It was one other action-packed spherical of footy with some sensational particular person performances producing a number of upsets.
There are now not any unbeaten groups after the Broncos have been shocked by Ricky Stuart’s Raiders, whereas the Wests Tigers stay the one winless aspect.
Read beneath for all the massive Talking Points from Round 6!
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FOXX INJURY OPENS ORIGIN DOOR FOR SUAALII
Josh Addo-Carr is out for eight weeks with a syndesmosis damage which has saved a troublesome name for NSW coach Brad Fittler and opened the door for him to make a controversial one.
Fittler infamously axed the Storm-turned-Bulldogs winger final 12 months earlier than Addo-Carr went on to win the World Cup with Australia and completed because the event’s prime try-scorer.
Addo-Carr’s ankle damage means Fittler received’t need to make a name on 27-year-old for the Origin collection opener on May 31 – however he’ll on Joseph Suaalii.
Suaalii final month made a high-profile swap to rugby union, signing a $5 million cope with Rugby Australia from 2025, which prompted calls to place a consultant ban on the Roosters star.
The 19-year-old was picked within the Blues squad final 12 months as a growth participant behind incumbent wingers Brian To’o and Daniel Tupou.
Addo-Carr was anticipated to be chosen forward of each To’o and Tupou and there’s an argument Suaalii can also be extra deserving of a spot primarily based on 2023 kind.
Panthers gun To’o has received back-to-back premierships however he hasn’t burst out of the blocks this season, whereas 31-year-old Roosters veteran Tupou isn’t getting any youthful.
Suaalii is enjoying within the centres for the Chooks this season however 20 of his 29 NRL appearances have been on the wing.
Fittler has vowed to select the most effective gamers obtainable and stated Suaalii’s defection to rugby received’t come into his calculations.
That declaration from Fittler will now be put to the take a look at with one among Suaalii’s largest rivals for a spot scratched.
Sydney Roosters Press Conference | 04:44
PONGA BOXING AS PART OF COMEBACK PLAN
Knights coach Adam O’Brien has detailed the membership’s return-to-play plan for Kalyn Ponga and stated he received’t hesitate suspending the scheduled Round 8 comeback if obligatory.
Ponga hasn’t performed since he was closely concussed in Round 2, copping a sickening head knock in his aspect’s first defensive set of the sport.
It was his fourth concussion in 10 months and noticed Ponga despatched to Vancouver to endure mind testing.
“We’ve mapped out a bit of a road map,” O’Brien stated after the Knights beat the Warriors on Sunday night time.
“There’s everything from footy contact, to the type of tackles we think he’ll experience as well as a bit of boxing.
“A lot of thought has gone into it all and we’ve actually started some of it but rather than me going and handing it all over everyone we’ll just go about it over the next few weeks.
“And then we’ll work out whether he’s right to go and if he’s not we’ll wait another week.”
Newcastle have refused to let Ponga’s absence derail their season – they sit eighth after six rounds with three wins, two losses and draw.
Newcastle’s backline hasn’t skipped a beat in Ponga’s absence, Led by new recruit Lachie Miller at fullback, halfback Jackson Hastings and arguably essentially the most in-form wing pairing within the competitors in Greg Marzhew and Dominic Young.
The Knights have received three, drawn one and misplaced one within the 5 matches Ponga hasn’t featured, together with Round 2 when he went down within the opening minute.
O’Brien should subsequent determine whether or not to maintain Ponga within the entrance line at No. 6 or return him to fullback.
In defence, Ponga would have much less tackles to make at fullback, however in a playmaking position his palms are on the ball.
O’Brien didn’t reveal the place he’ll play Ponga when he returns in opposition to the Cowboys on April 22.
However, Newcastle might swap Ponga and Miller in defence with the previous Olympian enjoying within the entrance line.
Newcastle Knights Press Conference | 09:09
DOLPHINS’ POTENTIAL DYNAMIC DUO IN 2024
Isaiya Katoa has stamped himself as a halfback of the long run and with the Dolphins potential addition of Jack Wighton subsequent season, Wayne Bennett might have one of many NRL’s most dynamic duos in 2024.
In his first begin at halfback, 19-year-old Katoa confirmed maturity past his years in opposition to the Cowboys, displaying a “calm nature” in Friday night time’s win.
The Dolphins and Raiders are reportedly the one two reasonable groups in competition for Wighton’s signature and chatter is rising that Katoa could possibly be partnering a 2021 Dally M Medal winner subsequent season.
It would go away Sean O’Sullivan, who’s contracted till the top of the 2025 season, because the odd man out.
An excellent ball-runner that possesses the energy and energy to at all times be a menace each time he has the ball, Wighton could be an enormous signing for the Dolphins who, regardless of their early success this season, lack star energy.
