NRL Lowdown: How is your team faring after Round 10
WHO starred, who struggled and who’s lurking on the edge? Find out how your team is faring in the Round 10 edition of the NRL Lowdown.
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WHO starred, who struggled, who’s on the fringe, who’s on the outer, who passed and who failed?
Get the very best analysis from our team of experts in the Round 10 edition of the NRL Lowdown.
STORM
HOW THEY FARED
Operated in spits and spurts for 70 minutes and when the wheels fell off completely the Titans scored twice inside four minutes to pinch the game.
To rub salt in the wounds, the Storm’s 36 points for becomes the highest losing score in NRL history.
Suspect the memo went out this morning, bring the mouthguards to training every day this week.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED?
Cameron Smith led the way doing the hard yards in the middle of the field and with ice running through his veins nailed two conversions late to give Storm a chance to win the game. Billy Slater, Cameron Munster and Cooper Cronk were lively, while Dale Finucane, Tim Glasby and Jordan McLean held up their end of the bargain.
The only thing good about Josh Addo-Carr’s review this week is it is going to be short. Addo-Carr barely fired a shot in the game and at the death when a collision was needed to get the ball across the sideline he did not hit hard enough.
INJURY WARD
Nelson Asofa-Solomona (Broken hand, Round 13)
Christian Welch (ACL, Season)
Jesse Bromwich (Disciplinary, Round 13)
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE?
Young Tonumaipea scored a Queensland Cup double and it could not have come at a better time with Craig Bellamy already flagging an intent to wheel the changes. Ryley Jacks and Brodie Croft, named Man of the Match for the Young Kangaroos in the Anzac Test curtain-raiser, must also be considered. Jesse Bromwich must serve another week on the sidelines.
REPORT CARD
D (efence). Hard to fault the Storm offensively because history says 36 points is more than enough to win a game of football.
But work needs to be done when the Storm do not have the ball because two tries in the time it takes for a Melbourne barista to pump out two lattes and a choc-chip cookie will not be tolerated.
— Gilbert Gardiner
SHARKS
HOW THEY FARED
Won this game by four. And on a forward pass. Against a side missing Test stars Josh Dugan and Gareth Widdop. So, no, not the most convincing of wins. Still, the Sharks keep on winning. And what else matters?
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED?
Jack Bird was easily the Sharkies best, orchestrating one try, busting the line three times, setting up another two linebreaks himself and running, in total for 146m. Backrower Wade Graham also had some nice touches while Andrew Fifita and Paul Gallen were solid in the middle — rolling forward for a combined 318m. Halves Chad Townsend and James Maloney also did a good job controlling the game against a tough St George Illawarra side.
INJURY WARD
James Segeyaro (Broken arm, Round 14)
Jayson Bukuya (Ankle, Round 14)
Chris Heighington (Family reasons, Round 11)
Tony Williams (ACL, Season)
Matt Prior (Possible suspension, Round 12)
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE?
Cronulla are currently close to full strength, with No. 9 James Segeyaro expected back in Round 14.
Still, rookie Jayden Brailey continues to play strong, and tough, in his first season of NRL, despite getting more game time that either he or coach Shane Flanagan would have expected.
REPORT CARD
B-: Cronulla have long been the masters at winning ugly and 2017 is no different.
While it was St George Illawarra who looked destined to score a huge upset for much of this one, the Shire boys still did what they do best — grind, strangle, hang tough — to get home at the end. Also bombed a try late that could’ve seen the final winning margin drift wider.
— Nick Walshaw
BRONCOS
HOW THEY FARED
It is an old cliche, but Brisbane’s 24-14 win over Manly really was a “game of two halves”. They were lucky to claim the match in the second half after a poor opening forty.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED?
The entire Broncos team struggled in the first half before they woke up for the second stanza. Kodi Nikorima was instrumental in bringing them back into the game while skipper Darius Boyd and winger Corey Oates also stood up to deliver the win.
INJURY WARD
Mitchell Dodds (Leg, Indefinite)
Benji Marshall (Broken arm, Round 11)
Ben Hunt (Hamstring, Round 12)
Tevita Pangai Jnr (Hand, Round 16)
Jai Arrow (Broken thumb, Round 12)
James Roberts (Knee, Round 11)
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE?
Centre James Roberts is racing the clock to prove his fitness for Friday’s clash against the Tigers. His strike power was missed on Saturday. Ben Hunt is also about two weeks away from his return, which will give the Broncos some much-needed direction in attack.
