New South Welshman everywhere were wiping their brows after watching Dylan Napa fire the Sydney Roosters to a drought-breaking 17-10 win on Friday night over South Sydney.
The fiery red head was in everything, pulling off a series of monster hits, including a bone-rattler on Rabbitohs star Sam Burgess, and scoring a try as the Roosters scored their first victory of the NRL season at ANZ Stadium.
Napa’s was the kind of performance that would ordinarily have the young prop being sized up for his first Queensland State of Origin jumper.
However, the 23-year-old has been blacklisted for this year’s shield defence by the Maroons’ management for his part in the Emerging Origin camp scandal.
In an ironman 80-minute effort, Napa made 40 tackles, most of them leaving a Rabbitohs defender clutching at their ribs, as well as 151 metres from 19 runs.
Premiership-winning coach and Nine Network commentator Phil Gould described Napa’s first-half performance as: “one of the best defensive displays I’ve seen in 40 minutes of football from a forward, ever”.
The Rabbitohs looked the more likely in the opening exchanges, with Kirisome Auva’a blowing two near-certain tries, before the Roosters struck first with Jackson Hastings chipping perfectly for Daniel Tupou.
When Tricolours skipper Jake Friend sent Aidan Guerra crashing over, it looked like they would head into the sheds with a 10-0 lead but Aaron Gray pulled one back for the home side.
Napa provided the only highlight of an ugly second half when he pounced on a Hastings grubber to give his side a 14-point advantage.
The Roosters looked like a renewed and more-disciplined side, with the win relieving pressure on last year’s minor premiers as they went to 1-5 for the season.
The Barry
Roar Guru
Everyone knows Napa is capable of these massive games as a destroyer but he is pretty inconsistent. It's great to watch when he's playing like that and from GB's info he seems to rise to the big challenge. Maybe Robinson needs to find a way to get him up for a low key game against the Knights or the Titans, etc
Chook
Guest
Agree
turbodewd
Guest
In any given sporting contest you have a formula: desire x ability = effectiveness The Raiders just had a good win over the Bulldogs on Monday night away from home. Summoning up the desire for another AWAY effort just 5 days later was a notch too much for them. I wonder if the advent of Thursday night footy and MORE 5 day turnarounds is a bad thing...
James Dean ( seriously )
Guest
Old Steveng strikes again, he bashed your boys and did it all game . Good stats GB to support your argument , Napa will be a premier forward by the end of this year and with him and JWH both on deck and firing , look out .
GB
Guest
Not a "one off", he's done something similar in several much bigger games in the past. But going the full 80 mins is a big change. Got to allow for the fact he's just moving out of baby age for a front row forward. Went toe-to-toe with Graham & Dogs pack in the 2015 semi and finished on top (38-12). A few weeks before that in 2015 got over Broncos pack (22-10) & Souths (30-0 without Burgess) to claim minor premiership. JWH played 20 mins of those 3 games. Similar in 2014 over Souths to claim minor premiership (22-18, with Burgess, but I'll grant you didn't get on top in 2014 prelim). Also in 2013 against a big Manly pack (Kite, Lawrence, Watmough, Stewart, Horo, etc) in the most epic slogfest semi final of the past 20 years (4-nil again without JWH and with Moa injuring knee 5 mins in).
James Dean ( seriously )
Guest
That take of Mitchell's early in the game was all class , got a bright future the young fella .
pjm
Roar Rookie
Your Captain is one of the laziest players in the NRL. This trickles down to the rest of the team.
PNG Broncos fan88
Guest
Honest perspective from a true fan, cheers steveng. Adding to that, they just can't adapt on soggy tracks. I'm not tipping them over the next month till they take on St George & the BYE.
steveng
Roar Rookie
This is just a 'one off' from Dylan Napa and lets see how he performs in weeks to come, but I'm not making any excuses the Rabbitohs were outplayed and put in a very poor performance. All us Rabbitohs fans are pulling our hair out of what is next??? In the coming 5 weeks we have the Cowboys, Broncos, Tigers, Eels, Dragons and then a BYE which are all teams that we lost to last year and by the performance last night i can't see the Rabbitohs doing anything else this year maybe winning against the BYE. Very poor and I don't know what else the Rabbitohs can do without Reynolds and Sutton???
James Dean ( seriously )
Guest
Damn , too many beers and fell asleep watching , just to wake up hours later with screen frozen in the final score . Hopefully the start of a long winning streak , but the injuries keep coming , so it's gunna be tough .
MAX
Guest
Dylan's opening shot on George was a harbinger of more to come. No prisoners taken.
Bearfax
Guest
They had to come good eventually. They're much better than their 60's teams. But I suspect they'll linger in the middle of the comp.
The eye
Guest
The venom was the difference..Cody Walker was the only Rabbit hitting and hurting...Sam is understandably treading on eggshells with the ball,and his two brothers are playing well below their capabilities..full marks to the Roosters,plenty of ticker.
PNG Broncos fan88
Guest
And one of the most selfish performances from a centre / back I have seen so far as well. Auva'a not in my 17 for next week if I were Maguire, simply because he's not a team player.
PNG Broncos fan88
Guest
Napa the punisher - brutal unrelenting bone rattler specialist. Gillmeister would be proud as punch.
Dean - Surry Hills
Guest
Good effort by The Chooks. Hastings is coming along nicely. Pity about the loss of Sio Siua Taukeiaho with an injury that looks long term. The win was timely, they've got the Panthers pack to contend with next week.