Monday, 12 April 2021

Late Mail: NRL Round Five

Five rounds into the NRL and some surprise results this weekend saw maiden wins for Manly and the Cowboys, while the Eels suffered defeat for the first time.

It was a comfortable win for Souths on Thursday, as the evergreen Benji Marshall came into the team and helped inspire them to an easy win over the Broncos, who have still only won once. The same can now be said about Manly, who picked up their first victory of 2021 thanks to a drop-goal from Dale Cherry-Evans which saw off the Warriors. The big game of this round was undoubtedly Penrith against Canberra. The Raiders started well but an outstanding individual performance from Jarome Luai helped the Panthers to make it five wins out of five and keep them top of the table. The Gold Coast Titans pulled off a convincing win at home to the Knights, David Fifita scoring a hat-trick en route. Canterbury scored their first points in three games but that wasn't enough to hold off a thrashing win for the Storm, who recorded 52 points to make it three wins on the spin for the defending champions. The Sharks gave the Roosters an almighty scare and were in a great position to win, but Sydney came back late on to win the game, English half-back Sam Walker with an excellent performance in just his second career game. On Sunday, the Cowboys finally got their first win of the season, fighting off a late comeback from the Tigers to get their maiden two points. Arguably the result of the weekend though came from the Dragons, who inflicted the first loss of the year on the Eels, beating them 26-12 away from home to make it four wins in a row. 

That means that after five games, the Panthers are the only team with a 100% record and they top the table on ten points, ahead of the Roosters, Souths, Dragons and Eels on eight. The Storm, Titans and Raiders all have six, while the Sharks, Warriors and Knights are outside of the playoffs on four points. The Broncos and Tigers are now joined by the Cowboys and Manly on two points, ahead of Canterbury Bulldogs, who are now the only side without a win in 2021 and therefore sit bottom on zero points.

Round Five Results

South Sydney Rabbitohs 35-6 Brisbane Broncos
New Zealand Warriors 12-13 Manly Sea Eagles
Penrith Panthers 30-10 Canberra Raiders
Gold Coast Titans 42-16 Newcastle Knights
Canterbury Bulldogs 18-52 Melbourne Storm
Sydney Roosters 26-18 Cronulla Sharks
Wests Tigers 30-34 North Queensland Cowboys
Parramatta Eels 12-26 St George Dragons


Top Five Players of the Round

5) Ryan Papenhuyzen (Storm)
Another marvellous performance from Papenhuyzen this week. Controlled the game from full-back, got an unbelievable try and also an assist, while making two line breaks and three tackle busts.

4) Adam Reynolds (Souths)
Everything went through Reynolds and Marshall for the Souths on Thursday. The half-back scored a try, got an assist, set up a great team try with a curling kick and also secured a bit of NRL history: the first ever two-point drop-goal.

3) Matt Dufty (Dragons)
A player I really enjoy watching. His ability to arrive into the line at just the right time is devastating. Two tries and two assists as the Dragons pulled off another great result.

2) Sam Walker (Roosters)
What an assured performance from the 18-year-old Englishman, playing just his second ever career game. Walker got a try and three assists as the Roosters came from behind to beat the Sharks. Looked like a seasoned half-back.

1) David Fifita (Titans)
This guy is an absolute monster. A hat-trick of tries for the second rower who manages to position himself so well in the Titans' line. He also hit up 168 metres and made no less than eight line breaks. Incredible.


Top Five Tries of the Round

5) Jason Saab (Manly)
How refreshing was it to see a team do something different with a scrum? Dale Cherry-Evans kicks long for the winger Jason Saab to chase. The speedster gets there and touches down from DCE's pinpoint kick.


4) Daniel Tupou (Roosters)
All about the assist. Sam Walker sends out a stunning, delayed looping pass over the top for Tupou to arrive onto and score in the corner with a one-handed diving finish.


3) Latrell Mitchell (Souths)
When you think of Latrell Mitchell's attributes, strength and power probably don't spring straight to mind. But he demonstrates them both in spades here, catching the ball backwards and despite four men dragging him over the line, still manages to turn over and ground the ball.


2) Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow (Cowboys)
A special try from the Hammer. The ball is worked wide to him and he then unleashes his searing pace to get halfway down the field, before a pinpoint kick over the top of the full-back, and also shows the strength to get the ball down. Could he be an option for Queensland in Origin this year?


1) Ryan Papenhuyzen (Storm)
Fresh from scoring four tries last week, Papenhuyzen was back with another score this time out. Papenhuyzen somehow beats Kyle Flanagan to get on the end of George Jennings' kick, displaying unbelievable body shape to ground the ball while still in the field of play.



Team of the Round

Full-Back: Matt Dufty (Dragons)
A hard call between Dufty, Mitchell and Papenhuyzen this week, but Dufty's two tries and assists, particularly the gorgeous pass for Mikaele Ravalawa gets him into the team.

Winger: Corey Thompson (Titans)
Another impressive performance from Thompson, who has been one of the best wingers in the league so far this year. Two tries and 228 metres made.

Centre: Zac Lomax (Dragons)
The 21-year-old centre was on top form again this weekend, continuing his excellent goal-kicking run. While he didn't score a try or assist, his defending was sensational. Surely a chance of making it to the State of Origin?

Centre: Matt Burton (Panthers)
A brilliant try after he found a gap and finished well from Luai's pass. 135 metres made too. He's often been pigeonholed as a half-back but I much prefer him at centre.

Winger: Mikaele Ravalawa (Dragons)
A quite magnificent try as he dived superbly in the corner to finish from Dufty's killer pass. The 23-year-old Fijian also made up 142 metres.

Stand-Off: Jarome Luai (Panthers)
Playing next to the best half-back in the world in Nathan Cleary, Luai's quality can sometimes get overshadowed, but there was no danger of that this weekend: an ingenious try, an assist and just one tackle missed.

Scrum-Half: Sam Walker (Roosters)
What a performance this was. Just his second professional game but the 18-year-old Yorkshireman was influential for the Roosters, getting a try and three assists as the Roosters came from behind to beat the Sharks.

Prop: Paul Vaughan (Dragons)
It's usually nigh-impossible to get on top of the Eels' forwards but that's exactly what Vaughan did on Sunday, making up a remarkable 92 post-contact metres and missing just one tackle as the Dragons pulled off a famous win.

Hooker: Andrew McCullough (Dragons)
I think everyone was a little surprised when the Dragons signed McCullough, but he's proving a lot of people wrong. 50 tackles and just one missed defensively, while his offensive actions allow their attack to straighten up and give a platform for their halves to influence the game.

Prop: Tom Burgess (Souths)
The 28-year-old Englishman had a great game for Souths on Thursday. 246 metres, 80 of which were post-contact, is absolutely ludicrous.

Second Row: David Fifita (Titans)
He was just unstoppable this weekend, wasn't he? The Knights couldn't get near to him. His running game, his goosesteps and his movement, size and power helped him get across the tryline three times. What a player.

Second Row: Josh Schuster (Manly)
Manly finally got their first win on Friday and it was no coincidence that it came after a good performance from Schuster, who got a try as well as making four tackle breaks.

Loose Forward: Tyrone Peachey (Titans)
An assist, five tackle breaks, 192 metres and just one missed tackle. Yet another complete performance from the Titans' number 13, who is becoming one of the world's best in the role.


Next Time Out...

Round Six kicks off with league leaders Penrith taking on the Broncos away from home, while the Sharks and the Knights - two of the most inconsistent sides in the competition - face off on Friday. Also on Friday we have the big clash of the week - Storm vs the Roosters as the winners of the last four NRL Premierships come together. Saturday sees Manly, finally off the mark, play host to the Titans, with Souths at home to Wests Tigers. Another big game sees Canberra and Parramatta meet on Saturday, both looking to bounce back from rare defeats this weekend. The revolutionised Dragons have the Warriors at home, while Round Six comes to a close with the Bulldogs and the Cowboys in a clash that no-one will be looking forward to.


@ALooseWire

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