We’re changing the format a little for the rest of the season. Every team will have a positive and negative listed from the previous week’s game.
1. Rabbitohs (4-1) (LW: 3)
Positive: A hard fought win. The Rabbitohs’ were up against it on Friday afternoon, and they still found a way to come up with the two points.
Negative: Adam Reynolds’ injury. Reynolds is arguably South’s most important player outside of Greg Inglis, so any extended period on the sidelines will be bad news for Rabbitohs’ fans.
2. Broncos (4-1) (LW: 5)
Positive: Anthony Milford’s two tries. The former Raider broke his Brisbane duck against the Titans, which could spell trouble for the rest of the league. One of the most exciting players in the game, a confident Milford will make the Broncos a serious premiership threat.
Negative: The Broncos didn’t dominate this game like they would have hoped, and the 18-0 lead they jumped out to felt lucky more than anything. They got the two points, but a little more consistency would be nice.
3. Bulldogs (3-2)
Positive: They were probably the better side for 79 minutes on Friday. There’s something about the Bulldogs’ this year, they’re going to be a tough out for any team.
Negative: Dissent. With a lot of fans already questioning the Bulldogs culture, the display from James Graham and David Klemmer won’t do anything to help the public perception. And with both men set to miss at least two weeks, they haven’t helped their team in the slightest.
4. Roosters (3-2)
Positive: Roger Tuivasa-Sheck. With rumours of a move to the Warriors’ surrounding the young man, RTS not only scored a try on Sunday, but amassed over 300 metres. Considering Boyd Cordner was the only Roosters forward to go over 100 run metres, his performance was the difference between an 8-point loss and a 20 point loss.
Negative: Fairly obvious one here, but they lost to the team in 16th on the ladder. The Sharks had looked poor all season long, yet somehow managed to hang a win on the Chooks.
5. Knights (4-1)
Positive: They get to play the Sharks next week? Seriously, not much went right for the Novocastrians on Saturday.
Negative: They blew a great chance to stay undefeated. The offence was abysmal on Saturday, and after a home victory over the Panthers a week earlier, Knights’ fans have every right to feel disappointed.
6. Storm (3-2)
Positive: Marika Koroibete. Chalk up another mark for Craig Bellamy here. The former Tiger, coming off a bad elbow injury, has looked unstoppable in the purple jersey so far.
Negative: The start wasn’t great on the weekend. They allowed almost 300 metres in the Warriors’ first seven sets, and if it wasn’t for some poor ball handling from the visitors, the game may have had a very different flavour.
7. Tigers (3-2)
Positive: Pat Richards. 18 points and the try assist of the year was all Richards did in his 100th NRL game. It’s a pity this man spent his prime in England.
Negative: It took them 70 minutes to take the lead on Monday. Even though the Eels were understrength, and away from home, the Tigers really struggled to put them away.
8. Dragons (3-2)
Positive: The defence. They’ve allowed only four points in their last 160 minutes of football, including a shutout against the Knights. Championships are built on defence, and the Dragons certainly have that down.
Negative: The offence. You can’t expect your defence to pitch a shutout every weekend, and the Dragons still have arguably the worst offence in the league. As soon as that fixes itself, this team will contend.
9. Panthers (2-3)
Positive: Jamie Soward isn’t out for the season. The Panthers three-game losing streak has coincided with Soward’s absence. Fortunately for the Panthers, their five-eighth isn’t out for much longer.
Negative: If this losing streak gets longer, you can almost kiss a top-four finish goodbye. The Panthers need to beat the Sea Eagles at home on Saturday night, or else their premiership chances may be over.
10. Eels (2-3)
Positive: Despite the amount of errors in their game on Monday, they managed to hang around for 70 minutes. They’re back at home next weekend as well, where they look a completely different team.
Negative: Their away form is nothing to brag about, which will need to change if they want to play finals this year. With three ugly losses away from home now, this team is becoming the ultimate Jekyll-Hyde.
11. Cowboys (2-3)
Positive: They’re winning. That’s all they needed to concentrate on after three opening losses, and back-to-back victories has their confidence back up.
Negative: Their slow start may have already cost them. To already be two games behind the ladder leaders may be a mountain to high for the Cowboys to climb.
12. Warriors (2-3)
Positive: The Warriors’ forwards have the potential to be the best group in the NRL. They physically dominated the Storm for long stretches on Monday Evening.
Negative: Errors. I know this is a recurring theme with the Warriors, but it’s an issue that needs to be fixed if they want to take the next step.
13. Raiders (2-3)
Positive: Blake Austin was brilliant against the Sea Eagles on Saturday Night. The Raiders may have already found the perfect replacement for Terry Campese.
Negative: They were brilliant in the first half of the game, but their second half left a lot to be desired. They almost let Manly back in the game on Saturday, and probably should have won by more than 13.
14. Titans (1-4)
Positive: The Titans actually won a lot of the key stats on Friday Night, they were just let down by some poor passages of play. With almost 400 more metres gained, and 11 more offloads, the Titans forwards’ proved a handful on Friday.
Negative: The Titans are one James Roberts’ intercept away from being winless this season. Something about this team just smacks of not knowing how to win.
15. Sharks (1-4)
Positive: Jack Bird. How good was this kid? Two tries and a try assist against the Roosters made his second NRL game a memorable one. He just about single-handedly won the game for the Sharks on Sunday.
Negative: Too many missed tackles from the Sharks on Sunday. Despite the fact the Roosters made almost 130 more tackles than the Sharks, there was only a difference of four in the missed tackle count.
16. Sea Eagles (1-4)
Positive: Tom Trbojevic. The young Sea Eagle was phenomenal in his debut, scoring two tries. He was arguably the best for Manly on Saturday. He ran the ball with gusto, and showed the try-scoring touch seen in the Under 20’s this season.
Negative: The halves. No matter what they say in the public eye, both these guys are already at their new clubs. Neither of them were terrible against Canberra, but they have too much talent to be putting in their current performances.
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