Raiders coach Ricky Stuart is aware of the Dolphins are an actual menace of snaring the Blues and Kangaroos star Wighton, however he’s made it clear the membership are “doing everything we possibly can” to maintain Wighton.
“I have a very special relationship with Jack from a coaching point of view,” Stuart stated.
“He is a Raider, but to answer your question honestly which gets me in a lot of trouble most of the time, I don’t want to lose Jack Wighton the way we lost (Anthony) Milford as a player, to the Broncos years and years ago.”
Ironically Milford is now a Dolphin, and it was his hamstring damage which noticed Katoa put on the No. 7 in opposition to the Cowboys.
“Katoa is a halfback. We made him play five-eighth but he is a halfback,” Bennett stated after the Dolphins Round 4 loss to the Broncos.
Katoa returned coach Wayne Bennett’s religion with a profession finest efficiency.
He arrange a freakish Jamayne Isaako attempt with a pinpoint kick to the nook and seemed organised when steering his aspect across the park.
“The thing I like the most about him (Katoa) is his calm nature. He never seems to get flustered,” Dolphins captain Mark Nicholls stated.
“He directs the forwards around the field and he’s not afraid to tell us what he wants us to do for him.
“He’s going great for a young kid.”
Roosters star Luke Keary believes the early indicators are good for Katoa be a prime NRL halfback for the following decade.
“I thought he was outstanding (against the Cowboys),” Keary stated on Fox League.
“You could feel the calmness about him when they were in trouble; he just got them down the park, kicked to the corners and controlled things well.
“You could see he has all the skill and the talent and he has set a foundation up he can build up for a long, long time.”
Dolphins Press Conference | 05:38
EELS NEED X-FACTOR HELP AND FAST
Mitch Moses was at his good finest within the Eels’ 28-22 win over the Tigers on Easter Monday, but when he doesn’t get assist quickly it’s going to be a protracted season for Brad Arthur’s males.
Moses equalled his career-best 4 attempt assists in opposition to the Tigers in a efficiency that justified the $6 million extension he simply signed for the following 5 years.
But the slim victory over a winless Tigers outfit stays a priority for the 2022 grand finalists who at present look lengthy odds to make the highest eight.
“They’re in a bit of trouble, Parramatta,” Paul Kent stated on NRL 360.
The Tigers dominated the sphere place, possession, run metres and almost different key metric on Monday, however nonetheless couldn’t win.
Both Eels captain Clint Gutherson and Fox League analyst Cooper Cronk imagine if it weren’t for Moses, that 1-5 document could be a actuality.
“Mitch was outstanding tonight and it probably would have been a different result had he not been playing,” Gutherson stated.
“If it wasn’t for Mitch Moses, I think we’d be focusing on Parramatta,” Cronk stated.
“The Eels didn’t play all that well but the kicking game of Mitchell Moses won them that contest. He was outstanding.
“If the Tigers win, they’re on the same wins and losses.”
The ‘X-factor’ participant the Eels are chasing must arrive sooner fairly than later, in line with Mick Ennis.
“They’re relying a lot on Mitch,” he stated.
Eels hand Tigers sixth straight loss | 03:24
TITANS YOUNG GUNS CREATE SELECTION DILEMMA
The Titans’ season imploded final 12 months on account of an inexperienced backbone and now, mockingly, they’ve an excessive amount of depth in the important thing positions.
Injuries to fullback AJ Brimson and five-eighth Kieran Foran opened the door for Jayden Campbell and Toby Sexton to star within the Gold Coast’s win over the Dragons on Sunday.
Campbell had 147 run metres, two linebreaks, a linebreak help and a attempt, whereas Sexton had a linebreak, three linebreak assists, a attempt help and the match-winning attempt.
Foran is due again in Round 7 and Brimson in Round 8 and so they each will begin once they return, however Campbell and Sexton have given Justin Holbrook meals for thought.
The Titans might decide to play Brimson within the centres, whereas Sexton could possibly be an possibility at halfback and can vie with Tanah Boyd for the fitting to companion Foran. Boyd can even play hooker, which is helpful within the absence of the injured Sam Verrills.
Either method it’s a good downside for Holbrook and the Titans to have after they struggled for consistency of their backbone final season.
Michael Ennis believes the Titans must discover a spot within the beginning 17 for Campbell each week.
“He puts his body on the line too, there is just no fear from him whatsoever,” Ennis stated.
“The run right on halftime where he just turned Murdoch-Masila inside out and left him for dead for speed.
“He showed great anticipation and speed to put the kick on the spot.
“His try was another great moment bouncing out and slipping around and staying alive in support over the top of Jack Bird.
“It is good to see him back playing and starting. He is too good to be sitting on the bench.”
