NRL 2021 The Tackle: Likes, Dislikes and best players from round 22

Manly are the team most fans love to hate but their blistering form is hard to ignore as they emerge as a dark horse for the premiership. Likes, Dislikes and votes from every match in round 22.

Fatima Kdouh, Peter Badel, Travis Meyn, Joel Gould, Matthew Elkerton, Martin Gabor and Matt Encarnacion

10 min read

August 18, 2021 - 12:40PM

News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom

Cody Walker on the charge for the Rabbitohs. Picture: NRL Images

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Our rugby league writers reveal what caught their eye — good and bad — in Round 22 of the NRL.

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Ryan Papenhuyzen is working his way back to his early-season form. Picture: Getty Images

Like: He was one of the most electric players in the competition but a severe head knock had taken the spark out of Ryan Papenhuyzen’s scintillating attacking prowess. The star fullback was criticised for being a shadow of the player he was before the concussion in round 10. But in true champion fashion, Papenhuyzen responded to the criticism with his best performance since returning. While he did not register any key attacking stats, Papenhuyzen was willing to put his body on the line and finally rid his game of the tentativeness that had plagued his return. “If you go into a game half-arsed, things are going to happen to you,” he said. “That’s my mentality at the minute. Just play like I normally would and just thrown my body at everything and hopefully come out best.” Coach Craig Bellamy, who had been easing Papenhuyzen back, said his gun fullback would also get more game time heading into the finals after averaging around 30 minutes in the past month.

Medicos attend to Storm star Jahrome Hughes after he was crunched by Corey Harawira-Naera. Picture: Getty Images

Dislike: Seeing Melbourne halfback Jahrome Hughes lying motionless after a sickening head knock. Raiders forward Corey Harawira-Naera was trying to come up with a play that would lift his side when the game was there to be won but instead came up with a tackle that has seen him rubbed him out of the final rounds of the regular season. Given the NRL’s warning about the upward trend of foul play in recent rounds, the send off – not just the sin bin – could be about to become a defining feature of the final rounds of the season.

Fox Sports key stats: Eighteen straight wins for Storm, the second most in premiership history. Only the Jack Gibson-coached 1975 Roosters have won more (19). A Ricky Stuart-coached team has never made the finals without beating Melbourne in the regular season.

Player of the year: 3 C Munster,2 B Smith, 1 J Wighton.

– Fatima Kdouh

Nathan Cleary provides the Panthers with something special. Picture: NRL Photos

Dragons v Panthers

Like: Nathan Cleary’s bravery on return from a shoulder injury was outstanding. He took on Billy Burns with a bone rattling tackle early and defended like a demon, which says plenty about his toughness. It wasn’t Cleary at his brilliant best, understandably, but the Panthers’ shape in attack was so much better with him on deck and it freed up Jarome Luai and Matt Burton to unleash their wares. Fullback Dylan Edwards was the best on ground and you get the sense Penrith are going to taper into the finals and be at their best when they get all their big guns back. For the Dragons, teenage playmaker Talatau Amone came on and lit up their attack. He’s a player of the future.

Dislike: You can understand Anthony Griffin questioning why Nathan Cleary was not pinged for a shoulder charge on Jack Bird in one sense. There wasn’t much in it, but Griffin has seen his barnstorming winger Mikaele Ravalawa suspended multiple times for fairly innocuous incidents as well. It is the inconsistency and subjective interpretation of these moments that baffle fans. Unless there is contact with the head, you’d like to think in a contact sport the defender would get the benefit of the doubt when there’s no intent or recklessness. The Dragons did waste their chances in this game with Corey Norman’s rocks or diamonds tendencies coming to the fore. This time it was rocks, with two intercept passes proving costly.

Fox Sports key stats: The 19th time Penrith have conceded less than 20 points this season – their club record is 20 set in 1991. Eighth time this season the Dragons have conceded more than 30 points, their equal most in a season.

Player of the year: 3 Dylan Edwards, 2 Matt Burton, 1 Nathan Cleary.

– Joel Gould

Broncos fans will love what they have seen from teenager Selwyn Cobbo.

Broncos v Roosters

Like: The Broncos have finally found some structure and team spirit to put themselves in the finals frame next season. For the second consecutive contest this year, the Broncos ruffled the feathers of the big-gun Roosters. While they are languishing in the bottom four, Brisbane boast some of the most promising talents in the league. Selwyn Cobbo, 19, was outstanding at centre and has eerie similarities to a young Latrell Mitchell with his height and 101kg frame, while Kobe Hetherington, Jordan Riki and Xavier Willison are relishing the big stage. For the Roosters, James Tedesco is a marvel. If he stays fit, the depleted Roosters have enough weapons in the right places to make the grand final.

