NRL Tackle: Manly on the charge as fit-again Tom Trbojevic shows the way
Our rugby league writers reveal what caught their eye — good and bad — in Round 7 of the NRL, plus check out the Dally M votes from every game and full leaderboard.
NRL
Don't miss out on the headlines from NRL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Our rugby league writers reveal what caught their eye — good and bad — in Round 7 of the NRL, plus check out the Dally M votes from every game and full leaderboard
PANTHERS v KNIGHTS
Dally M votes: James Fisher-Harris (PEN) 3, Dylan Edwards (PEN) 2, Jarome Luai (PEN) 1. Judge: Steve Roach
Like: Arrogant or not, Jarome Luai is firming for the NSW No.6 jersey. Sure, the Mt Druitt product has copped his share of criticism in recent weeks. But play? Yeah, the kid can do that. So while South Sydney’s Cody Walker is an Origin incumbent, and Canberra No.6 Jack Wighton the reigning Dally M medallist, you have to reckon coach Brad Fittler is being increasingly tempted to partner Luai with Nathan Cleary — that great mate, teammate and Blues No.7 who, in tandem with the Mt Druitt product, have taken their halves partnership to a new level in 2021.
Dislike: All that banging on about Matt Burton leaving Penrith early. And look, we get it. With the Bulldogs surely happy, right now, to not only welcome Burton, but the entire A-Team cast. Yet in the opening seven games of this season, the Dubbo product hasn’t only played five times for Panthers coach Ivan Cleary, but starred. He is the ultimate Mr Fix It. A guy who not only covers a range of positions, or brings real depth to the club, but is just one of those good fellas people want inside an NRL franchise. It all shows how right the Panthers were to have the youngster see out his contract.
Fox Sports key stats: Brian To’o ran for a career high 290 metres - eclipsing his 283 metres against the Knights last season. Jayden Brailey made 61 tackles - just one short of his career best 62 which he set in round two.
— Nick Walshaw
Watch The 2021 NRL Telstra Premiership Live & On-Demand with No Ad-Breaks During Play. New to Kayo? Try 14-Days Free Now >
TITANS v RABBITOHS
Dally M votes: Benji Marshall (SOU) 3, David Fifita (GCT) 2, Corey Thompson (GCT) 1. Judge: Ryan Girdler
Like: Benji Marshall could be the bargain buy of the season that plays a crucial role in South Sydney’s premiership tilt. At 36, Marshall wound back the clock with a stunning second half display to help the Rabbitohs overcome a 24-10 deficit and beat the Titans 40-30. While he may have lost his speed and step, Marshall is still an incredibly dangerous and effective player. He has become so versatile that he will play a number of positions throughout the season, including five-eighth for the four weeks Latrell Mitchell is suspended. Marshall’s performance was only rivalled by Titans powerhouse David Fifita, whose second hat-trick of the season was ultimately in vain as the Gold Coast blew a handy halftime lead. Fifita is the most destructive player in the NRL and is proving to be a menace for rivals.
Dislike: The Titans are in danger of throwing away a promising start to the season with their poor defence. They have conceded 76 points across the past two rounds and that is simply unacceptable if you want to be a finals contender. The Titans are in a log-jam of mid-table teams that will end up fighting for the bottom two or three positions in the top eight at the end of the regular season. If the Titans want to play finals for the first time since 2016 they will need to quickly fix what has become a big defensive problem. Luckily, they have a soft draw and face the battling Broncos on Friday night.
Fox Sports key stats: Souths’ most points scored and conceded this season. David Fifita’s first half hat-trick makes him the first starting forward to score two hat-tricks in a season since Steve Menzies in 1998.
— Travis Meyn
EELS v BRONCOS
Dally M votes: Maika Sivo (PAR) 3, Oregon Kaufusi (PAR) 2, Bryce Cartwright (PAR) 1. Judge: Luke Lewis
Like: After a number of tumultuous seasons on and off the field, Bryce Cartwright showed why he was once regarded as one of the game’s most exciting prospects. From the bench, the 26-year-old had a hand in two tries, made six tackle busts, two linebreaks and two linebreak assists. It’s great to see Cartwright get back on track this season after a freak accident two days before Parramatta’s first trial left the edge forward with his jaw “sideways” when a tackle on Blake Ferguson went wrong. Cartwright dropped 10kg in the first week of the injury that threatened to derail his NRL comeback.
