The Tackle Round 5: Dally M leaderboard, votes, and Maroons have a hooker ‘problem’
Brisbane are sitting pretty at the top of the NRL ladder - and they could turn into Dally M success, with three stars inside the top eight. Round five votes and leaderboard inside.
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Billy Slater’s toughest Origin call this year will be deciding who starts at dummy half.
Harry Grant is so far ahead of any other hooker in the NRL right now this should not even be a contest.
The trouble for Grant though is that Ben Hunt started all three games for Queensland last year and was also the Kangaroos’ starting No. 9 at the World Cup ahead of Grant on the bench.
There’s no question Hunt always turns up for Queensland and is again going really well for the Dragons.
But Grant is just on another level when it comes to playing dummy half on a week to week basis – and surely his time has arrived where he has earned the right to get the starting jumper at every level.
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It’s hard to remember too many more inspirational performances from a No. 9 in recent times than what Grant produced in the Storm’s gutsy win over the Rabbitohs.
On a night where Cameron Munster was also amazing, Grant was still the standout with 11 runs for 70m, while racking up 45 tackles that included a cracking bootlace touchline trysaver on Izaac Thompson that Johnny Raper would have been proud of.
It sets up another mouth-watering showdown on Thursday night when Grant goes head to head with Brandon Smith who will obviously have his own point to prove for the Roosters.
REFS UNDER FIRE FOR HIP DROP HYSTERIA
We don’t say it often in these pages but well done to the NRL’s match officials for making two tough sin bin calls for dangerous hip drop tackles during the Warriors’ thrilling comeback victory over the Sharks.
While plenty were saying the first half decision to send Warrior Marata Niukore to the bin for his tackle on Siosifa Talaki was a harsh call, you could clearly see in the replay how the tackle could have easily ended badly for the Sharks centre.
It doesn’t matter if Talaki is tough to tackle. That’s not the issue.
And on the back of that the officials had no choice but to march Dale Finucane for his late hip drop on Warriors fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad to leave the Sharks a man down to finish the game.
To add to the drama, Royce Hunt was then penalised for a very minor indiscretion where he pushed at Josh Curran contesting a loose ball that handed Shaun Johnson the chance to snatch an amazing win.
Again, it was a contentious decision but still the right call.
We blow up when the refs don’t make the tough calls with the match on the line. This time they did and still they are getting bagged.
I reckon good on them.
And congratulations to the Warriors and in particular Johnson who had his best game in years.
It was as good a game as we’ve seen this year and the best team on the day won fair and square.
SHAUN JOHNSON COMES IN CLUTCH!!!
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DISLIKES
LATRELL NEEDS TO DITCH THE DINNER SUIT
When Latrell Mitchell turns up to play there is no more devastating attacking weapon in the game.
But the Rabbitohs superstar needs to quit turning up to start his games in a dinner suit and leaving his best work to last.
Mitchell only had three runs for 27m in the opening half against the Storm.
He then finished the game with a respectable 15 runs for 123m – and the Rabbitohs lost 18-10.
Everyone knows Latrell will never be a regular 20-plus runs a game fullback like James Tedesco or Dylan Edwards.
While Jason Demetriou put the loss down to the Bunnies defence and not the attack, he did concede Latrell needs to get more involved earlier. Amen to that.
SIMOMSSON SIN BIN ANOTHER FARCE
Parramatta’s Bailey Simonsson should go out and buy himself a lottery ticket for escaping a send off for his sickening high shot on James Tedesco.
The fact this comes a week after Junior Paulo also escaped with a sin bin for his high shot on Penrith’s Zac Hosking just makes it even more alarming.
No, Simonsson obviously didn’t set out to intentionally knock Tedesco out of the game.
But that doesn’t deny the fact it was terribly dangerous tackle and it not only wiped Tedesco out of that game but probably two more weeks to follow.
Yet the Bunker deemed it a sin bin – and to make it worse Simonsson will only serve a two match suspension if he takes the early guilty plea.
It just continues some farcical decisions we have had to put up with this year like seeing Felise Kaufusi cop four matches for his marginally late tackle on Jackson Hastings.
It’s just laughable.
Olakau'atu explodes out of the gate! #NRLManlyKnightspic.twitter.com/UhaOMPQT9m
— NRL (@NRL) April 1, 2023
THE MOST EMBARRASSING NON ATTEMPT AT TACKLE EVER
Newcastle fullback Lachlan Miller is doing an outstanding job since taking over from Kalyn Ponga this year.
But you fair dinkum thought you were watching a flashback of David Campese with Miller’s non attempt to tackle rampaging Manly backrower Haumole Olakau’atu.
Of course Campese was well known is his famous rugby days for not wasting energy on defence.
