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Opinion
Let’s be honest, Round 15 was a bit of a bludger. An average winning margin of 22 points as yet again State of Origin dominated the regular season.
Let’s see if round 16 can do better – here come your NRL preview talking points.
Cronulla, Canberra and the Roosters.
Last week your talking points highlighted Cronulla’s inability to beat top eight sides and a 54-10 demolition in Melbourne only shone that spotlight brighter. They’re 9-39 against top eight sides since 2019. That’s garbage.
Coach Craig Fitzgibbon is now getting shredded by Sharks fans for selections, game style, mental toughness, you name it. This is what happens when you want to play with the big boys – their easy draw will see them make the finals, but can the Sharks get right?
Canberra spent all week in celebration mode ahead of last Friday’s game against New Zealand, with Jarrod Croker’s 300th game front and centre. When the time to play the actual game came though, the Raiders were not good.
Jarrod Croker. (Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)
Whipped 36-14 in a score that actually flattered the green machine, some Raiders fans were somewhat gobsmacked to hear coach Ricky Stuart postgame:
“I’d rather have this week and lose the two points than have a shitty week for Jarrod promoting his 300th and winning two points,” Stuart said.
“If that costs us at the end of the year in the top four or top eight — so be it, that’s our fault. But I’d much prefer the week we had.”
It was a classic Rick human shield to protect his players, that’s what he does best. He lets aggro towards him wash off. But there may have been a better choice of words.
Canberra have conceded the most points of any team this year and yet they sit seventh, with a staggering for and against of -71.
They win small – their 8 wins are by an average of 4.6 points. But they lose big – six losses, by an average of 18. If they can’t sort themselves out they’ll be done in a few weeks.
The Roosters were just appalling again, smoked by Penrith for the second time in five weeks. They’ve lost those games by a combined score of 78-10 and for all the talk (which I was part of, I admit) about how the Chooks were a serious contender, they’re almost done and dusted too, 12th with a for and against of -90.
State of Origin give us another truncated weekend, with just five games marking time before Origin two on Wednesday.
We begin Friday as the Cowboys welcome Penrith to Townsville. The Cowboys had a great win over Melbourne, then had the bye. Both teams are heavily Origin impacted and believe it or not, North Queensland are within a sniff of the finals if they can get the job done.
(Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)
A Saturday triple header begins with Newcastle facing the Roosters. The Knights were great in Brisbane last week and it took a world class try to beat them. Newcastle are an outside finals chance and need to win games like this, as they’ve got two games in the bank against teams above them who haven’t had their byes yet.
Parramatta were electrifying against Canterbury, Manly were electrifying in their 58-18 decimation of the Dolphins. Will we get a freewheeling pointsfest on Saturday twilight? Let’s hope so.
Saturday primetime heads to Campbelltown and Wests Tigers playing their bogey side, Melbourne. Wests Tigers haven’t beaten the Storm since 2018 and haven’t had a single digit loss to them since 2019. Melbourne lit the Sharks up big time on Sunday but now lose their major players for Origin.
The Tigers were disappointing in a 28-12 loss on the Gold Coast but may be a different proposition in Campbelltown.
Our short round ends Sunday with Cronulla and Canterbury. Trends point to a Sharks win, but Canterbury are capable of either putting 30 on them, or losing by 30…
Seven teams have a bye – I’d list them, but it’s easier just to say any team not covered in the above isn’t playing this week.
– The ABC’s Four Corners program on Monday told how the NRL receives around $50 million in revenue from gambling companies. We’re kidding ourselves if we think gambling ads are going to go away at NRL games or on broadcasts.
– South Sydney have lost three of their last four games, so we keep a watching brief on them for now. Hopefully their Origin players come through unscathed.
– Tip of the cap to Dragons placeholder coach Ryan Carr, who has done a pretty good job with the disaster he’s been handed. The team’s 36-30 win over the Rabbitohs was good value.
– Carr will hand the keys to disgraced former Cronulla coach and appalling special comments broadcaster Shane Flanagan, who the Dragons are expected to announce in a day or so. Rugby league just keeps giving third and fourth chances to people who treat the game like garbage.
– In happier coaching news, Brad Arthur became Parramatta’s longest serving head coach as his team beat Canterbury 34-12.
-Brisbane’s game winner against Newcastle was a wonderful, wonderful try. Everything that’s great about our game.
What’s got you talking ahead of round 16, Roarers?