper Cronk and Luke Keary for the most part, after Keary was knocked out in the opening minutes. And admittedly, the Bunnies were also without halves Cody Walker and Adam Reynolds, along with fullback Alex Johnston.
But don’t forget the Knights played the Rabbitohs without Kalyn Ponga, David Klemmer and Danny Levi.
Make no mistake, Nathan Brown’s giant killers will now face probably their biggest test this Saturday in Melbourne when they take on Craig Bellamy’s competition leaders who right now are the NRL’s benchmark.
It is going to be a huge ask to go to AAMI Park and do it without Klemmer. Even so, it’s about time this forward pack was treated with more respect than they seem to be getting.
Daniel Saifiti is one of the most improved front-rowers in the game and he made it clear against the Burgess brothers that he won’t take a backward step to anyone.
Brown has been tipping Saifiti to be a future Test player for some time, and the way he stood his ground in a hostile environment at ANZ Stadium was just further proof what a tremendous future the 23-year-old has ahead of him.
Then you throw in the likes of Tim Glasby, James Gavet, Lachlan Fitzgibbon, Mitch Barnett, Herman Ese’ese and Sione Matu’utia and this is a pack to be reckoned with.
On top of that Mitchell Pearce is playing in the best form of his career, and right now Ponga is the NRL’s most dangerous player, full stop.
Across the park, Brown has put together a well-balanced squad when you also throw in outside backs the calibre of Shaun Kenny-Dowall, Edrick Lee, Hymel Hunt and Jesse Ramien, and Connor Watson was sensational at dummy half against the Rabbitohs.
This clash against the Storm is shaping up as the judgment day the Knights have been waiting for, and they appear more than ready for the challenge.
— Paul Crawley
MADGE VOWS TOOTHLESS TIGERS WILL BOUNCE BACK
Tigers v Raiders: Read the full match report
Can Wests Tigers attacking issues be quickly fixed?
While coach Michael Maguire made some noticeable changes to his backline against Canberra — which included starting Moses Mbye at left centre — the Tigers failed to score a point at Bankwest Stadium, while conceding five.
Yet when asked if he thought the team’s issues were quickly fixable, Maguire said: “Yeah, I do actually.
“Right throughout that game you could see us compete and we had some opportunities down close to the line to score tries. But early on two of our kicks rolled dead.
“We then nearly got across with Esan Marsters (who was held up). So it’s there. But we just have to do it for longer periods of time.
“I’ve got some strong leaders who will get together over the next couple of days and improve where we’re at.”
— Nick Walshaw
INJURY MAY HAVE SOLVED STORM PROBLEM
Warriors v Storm: Read the full match report
The unexpected virtue of injuries have struck for the Storm.
In the 18 months Melbourne have been without Cooper Cronk and the six months they’ve been without Billy Slater there’s been little permanence to their replacements.
It’s been a bit of Jahrome Hughes and Ryley Jacks here, a touch of Ryan Papenhuyzen and Brodie Croft there, a drop of Scott Drinkwater to finish, all while the Storm machine rolled on.
But Croft’s injury on the weekend in the win over New Zealand may have solved the problem.
Hughes switched from fullback to halfback and Papenhuyzen came on at fullback and the Storm immediately went up several notches. Papenhuyzen’s speed at the back is a major weapon and Hughes can still do all the things he does well from halfback.
Croft is not without talent, particularly as a runner, and he’s at the point of his NRL career where playing first grade is the only way for him to improve, but what Hughes and Papenhuyzen showed on the weekend can’t be denied.
Hughes has experience at halfback having spent much of last season there before he was replaced by Croft in the lead-up to the finals and while he’s not a noted kicker neither is Croft.
Melbourne are already among the competition heavyweights so there may not be a reason to fix what isn’t broken but the temptation is there for Craig Bellamy.
— Nick Campton
RAW EEL GROWING INTO POWERFUL FORCE
Sharks v Eels: Read the full match report
Just quietly, Maika Sivo has rather nonchalantly made his way to the top of the NRL’s try-scoring tally.
He’s not exactly a Fijian flyer — speed isn’t his game — but boy does he know how to effortlessly finish a try, such is his immense strength and power.
