Hagan's Round 5 Talking Points: Suaalii Origin dilemma, Knights show mettle, Dragons fire up, Dogs and Warriors surprise

There was never any doubt about the exceptional potential of Joseph Suaalii and we saw that in full flight on the weekend. 

He was on fire for the Roosters against Parramatta, particularly when he was shifted to fullback after James Tedesco went off with his head knock. 

No one is doubting his talent. That was never in question by virtue of what he’s already done in just a couple of seasons for the Roosters and his efforts at fullback for Samoa at the World Cup at the end of last year. 

As a passionate Queenslander I can understand why there will be some fierce debate about whether he should be considered for Origin and I think the answer is clear. 

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If you’re eligible and available you should be considered and I’d be surprised if Brad Fittler doesn’t discuss his name when it comes time to choose his outside backs. 

Joseph Suaalii . (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

Players like Suaalii, Daniel Tupou and Brian To’o are going to face a situation where they have to make a decision on whether they want to put their hand up to play Origin this year or be available for tier-2 nations like Samoa and Tonga. 

It’s hard for them to commit at this stage when it’s April and we still don’t know if there’ll be Test matches at the end of the season or when and where they’ll be played. 

There’s been talk of a Four Nations competition between Australia, Samoa, Tonga and New Zealand. 

It’s a fair criticism of our game that the international schedule is often left to the last minute before it’s locked in along with some clarity around eligibility rules.

Title-contending trio hitting their stride

The Roosters were up and down the first few weeks but they’re hitting their straps with aggressive play but without losing their discipline. 

Their middle forwards were strong through the middle against Parramatta, especially Jared Waerea-Hargreaves-Hargreaves and Victor Radley in his 100th game. 

The back three backed them up with plenty of metres from Suaalii, Tupou and Jaxson Paulo. 

Penrith and Canberra on the Thursday night was a contest until early in the second half but the way the Panthers powered away in the last half-hour sent a message to the rest of the competition. 

They’re over their grand final hangover after a busy pre-season. Isaah Yeo was fantastic in his 200^th game and his team responded accordingly to help him celebrate the milestone.

(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

And they did it without Liam Martin with Zac Hosking and Scott Sorensen stepping up on the edges. 

The Raiders didn’t have Jack Wighton and they’ve been without Xavier Savage this season but there were some worrying signs in getting blown out by 41. 

Melbourne are also getting into their groove with an emphatic win over South Sydney. 

And they get Jahrome Hughes back from suspension this Thursday against the Roosters. That should be a crackerjack match. 

Knights showing their mettle 

Adam O’Brien made the tough call by dropping Dominic Young after a couple of subpar games and reaped the benefits on Saturday in the rare old draw with Manly. 

It was a classic example of a coach sending a player back to reserve grade to work on aspects of their game and the player copping the hint. 

He responded brilliantly by scoring four tries and running for over 200m. 

Some of the tackling in that game was virtually non-existent and it was like a game of rugby sevens at stages, which might explain why Lachie Miller was standing behind his goal line when Haumole Olakau’atu scored Manly’s 1^st try.  

Dragons players don’t take easy option

Sadly in our game the senior playing group has a huge influence on the future of their coach.

After all the talk about Anthony Griffin having to reapply for his job at the Dragons, it was great to see the players respond positively  by having a dig for him in their big win over the Dolphins. 

It’s going to be tough for him to survive in a situation like this but at least the St George Illawarra players are showing they’ve got his back.

Broncos win big but far from perfect 

Brisbane were way too good for Wests Tigers but there were some instances where they didn’t get their attention to detail spot on. 

You can afford to do that when you’re up against a team that hasn’t won a game and is down on confidence but that could come back to bite them when they face the top sides. 

You could see that when Kurt Capewell gave Reece Walsh a spray when his defence wasn’t up to scratch in letting in a Tigers try on their goal line.

It’s tough going for the poor old Tigers and their fans at the moment. I quit coaching when I was 44 because I’d had enough so I can only imagine how frustrated Tim Sheens must be feeling at the moment. He has jumped back in at the deep end and must be having nightmares as he searches for answers to turn his team around.

All the fans want to know when you’re coach is whether the team has a genuine chance to win the next game. It’s a sad state of affairs at the Tigers because they don’t seem to have a clear path to victory for some time.

Marata Niukore and Shaun Johnson celebrate. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

Sunday arvo classics

The quality of Sunday’s games with the Warriors coming from behind to beat the Sharks and Bulldogs snatching a late win against the Cowboys has re-enforced the closeness of the competition.

The “old Warriors” would have put the cue in the rack when they were well behind on the scoreboard at half time but the “new” Warriors showed some great resilience and executed some great skill to run down one of the Premiership contenders.

A fitting end for Shaun Johnson to kick the winning penalty goal against his old club.

Meanwhile, an understrength Bulldogs (without Villiame Kikau) and a couple of casualties in the game fought their way back into the game against the Cowboys.

A courageous effort by Max King to return to the field (with a damaged eye) and some touches of class by Matt Burton and Josh Addo-Carr got them home.

And the return of Josh Reynolds was a huge boost – he added some energy and some great touches in attack. There’s some life in the old Bulldog yet.