There are numerous games in Round 2 of the NRL that will demand your attention. If that isn’t enough, or you want a bit more to think about other than who’s going to win the match, look no further.
Here are six things to look for while you’re watching the second round of the NRL season.
The Sydney Roosters coming up against the Manly Sea Eagles is always a game you make sure to cancel any dates for.
Since their battles in the early 2010s, The Roosters and Sea Eagles has been one of the game's best rivalries. With both teams, who have premiership hopes, coming into Round 2 with an opening loss, you can expect fireworks.
There is plenty to look forward to in this one. Tom Trbojevic vs James Tedesco is just one of them. The most important, and the one you should watch the closest, is the forward battle.
There is little doubt that the Roosters have one of the best forward packs in the game. As for Manly, well, it’s a little less certain. On paper, sure, but in games against the top teams, Manly have been weighed, measured and found wanting.
If you look at the best teams in the NRL, they like to, or at least have the ability to, grind their opposition out of the game.
For the first twenty minutes, it seems like your team is in the game. Like they need one little call to go their way. When that doesn’t come, it's over. Suddenly they're down three tries at halftime.
That is what happened to the Sea Eagles in Round 1 and it occurs too often for a supposed top team.
In 2021, Manly had only six games decided by 12 points or less. They won only three of them. Those three wins came against the Raiders and Warriors, twice. If Manly didn't dominate, they got dominated.
Manly was known for grinding teams out of the game but today's side is repeatedly undone by forcing their hand when they haven't earned the right to do through the forwards' work.
Round two against the Roosters is a big test.
Unless it’s Tom Trbojevic, one player isn’t enough for a game to be a must-watch.
The loose cannon that is Tevita Pangai Junior, going up against his old team full of friends he would want nothing more than to destroy? That makes the list.
While Pangai Junior has his problems as a player and must be supremely frustrating if you’re a fan of his, for an impartial viewer, the thought of him coming up against his old team is incredibly exciting.
In 2021, the Broncos came up against the Gold Coast Titans and their marquee recruit David Fifita. Pangai Junior made it his mission to dominate Fifita at any turn, in both offence and defence.
If Pangai Junior can make it his mission to destroy the Broncos forward pack as a whole, focusing and controlling his energy on winning the forward battle, the Bulldogs pack will follow.
Canterbury will need every ounce of strength from their forwards to contain the force that is Payne Haas, let alone the rest of the pack. If it is to be done, Pangai Junior will have to be the (very entertaining) impetus.
This one might not be as fun as some others, but whether you’re a Melbourne Storm or footy fan, this one is just as interesting. For the last decade, the Melbourne Storm have been the NRL's best club from top to bottom.
With their Captain Christian Welch and George Jennings out for their season, and Brandon Smith out for at least a month, their constant, robotic success could be put to the test.
This injury Storm that has hit Melbourne could be the biggest problem the club has faced in the last decade. What will their team look like this week and how will they perform?
If there is anyone who will not skip a beat, it's the Storm but there aren’t many teams that can lose their best front rower and captain, winger and hooker. Never mind that Welch is one of the best forwards in the game and Brandon Smith might be the best hooker.
Whether the Storm look to find talent within or go on the prowl for somebody who’s on the outer at another club, there is almost no doubt they will find a way to the top four. Almost.
Up against the Rabbitohs, who will be wanting to bounce back from their first-game loss, Melbourne has a big test to prove they’ll be just fine.
While it would have been perfect to see him lead the team out at Suncorp against his old team, the prospect of Reynolds playing is exciting.
For what feels like forever, the Broncos have been the punching bag of the league. With the additions of Kurt Capewell and Adam Reynolds, to a team that already included the likes of Payne Haas and Kotoni Staggs, that seems to no longer be the case.
Even without Reynolds, Brisbane put the South Sydney Rabbitohs away in Round 1.
If Reynolds is playing anywhere near the level he did last year, and there is no reason he wouldn’t be, he is exactly the player this developing Broncos team needs to take them to the next level.
Reynolds is undoubtedly one of the best halves in the game. All the Broncos need is someone to tell everyone what to do and kick the ball accurately. Reynolds specialises in both.
Reynolds and how he changes the Broncos' play is one of the most interesting aspects of the round.
There hasn’t been any topic spoken about more in the last few years than concussions.
Coming into 2022, the NRL has a new answer to head injuries and how they address them. The key change is that a “panel of independent doctors” will be in place at every single NRL game according to Graham Annesley.
This independent doctor will have the final say on whether the injury is a category one or two head knock. The independent doctor is not making any clinical decisions.
“It is purely the job of the independent doctor to look for signs of head injury,” Graham Annesley said.
The NRL has also introduced technology to allow the head trainer to talk directly to the doctor. This, supposedly, makes it faster to assess the player.
“The main objective is to make sure these incidents don't get messed. Our objective is to pick them up as quickly as possible," Annesley continued
Already, through one round there have been a few controversial decisions, on both ends of the spectrum.
Victor Radley appeared to be removed from the field unnecessarily (and too late, if it was necessary) while Brent Naden was removed far later than he should have been when it was obvious he was in a bad way.
While it doesn’t have the hype factor of some of the others in this list, how head knocks are handled throughout round two is something every footy fan should keep their eye on.
With Shaun Johnson out for a month, the Warriors' season could be done before they get a chance to make something of it.
With one of the best forward packs in the game and Shaun Johnson back in the side, the Warriors had high hopes for their team. Any chance of making the top-eight and playing finals footy has been made much more difficult after one round.
While it sounds hyperbolic, about eight teams are vying for seventh and eighth position and they all are good enough to make it. Spots one to five are all but locked up by the Manly Sea-Eagles, Melbourne Storm, Sydney Roosters, Parramatta Eels. While the South-Sydney Rabbitohs sit on the periphery.
That means teams like the Warriors can't let any games slip. Especially against teams in the same bracket.
Facing the Gold Coast Titans, Wests Tigers, North Queensland Cowboys and Brisbane Broncos over the next four weeks, if the Warriors lose any, or in the worst-case scenario, all of these games, they could find themselves in a deep hole.
While they have options to fill the absence of Johnson, if they could easily replace him, the Warriors wouldn’t have bought him in the first place.