REPORT CARD
B: It was good to see the Broncos can run down a team when they need to but they never should have been in that position in the first place. With just one game left until the Origin period takes its toll, they’ll need to sharpen things up for their clash with the Tigers.
— Rikki-Lee Arnold
DRAGONS
HOW THEY FARED
The Dragons played a tough game of football against the Sharks but lacked the playmaking class to land the points they needed late in the match and went down 18-14.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED?
Paul Vaughan was the Dragons’ best and was close to the most effective player on the field. He scored a try and set up another and ripped off great chunks of metres whenever he ran the ball. Vaughan is already shaping as the buy of the year and has earned a shot at higher honours.
Josh McCrone has played more good footy than bad this season but the veteran halfback did not step up when the Dragons needed him. Kicking has never been one of McCrone’s true strengths but he failed to generate any pressure late in the tackle count and the Red V continually paid the price.
INJURY WARD
Yaw Kiti Glymin (Shoulder, Indefinite)
Gareth Widdop (Knee, Round 14)
Will Matthews (Dislocated hip, Indefinite)
Drew Hutchison (ACL, Season)
Levi Dodd (Knee, Season)
Josh Dugan (Fractured cheekbone, Round 13)
Euan Aitken (Hamstring, Indefinite)
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE?
Matt Dufty is a player Dragons fans have been excited about for some time and the speedy fullback was again in the thick of things for Illawarra on the weekend. Dufty scored a try and set up another in Illawarra’s 31-12 defeat of Wentworthville.
REPORT CARD
C+: It’s difficult to fault the effort of the Dragons, but this was always going to be a tough ask without skipper Gareth Widdop. They need to find somebody to create points while Widdop is injured or risk losing touch with the top four.
— Nick Campton
ROOSTERS
HOW THEY FARED
The Roosters were at their damaging best on Sunday, carving up the Eels 48-10 to move third on the ladder behind the Sharks on points difference only. Again it was the halves pairing of Luke Keary and Mitchell Pearce that ran the show.
Pearce had a hand in three tries and kicked for a fourth while Keary set up three tries as well. Everyone did their job as the Roosters signalled their intentions one year after languishing at the bottom of the ladder.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED?
Everyone is talking about how Pearce and Keary starred but let’s take a moment to look at Blake Ferguson. The man has been criticised for his form this year but smashed out three line breaks, three tries, eight tackle busts and made 19 runs — more than anyone else on the field. As for a struggler, well, how can you pick one out of a team that smashed their opponents 48-10?
INJURY WARD
Ryan Matterson (Ankle, Round 12)
Isaac Liu (Foot, Round 12)
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE?
No-one. If the Roosters keep playing the way they are and if they stay healthy and injury-free there is no-one even close to breaking into this side.
REPORT CARD
B+: The Roosters have all the makings of a premiership side and just need to find the consistency in performance to push on and make it happen. If they keep playing the way they did against the Eels they’ll be hard to stop.
— David Campbell
COWBOYS
HOW THEY FARED
The return of Johnathan Thurston was delayed by a shoulder injury, so the return of fullback Lachlan Coote and Jake Granville came at the perfect time for the Cowboys. The experience, creativity and direction was crucial in Thursday’s 30-14 road win over the Bulldogs. It also gave the side belief they can win without Thurston and kickstarted a run of six away games in two months the best possible way.
The defence and effort indicators were much better than an awful 26-6 home loss to Parramatta before the representative break. Don’t underestimate the huge impact Coote’s return has on their defence.
Understudy Kalyn Ponga has been good in his absence, but Coote’s talk and direction from the back is a vital cog. He rolled his ankle in the dying stages and fingers crossed he’s fit for this week’s trip to Cronulla.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED?
The match could be the turning point for Kyle Feldt and Michael Morgan, both of whom have experienced some struggles early this year. Morgan finished with four try assists and a try to virtually remove any doubt he will play for Queensland in Origin I.
Errors have dogged Feldt this year but he was one of the Cowboys’ best on Thursday, highlighted by his first try of the year. The Cowboys didn’t have any passengers against a Bulldogs side that were simply horrible.
INJURY WARD
Josh Chudleigh (ACL, Season)
Matt Scott (ACL, Season)
Johnathan Thurston (Shoulder, Round 13)
Lachlan Coote (Ankle, Round 11)
Jake Granville (Leg, Round 11)
Patrick Kaufusi (Foot, Season)
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE?
