NRL Tackle: Dally M votes, Likes and Dislikes from Round 3
In an era of manufactured centres, the Broncos and Dragons have the luxury of deploying specialists. Likes and dislikes from R3, plus Dally M votes and full leaderboard.
Dragons
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Our rugby league writers reveal what caught their eye — good and bad — in Round 3 of the NRL, plus check out the Dally M votes from every game and full leaderboard.
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PANTHERS v STORM
Like: In a grand final rematch missing a stack of big name stars, the depth of Penrith and Melbourne was on show and the quality of this contest was a credit to both clubs. The highlight had to be the stunning athleticism, speed, power and desperation from big Viliame Kikau to come up with that memorable match-clinching try saving tackle on Justin Olam in the final frantic seconds of what was an epic showdown between two powerhouses. What an amazing effort from a player who weighs 116kg.
Dislike: It was good luck rather than good management that young Penrith forward Spencer Leniu didn’t suffer a nasty knee injury when he buckled under Cameron Munster’s weight in a tackle that also involved Nelson Asofa-Solomona and Kenny Bromwich. While it looked remarkably similar to the ugly “hip drop” that has been outlawed, the NRL match review committee determined it was “awkward” but not a classic “hip drop”, so therefore not worthy of a charge. Ivan Cleary certainly made his thoughts clear, declaring post match: “I didn’t like it ... and it hurt him.” If that’s the NRL’s new acceptable, the game needs a rethink.
Fox Sports key stats: Brian To’o ran 23 times for 201 metres - almost double the next most runs of any of his teammates (Yeo and Eisenhuth). Brandon Smith’s 10th minute try was the first conceded by Penrith this season - they went almost three hours without conceding a try.
— Paul Crawley
Judge: Nathan Hindmarsh
3 Cameron Munster (MEL)
2 Matt Burton (PEN)
1 Brian To’o (PEN)
DRAGONS V SEA EAGLES
Like: He’s still young and is yet to make his representative debut, but Zac Lomax is close to the best centre in the competition. The Dragons flyer racked up 22 points, equalling the club record, in this win and scored two tries - the first of which being a spectacular aerial effort that is fast becoming his trademark. In an era of manufactured centres, Lomax is a specialist and that makes him all the more dangerous. He can also make the case to be the best goalkicker in the NRL after successfully converting 22 shots at goal in a row. Hazem El Masri set the all-time record in 2003 when he nailed 35 in a row. With Ben Hunt set to miss some time and Jack Bird facing suspension, the Dragons will lean even more heavily on Lomax in the weeks to come.
Dislike: Manly are missing Tom Trbojevic but that doesn’t totally explain their attacking struggles through the first three rounds. Daly Cherry-Evans and Kieran Foran have played plenty of football together and Jake Trbojevic is one of the best passing middles in the competition - even accounting for Dylan Walker’s inexperience as a fullback, their inability to show any strike in attack is curious given the calibre of the players they boast in key positions. One of the few bright spots with ball in hand was youngster Josh Schuster - normally a five-eighth, the 19-year-old looked sharp in the backrow.
Fox Sports key stats: Des Hasler now has a 0-11 record away to the Dragons as Manly coach - the average scoreline in those matches is about 32 points to 12. Zac Lomax scored a club record equalling 22 points, kicking seven goals he hasn’t missed a shot at goal since round 18 last season.
- Nick Campton
Judge: Steve Roach
3 Zac Lomax (STI)
2 Ben Hunt (STI)
1 Paul Vaughan (STI)
RABBITOHS v ROOSTERS
Like: Impossible to go past a delirious Thor, aka Chris Hemsworth, ripping off his shirt, or close enough, in the South Sydney dressing rooms. If being the sexiest Australian male not named Russell Coight isn’t reason enough for celebration, the God of Thunder also spent a night watching from owner Russell Crowe’s private suite as Bunnies’ positives exploded everywhere. Think the ongoing rise of Latrell Mitchell, the starch brought by Jai Arrow, even Dane Gagai looking more and more like that fella who so often stars for Queensland.
Dislike: Did the Roosters’ premiership hopes limp from the field with four minutes to play in this one? Certainly it’s hard to believe anything else. Undoubtedly the heartbeat of this Tricolours squad, the loss of Keary to an ACL isn’t simply a huge loss to the Bondi Junction mob, or potentially NSW Origin coach Brad Fittler, but rugby league generally. Throw in too an injury to Lachlan Lam, plus the concussion battles of Jake Friend and Boyd Cordner, and the Chooks are starting to resemble a scene out of The Purge.
Fox Sports key stats: The Roosters have won just three of 11 games against the top-six teams from last season in 2020-21. Cody Walker put in another dominant performance against the Roosters, with two tries. He now has six tries in his past five games against them.
