What a weekend that was. Five out of the first six games decided by two points or less, one of the matches of the season between two fierce rivals, and plenty of top eight implications across the board. There is plenty to chat about, so let’s get into it.

Manly are no longer flying under the radar
If you are going to talk about a round of close, enthralling footy, then there is no better place to start than the Victorian capital city of Melbourne, where the Storm and Sea Eagles played out one of, if not the game of the season.

This was a match which was always going to be high-quality, played out by the top team in the competition, and one of their fiercest rivalries, who were still trying to work out exactly what their place in the eight and the race for the premiership was.

And while there were still doubts coming into Round 19, there sure aren’t anymore, with the Sea Eagles putting on a performance for the ages.

Apart from the fact they made the most of another slow start from Melbourne (more on that later), their defence was absolutely fantastic through the first 40, and could get some of the credit for the Storm’s clunky attack.

While Manly’s attack on the other side of the coin wasn’t all that great either early on, they were patient, and played a real finals style of game, picking up points where they could and putting the pressure on when they needed to.

A couple of penalty goals were complemented nicely by a try, and then the game was on Manly’s bat in the second half.

What was even more impressive during the second 40 though, was their ability to hang in a game they should have been put out of multiple times.

Again, some of that is on Melbourne’s attack, but a lot of it is on the defence, line speed and effort of Manly, who then found their groove to put a field goal over after one of the wildest golden point periods you’re ever likely to see.

While I talked about the fact Manly were fast becoming a contender for the 2019 title in what has become a very murky race, there can now be no doubts.

This is a Manly side who compete every minute they are on the field. The transformation Des Hasler has given this club in 2019 is remarkable, and anyone now detracting from their performances has their eyes painted on.

The top four may be a tough ask with a difficult run home, but a difficult trip to Melbourne didn’t bother them on Saturday evening, and not much has bothered them all year, despite the fact they have been up against it with a weak squad and injuries.

They have grit, determination and talent from the front to contend, and contend is exactly what they will do.

The Rabbitohs and Roosters won’t challenge anyone in the finals playing like that
The Rabbitohs and Roosters might have both picked up victories over the Dragons and Bulldogs respectively in Round 19, and both sides might be sitting in the top four, but neither are going to trouble anyone in September playing like they did this weekend, or, for the most part, have been for some weeks.

Of course, Origin, injuries and the rest can still cop some of the blame for both of these sides, but with the exception of last week’s effort against the Newcastle Knights where the Roosters finally clicked, neither Sydney side have been going all that well.

The Rabbitohs were clunky on Friday night. There is no way around that, and they almost squandered the two competition points against an improved Dragons outfit.

The men from Redfern coughed the ball up, ran out of play, and generally made their own lives miserable during the first 40.

They were marginally better early in the second half as they started to get themselves going, but then, they fell apart again in the last 15 minutes, only to pull the match out of the fire right at the death.

The Roosters didn’t go so close to the sun on Sunday afternoon against the Bulldogs, but a 14-0 halftime scoreline probably should have been closer to 40 or 50.

They made errors in space, butchered easy opportunities for points and somehow allowed the hapless Bulldogs to stay in the game, despite a growing error and missed tackle count.

The Roosters then got locked into an arm wrestle in the second half, and in a game which should have been over after 20 minutes, they found themselves struggling to hang on at the death, with the Bulldogs rolling at their line.

Now, the Dragons and Bulldogs are hardly the competition’s measuring stick in 2019, and if the Roosters and Rabbitohs harbour intentions of going deep into September, then they are going to need to step up their game, because on the evidence presented this weekend, they will be lucky to make the top four, let alone win any finals games.

Shoulder charge? No way!
Ah, well, unfortunately, out of everything that came from Friday night, one of the biggest sticking points is Kalyn Ponga’s sin bin and report for a ‘shoulder charge.’

That’s despite two thrilling games which both went right down to the wire.

The Knights weren’t robbed of a victory – let’s get that clear. In Robbie Farah’s 300th game with the Tigers season more or less on the line, they showed the grit and determination that has been missing in recent weeks during their feeble push for the finals.

I’m not even sure they were aided by the Ponga shoulder charge and sin bin given how late in the game it was, but Ponga being sin binned because he competed for the footy is a real concern, and sets a worrying precedent.

Players colliding shoulder to shoulder while they dive for a ball, often going right angles to each other, happens multiple times every weekend, and yet, nearly every challenge is fine because the players get up and we move on with the game.

That wasn’t the circumstance this time around though, and while the injury was treated and eventually stretchered off via the medicab, the bunker decided it was worthy of a cool down in the dressing rooms.

I’m stating right now that there was categorically nothing wrong with it. I’m not even sure it was worthy of a penalty, but if you’re going to penalise that, then the precedent has now been set for multiple penalties each weekend on plays like that.

Again, consistency will lack on this rule, and it could become a real grey area, so hopefully Graham Annesley comes out tomorrow and agrees with the match review committee – there was no need for a sin bin or a report at the very least.

The Storm must address their slow starts, because it’ll cost them in September
The Manly-Melbourne game was so good it deserves a second point, but unfortunately, this won’t make great reading for the side destined to be minor premiers.

While you can get away with slow starts in the regular season, trying to play from behind in knock out games just isn’t going to cut it.

And not that the Storm are playing from behind all that regularly, it’s just that for some reason, they always seem to go a heck of a lot better after Craig Bellamy puts a rocket up them at halftime.