Dislike: Brisbane were embarrassing. That was Payne Haas’ brutal assessment of the Broncos’ effort in Darwin. While coach Kevin Walters tried to put the side’s performance down to poor “handling”, it’s clear the Broncos’ lack of resilience and fragile defence are far greater issues than not being able to hold the ball. “To come out and play like that is pretty embarrassing to be honest,” Haas said. “We’re pretty devastated... after last week, we thought it was a step in the right direction. It shows how inconsistent we are as a club at the moment and we’ve got to turn it around or the Titans will do the same thing to us.”
Fox Sports key stats: Maika Sivo scored his third career hat-trick, made a career high five linebreaks, busted 14 tackles (double his previous best tally) and ran for 194 metres. Sixth time in 2020-21 the Broncos have conceded 40-plus points.
— Fatima Kdouh
SHARKS v BULLDOGS
Dally M votes: Will Hopoate (CAN) 3, Dylan Napa (CAN) 2, Luke Thompson (CAN) 1. Judge: Anthony Minichiello
Like: Luke Thompson was outstanding up front. The English international had an unbroken 52-minute stint and returned to the field a short-time later. The Bulldogs struggled when he was off the field. He finished with 136 metres – the most of any forward. The Bulldogs kept turning the Sharks away time after time with some last ditch defensive efforts. Prop Dylan Napa scrambled to the corner and stopped Mawene Hiroti from scoring in the first half. It symbolised the desperation of a winless Canterbury side.
Dislike: The intensity and lack of polish of the Sharks. They struggled in the big moments and looked like a shadow of a side who played finals last year. They fell behind by 18 points just after the midway point. Josh Dugan missed a poor one-on-one tackle against Will Hopoate with the Bulldogs centre scoring after five minutes to set the tone for the rest of the match.
Fox Sports key stats: Bulldogs’ first win of the season - they avoid being winless through seven games for the first time since 1964. Sharks have won just one of their past six games (48-10 v Cowboys rd 4).
— Michael Carayannis
COWBOYS v RAIDERS
Dally M votes: Valentine Holmes (NQL) 3, Scott Drinkwater (NQL) 2, Emre Guler (CBR) 1. Judge: Ben Ikin
Like: Coach Todd Payten had criticised his team for becoming bored with the game plan after last week’s win against the Bulldogs, but at Queensland Country Bank Stadium they played forward. Down 24-6 in the shadows of halftime, they were willing to get into the grind, disregard the scoreboard pressure, and slowly build their case for a comeback. The Cowboys limited their errors, the seven they made the first time in 2021 they have kept those misgivings to single digits. It appears Payten’s words may have finally struck a chord.
Dislike: Down 24-18, Cowboy Scott Drinkwater’s deft grubber kick enabled Justin O’Neill to charge over, with Valentine Holmes levelling the scores with the conversion. However replays indicated O’Neill may not have timed his run to perfection. It was a lineball call, but it was nevertheless a decision that went against the Raiders and completed a remarkable turnaround for North Queensland.
Fox Sports key stats: Emre Guler (111 metres) was the only Raiders forward to make over 90 metres. Cowboys win three straight games for the first time since the middle of 2019.
— Nick Wright
TIGERS V SEA EAGLES
Dally M votes: Tom Trbojevic (MAN) 3, Daly Cherry-Evans (MAN) 2, Martin Taupau (MAN) 1. Judge: Scott Sattler
Like: It took Tom Trbojevic and his merry men just four minutes to turn a 6-0 deficit into a comfortable lead, and in doing so, Manly have gone from wooden spoon contenders to a team that has a genuine chance to make the top eight. Des Hasler was keen to praise his forwards, but Turbo deserves all the plaudits after his second phenomenal performance in as many weeks after missing the opening five rounds with a hamstring injury. He is one of the rare players who excite opposition fans, with everyone around the country creeping towards the edge of their seats when he touches the ball. Trbojevic makes the difficult look routine, and when he is fit as he is now, there is no better player to watch in full flight. Surely insurance companies are lining up to protect his hamstrings.