— Nick Walshaw
Judge: Luke Lewis
3 Latrell Mitchell (SOU)
2 Cody Walker (SOU)
1 Mark Nicholls (SOU)
RAIDERS v WARRIORS
Like: Ricky Stuart played in nearly 250 games and has coached more than 400 matches, so for him to say this was the greatest team performance he’d seen tells you everything you need to know about the herculean effort his side put in. To lose three forwards inside the opening 15 minutes and go within a blade of grass of winning the match, tells you this team has the mettle to go all the way. They were running on empty in the second half but never gave up, and they would have snatched victory from the jaws of defeat had Roger Tuivasa-Sheck not pulled off the try-saver of the year. The Warriors skipper was simply enormous on Saturday, running for more metres than anyone else, breaking the line at will and terrorising Canberra through the middle as they ran out of puff. But the game will be remembered for his acrobatic full-stretch dive to deny Jordan Rapana what would have been the matchwinner. Viliame Kikau came up with a magical play to kickstart the round, but this topped it. This was something special that only the greats can deliver. It’s also why RTS pops up in both parts of the column.
Dislike: It’s a travesty to see someone so gifted walk away from the game at this stage of his career, but there’s no turning back for Tuivasa-Sheck who is off to New Zealand rugby next season. The NRL should bring back the mythical war chest and throw every last dollar they have to keep the Warriors No.1 in the game. If they can’t muster the funds to make him stay then maybe it’s time to invest in the technology they have previously championed to solve the forward pass crisis once and for all. Great games don’t deserve to be ruined by refereeing howlers, and Ricky Stuart had every reason to be filthy after Ben Murdoch-Masila was awarded a four-pointer after he reeled in a Kodi Nikorima pass that went several metres forward. Referees can be excused for getting marginal calls wrong, but Henry Perenara was in line with the pass and still allowed play to go on. Our officials should be good enough to get these calls right, but if they can’t, then perhaps it’s time to place a chip in every ball to definitively rule on whether a pass travelled forward or not.
Fox Sports key stats: Roger Tuivasa-Sheck ran for over 200 metres for the 53rd time in his career. He scored a try, made three linebreaks, five offloads (his second highest in a match) and busted seven tackles. Canberra finished the match with just 14 players after losing Joseph Tapine to an ankle injury while Ryan James and Seb Kris both left the field after a head clash.
- Martin Gabor
Judge: Scott Sattler
3 Roger Tuivasa-Scheck (WAR)
2 Kodi Nikorima (WAR)
1 Josh Hodgson (CBR)
BRONCOS v BULLDOGS
Like: British Bronco Herbie Farnworth has the potential to be one of the NRL’s most lethal centres. The 21-year-old tips the scales at a menacing 104kg and he was the shining light in Brisbane’s 24-0 disposal of the Bulldogs. In a game of low quality, Farnworth underlined his class, tormenting the Dogs with 213 metres, six tackle busts, three line breaks and a try assist in a magnificent centre’s display. His passion and work ethic is just what the Broncos need. When Kotoni Staggs returns from a knee injury, the Broncos could boast arguably the best centre combination in the NRL.
Dislike: You have to feel for Bulldogs coach Trent Barrett. Canterbury have lost 52-0 in the past fortnight with the Bulldogs having failed to score a single point in 160 minutes of football. The Bulldogs had plenty of possession but they have a pop-gun attack. Adam Elliott’s inability to draw the fullback for Kyle Flanagan to score sums up Canterbury’s terrible execution in attack. For the Broncos, Brodie Croft needs to do more at halfback. Brisbane still lack offensive direction and that could be exposed in Friday night’s clash against big guns, the Storm.
Fox Sports key stats: First time in club history the Bulldogs have been held to 0 in consecutive weeks. Brisbane fullback Jamayne Isaako scored a try, had a try assist, made two linebreaks and ran for nearly 200m
- Peter Badel
Judge: Ben Hannant
3 Jamayne Isaako (BRI)
2 Xavier Coates (BRI)
1 Adam Elliott (CAN)
EELS v SHARKS
Like: The resolve and tenacity of the Cronulla Sharks. They could have easily been beaten by 50 and no-one would have really blown up. But their desire to keep defending their line and showing up for their teammates was extraordinary. Big men Toby Rudolf, Aaron Woods and Braden Hamelin-Uele played the entire match. Had they been up against lesser opposition they may have won. A try-saving effort from Connor Tracey to dislodge the ball from Blake Ferguson typified the effort.
Dislike: The huge casualty ward. The Sharks were left to just 13 players after losing three players – Wade Graham, Will Kennedy and Briton Nikora to concussion. Winger Sione Katoa will miss at least a month with a knee injury. The Eels also played most of the game without halfback Mitchell Moses. Each incident was different and it has again brought up the prospect of an emergency 18th man being able to be called upon.
Fox Sports key stats: The Sharks played the entire second half with no interchange players after Sione Katoa injured his ankle and Wade Graham, Will Kennedy and Briton Nikora were all ruled out with concussion. Regan Campbell-Gillard scored a try and set up another (his first multiple try involvement match - He also ran for over 150 metres and made 25 tackles.
- Michael Carayannis
Judge: Greg Alexander
3 Clint Gutherson (PAR)
2 Nathan Brown (PAR)
1 Marata Niukore (PAR)
KNIGHTS V TIGERS
Like: How good was it to see Wests Tigers young giant Stefano Utoikamanu in full flight.