While Ray Thompson did nothing wrong deputising for Johnathan Thurston, youngster Kyle Laybutt is waiting in the wings and was unlucky not to debut against the Bulldogs. He was one of Queensland Residents’ best in their 36-6 thrashing on NSW last Sunday. He is off contract after this year but shows signs he’s up to the NRL.
REPORT CARD
B+: The Bulldogs didn’t offer much resistance in attack or defence which makes it hard to pinpoint how good the Cowboys were. But their defence was far better than it has been in recent weeks, in particular on the edges. They also played tougher and were prepared to get in the grind against a big pack and earn the right to score points. Morgan was superb and he needs to keep taking ownership of the attack while Thurston is out.
— Jon Tuxworth
SEA EAGLES
HOW THEY FARED
For the first half, they fared just fine. Three early tries put Manly up 14-0 but they collapsed in the second half and went down 24-14 to Brisbane.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED?
Martin Taupau was again excellent for the Sea Eagles — whenever he is off the field Manly are well and truly worse off. Daly Cherry-Evans and Tom Trbojevic were both strong early but faded as the match went on, particularly in the second half.
Taupau needs more support from the rest of the forwards with ball in hand. Taupau ran for 166 metres and Jake Tbrojevic was the only other forward to pass the 100 metre barrier. Brenton Lawrence, Frank Winterstein, Addin Fonua-Blake and Lewis Brown all failed to hit 50.
INJURY WARD
Lloyd Perrett (Sternum, Round 13)
Billy Bainbridge (Shoulder, Round 11)
Darcy Lussick (Elbow, Round 11)
Tom Trbojevic (Ankle, Indefinite)
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE?
With Tom Trbojevic to miss the next six to eight weeks, Matthew Wright is expected to take over as fullback. Wright has extensive experience across the backline and while he lacks the class and impact of Trbojevic he is the only specialist available. Jackson Hastings filled in at the back on the weekend and has played fullback in the past but seems unlikely.
REPORT CARD
C: Manly had another win at their mercy and let it slip through their fingers. If they want to be premiership contenders, they must do better.
— Nick Campton
EELS
HOW THEY FARED
Parramatta never stood a chance in this one. The Roosters started like a tornado and never let up. It was 28-4 at halftime, 48-10 at fulltime. The Eels were out enthused, out muscled and out smarted. What didn’t help Parramatta’s cause was first half possession that went 64-36 per cent the Roosters’ way, with the Eels also on the wrong side of a 5-1 penalty count at the break. As Mark Gasnier said in Fox Sports commentary at one point, “when it’s not your day, it’s not your day”. Throw in the knee injury suffered by Corey Norman and this defeat could ultimately have a huge impact on Parramatta’s season.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED?
When your side gets belted by this margin, it’s hard to find too many positives. Clint Gutherson as usual did everything he could to inject some spark and Nathan Brown pulled off a bell-ringer on Dylan Napa. But really, this was as one-sided as NRL games get. The Eels’ forwards were minced in the middle with Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Sio Siua Taukeiaho and Boyd Cordner doing the damage.
In fairness to the Eels, the Roosters had all the early momentum and it wore the Parramatta big boys into the ground very early.
On his left edge, Latrell Mitchell gave Kirisome Auva’a first-hand experience of the raw power of this young Roosters star.
INJURY WARD
Matt Woods (Shoulder, Round 13)
Isaac De Gois (Concussion, Indefinite)
Brad Takairangi (Knee, Round 12)
Frank Pritchard (Foot, Round 18)
Peni Terepo (Pectoral, Round 22)
Bevan French (PCL, Round 11)
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE?
With Corey Norman (grade two medial) likely to be out for at least a month, the Eels will want to hope the Wests Tigers give Mitchell Moses a release ASAP. Norman got his right leg twisted badly in a tackle that copped the full force of Waerea-Hargreaves on Norman’s lower leg and straight away the Eels playmaker knew he was in strife.
Looking at Parramatta’s casualty ward ahead of this Saturday’s clash against Canberra, Bevan French should be back and with a bit of luck Brad Takairangi (knee) could also be ready to return.
REPORT CARD
D: For a team with high hopes of pushing for a top four finish this season, that 80 minutes against the Roosters was a reality check for the Eels. As Brad Arthur said after the game: “There was a bigger blow today and it wasn’t Corey Norman. We were out played in every aspect of the game.”