Dislike: Where was the Wests Tigers team that pushed the Rabbitohs all the way last week? Where was the defensive steel that limited the likes of Latrell Mitchell and Cody Walker to just two tries in regulation? Where was the fighting spirit? This was the sort of game that would send Michael Maguire mad. He knows he has a team that can compete with the big dogs, but for whatever reason, we only see it once a month. The Tigers smashed Manly in the pre-season in front of a big crowd at Leichhardt. On Sunday, a generous 14,095 turned up in perfect conditions to watch them get smashed against an albeit strengthened Sea Eagles. Consistency is a non-negotiable for the good teams, but the Tigers are on a scary rollercoaster that can’t be fun for anyone involved.
Fox Sports key stats: The Sea Eagles proved plenty elusive, enjoying eight line breaks to the Tigers’ one. They also had 36 tackle breaks, 20 more than the disappointing Tigers.
— Martin Gabor
ROOSTERS V DRAGONS
Dally M votes: Sam Walker (SYD) 3, Joseph Manu (SYD) 2, Josh Morris (SYD) 1. Judge: Darren Lockyer
Like: Every NRL fan should put Anzac Day at the SCG on their bucket list. And it doesn’t matter if you support the Roosters or the Dragons, it is just one of world sport’s great events. Once again the pre-match emotion at the famous old ground didn’t disappoint and the two teams put on a stirring performance in the honour of our war veterans. You could travel the planet and go to the biggest and best events and not experience a better atmosphere.
Dislikes: It is never good seeing any player hit high but to see James Tedesco taken from the field on Sunday due to copping an ugly shot from Dragons winger Jordan Pereira was awful. And the question has to be asked: why didn’t referee Ashley Klein send Pereira off like he did to Bulldog Jack Hetherington last weekend? It once again goes to the core of the issue surrounding the lack of consistency in the game.
Fox Sports key stats: The Roosters’ Joey Manu ate up 188m with his runs, the most on the pitch. The New Zealand international also bagged a try in a strong performance.
— Paul Crawley
STORM V WARRIORS
Like: From third string fullback at the Storm the premiership halfback and now Spirit of Anzac Medallist, the rise and rise of Jahrome Hughes continues. Just six weeks ago, he turned down a monster $2.5 million offer from the New Zealand Warriors to recommit to Storm for less coin. On Anzac Day, he rubs further salt in the wound by torching the Warriors with four try assists in his performance of the season to date. There should be more to come this year. The same goes for Warriors debutant Reece Walsh. The fact Roger Tuivasa-Sheck was happy to move to the wing in a surprise pre-game switch says it all about this kid’s potential.
Dislike: The sin-binning of Josh Curran. Curran was sent to the sin-bin and placed on report for a head clash that saw the end of Storm winger George Jennings’ night. To most it looked like an accidental head clash, but he still paid a high price. Warriors coach Nathan Brown thought he was “a bit stiff”. That seemed an understatement. This is the reverse of what happens when there is an uproar that referees are supposedly not sending enough players to the bin, like what we saw earlier in the season. It’s a tricky balancing act but one that is so important for referees to get right.
— Nick Smart
DALLY M ROUND 7 LEADERBOARD
13: Latrell Mitchell
12: Ryan Papenhuyzen
11: James Fisher-Harris
10: Nathan Cleary, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck
9: David Fifita
8: Reed Mahoney
7: Tino Fa’asuamaleaui,
William Kennedy
6: Brett Morris, Cameron Munster, James Tedesco, Kodi Nikorima, Tom Trbojevic
5: Adam Doueihi, Ben Hunt, Chad Townsend, Cody Walker, Daly Cherry-Evans, Daniel Saifiti, Jarome Luai, Maika Sivo, Mitch Moses, Scott Drinkwater,
Valentine Holmes
Knights circle Brown as Eels legend’s criticism irks club
If Parramatta sensation Dylan Brown ends up jumping ship to Newcastle at the end of the season, Knights coach Adam O’Brien should send Eels legend Brett Kenny a bouquet of flowers and a bottle of champagne, writes BRENT READ.
Trouble at Knights? Players restless as exit rumours swirl in Newcastle
Adam O’Brien has led Newcastle to consecutive finals appearances but the Knights know they must reshape their roster to take the next step. But can he do it without losing control of the season before it begins?