Bronco Albert Kelly was left injured by a Victor Radley tackle. Picture; NRL Images

Dislike: Victor Radley is a wonderful player but he needs to curb his aggression or risk being rubbed out of the game. Radley’s desperate charge-down tackle on Albert Kelly was not malicious but if he keeps getting placed on report, the penalty loadings will lead to severe suspensions. He needs to play with more restraint for his own good. Broncos winger Xavier Coates needs urgent work under the high ball. He has a terrible strike rate successfully defusing bombs and it could cost him a stack of tries at his future club, the Storm.

Fox Sports key stats: Dale Copley has scored two tries this season, one for Brisbane against the Roosters and one for the Roosters against Brisbane. The Broncos recorded their 16th loss of the season and second by one point (19-18 v Cowboys) and sixth by single figures.

Player of the year: 3 James Tedesco, 2 Siosiua Taukeiaho, 1 Payne Haas.

– Peter Badel

Hand Cody Walker the Daly M today. Picture: NRL Images

Rabbitohs v Titans

Like: Cody Walker deserves to win this year’s Dally M Medal following a stunning season for South Sydney. Walker took his season tally of try assists to 34 following another cracking performance for the Rabbitohs. He has also recorded a remarkable 51 line-break assists, making him the form playmaker of the competition. Walker has some stiff competition in the Dally M race in the likes of Penrith’s Nathan Cleary and Manly’s Tom Trbojevic. However they have both missed significant chunks of the season while Walker has played all but one game for the Bunnies. If Walker does clinch a maiden Dally M Medal it will be well deserved following an outstanding season. He is well supported by his teammates and the Rabbitohs boast an outstanding spine in Latrell Mitchell, Damien Cook and Adam Reynolds that will tough to beat in the finals.

To be the best you have to beat the best — something the Titans don’t do.

Dislike: The Titans once again flopped against a top six team and copped a brutal reality check of where they are as a club. After cheap wins against the Dragons, Bulldogs and Cowboys, the Titans wilted against an NRL premiership heavyweight in South Sydney and were never in the contest. They lack the intensity to match the top teams, which is a worrying sign for coach Justin Holbrook. Until they find a hard edge they will continue to be premiership pretenders. Holbrook’s decision to start rampaging forward David Fifita on the bench for the fourth straight week also backfired. The Titans were down 12-0 by the time he got on to the field. They still have a great opportunity to make the finals but they will do so with a losing record for the season.

Fox Sports key stats: Adam Reynolds scored 16 points (one try, six goals) to take his season tally to 230 points – his most in a season, eclipsing 221 (2014 and 2020). The Titans have lost all eight games this season against the current top 6 teams – four by 30 points or more.

Player of the year: 3 Cody Walker, 2 Tevita Tatola, 1 Jai Arrow.

– Travis Meyn

Big rookie Stefano Utoikamanu has been a monster for the Tigers. Picture: Getty Images

Cowboys v Tigers

Like: When Wests Tigers man mountain Stefano Utoikamanu was named on an extended bench by NSW coach Brad Fittler earlier this year, many thought Freddy had lost his mind … again. But the rookie is finally proving to the rugby league world what the people in Leichhardt have known all along. He was like an 18-wheeler leaving tyre marks over the front of the Cowboys middle forwards as he stomped his way through the middle third.

Utoikamanu finished with over 150 metres from his 16 carries and had two tackle busts and an offload. All in just two dynamic 20-minute stints. Fittler might have stunned the Blues faithful this year with the youngster, but there will be no surprise when his name is added to that bench in the coming seasons.

Cowboys playmaker Tom Dearden needs time to develop. Picture: Getty Images

Dislike: North Queensland are crying out for an experienced half to take the reins, and the worst part is, he is covering positions on the wing. Before his injury, Ben Hampton was impressive in the way he steered the Cowboys around the park with his loud voice.

Working in tandem with Jake Clifford and Scott Drinkwater, Hampton made sure the players were all on the same page on the field. It was his best period in a Cowboys jersey, that was robbed by a pectoral injury. There is no doubting the talent and tenacity of young Tom Dearden, and he will be an NRL halfback in the future, but he needs a long pre-season in a good system – hopefully with the tutelage of the game’s greatest in Johnathan Thurston.

For now, Dearden is lacking a strong voice on the field and his fifth-tackle options have been diabolical in the last two weeks. He needs time, and the Cowboys need answers, or they could stare down the barrel of the club’s longest-ever losing streak.