In this instance Miller looked every bit a former rugby sevens player as he just gave Olakau’autu a free passage to the tryline without so much as even attempting to stop him.
Some are saying he might have confused the try line and the dead ball and that’s why he didn’t move forward.
Give me a break.
He was probably a 10,000 to 1 stop Olakau’atu anyway. But surely you’ve got to at least have a crack at this level of the game.
RAPANA BLUNDER SUMS UP WOEFUL RAIDERS
Jordan Rapana has been a great servant of the Canberra Raiders over many years.
But in the wake of Friday night’s embarrassing second half capitulation, it’s hard to see how the Kiwi international can keep his place in Ricky Stuart’s team to take on the Broncos at Suncorp on Saturday.
Coming off his suspension for that ridiculous shoulder charge on Scott Drinkwater back in round one, Rapana said he owed his team here.
But on a forgettable night for all the Raiders who conceded an embarrassing 40 second half points, it was another mistake from the rocks and diamonds Rapana that created the avalanche when he dropped the ball from the kick off straight after Hudson Young’s try at least gave the Raiders a bit of hope.
It was just inexcusable.
Sure, mistakes happen. But if the Raiders want to save their season they’ve got to get rid of the constant blunders that just put them under so much pressure.
‘GOOD KARMA’ CLEARY SPARKS NRL’S LATEST COACHING FEUD
Ivan Cleary likes to sell himself as the NRL’s Mr Nice Guy of coaching.
But on this occasion it was a blatant case of being third man into a fight that seriously had nothing to do with Cleary when putting the slipper into Ricky Stuart with his wisecrack “good karma” comment.
Of course it followed Jaeman Salmon’s “weak gutted dog” spray after the try that smashed the 50-point barrier in the Panthers’ big win over the Raiders.
And that related back to Stuart’s infamous spray at Salmon last year over allegations dating back to Salmon’s time going to school with Stuart’s children.
Given the circumstances, it’s probably understandable Salmon had the right of reply.
But knowing the ugly history, did Cleary really need to throw in his two bob’s worth to give this even more energy?
Plenty will jump on Cleary’s side and say Stuart got what was coming to him.
I just thought Cleary would have been better served showing a touch more dignity and letting this question go through to the keeper instead of igniting the NRL’s latest coaching feud.
Maybe that was Cleary’s intention, but “good karma” works both ways.
TRUE VILLAIN THAT LED TO TIGERS’ DIABOLICAL MESS
The diabolical mess that is Wests Tigers goes beyond constantly blaming the underperforming $1m playmaker Luke Brooks.
And it goes beyond blaming Tim Sheens or Benji Marshall or Robbie Farah, or any of the players involved in Saturday night’s embarrassing 46-12 capitulation to the Broncos.
If Tigers fans are looking for someone to blame they should direct their anger at the officials in charge of appointing the so-called coaching dream team in the first place, and those responsible for paying Brooks his fat contract that earns him roughly $40,000 a match.
And it should go beyond issuing any sort of public apology.
They need to man up and borrow a line from the great Jack Gibson and concede “winning starts in the front office”.
Since the Tigers first sacked Sheens more than a decade ago the club has stumbled from one disaster to the next.
It has become a coaching graveyard with the careers of Michael Potter, Jason Taylor and Michael Maguire all collateral damage, while the only thing that probably saved Ivan Cleary from a similar fate is that he did a runner to Penrith.
Yet now it is Sheens and Marshall left to try and clean up the mess after the failure on Maguire’s watch.
But what’s the constant in all this?
Sheens had not coached in the NRL for more than a decade before his return _ and during that time his stints in the Super League were far from impressive.
While Marshall had virtually no coaching experience when he was singled out as the man who will eventually take over from Sheens in two seasons from now.
Admittedly, Hagipantelis and Pascoe have not been in charge for the duration of the last decade’s failures.
Although Pascoe joined the Tigers in 2015 while Hagipantelis took over as chairman in 2019.
Surely that is still enough time to get the Tigers back on a winning path, not setting up another season of misery for long suffering fans.
Saturday night’s loss to the Broncos now sees the Tigers become the first team since Newtown in 1968 to start consecutive seasons with five straight defeats.
Sheens said in the wake of the loss he has no plans of walking away and you would expect nothing less from a proud man who is also a four-time premiership winning coach.
But we all know how this game works.
If things don’t turn around quickly the pressure will become unbearable on Sheens in the weeks and months ahead.
But he never should have been put in this position in the first place.
My point here is when that time arrives it should not be left to the same management that appointed Sheens to make the next coaching call.
LIKES
BURTON OUTDOES CLEARY’S CRACKING CLUTCH PLAY
Have you ever seen a better clutch play than this?
