Indigenous All Stars 22, Maori All Stars 14
This fixture is a great way to start the season: There’s been more headlines the past fortnight about the players who were withdrawing from the All-Stars rather than those who made the trip to Townsville. It’s been a little bit of a trend in recent years and with the competition proper starting another week earlier again this year, the pre-season is becoming further squeezed. But whenever Latrell Mitchell, Nicho Hynes, Josh Addo-Carr, Jahrome Hughes, Brandon Smith and Joseph Tapine are playing, it’s worth watching. The war dances. The big hits. The desperate defence. The try celebrations. Everything is done at full speed and with intensity. It’s why the All Stars clash should stay a fixture of the pre-season.
Nicho Hynes might not have to do it all at the Sharks: Heck, he wasn’t even the best Sharks playmaker on the field in Townsville. Instead, that honour went to his Indigenous and Cronulla teammate Braydon Trindall, who laid on two tries with deft kicks in slippery conditions. He had a shoulder scare in the second half, but returned to the field late on. While Kade Dykes will be desperate to push for a starting spot in 2024, Trindall will have the inside running on this performance, which snared the Preston Campbell Medal as player of the match. He will give the Sharks plenty of attacking options away from Hynes this year.
Joseph Tapine can carry the Raiders again: In a beaten side, Joseph Tapine’s reputation as one of the game’s truly elite forwards was only enhanced. He scored the opening try, constantly bent the line and was the only Maori forward to finish with more than 100 run metres in a powerhouse display. While reports of the Raiders’ slide this year are premature, they will remain a tough nut to crack while ever Tapine is holding up the middle. Kudos to Brandon Smith, too, who was sharp and everything Trent Robinson would have wanted from him at No.9. He looks like he’ll be a much better prospect to start his second season at the Roosters.