On Saturday, they were held scoreless by the ferocious Sea Eagles during the first 40 minutes. Their attack was clunky, they appeared rushed in their decision making, and execution was well and truly off in what they were trying to achieve and make happen on the park.

It’s a trend which has followed the Storm around, and one which could have cost them last week when they fell behind 12-0 against the Titans.

As you’ll see in the below table, even in the games they have won, for the most part, their performances in the second half outweigh those in the first half by a considerable margin.

Maybe I’m clutching at straws for the rest of the competition and the sake of a competitive finals series, but it is an issue the Storm need to work out.

Why can’t they start games well? It’s cost them against sides like the Roosters this year, and under the pressure of finals rugby league, it’ll cost them in a much bigger way.

They have lost seven out of 18 first halves, which is a pretty ordinary record for the side leading the competition, and have only amounted limited leads in plenty of other games, so it’s pressure on.

The Warriors can’t blame Saturday for their season
Now, the heading here is slightly misleading. The Warriors season isn’t dead and buried just yet, but their loss in the Parramatta yesterday moves it one loss away from being so with just six rounds to go, although they do have the odd point from a draw which could be critical if they can put a run of wins together.

Sure, the referees missed a forward pass and cruelled the visitors with a penalty count that was nowhere near fair, but the men from Auckland put themselves into a predicament where they needed to win with past performances not living up to the mark in 2019.

It’s a recurring story for the Warriors over the years, and they just can’t seem to find a way to breakthrough, except for that magical 2011 run.

But even on Saturday, elements of their game were scrappy and inconsistent, with the Eels not playing all that well but still managing to win, referee assistance or not.

One big element missing was pressure on Parramatta’s kickers, with multiple repeat sets being forced throughout the contest, while they failed to tackle all that effectively, falling under the 90 per cent mark for the game.

It’s little things like that when combined with a mammoth penalty count which kill you as a side, but when they have been doing it for much of the year, it’s hard to point the finger at a single game as the one which “cost the Warriors their season.”

The Sharks fight to live another day, but their attack must improve
Clunky attack from top eight contenders or sides seems to be the order of the day coming out of Round 19, but none were worse than the Sharks.

They might have come away with a season-saving, losing streak-snapping victory over the North Queensland Cowboys at home, but the problem is they still didn’t look any good in doing it.

Since Shaun Johnson came back into this side on return from injury, they haven’t been playing with the same potency in attack. Five losses in a row hurt them greatly, and while goal kicking was a major problem during those efforts, other factors – negative ones – were at play for the men in black, white and blue.

To go with all that, the return of Johnson and decisions from coach John Morris have forced something of a reshuffle for the Sharks, and it’s stunting what they are doing.

I’m not going to sit here and claim to have all the answers to the many questions facing the club, like who is the best option for fullback, where does Kyle Flanagan sit in, and should Bronson Xerri really be playing first grade after bursting onto the scene earlier this year, but Morris needs to work them out in a hurry if Cronulla are to play finals footy.

Canberra’s defence sets the benchmark
Despite the best efforts of a much-improved Dylan Edwards, the Penrith Panthers couldn’t find a way to crack the Raiders on Sunday afternoon.

Well, they could, but not nearly enough to take the victory at home in what was an important game.

It’s snapped the Panthers losing streak, and there is some post-mortem to be done on the result, but the Raiders defence was the star of the show.

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They were outstanding, particularly in the early going of the game, and while the first 15 minutes didn’t necessarily break the Panthers, it went a long way towards the final result.

The Green Machine held their own, despite virtually having none of the ball in the first quarter of an hour, and it goes to show the continually changing face of the club.

Defence is one facet of rugby league the Raiders haven’t received many wraps for over the years, and rightly so, because, like the Tigers, it just hasn’t been something they have been known for.

But this year is different. Ricky Stuart has got his side rolling on all cylinders, and they deserve their top four spot and growing favouritism ahead of the finals.

Guys like Josh Papalii and Joseph Tapine have improved out of site on that end of the park, while their English cohort continues to raise the bar, and the outside backs communication is obviously superb despite the injuries and set backs they have suffered throughout 2019.

Next week will tell us whether the Brisbane charge is real
The Broncos have done what they needed to do, but it hasn’t given us any real answers just yet, although there are some positive signs to take for the club moving into next weekend’s monumental clash against Melbourne.

While the Broncos have a pretty ordinary reckon against the Storm on home soil, next weekend is going to show us exactly whare they are at.

They are hard not to write about after this weekend’s beatdown of the Gold Coast Titans though, where they were leading 22-0 at one point during the first half.

But after big wins over the Bulldogs and Titans, will it mean anything as they start to play contenders on the road to the finals?

The positive signs, as I mentioned, are there. The swap of Anthony Milford and Darius Boyd is working, their forwards are finding some consistency, and having Andrew McCullough and Jake Turpin working together so far seems to be for the best.

Their attack has looked a whole lot less clunky, but again, it’s the level of defences they are playing against, and with a run home featuring not just the Storm, but the Cowboys in Townsville, the Panthers, Rabbitohs and Eels.

What the last two weeks have allowed them to do, is to work on new combinations and get things right before they do go on that run of tough matches, as well as push their way into the top eight.

Whether they will finish there or not, will be discovered in the next couple of weeks.

Roarers, what did you make of Round 19? Drop a comment below and let us know.

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