Following Round 1 of the 2016 NRL, here are five major talking points from the action.
Corey Oates set for big future
Corey Oates continued his rise as one of the competition’s premier wingers on Thursday night in the season opener against Parramatta. The 22-year-old had three line breaks, a try assist and a try of his own combined with 193 running metres.
He showcased his pure speed and strength in an all-round performance, with his ability to bend the line coming out of his own half a real key to Brisbane’s bright start.
Wayne Bennett said post-match that he would like to see Oates produce games like this every week, while also drawing comparisons to Mal Meninga and Gene Miles, two former Queensland big men with great speed and strength.
If Bennett’s words play wisely and Oates is able to consistently perform he is sure to be on the radar of Queensland selectors come May.
Manly get toweled up at Brookvale
Friday saw Canterbury’s big men travel to Brookvale in what shaped as a big match-up against the new look Manly side. Unfortunately not many of Manly’s prized recruits could deliver.
The Sea Eagles struggled with the size of the Bulldogs pack and were on the back foot for much of the contest. Some of Canterbury’s forwards really got a roll on, which provided their halves with room to move in attack. Sam Kasiano, who shed 13 kilograms in the off-season, was a handful for the Brookvale men.
In attack, Manly’s new halves combination of Dylan Walker and Daly Cherry-Evans failed to fire in a performance that looked disjointed at times and failed to really bother Canterbury’s defence. It may be only Round 1 but Trent Barrett has some work to do on tightening up some of those new combinations.
The Bunker passes with flying colours
2016 sees all video referee decisions sent to the Bunker at rugby league central where officials are provided with the latest video technology to review decisions. Over the weekend we saw review times decrease dramatically with decisions coming much faster than previous years.
The NRL stated that review times should potentially be up to 15-20 seconds faster, which as you can imagine over the space of 26 rounds is fairly significant. The Bunker also provides audio from the review official as he makes his decision. It is a great concept that the NRL has brought to the 2016 season.
Tigers and Warriors put on a spectacle
The Warriors travelled to Campbelltown with their flashy new signings in tow, hoping to kick off their season better than previous years. They had lost every season opener since 2009.
The Tigers, however, got off to a flying start to lead 26-4 at the end of the first half with some of the Tigers’ excitement machines pouncing early, James Tedesco, David Nofoaluma and Tim Simona all looking sharp in attack with some flashy footwork and finishing.
Mitchell Moses looked a more mature player and provided some excellent passing and direction for Tigers early on. The Warriors mounted a comeback in the second half with a 19-minute blitz, which saw them score 22 points.
Shaun Johnson returned from injury and showed glimpses of brilliance throughout the game and helped the Warrior’s cause with a wonderful solo try in the second half. It was a two-point game with five to go until some Tedesco magic got the Tigers home in the end.
Injuries to key players
The entertainment of Round 1 came with a number of injuries to key players.
The Raiders were hit with injuries to Aidan Sezer (cheek) and Blake Austin (knee) who are both looking at four to six weeks on the sidelines. The Panthers lost James Segeyaro to a fractured arm.
Paul Gallen had a scare on Saturday night with the Sharks medical team originally thinking he may have done an ACL but fortunately it only looks like he will miss around six weeks.
John Sutton (pec) and Adam Reynolds (jaw) were both injured for the Rabbitohs on Sunday with Sutton looking at around 16 weeks on the sidelines. The Bulldogs lost Micahel Lichaa to a knee injury on Friday night.
Signs did not look good when Ben Henry (knee) was taken from the field early in the Warriors game. Jordan Kahu was injured for Brisbane on Friday and will miss four weeks with a knee injury.
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