He was the talk of the opening round having made his way from the Fijian village of Momi just five years back.
The fact he plied his trade with the Gundagai Tigers in Group Nine made him an instant hit within the game.
The thought of him lining up a 65kg country kid five metres out from the try line makes hairs stand on end.
In his rookie NRL season he’s amassed 11 tries, more than any other star in the game.
In a frightening sign for rivals, he’s still an extremely raw product.
His development is recognisable every game.
So much so that he’s notched nine tries in his passed seven games.
Mistakes are becoming fewer, and his defensive read is improving, albeit slowly.
The fact that Sivo is on track to finish the year as top tryscorer in his first season is quite sensational.
Parramatta deserve praise for taking a product needing plenty of work and turning it into one of rugby league’s most fearsome wingers.
— Tim Williams
TURBO FIRING FOR BLUES ORIGIN RETURN
Sea Eagles v Cowboys: Read the full match report
What is it about Tom Trbojevic and his ability to terrorise Queenslanders?
The NSW Origin representative made a successful, if not slightly hesitant, return to footy in Manly’s gritty 22-20 win over the Cowboys on Saturday night.
It was Trbojevic’s first game back from a second hamstring injury he suffered in Round 4 against the Rabbitohs and showed signs of his dangerous best.
No doubt Brad Fittler would have been keeping a close eye on how his star Origin player would pull up and he would have been pleased to see it was largely without any issues.
He wasn’t back to his best but he did have some nice touches during the game.
Tommy “Turbo” ended the match with two try assists and 82 running metres.
However, there were a few uncharacteristic errors in his game after he dropped the ball on four occasions.
He will have a slightly more difficult task this weekend against the Dragons in a last chance bid to earn a spot back into the Blues squad.
If he stays fit and healthy, he looks set to terrorise the Queenslanders yet again.
— Chris Honnery
HOLD UP KEVVIE, GARTH’S NOT DONE YET
Broncos v Titans: Read the full match report
Everyone put the knives away — Gold Coast coach Garth Brennan isn’t going anywhere.
After an absolute shocker of a week that featured his star halfback calling time indefinitely and a NSW Origin winner looking for the exit door, Brennan’s head looked well and truly on the chopping block.
Throw in another loss to Queensland rivals Brisbane and the pressure would have reached boiling point.
But lo and behold, the Titans found their feet and while Tyrone Roberts will deservedly take the credit, one young prop was singled out for his magnificent performance.
Brennan was full of praise for Moeaki Fotuaika, comparing the teenager favourably to former school teammate Payne Haas and said he “wouldn’t trade him for any other prop in the competition”.
In a side that saw Jarrod Wallace, Kevin Procter and Jai Arrow all deliver, Fotuaika’s powerhouse performance is the kind that coaches can build upon.
For Brennan, it marked the start of something promising and while many expected Gold Coast’s year to be 2019, the dream of a breakout 2020 could be enough to spare him the axe at season’s end.
— Lachlan Grey
MALONEY TIMES HIS RUN PERFECTLY
Panthers v Roosters: Read the full match report
This might be the best game James Maloney has ever played as a Panther and it could not have come at a more opportune time.
With Cody Walker and Nathan Cleary coming under fire for their performance in Origin I the state of New South Wales has just been given a prime example of what they discarded.
Maloney was judicious, intelligent and cunning in this victory, showing all the poise and touch Walker and Cleary so sorely lacked in the Suncorp Stadium defeat.
It’s been an up and down 18 months for Maloney at Penrith and there’s a chance he’s at the point of his career where he doesn’t have a full season worth of good footy in him anymore.
But the Blues don’t need a good season, or even a half-season, they need one game, one time, and there might be another one to worry about later but if they don’t get the first one right it doesn’t matter.
There is no New South Wales half since Andrew Johns who can boast Maloney’s achievements for club and state. His track record is indisputable. He has been there before and done it.
The Queensland dynasty was built on the corpses of broken New South Wales halves and Brad Fittler may be loathe to add Cody Walker or Nathan Cleary to that pile.
But Maloney can do it. Maybe not for Penrith, and maybe not forever but he can do it.
— Nick Campton
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