Round 4 threw up a few surprises, with the Panthers, sans Nathan Cleary, knocking off a listless Cowboys 33-14 in Townsville.
The home side’s woes were further compounded with news that prop Jordan McLean will miss three months with a foot injury. North Queensland are really struggling and will be in a real battle to make the eight – even at this early stage.
James Maloney was good for Penrith, but they will still struggle during Cleary’s absence.
Friday saw two penalty-athons, with 24 blown as the Rabbitohs downed the Bulldogs 20-16, and a whopping 33 in the Sharks’ miserable 14-4 win over the Storm. That’s all I’ll say on those games, both were terrible.
The Warriors continued their impressive form with a 30-6 win over the Roosters on Saturday, despite missing Shaun Johnson. In Blake Green, the Kiwis have the missing ingredient – a calm influence, a steady player who isn’t too flashy – and it’s paying dividends. They are finally playing consistent footy and the competition is all the better for it. Meanwhile, I’m sure Roosters fans are anxiously waiting for the likes of Cooper Cronk and James Tedesco to start earning their paycheques.
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Ricky Stuart’s Raiders continued their horror start, going down 32-16 to Manly, their worst start to a season since the Super League year of 1997. Stuart seems determined to stick with his underperforming stars, the ones he has labelled “soft”. No axing, no mass changes, so how can he expect different results?
The Sea Eagles paid a heavy price for the win, with season-ending injuries to both Curtis Sironen and Kelepi Tanginoa, while Tom Trbojevic will miss a fortnight with an ankle injury.
On Sunday, 18,000 fans packed into WIN Stadium to see the Dragons juggernaut roll on, securing a comfortable 30-12 win over the Knights. The Red V have it all in 2018 – potent outside backs, brilliant halves, and a forward pack that simply powers through the opposition. The team is full of confidence at the moment and I can’t see them being beaten any time soon.
The Broncos looked like a deer in the headlights on Sunday night, perhaps not used to playing on the weekend, and they were soundly beaten by the Titans 26-14. Winger Phil Sami grabbed a hat-trick, including a world first (probably) try assist where a winger kicked for his fellow winger to score. Goes alright, The Don.
Monday saw the Tigers improve to 3-1 with an entertaining win over a hapless Eels side, whom many tipped to be top four. I looked at their paper-thin forward pack and laughed during pre-season – top four of what? Metres conceded maybe, or teams you’d love to play each week.
With Benji Marshall pulling the strings, the Tigers are entertaining and free-flowing. Will they be able to match it with the top teams, the Dragons and Warriors? probably not, but enjoy it Tigers fans, your team is a joy to watch.
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