A magical week of rugby league saw yet another round of upsets, highlights and a series of amazing moments. We have a new number one but the fight for spots is red hot right now.
The Dragons kicked off Anzac Day round with a huge win over rivals the Roosters in front of a massive crowd. This is one of the most important games of the season and the Red V were red hot. Forget the video refereeing decision that left many, myself included, shaking their head, this was an amazing game from the competition front-runners. Tariq Sims is right in the Origin talk with fellow Dragons Vaughan, McInnes, Frizell and de Belin.
Uh oh, here come the Storm! It was literally only a month ago I'd all but written the Premiers off, but now I look at the date my team travels south on the calendar with great fear. They absolutely monstered the high flying Warriors off the park. A 40 point victory is incredible any time let alone on such a huge occasion against quality opposition. Ryley Jacks has completely turned the Storm around.
The Panthers weren't at their attacking best on Friday night but they won a close, smash and bash contest sans plenty of attacking flair. DWZ played well when moved to fullback after a Dylan Edwards injury and may have to make a long-term switch. Trent Merrin is really leading the way up the middle. James Maloney continues to pull the strings in attack.
On the surface the Warriors should not look too far into this result. Sure, they were toweled from start to finish by a far superior sign but this can be written off. Shaun Johnson returns this weekend and they ran into a red-hot Storm side. I wouldn't even watch the video replay after this. Time to look forward, not back. RTS made a mountain of metres, that's a positive.
Worryingly the Tigers have now lost two games in a row after a magical start to the season. A third straight loss would see them plummet down the rankings but their tight loss was JUST enough to keep them in the top five. It felt like a game that probably got away as the Tigers had the chances to win it. They face a huge trip across the Tasman in a game that will say a lot about their character.
Newcastle continue their up and down form but luckily this week was an up. They left it late but ultimately they came out on top against a spirited Manly. Herman Ese'ese had a big game for the away side running for over 170 metres. Connor Watson looked good on his return from injury and will soften the blow of Pearce's long-term injury. Ponga had a rough week with the boot last week and looks to have handed over the kicking duties to Ken Sio.
This is one that got away for the Bunnies. The red and green were flying and up against an undermanned Broncos outfit, at home, on a huge platform. Unfortunately they fell short after not being able to contain Corey Oates. John Sutton's late try set up a blockbuster finish but it just was not meant to be.
Talk about brave! The Broncos found a way to win, away from home, in the face of great adversity. The injury crisis north of the Tweed is substantial yet the Broncs found a way to win. Corey Oates is a weapon that the Broncos need to launch with more. When he is in the mood he is almost unstoppable. Alex Glenn really stood up in the absence of Gillett and the injured McGuire.
It was not pretty, in any way, but the fact is the Sharks got the job done on the Gold Coast in challenging conditions. With Wade Graham ruled out late the Sharks traveled light but a pair of Chad Townsend field goals saw them bank two invaluable competition points. An injury to Josh Dugan and a concussion to Scott Sorenson means the Sharks have a huge week ahead.
The Raiders notched up a huge upset win over the Cowboys in Townsville. They had less than 45% possession, completed at only 70% and had to defend against four dropouts to none, yet they lead where it counts most; the scoreboard. Jordan Rapana played with freedom and ran for over 220 metres. He looked keen and that should bring a smile to fans of the Green Machine. Siliva Havili has been a great pick up.
I'm not sure there is too much the tri-colours and their fans would want to remember about their mid-week clash with the Dragons. To say the Roosters have under-delivered compared to pre-season expectations is a massive understatement. The Roosters look soft up the middle and were bashed by the red-hot Dragons pack. Keary, Cronk and Tedesco look as though they are forcing the issue based on playing behind a beaten pack.
Here come the Eels, perhaps? Two straight wins has seen the Eels 2018 season rise from the ashes. This was a high scoring, fun game of footy, which I believe suits the Eels. With players like Gutherson, Moses and Norman calling the shots the Eels need to play expansive footy. Yes the mistakes were still there but fans only remember the victory song at the end of 80 minutes. It was great to see Bevan French scoring again.
I'm not 100% sure what to say about the Titans here. They were ok in attack, defended very well yet dropped points at home to a stuttering Sharks side sans their big guns in the second row. Bryce Cartwright looks like a player devoid of confidence. If he's going to play in the halves he needs to play with freedom. Jai Arrow is an absolute machine and is a certainty for Origin.
14. Cowboys (Last Week: 12)
Oh my. The red-hot pre-season favourites are officially in deep trouble. I honestly didn't see them dropping a home game to the Raiders, especially in dire circumstances. The Cowboys are at sixes and sevens with the make up of their team. There is now genuine talk that the club will launch hard to have Todd Carney registered and slotted into the halves with Michael Morgan shifting to fullback. Shocking.
It was a story of so close yet so far on Friday evening. The Dogs were right up to their eyeballs in this contest but cooler heads did not prevail when the time ran down. The Dogs lost their cool and focus. That said the Dogs started well and lead early. With better game management they could have caused a massive upset here. Unfortunately the Dogs lack bite in the final 20.
Brave but not enough. That sums up the Sea Eagles on Friday evening. They were brave but ultimately it was not enough. Martin Taupau was enormous in his efforts of almost 250 running metres. Jake Trbojevic made 45 tackles. The effort was there, but the class was not. Croker's injury hurt the team make up and DCE was marked heavily as a result. They had chances to win this game and have to focus on that rather than the increasing negativity.