Again, the Roosters had so much possession it was hard for the Eels to even get themselves into the game. They’ve already showed enough this season to suggest they will be pushing for a finals finish but not many teams would have stood a chance against the Roosters in the mood they were in on Sunday.
— Paul Crawley
BULLDOGS
HOW THEY FARED
Remember that time Manly whipped the Bulldogs 36-0? It wasn’t quite that bad, but an understrength Cowboys dished out a 30-14 lesson to Canterbury, at home, and the Dogs scored the bulk of their points during a 10-minute stint when Ray Thompson sat in the sin bin. Sigh.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED?
The Kerrod Holland-Brenko Lee combination is proving to be quite potent. Lee has been in great form since joining this year, capable of freeing his arm for an offload, plus a line-break on Thursday helped Holland on his way to two tries during the match.
Michael Lichaa is under pressure and his delivery from dummy-half didn’t do his case any favours. He’s unlikely to lose his spot with Josh Reynolds out for another month, but he may find himself shifted to the bench come Reynolds’ return.
INJURY WARD
Chase Stanley (Knee, Indefinite)
Josh Reynolds (Hamstring, Round 14)
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE?
Craig Garvey is an option for Des Hasler should he opt for change in the hooking role. Garvey is currently starting for the NSW Cup side. Also in the reserves is Bronson Garlick. The son of Sean Garlick joined the Bulldogs in 2015 and is a versatile player capable of playing No. 9 or in the halves.
REPORT CARD
C: The inconsistent Dogs of old returned. Some may say it was Reynolds they missed. It could be true. He brings a fighting spirit and can spark the side when they lag. But Canterbury went into Round 10 with everything in their favour against North Queensland and were outmuscled. Defensive lapses let them down as they were unable to defend the kicking game of the Cowboys. Roosters and Sharks ahead and Reynolds not back for a month, if his absence was the problem that’s a concern because he’s gone at season’s end anyway.
— Fiona Bollen
RAIDERS
HOW THEY FARED
Every club has a bogey team, not every club has a bogey team that arguably boasts the worst squad in the NRL era.
Canberra travelled to the Hunter as raging hot favourites and were ambushed by a spirited Newcastle outfit who claimed a 34-20 win, just their second of the season.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED?
Joey Leilua’s ability to read a play was exposed once again for the opening try and is highly concerning for the one-time NSW State of Origin hopeful. Leilua also coughed up a regulation grubber in the 60th minute with the Raiders trailing 16-14.
Blake Austin’s energetic, unorthodox style of play earned him Dally M five-eighth of the year in 2015. Two years on and the competition has the livewire worked out, with serious flaws in his game coming to light when those around him aren’t starring.
Disregarding a wayward pass to row A, Junior Paulo continued his impressive form in busting out 59 minutes on field. Paulo ran 19 times for 169 metres, had three offloads and was a handful all game.
INJURY WARD
Josh Papalii (Disciplinary, Round 11)
Luke Bateman (Concussion, Round 11)
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE?
Hooker Kurt Baptiste made an early return from an achilles injury in the Mounties shock loss to Newcastle. While Fijian rugby sevens star Masivesi Dakuwaqa crossed the line in his NSW Cup debut.
REPORT CARD
D: Canberra addressed their recent issue of playing wide early in expectation of gifts from their outside backs. Josh Hodgson had his rampaging forwards playing through the middle, setting a nice platform for the men out wide to run riot. Unfortunately they were off pace in Newcastle, despite poor execution, the game plan looked back on track.
In reality, the Raiders were complacent and were well-beaten by a far more deserved team. Ricky Stuart will have plenty of soul searching to do with his side, while the silver lining to the poor form is that certain stars may have played themselves out of a potential Origin jersey.
— Tim Williams
TITANS
HOW THEY FARED
The Titans recorded one of the best wins in the club’s history with a thrilling 38-36 victory against the Storm at Suncorp Stadium.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED?
Anthony Don and Konrad Hurrell were stars for the Titans, combining for three tries to snatch a memorable win. Jarrod Wallace was huge again with 207m while young gun Morgan Boyle ran for a game-high 212m from the bench in his third NRL appearance. Jarryd Hayne left the field with a knee injury but is expected to be okay for next week’s game against Manly.