Somehow nobody binned in ALL-IN melee | 00:56
MUNSTER ON FIRE AS BIG THREE SOUND STORM TITLE WARNING
The Storm have now received three straight after their 28-8 victory over the Roosters and so they can thank Cameron Munster and their huge three for getting their title cost again on observe.
Munster missed the Storm’s solely two losses this season, however has been instrumental of their revival since his return.
Melbourne could also be with out one among their huge 4 in Ryan Papenhuyzen, however with Jahrome Hughes, Harry Grant and Munster reunited, the Storm have sufficient firepower to match anybody within the competitors.
Matty Johns believes the Storm are a distinct beast when the massive three and notably Munster are enjoying, particularly within the moist situations in opposition to the Roosters.
“Hughes, Munster and Harry Grant reunited and they didn’t miss a beat,” Johns stated.
“Melbourne play to those conditions perfectly, but they were just so dominant.
“Munster just put in a masterclass.”
Munster had 171 metres, seven sort out busts, a linebreak, a linebreak help, two attempt assists and a attempt in a whole efficiency from the Storm playmaker.
Gorden Tallis believes it was the most effective efficiency by the Storm in 2023 and it had Munster’s fingerprints throughout it.
“Best performance of the year for the Storm,” Tallis stated.
“Coming up against a side that they have had a bit of trouble with. It has been a great rivalry over the last 10 years. I think they have been minor premiers eight out of the 10 years.
“Melbourne were just so classy and their big players stood up, especially Munster.
“I thought in the first half when the game was on the line, a couple of his plays were all class. Everything he did was first class.
“Look at his linebreaks, I’ve never seen a guy that can just break out of structure like he does. Right at the last minute he can play what he sees in front of him.
“He’s unbelievable. He got a compound fracture a month ago and he has come back in top form.”
Nick Meaney additionally had arguably his finest sport in Storm colors and is filling Papenhuyzen’s void with aplomb.
When Papenhuyzen returns the Storm can go to even higher heights and Craig Bellamy is an actual probability to exit with a premiership if he hangs up the coach’s whistle on the finish of the 12 months.
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Storm shine in wet Roosters conflict | 01:43
LATRELL KEY AS SOUTHS CLICK INTO GEAR IN ‘SCARY’ SIGNS
Three-time premiership-winner Luke Keary is aware of what profitable sides appear to be and he’s dubbed the Rabbitohs a “scary” outfit after their gorgeous 50-16 show in opposition to the Bulldogs on Good Friday.
The Rabbitohs had a little bit of a gradual begin to the sport however the floodgates opened as quickly as Josh Addo-Carr left the sphere injured. The Bunnies made the many of the Dogs’ depleted proper edge defence as Latrell Mitchell scored two virtually an identical tries in three minutes.
They then switched their goal to the opposite aspect of the sphere when Jacob Preston was sin-binned within the 62nd minute and ran in three tries within the 10-minute interval.
While showing on Fox League’s panel on Friday, Keary stated that consciousness is a “sign of a team that’s in-tune.”
He additionally highlighted how this 12 months’s South Sydney aspect is enjoying either side of the sphere.
“They have turned themselves into a little bit of a multi-dimensional team now,” he stated.
“They were basically a left-side (team) last year, this year Ilias and Koloamatangi have really turned that right edge into a force.
“They probably started a little slower than they wanted, but they are one of the premiership heavyweights.
They started the year as one of the premiership heavyweights, and put performances in like that — where they can just turn it on in the space of five or six minutes — they’re a scary side.”
At the forefront of the nine-try haul was star fullback Latrell Mitchell, who bagged a hat-trick and arrange two extra tries in a scorching efficiency to have a good time his one hundred and fiftieth NRL sport.
It got here after coach Jason Demetriou stated pre-game that he wished see the ball extra in Mitchell’s palms when he’s in good area place.
A delighted Demetriou reiterated that time after the sport.
“That’s what we need to do — get him the ball in the right field position,” he stated.
“As a fullback, the things he can do, there’s no other player in the comp can do.
“Tonight he was Latrell Mitchell. And that’s what we want from him every week.”
Keary is aware of what it’s wish to play with Mitchell when he’s at his devastating finest given the pair received back-to-back premierships on the Roosters collectively. He believes Mitchell is vital to the Rabbitohs’ success.
“I’ve been lucky enough to see it in his team and I’ve seen it against him and he can change the whole energy of a side,” he stated.
“When he starts to go and he starts buzzing around the ball, getting support tries — that’s when you know he’s on.
“He can change the energy of a side, he can bring people with him, he is a special player. If he’s on then Souths are always a chance.”
Trell’s one hundred and fiftieth marked with 3 min BRACE! | 00:55
‘SCARY’ RAIDERS MOMENT THAT SPARKED HUGE TURNAROUND
Things have been wanting grim within the nation’s capital after a Round 5 flogging by the hands of the reigning premiers.
