George Rose led the Indigenous side’s pre-match war cry in the NRL All Stars game, and he ended the game with the Preston Campbell man of the match medallion in a 20-6 victory.
There are many great characters in the game and Rose is one of them. Dragons fans can look forward to seeing him wearing the Red V in 2015.
Greg Inglis was also an intimidating force and is one of the best in the NRL. He was a stand-out in the match and stood tall during the war cry as his teammates crouched around him while he glared at the opposition.
It was a low-scoring affair with lots of penalties and not too much free flowing play. Johnathan Thurston produced the best moments with some pin point attacking kicks. Matt Moylan demonstrated his progressing talent, with good quick hands and some brave catches at fullback.
It remains to be seen what kind of a year Ben Barba will have at five-eighth for Cronulla. He was fairly quiet as he was overshadowed by the presence of Thurston, who was brilliant. Barba made no glaring errors and there were glimpses of his electrifying speed.
The Cowboys’ Jason Taumalolo was near unstoppable at times. A young forward in the same mould as Paul Gallen, I can’t imagine a more perfect pairing if Cronulla are successful in signing him. It’s unknown where he will be at the end of this season and Gallen has stated 2016 will most likely be his last year in the NRL.
Gallen has escaped sanction from the match review committee after his fourth minute tackle on Kyle Turner sent the Rabbitohs youngster to the change rooms for medical treatment. The aggressive front-on hit was a controversial one but the left elbow which collected Turner in the head while he was on the ground was ugly and perhaps best described as overzealous.
Ryan James was another who showed plenty of promise for the upcoming season. He was hard to handle and ran well, as did David Fafita, twin to the much more acclaimed Andrew.
It was a great contest full of passion and skill, and a brilliant prelude to the action that awaits us in the NRL.
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All the team list information for Round 9.