INJURY WARD
Agnatius Paasi (Shoulder, Round 13)
Will Zillman (Calf, Indefinite)
Karl Lawton (Hamstring, Round 11)
Max King (Broken hand, Round 11)
Chris Grevsmuhl (Shoulder, Indefinite)
Dale Copley (Back, Indefinite)
Kevin Proctor (Disciplinary, Round 15)
Ryan Simpkins (ACL, Season)
Daniel Sarginson (Shoulder, Indefinite)
Jarryd Hayne (Nerve damage to leg, Round 11)
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE?
Dale Copley will replace Dan Sarginson on the left win with the English international facing an extended stint on the sidelines after dislocating his shoulder. Eddy Pettybourne made his return from an ankle injury for Tweed Heads and will be in the mix to replace Ryan Simpkins (knee).
REPORT CARD
B+: After battling through the opening seven rounds of the season the Titans are now on a three-match winning streak and improving by the week. Their defence is still suspect, but they have a golden opportunity to not a fourth straight victory against the depleted Sea Eagles on Saturday before they have a bye.
— Travis Meyn
WARRIORS
HOW THEY FARED
The Warriors blew Penrith off the park to lead 28-6 at half-time, then fell to pieces after the break as the Panthers stormed home to win 36-28.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED?
Rookie winger Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad bagged a double in just his second game, while Kieran Foran crossed for a try of his own and looked good as did flyer David Fusitua. That was in the first half.
The entire Warriors team was terrible after the break, at one stage leaking four tries in a horror 12-minute period as their 22-point half-time lead evaporated by the 60-minute mark. They all struggled.
INJURY WARD
Manu Vatuvei (Calf, Indefinite)
Simon Mannering (Hamstring, Round 12)
Solomone Kata (Calf, Indefinite)
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE?
Veteran winger Manu Vatuvei was set to make his return to first grade, but picked up a calf injury in the captain’s run and was ruled out. Simon Mannering’s absence was keenly felt when the Panthers were tearing the Warriors’ defence apart, but a hamstring injury is expected to sideline him for another week.
REPORT CARD
D: for dreadful. The Warriors have disappointed more often than not this season, and face a tough task to turn it around when they tackle a fired-up Dragons side on Friday night.
— Dominic Burke
RABBITOHS
HOW THEY FARED
South Sydney produced one of their best performances of the season to dominate Wests Tigers 28-8.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED?
Sam Burgess was excellent for the Rabbitohs, dominating the middle of the field whenever he was on the field and crashing over for two tries. Young backrower Angus Crichton had another fine match, scoring an athletic try and proving he’s a player the Rabbitohs can build around. Veteran Robbie Farah had his best club game in more than a season.
Tom Burgess once again struggled with hands — at this point, he’d be flat out catching a cold at the South Pole. It didn’t come back to bite the Rabbitohs this time but it must drive Michael Maguire insane.
INJURY WARD
Jason Clark (Ankle, Indefinite)
Jake Goisweski (Knee, Round 12)
Connor Tracey (ACL, Indefinite)
Greg Inglis (ACL, Season)
George Burgess (Suspension, Round 14)
Robert Jennings (Hamstring, Round 12)
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE?
Sitiveni Moceidreke scored a try in his first grade debut earlier this season and has been in good form for North Sydney ever since — he dotted down again in the Bears’ narrow loss to Newtown on the weekend.
REPORT CARD
C: Souths showed all their good qualities in this match but the overall awful play of the Tigers is something of a mitigating factor. The revamped spine of Cody Walker at fullback and John Sutton to five-eighth is worth persisting with — Sutton has spent the majority of his career in the halves and has never truly looked comfortable in the backrow.
— Nick Campton
PANTHERS
HOW THEY FARED
The second-half blitz is what every Penrith fan has been waiting for all season.
Few teams can match the Panthers in attack when they threw the ball around like they did against the Warriors on Saturday afternoon.
Again they leaked some soft tries and made life difficult for themselves. Admittedly a couple the visitors’ tries were started or came directly from intercept passes.
But every Panthers player wanted the ball after half-time, and every single one of them aimed up.
If they can beat a spirited Newcastle at home, the Panthers head into the bye round with some confidence, and will enter the Origin period with most of their stars, as well as the return of powerhouse winger Josh Mansour.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED?
Isaah Yeo bagged a double and has been one of the few Panthers who have aimed up every week.
The backrower always posed a problem on the left edge, busted the line a couple of times and was a rock in defence.
Tyrone Peachey injected plenty of energy off the bench, Waqa Blake showed great athleticism to run down Warriors winger David Fusitua, and should have had him a second time, while Dallin Watene-Zelezniak continued to channel Mansour by charging the ball back at breakneck speed.
