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Three things that caught my eye from Round 15

Sam Burgess. (Photo by Will Russell/Getty Images)
Roar Rookie
18th June, 2018
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Now we’re closer to the business end of the season and with the second State of Origin game just around the corner, the past weekend of footy was the last chance for those on the fringes to impress and incumbent players to stay fresh and injury free.

Here are three things that really caught my eye over the weekend.

Rabbitohs showing title potential
Although they were up against the at times diabolical Parramatta Eels, the Rabbits still showed signs of a team starting to hit the high gears heading into the crucial parts of the year. The Bunnies made it seven in a row Thursday night featuring a stellar Cody Walker performance, Robert Jennings bagging four tries and Tom Burgess getting a double. The side had 32 tackle breaks with eight line breaks.

What started as a bit of a contest between the teams, quickly turned ugly as Souths carried on with the job as a team now featuring as prominently in the top four should be doing. If the Rabbitohs can keep this ongoing form even throughout the Origin/International period and stay injury free in those important key positions, they can certainly be a contender for the last Sunday in September this year.

Sam Burgess

Sam Burgess of the Rabbitohs. (AAP Image/Richard Wainwright)

Hodgson is Canberra’s missing link
Having led at half time several times this season, the Raiders seemed to have lacked that extra attacking weapon to help them score points.

With star hooker Josh Hodgson returning, with that it looked like the Canberra of the 2016 season that went so close to making the grand final.

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On chilly Sunday afternoon to finish Round 15. The Raiders thrashed the Wests Tigers 48-12 despite trailing at half time 12-10. The green machine found their groove in the second half scoring seven unanswered tries – with Hodgson having a hand in two of those.

Ponga has Origin written all over him
Kalyn Ponga has been pounding down the door for an Origin debut since Round 1 this year when he scored off his first attacking run as a Newcastle Knight.

Since then he has gone on a run of form that is unbelievable for even a 10 year veteran, let alone someone in their first full time year in the top grade of the NRL.

After his performance against the Storm on Sunday in which he scored one try, got one try assist and ran for 174 metres, Ponga seems primed and ready for a stint off the bench for the Maroons in the second game of the series this coming Sunday.

Kalyn deserves a shot at the NRL’s ultimate proving ground to see if a trial by fire will help him develop in to the superstar we can all see is just waiting to get out.

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