Matt Burton, take a bow.
If you thought you could never see a better field goal than Nathan Cleary’s cracking 40m effort against Parramatta, this effort from Burton in golden point to sink the Cowboys probably just overshadows it in a photo finish.
It was seriously that good.
After earlier missing a sideline conversion that could have secured the win in normal time, the Bulldogs five-eighth then nailed a monster 40m field goal from way off centre to seal a courageous comeback victory on the final play of the first half of extra time.
It was a stunning fightback from the Bulldogs with Josh Addo-Carr and gutsy hooker Reed Mahoney inspirational to cap off a mighty round five.
REYNOLDS THE LIFE BLOOD OF BRONCOS
As great as it has been watching Reece Walsh, Payne Haas and Kotoni Staggs light up the Broncos this season, Adam Reynolds keeps showing why he is the life blood of this team.
Cooper Cronk said on the weekend Reynolds was in the best form of his career this season.
And it’s hard to argue after watching the 32-year-old lead the way to the Broncos’ fifth consecutive win.
Reynolds finished with two line break assists and a try assist, as well as seven conversions and a tremendous general kicking game.
When Reynolds left the Rabbitohs the big question was always if his body had enough left in it to justify the fact the Broncos signed him for three years on a reported $2.4m contract.
It’s fair to say if you were judging him on his $800,000-a-season salary so far you’d probably say they got him for massive unders given what some of the other star playmakers are on.
KNIGHTS TURN BACK THE CLOCK
This is the gutsiest football we’ve seen from the Newcastle Knights for a decade.
In a season when most thought Adam O’Brien would fighting to save his job, the Knights have turned back the clock with the type of attitude this club built its foundations on.
And as brave as they were in their wins previously over the Tigers and Raiders, Saturday’s 32-all draw with the Sea Eagles was just next level.
No one gave the Knights a chance going into this game against superstars like Tom Trbojevic and Daly Cherry-Evans without Kalyn Ponga.
And you wouldn’t have blamed them for throwing in the towel after that questionable call to deny Bradman Best a late try.
But instead of give up, they just went back at Manly with Phoenix Crossland’s kick handing Dom Young his fourth try to send the match in Mudgee into overtime.
It really was inspiring stuff and would have their fans pumped for this Sunday’s return clash with the Warriors in Newcastle.
JAKE’S TACKLE OF THE YEAR CONTENDER
The flip side of the Knights’ gutsy effort is that you won’t see a more courageous individual performance than what Jake Trbojevic put in to play the entire 90 minutes in Mudgee in the front row.
And what about that tackle that absolutely nailed Knights forward Mat Croker in the 83rd minute that forced Croker to the sidelines nursing his ribs. Trbojevic then landed another enormous shot soon after, while finishing with 13 runs for 104m and 42 tackles. His late slips catch to collect Jackson Hastings’ ricocheting field goal attempt was just as impressive.
SUAALII PUTS DRAMA BEHIND HIM
Joseph Suaalii has divided NRL fans with his decision to accept a big money offer from rugby union.
Last week I said I didn’t want to see him in a NSW jumper this year.
But what I won’t deny is his ability to respond to controversy with his enormous effort in the win over the Eels showed what a tremendous and tough talent he is.
After moving from the centres to replace the concussed Tedesco at fullback, Suaalii didn’t miss a beat.
Trent Robinson played his cards close to his chest after the game when he wouldn’t say if it would be Suaalii or Joey Manu wearing the No. 1 on Thursday night against the Storm.
You’d think Manu has the runs on the board to get the jumper, but there’s no
questioning Suaalii certainly stated his case.
PANTHERS UNLOCK HUGE POTENTIAL IN HOSKING
How good is Zac Hosking going for the Panthers?
After coming through the grades at the Knights before a stint at the Broncos, this bloke is fitting into the Panthers like he totally belongs in the NRL’s benchmark team.
It’s amazing that we’re only now to find out how good he is at 26.
It was the second week in a row he’s crossed for a try – passing his old man David “The Mule” who only scored one try in his 78 career games over seven seasons at Souths and Manly where he was a cult figure.
DRAGONS SHOW WHAT THEY’RE CAPABLE OF
The week Anthony Griffin was given six weeks to save his job, the Dragons players responded with their most complete performance of the season in the 38-12 demolition of the Dolphins.
No question, the Dolphins were severely undermanned and losing Anthony Milford to a hamstring injury that will keep him sidelined for probably a month didn’t help.
But take nothing away from the Dragons who really needed a win here.
They now take on the Titans on Easter Sunday who they beat comfortably 32-18 in round one. Now they’ve shown what they are capable of, they need to aim up again.
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