You could be forgiven for overlooking Round 15 NRL's action. Next week is representative round; the Origin series is on the line, the Kiwis return home to host Tonga in the biggest test in years, and plenty of players will make their rep debut.
Round 15 proved you can never sleep on rugby league. We had one of the greatest finishes in memory, a brilliant solo try to cap off a late, late comeback, and some tries that have to be seen to be believed.
Below are 20 thoughts from Round 15.
1. If you're going to penalise Jesse Ramien's errant elbow whilst trying to get to his feet then you best be ready for 50 such penalties a game. There was a set later in the game where every single tackle could have resulted in a penalty. Sometimes slow motion can be very deceiving. There wasn't even a charge laid.
2. Freddy has done it again. Naming a prop forward many forgot was even eligible for the Blues. He has also named a bench with just a single prop forward (and even that is only because a lock is at prop) despite the Blues being trounced in the middle in Origin 1. Victor Radley hasn't stepped on an NRL field since Round 10. Sometimes the obvious solution is the right one.
3. It's a good thing that the Tigers sacked Michael McGuire and all their issues were solved right away ... Don't get me wrong, Madge's time was up, but when are the Tigers higher ups going to accept they've overseen the NRL's consistently worst side for the better part of a decade? I'm convinced that Justin Pascoe is magic. How else would he keep escaping scrutiny?
4. I haven't been a fan of all of the rule changes over the past two or so years but the captain's challenge receives a huge thumbs up from me. Yes there are some close your eyes and hope referrals but largely the obvious refereeing howler (at least early on) has been rubbed out.
5. Upon seeing the success of the Sharks "home" game in Coffs Harbour, I'd really like to see the NRL push for each side to take a home game into a new market. If not mandate it, at least offer a financial incentive. The game on Saturday afternoon was a huge success.
6. The Bunnies will never truly live down losing out on Joseph Suuali, especially to their most bitter of rivals in the Roosters. That said, they may just have struck back by signing young Daniel Suluka-Fifita. We haven't seen the best from the giant youngster just yet but all the signs point to him being a big time forward.
7. What in the world is going on at Souths? Ok they're missing Latrell Mitchell but the Storm have played pretty well without Ryan Papenhuyzen. You cannot tell me Adam Reynolds was the pure difference between a grand final side and this rabble.
8. I honestly cannot remember a player ever playing through sickness like Kalyn Ponga. He returned from the bathroom to lead his side to a win over the Sharks last season and was his side's best despite obvious discomfort against the Raiders.
9. I fully support the NRLW's State of Origin series expanding to a three-game series but the one-off game does create a level of excitement. It's practically a grand final. This season's fixture is made even more enticing by the fact players were able to play their way into the squads through an earlier than usual NRLW season.
10. The Dogs must be close to offering Mick Potter a long-term deal. They've been the competition's entertainers across the past fortnight. It's worth remembering Potter stint at the Tigers wasn't anywhere near as bad as it's remembered. He has the Doggies rolling.
11. The Dolphins will be upset to miss out the signing of Ryan Matterson, but how many forwards do they need? Meanwhile, there's no standout at fullback or halfback, with a rookie six. If I'm a fan of the fledgling club I'm hoping the next name announced is a playmaker.
12. There are few more heartwarming moments in our great game that a player on debut. Seeing young Ronald Volkman's father brought to tears as he ran out was a genuine highlight this week. I don't think Kurtis Morrin will ever forget his try in his first NRL game.
13. The big difference between the elite international sides (Australia, New Zealand and England) and the Tier 2 nations is the halves. Cameron Munster and Daly Cherry-Evans, Dylan Brown and Jahrome Hughes, and whoever England run with, are far superior to anything outside. If Jarome Luai plays for Samoa, they're halfway there but the other nations really need to develop world class halves to match the ridiculous backlines and forward packs being assembled.
14. I'm not judging Stacey Jones on his coaching abilities until his side returns home. The last part of any wait is always the most difficult and his players have shown that over the past fortnight. A week off (for most) will do the the world of good until a fixture they've waited years for. Jones has been thrown into an impossible situation the past fortnight.
15. Something about hearing that "Sivo! Sivo!" chant at CommBank Stadium just feels right. Sivo was quiet upon his NRL return last week but returned to his destructive best against the Roosters. That stadium is world class and with apologies to Clint Gutherson, Sivo is the unofficial king!
16. This 2022 Cowboys side is just made of something different. They were absolutely gone in their contest vs Manly on Friday evening. Yes they rode their luck with Valentine Holmes swooping on an error but it was their quick defensive line which forced the mistake. Manly panicked and the Cowboys class prevailed.
17. The Broncos lost nothing in falling short to the Storm on Friday night. Yes it ended their winning streak but it was always going to be a step too far minus Adam Reynolds and Herbie Farnworth. They've more than proved their worth in 2022.
18. I type this every year but 2022 is looking like the most difficult to settle on a top eight. The top three sides are set, while the Broncos, Eels and Sharks look in. From there there are five sides fighting for those last two spots. Where anyone outside of the Panthers land though is a complete shot in the dark.
19. The Cook Islands face a tough test on Saturday afternoon in the form of Samoa. That said, keep an eye out for youngster Kayal Iro. The son of Kevin Iro and nephew of Cook Island's coach Tony Iro, he's been tearing it up for the Jets. There's plenty in this kid's future.
20. It was great to see some genuine fight from the Titans and Knights over this past weekend. Tigers and Warriors fans can feel a little hard done by over recent weeks but the rep break has come at a good time. There's always positives, even if you have to dig really, really deeply to find them.
Dan, Like you I am scratching my head over Freddie’s bench selections. One utility, a couple of props and either a third prop or a back-rower seems to be the accepted bench complement.
Crichton is the back-rower and Paulo is one prop. OK so far.
Talaki is the utility. If there is an injury to Luai or Cleary then Burton switches to 6 and Talaki goes on as a centre. Otherwise he goes on as a middle forward in the rotation. Hmm. That’s not really where his experience and skill set lie.
But Cook as the fourth bench player? At 88 kilos he doesn’t have the build for a rotation prop. Korisau is an 80 minute player (and also an 88 kilo player who can’t double as a prop).
Campbell-Gillard for Cook would have looked a much more solid bench.
As for NFLW playing three SOO matches, I have to disagree with you. One per season is good – for the novelty. Three will quickly pall because the quality of the competition is too low, and the players are too unknown, to sustain widespread interest. (Yeah, I know: very politically incorrect !) If the third match is a dead rubber, then I doubt the NRL will be able to even give the tickets away.
And one other question.
Victor Radley hasn’t played for six weeks and is not match fit.
Not fit enough for the Roosters.
Definitely not fit enough for SOO.
How much will he be paid for his jaunt to Perth?