How was your weekend? Me? Got no work done on the farm, stuck inside with a rainy weekend in the mountains. But I got to see every NRL match, so that made it okay!
Here are some others who had a good weekend.
Brett Morris
He has just fit in so easily to a new club and newish position at fullback. He has shown what the Doggies have been missing since Ben Barba tore it up in his stellar season.
Anyone in Broncos colours
After that terrible opening night start you could almost hear a citywide sigh of relief when they put 44 on the Cowboys.
Notice how smart they are though – despite two wins in a row they know it was Sharks and Cows so no biggie! Warriors away will tell them a bit more.
Read more from Brian Smith at SmithySpeaks
Thomas Leulai
A cool dude who comes from a total footy family. He doesn’t seek limelight despite his fantastic start to 2015 as a 9. The way he has got the Warriors going from smart dummyhalf play – not to mention a try and some great tackling – should be getting headlines.
Dale Finucane
Escaped a ban midweek so got to play against the Sharks and led the way again for the Storm. High involvement in all aspects, good footwork in possession with a pre-line pass for a break in their own half reflects a refreshing new attacking attitude developing in Melbourne.
Dane Gagai
Scored a long-range try. No big deal? It is when it’s off an obvious knock-on which not only was ignored by the on-field officials once but by the video refs replays seven times! Bonus, Dane.
Blake Ferguson
Scored a brace as they say in England for some reason. Blake might be checking the draw to see if they play the Panthers again soon, as will every right centre in NRL.
St George Illawarra Dragons
Eased the pressure with a late fightback in Canberra. Red and white fans please read above for the final word on the Broncos: at home Round 4 to the Sea Eagles will tell you quite a bit more.
And those who have had better weekends:
Penrith’s left edge
Jamal Idris looks as if he has already been told he is not in their plans for the future, and when accumulating all of his own and those he lets in Josh Mansour is responsible for more tries than almost any winger in history.
Are you going to tell me they lost because Jamie Soward was out? Please!
The Titans’ middle D
Specifically their middle D in the closing minutes of a game they should have won! Jeremy Smith’s try was so soft. And those penalty tap starts in possession are way below the standard required to get a set started. Providing cannon fodder for smart defenders doing their homework!
Video Refs Shayne Hayne and Luke Patten
Disallowing that sensational try by Dallin W-Z – even Roosters fans are telling me it was a try!
(Ditto Gavin Badger and Ben Galea from the video refs’ box in the Titans vs Knights game.)
Cronulla Sharks
Zero from three. Are they so unfit or not putting in? Cameron Smith’s try where he stepped back inside was revealing. The end-on replay shows a heap of Sharks defenders walking.
That pack looked old, slow and soft at times. The Storm forwards won the battle easily.
North Queensland Cowboys
See Sharks above! Round 1 they looked like a team without focus, perhaps with so much talk of contending for a premiership? Round 2 it was apparently a surprise that Newcastle would contest everything so fiercely.
What would it be in Round 3? Too much talk about protecting JT? Paper thin psychologically at present? Round 4 at home to Storm won’t be easy either.
I thought there were a few warnings for us to follow from the weekend:
Darcy Lussick
He seems to be on a mission to be the first player sent off this season and keep up his record of being suspended every season since he made NRL. I get the feeling Darcy’s record might go back further than that. Hope he takes the hint.
Those hounding the refs
Far too many are unhappy unless refs are in the spotlight. Apparently referees are not making their own decisions, are too indecisive, shouldn’t use the video ref so much, it’s all taking too long, the game is slowing down.
They sound very shallow the first time their team loses out because of a game changing incorrect call by any official, on-field or video box. Ask yourself, do you want a quick answer or the right answer?
And for the refs’ admin, a warming as well. The pre-season decision to put the bulk of the workload and decision making on a ‘senior ref’ with the ‘pocket ref’ system has issues. Whether it was under pressure from the loud, whining brigade I don’t know, but it’s not working short term and it will be very bad long-term.
The repositioning refs from a change of possession in their haste to become the senior referee every set is going to cause a massive collision at some point. Let’s not blame a player when a ref gets flattened.
Also a pocket ref is going to receive a short-side pass from the dummy half very soon, or an earful from support players coming to the short side from behind the ruck, as that ref gets in his way from being way too close to the play the ball.
Pocket referees are getting almost no time in the decision-making role, and will not be well developed or ready as they might be when asked to do the top job later this season.
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