Trent Merrin was criticised for making the Kangaroos team, and struggled in defence in the Anzac Test, but had arguably his best game yet this season against the Warriors.
It was impossible to fault any of the Panthers.
INJURY WARD
Josh Mansour (ACL, Round 13)
Sam McKendry (ACL, Season)
James Fisher-Harris (Hamstring, Indefinite)
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE?
You do have to wonder how much longer Tyrone Peachey is left on the bench and Peta Hiku given the nod to start ahead of him. Waqa Blake can easily shift back to the wing, which allows the Peach to revert to his preferred centre position.
REPORT CARD
B: The second-half attack was awesome to watch, but Penrith cannot afford to keep giving up huge leads.
— Christian Nicolussi
TIGERS
HOW THEY FARED
Toothless, it’s a cliche but the Tigers were exactly that. They were never really in Friday night’s match as Robbie Farah helped steer the Rabbitohs to a 28-8 victory. They were lacklustre in attack, devoid of any game management and were poor defensively … they missed a staggered 58 tackles; stats like that make winning football games near impossible. Coach Ivan Cleary has admitted his stars are playing like they’re distracted by all the signings talk, he now has a week to work a miraculous turnaround otherwise the Broncos could do a number on his men on Friday night.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED?
Fans directed their frustrations at the outgoing Mitchell Moses and James Tedesco, who by their standards were below average. There were poor performances right across the park for the Tigers and it manifested itself defensively making it too easy for the Rabbitohs to penetrate their line.
A dishonourable mention goes to forward Ava Seumanufagai for losing his cool and taking a swing at Robbie Farah. It earned him 10 minutes in the sin bin.
Club stalwart Chris Lawrence was best on field in a badly beaten side.
INJURY WARD
Jamal Idris (ACL, Season)
Matt Ballin (Knee, Indefinite)
Aaron Woods (Hamstring, Round 13)
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE?
Young halfback Max Burye’s debut in the Under 20s was soured by an 18-0 loss at the hands of the Bunnies. Centre Liam Pakau was commendable in what was error-filled effort from the Tigers.
The Bulldogs were too good for the Tigers in the NSW Cup winning 24-12, Jordan Ranking and Jack Littlejohn crossing for tries.
REPORT CARD
D: After coming so close against the premiers in round nine and managing a handful of spirited performances in the first two months of the season, Ivan Cleary would be bitterly disappointed in his side’s lifeless performance against the Bunnies. Things don’t get any easier as they prepare to face the Broncos on Friday at Suncorp Stadium.
— Fatima Kdouh
KNIGHTS
HOW THEY FARED
Finally, another win. The Knights have been brave in most games this season without getting any real reward for their effort. But off the back of a perfect second half with the football and a Canberra Raiders side that just isn’t quite clicking at this stage of the season, the Knights finally had some joy. There was effort, plenty of passion and some luck when they needed it to get them home for just their second win of the season.
WHO STARRED, WHO STRUGGLED?
The Knights had plenty of stars, none better than youngsters Daniel Saifiti and skipper Sione Mata’utia. It was a coming of age game for Saifiti, who made almost 200 metres against some of the biggest props in the competition. Mata’utia has taken his game to a new level since assuming the captaincy. Young halves Brock Lamb and Jaelen Feeney also stood out, as did the likes of Peter Mata’utia and Nathan Ross out wide. The Knights didn’t have a bad player.
INJURY WARD
David Bhana (Knee, Season)
Mitch Barnett (Ankle, Round 14)
Rory Kostjasyn (Throat, Indefinite)
Jarrod Mullen (Drugs ban, Season)
Dylan Phythian (ACL, Season)
Jack Cogger (Groin, Round 16)
Jamie Buhrer (Foot, Round 13)
Jacob Saifiti (Neck/shoulder, Indefinite)
WHO’S LURKING ON THE EDGE?
Coach Nathan Brown may have to call on some new troops with prop Josh Starling finishing the game with a suspected broken hand and Lachlan Fitzgibbon injuring his knee. Big Pauli Pauli could be the player Brown looks at to come into the top grade for the first time this season since his involvement in a serious off-season car accident.
REPORT CARD
A: It is difficult to know where the Knights players are getting their belief given their incredibly lean run over the past 18 months but this Raiders win will be one to saviour. Now to back it up against the Panthers this Sunday.
— Barry Toohey