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It’s carnage in the NRL medical rooms as teams look for enough fit players to keep their season alive. Here come your midweek talking points.
Disaster for Cronulla, eliminated after a close-but-not-very-high-quality game against the busted arse Roosters.
Everything we thought about the Sharks’ ability against the best was laid bare as they struggled at home to firstly set the tempo against the Roosters, then to put their foot on the throat of their wounded opponent, before completely falling apart after the Roosters gathered their strength to threw one last-ditch, desperate haymaker which the Sharks just leaned into and copped flush on the jaw.
There’s a lot for Craig Fitzgibbon to ponder this offseason about his team’s game plan for premiership contending teams.
Also on the bus home were the Canberra Raiders, outed after extra time in Newcastle. This was by far and away the best game of the weekend but it was very nearly a trademark blowout after the Knights exploded for 22 points in 16 minutes early in the second half.
The fact Canberra came back after that was admirable but for Raiders tragics, a game like that is more annoying than inspiring – the speed, width and support in attack, coupled with commitment in defence is something the team is capable of, but rarely plays to.
Joseph Tapine is tackled. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)
There’s a bunch of young, fast and exciting talent coming through in the capital and we saw some of it on show during Sunday’s game – the question will be can Ricky Stuart use this talent the right way, or will this new set need to adjust their own dynamism into the Stuart way?
There’s not much to say about the performances of New Zealand and Melbourne other than to use an old sporting truism – sometimes, the other guy is just better than you.
Newcastle overcame a slow, nervous start to win the weekend’s best game, Penrith were predictably ruthless as they switched to finals mode and Brisbane showed they’re no schlubs with their first Suncorp Stadium win over the Storm in 14 years, but the best win for Week 1 was without question the Roosters.
As the cliche goes, though, Newcastle and the Roosters’ wins have come at great cost. The Chooks are looking for volunteers in local rugby league noticeboards after even more injuries piled on top of an already huge load.
There’s an honour roll of quality players missing this week through injury: names like Joseph Manu, Xavier Coates, Billy Smith, Jackson Hastings, Joseph Sua’ali’I and Lachlan Fitzgibbon all play important roles for their clubs and while their replacements are good rugby league players, they ain’t the aforementioned.
It was especially brutal to see Ryan Papenhuyzen go down as well, considering everything he’s gone through in the last few years to come back from real concussion problems, then his shattered kneecap and now a badly broken ankle.
Ryan Papenhuyzen. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
Poor bastard just can’t take a trick – but the resilience he shows to do the work and come back from these setbacks is incredible. I don’t know if I’d be able to do that.
New Zealand get a prime-time final against Newcastle, with the Warriors stung by their performance at Penrith but to be fair, the Panthers were going to do that to anyone.
This one’s a battle of two candidates for coach of the year.
The Knights are looking for 11 straight wins and coach Adam O’Brien deserves a huge amount of credit for first of all keeping the ship afloat with a heap of injuries early in the year, then turning them into a quality side which challenges the best and takes care of business against the rest.
Warriors rookie coach Andrew Webster has developed a fantastic club across the ditch. It may turn to pudding with a straight-sets exit, but there’s still no denying what New Zealand have been able to build after so much time away from home. 2023 has been their first step to consistent finals challenges.
The winner of this one heads to a preliminary final in Brisbane.
Melbourne were soundly whipped by the Broncos and return home to face the Roosters, with both clubs missing big chunks of their backline.
Storm coach Craig Bellamy will have closely examined the innards of their display up north and there’s no denying it helps that Trent Robinson’s Chooks are busted to high heaven. The Storm don’t usually mess around at home but don’t be surprised if this one is in the balance late.
– Why was Kalyn Ponga still on the field to kick the decisive penalty against Canberra? He was hit high, lost the ball and was clearly in distress, but there he was. I’ve almost given up on the NRL taking high contact seriously.
– Another game at Cronulla’s half-built stadium which held only 12,000 people. It’s embarrassing the NRL thinks the venue is suitable for finals play. You can bet the broadcasters don’t like panning out to half-finished buildings, either.
– As mentioned earlier, it’s good to see New Zealand get to host Newcastle at a suitable time for their fan-base rather than Australia’s eastern seaboard.
– Penrith set the pearl-clutching crew’s hair on fire with yet another display of arrogance, mocking New Zealand on the club social media. I’m all for clubs leaning in to that sort of thing if they back it up (and even if they don’t). It’s all good fare. Want to make it stop? Play better!
– The Storm’s loss to Brisbane was watched by 31,000 people in Melbourne, dwarfed by the Carlton versus Sydney AFL eliminator. Melbourne’s Friday match this week is up against a monster AFL final across the road at the MCG, with Melbourne and Carlton going at it. The crowd and ratings figures will be interesting.
What’s got you talking ahead of Finals Week 2, Roarers?