The Panthers piled on seven second-half tries to seal a 53-12 win at GIO Stadium, embarrassing Ricky Stuart’s workforce.
The skilled coach stated he was “disappointed” along with his workforce’s efficiency post-match and warned his enjoying group a troublesome week was coming.
It would take so much to scare Josh Papalii, however he was terrified when he noticed Stuart’s face on the post-match video session.
“It was one of the scariest moments of my life walking into that video session and seeing Ricky was not happy,” Papalii stated after his aspect beat the Broncos.
The Raiders sat above solely the Tigers in sixteenth place in the course of the week after making the second week of finals in 2022.
Something needed to give, and it took an sincere dialog between the gamers, led by the senior group, to spark what was an all-time ambush at Suncorp Stadium.
“I thought I’d take over among the other leaders and I thought we got it done tonight,” Papalii stated.
“I think we just had too many excuses last week, you know the second half and that video session we just talked about coming up with a lot of energy and just playing footy.
“That’s what Canberra do well when we are on top.”
“I definitely did (feel a difference to last week), it was just a different feeling when we turned up and I think you are always going to roll your sleeves up when you are missing big Joe (Tapine) and Jacky legs (Wighton).”
Veteran halfback Jamal Fogarty was additionally sincere in his appraisal of the Raiders’ defence in Round 5.
The 29-year-old additionally spoke of the robust conversations that have been had in the course of the week and signalled a shifting of attitudes within the nation’s capital that might see the inexperienced machine make one other finals cost.
“I think our defence, last week we let in seven tries in 40 minutes, that’s not NRL standard, that is reserve grade kind of stuff,” Fogarty stated.
“We had a very honest conversation with ourselves this week making sure we look that guy in the mirror, we wanted to do our job.
“The way we played tonight that’s the Raiders way and that’s the way that has been ingrained in the club, so that has been a big push this week.
“Obviously we have got a senior leadership group that go for brekky post-game every week with Ricky, we had a chat and said if we want the young boys to really speak up and be themselves we think it’s best for the coaches to be out of it.
“Us senior players will drive it, we will rip into each other and make sure we are doing our job first… in rugby league we can be so energetic and think about everyone else’s job, but we need to focus on our own patch first.”
Tough Raiders hand Broncos first defeat! | 02:57
PRESSURE BACK ON HOOK
Seven days is a very long time in footy and the Dragons thumping win over the Dolphins in Round 5 is now a distant reminiscence.
The stress gauge will once more be turned up on St George Illawarra coach Anthony Griffin after his aspect’s 20-18 loss in opposition to an understrength Titans on Sunday.
It was the Dragons third lack of the season and one which went begging in opposition to Justin Holbrook’s outfit lacking Kieran Foran, AJ Brimson, Jojo Fifita and Sam Verrills.
Griffin’s future on the membership has been on shaky floor because it was revealed the membership have been starting the method to interview candidates for the pinnacle teaching position in 2024.
The 56-year-old was instructed he would additionally need to reapply for his personal job.
After the
The sensible cash says Griffin is a useless man strolling because the uncertainty round his future continues to strangle the membership’s capability to recruit.
“There’s no energy at the club… there’s nothing that pulls you towards St. George and makes you look at them fondly,” Kent stated on NRL 360 on Monday night time.
“I don’t know if Jack Gibson could make this St. George team much better at the moment.
“The problem is how are they going to try and sell the club (as a destination) with the coach under a cloud as well as no clear direction of what they’re trying to do.
“They have multiple problems, especially their roster … They need significant changes in that roster but how can they get players to the club or be in the market for players with so much uncertainty?”
Kent pointed to the Raiders’ upset win over the Broncos which got here after Canberra’s senior gamers took over the video overview assembly following their heavy loss to Penrith.
“It was good to see that come from senior players, coaches have become such dominant figures in clubs now. There was a time where the captain basically ran the club, many years ago,” Kent stated.
“The good clubs have strong leaders and everyone now and then the leaders have got to say ‘we’re the problem here’ and St George could do something similar.”
Dragons captain Ben Hunt tried in useless in Sunday’s loss and in line with Fox League’s Michael Ennis was “the best player on the ground.”
Earlier within the week, Hunt threw his help behind Griffin, claiming that the Dragons “need to ride this out” as an alternative of constructing a swap at coach.
Griffin’s place will come beneath overview in a month, in line with The Daily Telegraph’s Phil Rothfield.
“To take pressure of Hook, he had to win that game yesterday,” Rothfield stated on NRL360.
“They played really well in the second half against the Dolphins and they needed to back it up but they didn’t play well enough to beat a side who will be at the lower end of the ladder.
“I made a couple of inquiries and I think they’ll at least wait another month until round 10 to see what happens.”
Titans take down boring Dragons | 01:59
Source: www.foxsports.com.au