Monday, 31 May 2021

Late Mail: NRL Round Twelve

Indigenous round has come and gone and it's been another eventful weekend down under, in the final full round before the first State of Origin game.

Melbourne thrashed Brisbane away from home on Thursday, while Friday saw a stunning field-goal from Valentine Holmes to secure a win for the Cowboys against the Warriors. The Dragons fell to another defeat as Wests picked up a rare victory. The Panthers made it twelve from twelve, before Souths bounced back with an impressive win over the Eels. Sydney compounded Canberra's misery, before the Sharks recorded a surprising win against the Gold Coast. In-form Manly were stopped in their tracks by Newcastle to conclude the round.

Round Twelve Results
Brisbane Broncos 12-40 Melbourne Storm
North Queensland Cowboys 29-28 New Zealand Warriors
Wests Tigers 34-18 St George Dragons
Penrith Panthers 30-4 Canterbury Bulldogs
South Sydney 38-20 Parramatta Eels
Sydney Roosters 44-16 Canberra Raiders
Cronulla Sharks 38-10 Gold Coast Titans
Newcastle Knights 18-10 Manly Sea Eagles

The Panthers remain top on 24 points, with Melbourne behind on 20. The Eels and Souths are in 3rd and 4th on 18 points, with the Roosters just behind on 16. Manly are joined by the resurgent Cowboys on twelve, with the Dragons, Warriors, Titans and Knights all on ten. Wins for the Sharks and Wests put them above the struggling Canberra, who are all on eight points, while rounding off the table are Brisbane on six, and Canterbury, still on just two points. 


Top Five Players of the Round

5) Shaun Johnson (Sharks)
The Sharks looked like a far more dangerous team with Johnson in it this weekend, showing his experience and know-how in the halves.

4)  James Tedesco (Roosters)
Sydney were massively improved when Tedesco came back onto the pitch, with an assist, a line-break and six tackle busts.

3) Nicho Hynes (Storm)
Another superb performance at full-back, stepping in for Papenhuyzen and distributing the ball brilliantly.

2) Nathan Cleary (Panthers)
For once, no tries or assists, but three tackle breaks and three offloads as Panthers' creative play centred around him, as always.

1) Dane Gagai (Souths)
What a hat-trick this was from the Origin centre. Ran some great lines and scored a stunning second try.


Top Five Tries of the Round

5) Reece Walsh (Warriors)
Pure pace as he scores a full-lengther.



4) Joseph Manu (Roosters)
Very rarely do you see a player get on the end of their own high kick but that is exactly what the centre-cum-half does here.



3) Scott Drinkwater (Cowboys)
Splendid footwork from the Cowboys half-back as he finds a way through and sprints to the line.



2) Dane Gagai 2nd try (Souths)
Great work from the scrum and Gagai uses his pace, direction and strength to get to the line.



1) Stephen Crichton (Panthers)
Rugby league at its finest. Wow.


Team of the Round

Full-Back: Nicho Hynes (Storm)
Filled in brilliantly for Ryan Papenhuyzen, getting a try and two assists for the Storm.

Winger: Alex Johnston (Souths)
Some lovely finishes in the corner as he latched onto passes from Latrell Mitchell and Cody Walker.

Centre: Dane Gagai (Souths)
A hat-trick of tries for the Queensland centre, who had a terrific match in his last game before Origin.

Centre: Matt Burton (Panthers)
One of everything: a try, an assist, a line-break and a tackle bust.

Winger: Josh Addo-Carr (Storm)
Just the one try this weekend, but six tackle busts helped him make 47 post-contact metres.

Stand-Off: Joseph Manu (Roosters)
The centre played in the halves for Sydney this weekend and did an admirable job, not looking out of place at all.

Scrum-Half: Nathan Cleary (Panthers)
At the minute, he is walking his way to the Dally M medal. So creative and destructive for the Panthers.

Prop: James Fisher-Harris (Panthers)
Three tackle busts from the Panthers prop, as well as a remarkable 81 post-contact metres.

Hooker: Brandon Smith (Storm)
Absolutely excellent for the Storm, his passing game causing chaos near the opposition line.

Prop: Jared Waerea-Hargreaves (Roosters)
Played the full 80 minutes and ran 240 metres in a tremendous performance.

Second Row: Luciano Leilua (Wests)
Two offloads and 31 tackles made as Wests picked up a big win over their city rivals.

Second Row: Sitili Tupouniua (Roosters)
Has been quiet lately, but ran some great lines for the Roosters this weekend.

Loose Forward: Isaah Yeo (Panthers)
Made mincemeat of any suggestions he shouldn't be called up for Origin with a great performance.


Next Time Out...
Just the four games next week with Origin getting closer and closer. The Dragons host the Broncos, before Penrith look to make it 13 wins in a row as they travel to Wests. The Storm are at home to Gold Coast in an exciting encounter, before the Eels will try to bounce back from this weekend's defeat with victory in Newcastle.


@ALooseWire

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