This is the young man who has been promising big things for some years coming through the system at Parramatta before he made the call to take up the Tigers’ offer. Up in Newcastle, he took a neat ball from Luke Brooks and from there he just exploded into action, busting straight through the first line of defence before lining up young Tex Hoy and running straight past him. As Andrew Johns said in Channel 9 commentary, the young Knights fullback wouldn’t have stopped big Stefano “with an elephant gun”.
Dislike: At their best, the Newcastle Knights can look like a fair dinkum premiership threat.
But then they turn up with an attitude like they did on Sunday, they seriously do themselves no favours. This is a game they simply should have won. And you would have thought Mitchell Pearce’s 300th game would have been enough motivation to get them up for this one.
But when the Tigers charged 10 points clear early in the second half, a huge upset was on the cards. The home team then managed to fight back to take a 20-18 lead heading into the final 10 minutes but their defence from a scrum that led to David Nofoaluma really summed up the day it was. The Tigers deserved their win but the Knights were extremely disappointing.
Fox Sports Stats: Errors cost the home side big time. The Knights committed 18 to the Tigers’ eight, many at key moments when points were at their mercy. The Knights also conceded zero penalties and clocked up 173m more from runs than their opponents.
- Paul Crawley
Judge: James Smith
3 Adam Doueihi (WST)
2 Luke Brooks (WST)
1 Daniel Saifiti (NEW)
COWBOYS V TITANS
Like: He might have started the season on the back foot after a return from a serious foot injury, but Titans star AJ Brimson has thrown down the gauntlet to the high-calibre Maroons crop. With Kalyn Ponga still sidelined by injury, and Valentine Holmes out on the sidelines under Todd Payten, Brimson (pictured) appears to have an open run to the Queensland No.1. The Titans fullback looked every bit a representative player as he cut the Cowboys to ribbons. Brimson scored two four-pointers and set up a first-half try for roommate Phil Sami in the rout. His ball playing came to the fore in the absence of star half Ash Taylor, joining skipper Jamal Fogarty through the middle of the field.
Dislike: The loss of Michael Morgan was expected to hurt the Cowboys’ communication in attack, but it appeared the players were all speaking different languages without the ball. The Cowboys’ midfield defence was atrocious. Titans forwards Tino Fa’asuamaleaui and David Fifita made metres with ease, but the scarier proposition was the ground given to wingers Anthony Don and Corey Thompson coming out of their own end. The Cowboys’ paper-thin efforts were exposed the most when Jaiman Jolliffe went storming through a gap the size of the Sydney Heads off a simple straightening run. The Cowboys finished with 38 missed tackles for the game.
Fox Sports key stats: The Titans’ two big signings put in dominant performances. David Fifita scored one try, busted nine tackles, made five offloads and ran for almost 150m. Tino Fa’asuamaleaui ran 19 times for almost 200m and made 20 tackles.
— Matthew Elkerton
Judge: Ben Ikin
3 David Fifita (GCT)
2 Tino Fa’asuamaleaui (GCT)
1 AJ Brimson (GCT)
DALLY M R3 FULL LEADERBOARD
Latrell Mitchell 7
Reed Mahoney 5
Tino Fa’asuamaleaui 5
David Fifita 5
Ben Hunt 5
Ryan Papenhuyzen 4
Daniel Saifiti 3
Junior Paulo 3
Kodi Nikorima 3
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck 3
Brett Morris 3
James Fisher 3
Hudson Young 3
William Kennedy 3
Bradman Best 3
Jarome Luai 3
Cameron Munster 3
Zachary Lomax 3
Jamayne Isaako 3
Clinton Gutherson 3
Adam Doueihi 3
Christian Welch 2
David Klemmer 2
Jayden Brailey 2
Addin Fonua-Blake 2
Nathan Cleary 2
George Williams 2
Matthew Moylan 2
Maika Sivo 2
Viliame Kikau 2
Brian To’o 2
Damien Cook 2
Valentine Holmes 2
Matthew Burton 2
Cody Walker 2
Xavier Coates 2
Nathan Brown 2
Luke Brooks 2
Anthony Milford 1
Lindsay Collins 1
Dylan Edwards 1
Jordan Rapana 1
Jack Bird 1
Ashley Taylor 1
Benji Marshall 1
Daniel Alvaro 1
Paul Vaughan 1
Mark Nicholls 1
Adam Elliott 1
Marata Niukore 1
David Saifiti 1
Alexander Brimson 1
*Gross Dally M votes received – suspension penalties will be applied at the end of the season
Door open for Hunt to make return to Queensland
Maroons and St George Illawarra star Ben Hunt is on the outer at the Dragons, and while the Titans and Cowboys have been priced out of his services there remains one Queensland club in the running.
Dragons drop Hunt bomb as star looks elsewhere
Ben Hunt has been given permission to immediately start plotting his exit with claims he won’t play another game for the Dragons.