Fox Sports key stats: Wests Tigers win back-to-back games for just the second time this season. Nine straight losses for the Cowboys – they have now done this in consecutive seasons.

Player of the year: 3 Adam Doueihi, 2 Stefano Utoikamanu, 1 Luke Brooks.

– Matthew Elkerton

Reuben Garrick and Daly Cherry-Evans have plenty to smile about.

Sea Eagles v Eels

Like: Rugby league fans are supposed to share a disdain for the Silvertails, but it’s getting very hard not to like what the Sea Eagles are producing on the field. Kieran Foran and Daly Cherry-Evans are working in perfect tandem, evoking memories of 2011. Tom Trbojevic continues to toy with opposition defences, as sharp shooter Reuben Garrick topples pointscoring records. It’s hard to believe this team was anchored to the bottom of the ladder in the opening month of the season. Now, the Sea Eagles are a genuine dark horse of the finals series.

It’s all going wrong for the Eels. Picture: Getty Images

Dislike: Parramatta. In worrying signs for the Eels, coach Brad Arthur conceded he has no answers and that he was throwing out the playbook at training this week. With everything to play for, the Eels played like they didn’t want to be on the Sunshine Coast on Saturday night. The energy levels were down and the body language was telling of a group of players completely without belief in their ability and each other. It’s a remarkable slide for an outfit that was supposed to be a title contender in season 2021. Arthur’s men look like nothing more than a side that will make up the numbers in September. The timing of Ryan Matterson’s hit on Jahrome Hughes could not come at a worse time, with the backrower likely to miss the rest of the regular season.

Fox Sports key stats: Manly’s seventh win this season by more than 30 points which is the equal most all time (Norths 1995, Roosters 1935). Only the second time in club history the Eels have lost three straight games by 25 points or more. The other game in 1995 when the Parra finished 19th.

Player of the year:

3 T Trbojevic,2 D Cherry-Evans, 1 R Garrick.

– Fatima Kdouh

The New Zealand Warriors refuse to throw in the towel. Picture: Getty Images

Warriors v Bulldogs

Like: Nathan Brown and his players deserve all the respect in the world. They could have thrown in the towel a few weeks ago when their skipper went back to New Zealand and they lost Tohu Harris to injury. Instead, they are one win outside the eight and playing some of their finest footy. Unheralded guys are playing like superstars, and their big-name players are leading from the front. They have won three in a row and have a fairly soft run home. And hats off to Reece Walsh for standing up to Ryan James for a tackle on Chanel Harris-Tavita. This is a rookie going up against a veteran prop. It says plenty about the culture at the club.

Sione Katoa should have been sin-binned. Picture: Alix Sweeney

Dislike: There was a lot to dislike about the Bulldogs’ performance, but most of that has already been written this year. It’s concerning that Sione Katoa was allowed to stay on the field after his shoulder made high and forceful contact to the head of an opponent. It should have been a sin bin, and Katoa then doubled down when he was placed on report again minutes later for a high tackle on Euan Aitken. It wouldn’t have happened if he’d been given 10 minutes to cool his jets. And finally, if it looks like a jersey clash, then it’s a jersey clash.

Fox Sports key stats: Eight straight losses for the Bulldogs for the first time since 2008 – and they all but secure their first wooden spoon since that season. It will be their seventh spoon overall.

Player of the year: 3 J Curran, 2 C Harris-Tavita,1 A Fonua-Blake.

– Martin Gabor

Mitchell Barnett and the Knights are putting things together at the right time.

Sharks v Knights

Like: There’s a steady momentum building for the Knights that has coincided with the return of their full-strength line-up. The veteran presence of Mitchell Pearce has given them direction, the introduction of Jake Clifford is a good fit, while Kalyn Ponga and Bradman Best provide the strike power out wide. Throw in the surprise move of David Klemmer, arguably their best in a rugged team performance, off the bench, and, if they put it all together, it presents an intriguing finals out for the rest of the contenders.

Dislike: The potential loss of Daniel Saifiti for some time due to a knee injury could prove costly. The NSW State of Origin prop has arguably been their best and most consistent big man all year, and his starting tandem with brother Jacob, together with the benching of David Klemmer, has been a low-key masterstroke.

Fox Sports key stats: Newcastle has now won seven of its nine games this season decided by single figure margins – the third best record this year behind the Panthers (5 of 6) and the Roosters (4 of 5).

Player of the year: 3 D Klemmer,2 K Ponga, 1 B Nikora.

– Matt Encarnacion