Sunday, 9 May 2021

Late Mail: NRL Round Nine

 Another pulsating round in the NRL this weekend, with some very high-scoring affairs.

The big game of the weekend was of course Souths against the Storm, a rerun of their opening round clash, and it was Melbourne who were once again victorious. They demolished the Souths, who were missing Latrell Mitchell, Josh Mansour and Cody Walker but still put in an inexcusable performance, getting run all over by the defending champions, who scored 50 points - 24 of which came from Josh Addo-Carr's six tries. There was another nilling in the next game as Penrith made it nine wins out of nine with a routine, yet stylish, win over the beleagured Cronulla Sharks. Friday night saw a blockbuster tie between the Eels and the Roosters, and it was the defensively-solid Parramatta who came out on top by thirteen points, continuing their excellent start to 2021. Canberra's disappointing run was extended to five losses after they blew a 16-0 lead against Newcastle, the Knights inspired by Tyson Frizzel and Kalyn Ponga to come back and get a valuable away win. A very high-scoring encounter between Wests and the Gold Coast ended up in victory for Justin Holbrook's entertainers on Saturday, which was followed by a tense and close Queensland Derby. The Cowboys came out on top against the Broncos thanks to a late penalty from Valentine Holmes. Manly were impressive on Sunday, brilliantly led once again by Tom Trbojevic, as they secured a narrow win over the Warriors, before the Dragons snapped out of their losing streak with victory over the Bulldogs.

Round Nine Results
South Sydney 0-50 Melbourne Storm
Penrith Panthers 48-0 Cronulla Sharks
Parramatta Eels 31-18 Sydney Roosters
Canberra Raiders 16-24 Newcastle Knights
Wests Tigers 28-36 Gold Coast Titans
North Queensland Cowboys 19-18 Brisbane Broncos
Manly Sea Eagles 38-32 New Zealand Warriors
St George Dragons 32-12 Canterbury Bulldogs

The Panthers still lead the way with their 100% record on 18 points, ahead of the Eels on 16. Behind them are the Storm and the Souths on 14 and the Roosters on 12. The Dragons are on ten, while there are five teams tied on eight points - Gold Coast, the Warriors, Manly, the Knights and the Cowboys. Canberra will be deeply concerned at only having six points, just ahead of the Sharks, Broncos and Wests, who have four, with Canterbury still at the bottom on just two points.


Top Five Players of the Round

5) Harry Grant (Storm)
Another marvellous showing from the Storm hooker as they trounced Souths, getting an assist and a line break on the way.

4) Kalyn Ponga (Knights)
Newcastle are quietly having a decent season and much of it is down to their full-back, who is an excellent decision-maker and a real strike player. A try and an assist as he had a major hand in their comeback win.

3) Nathan Cleary (Panthers)
He's the best half-back in the world and he's playing in the best team in the world. His combination play with Luai and his running game were a constant threat on Friday.

2) Josh Addo-Carr (Storm)
Fantastic Mr Fox as the 25-year-old winger wrote himself into the NRL history books by becoming the first player in history to score six tries in a match.

1) Tom Trbojevic (Manly)
Is there a player who is more important to their team than Turbo? Since he returned to the team Manly have looked like a different prospect - he's likely to be used on the wing for State of Origin but is one of the best full-backs in the game.


Top Five Tries of The Round

5) Matt Ikuvalu (Roosters)
I love an acrobatic finish and this was a glorious one. He'll never replace Brett Morris but this was a great try, part of his hat-trick in the Roosters' defeat. 


4) Brian Kelly (Titans)
Justin Holbrook is known for making his teams entertaining to watch, and the Titans are capable of scoring a try from anywhere. This is great stuff.


3) Kyle Feldt (Cowboys)
A quite ridiculous try from Kyle Feldt. He is completely crowded but somehow manages to get the ball free and put it down. Extremely skilful.


2) Jason Saab (Manly)
Trbojevic runs a superb line and finds himself through. Watch Saab and how he controls his pace before unleashing his top speed upon receiving the ball.


1) Tyrone Peachey (Titans)
You don't often see a team scoring from a kick-off but that's what the Titans did on Saturday, AJ Brimson with a stunning run and then releasing Peachey, who crosses for another team try.


Team of the Round

Full-Back: Tom Trbojevic (Manly)
Full-backs like James Tedesco, Ryan Papenhuyzen, Latrell Mitchell and Clint Gutherson have been rightly praised this season, but none are as valuable to their teams as Turbo and since he has come back into the team, Manly have looked like a top-eight side. His influence on the team is invaluable and this was one of his greatest ever performances: two tries, four assists, eight tackle busts, five line breaks and 235 metres.

Winger: Josh Addo-Carr (Storm)
His pace is electrifying and Melbourne use it to good effect week after week, but on Thursday he had a field day - six tries. I still can't believe he'll be at the Bulldogs next year.

Centre: Justin Olam (Storm)
The Fox has Olam to thank for three of his tries, with the centre laying on a trio of assists in Melbourne's crushing win over Souths. Five tackle busts as well. Top centre play.

Centre: Stephen Crichton (Panthers)
A really good ball-playing centre, the 20-year-old had a great game for the Minor Premiers on Friday, getting a try of his own as well as a pair of assists.

Winger: Jason Saab (Manly)
A hat-trick on Sunday for one of the fastest players in the competition. Used his speed brilliantly to combine with Trbojevic on a number of occasions.

Stand-Off: Cameron Munster (Storm)
There were 50 points between Souths and the Storm and a lot of that was because of the halves. Cody Walker and Dean Hawkins really struggled in Adam Reynolds' absence, but Munster and Jahrome Hughes kept things simple, controlled the game and managed Storm's attack effectively.

Scrum-Half: Nathan Cleary (Panthers)
The number seven is just a joy to watch. His sleight of hand, his passing game, his running game, everything about the way he runs the game from the halves. A certainty for State of Origin.

Prop: James Fisher-Harris (Panthers)
He only played 36 minutes but had a big effect on the game for the Panthers, getting a try and setting the platform for their backs to attack by making 198 metres.

Hooker: Harry Grant (Storm)
What impresses me most about Grant is his awareness and reading of situations - he always knows when to pass and when to run. Brilliant player.

Prop: Junior Paulo (Eels)
The Eels don't quite have the strike players of the Panthers, Storm, Roosters and Souths but they have unbelievable forwards and Paulo is the main man. 72 post-contact metres and 175 overall.

Second Row: David Fifita (Titans)
No try for the second-rower this week, but he did get an assist and caused all manner of problems for Wests, making eight tackle busts and getting five offloads away.

Second Row: Isaiah Papali'i (Eels)
As mentioned earlier, the Eels' forwards are fearsome. Papali'i made eight tackle busts, got three offloads away and made up 175 metres.

Loose Forward: Jason Taumalolo (Cowboys)
The Cowboys have looked like a much more competitive outfit since his return to the team last week and he led them to victory in the Queensland Derby, getting a try, making five line breaks and 231 metres.


Next Time Out...

Round Ten is Magic Weekend! Things kick off on Friday at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium with Wests against the Knights before Manly against Brisbane. Saturday sees the Raiders presented with a major opportunity to get back to winning ways as they take on the Bulldogs, before Souths will look to bounce back from this week's humiliation against the Sharks. The Cowboys face a tough test from the Roosters to close Saturday out, before Sunday opens with the Warriors and the Eels. Melbourne then play the Dragons before Magic Weekend is brought to a close with league leaders Panthers taking on the Gold Coast Titans.


@ALooseWire

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