20 Thoughts from Round 12

1. Have the last two weeks been a blip or is this the real Eels? We'll know more after Sunday but a third straight loss will provide us with our answer. I'm not so confident in my pre-season prediction of them finishing second.

2. Over a month ago I wrote about Nicho Hynes kicking off a frenzy of activity although rather than kick starting it his has become the marquee name. Almost every club in the NRL could find a spot for the youngster now.

3. Penrith have navigated the opening third of the season with minimal fuss and without dropping a single game. They didn't have to deal with Origin last year. The next six-or-so weeks will confirm their title credentials. For the record I think they'll beat the majority of the sides despite being Origin-affected.

4. It's been great to see players such as Jake Clifford and Tom Dearden shift clubs early, however I feel fans will expect this to become the norm. Adam Reynolds is set for a deep Premiership run with the Bunnies and won't be going anywhere but there's certainly nothing stopping the recently dropped Chad Townsend from heading North right away.

5. In the age of fatigue in sin-bins, speed has never been more important. We saw Jason Saab score a magical try over the weekend while Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow scored a try due to pure pace. The Sharks looked far more dangerous when the speedy Ronaldo returned. Can't be understated.

6. I was worried that Roger Tuivasa-Sheck's selfless move to the wing might hurt the Warriors' final chances in 2021 but if anything it's improved them. Reece Walsh is starring at fullback while RTS is just as dangerous on the wing. I really with RTS wasn't headed to the other code however the Warriors are in good hands.

7. I think I'm the only person in the 'Rugba League' fan base who isn't worried about Origin being "ruined" next week. There were a host of sin-bins the past two series and no one even remembers. Just relax and enjoy. We can blow up if it's required.

8. Speaking of Origin, again I seem to be the only person not bothered by the venue switch. I'm a lot easier to get along with when the Sharks are winning so maybe it's that. Home ground advantage use to be such a huge advantage but those days are long gone.

9. For those campaigning for a New Zealand Origin game, a great thought but it was never going to work. The 8:10 pm kick off time would have been horrible given the time difference and a potential border closure may have left the game without 36 of it's elite players for two-weeks. Too risky.

10. Tigers fans, want a scary stat? All of the Panthers tries, try assists, line break assists and all but one line break from Liam Martin, came from players who will be available to them this weekend. The depth in this squad is ridiculous.

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11. Totally selfishly and with tongue, somewhat, planted in cheek, I hate Origin-affected weekends. Only one game of footy on Saturday? Ugh, what am I supposed to do? You can't but feel this a huge missed opportunity for Foxtel to show at least a game of NSW Cup. The Magpies and Panthers in a top of the table clash, or a massive crowd at Henson Park would have made for fun viewing.

12. Talk of Matt Dufty to the Titans makes little sense. AJ Brimson is their best player by an absolute mile. Unless Brimson wants to move into the halves, you're creating more problems rather than solving them. Dufty at the Bulldogs makes sense with Allan and Addo-Carr forming a lethal combo out wide and with talks suggesting DWZ is Tigers bound.

13. The Raiders are done. Ricky Stuart has exceeded his shelf life. It happened at the Roosters and the Sharks while his Eels run was a disaster. I know the Raiders don't often sack coaches but it might be worth a chat. The disharmony is really worrying. The side chops and changes massively every week.

14. How about those Roosters? Missing several players yet still belt supposed top eight certainties the Raiders with ease. They did it without Sam Walker who was rested to heal up. Trent Robinson just keeps finding young players who play well beyond their experience while his available older stars defy the ageing process.

15. The Titans game plan of "throw it to Fifita" has been exposed. He was matched up against Shaun Johnson and Britton Nikora on Sunday and was expected to go huge. He was EASILY contained by the Sharks pair. He made a supposed 16 tackle breaks but 12 of those were late on while running sideways. They need to find another route and quickly.

16. Sticking with the Titans game, how much better were the Sharks this weekend? Blayke Brailey ran and kicked and looked five times the player of recent weeks. Johnson and Moylan were the best two players on the park. Ramien had his best game of the year by a mile, while Will Chambers put in a vintage performance. Most importantly they looked to be playing with freedom and confidence. Wonder why?

17. While on the Sharks, since the heavily reported "player exodus" that was coming due to John Morris being removed from the head coaching role, the Sharks have re-signed Talakai, Rudolf, Kennedy and Tracey whilst losing only a player they openly had no interest in keeping. Interestingly each of the re-signed players has singled out Craig Fitzgibbon as a reason for staying.

18. Who were the 17 men who ran out in maroon jerseys on Sunday afternoon? That surely wasn't the same Sea Eagles of the past month? They turned up expecting to beat the Knights and paid the price. Tommy Turbo can't be 10/10 every week. Worrying signs to be honest.

19. The Bunnies looked like their old selves on Saturday after a pretty dire recent run of form. Damien Cook was so dangerous out of dummy half, something they haven't enjoyed for weeks now. Good win. They're in the title race.

20. It was great to see James Roberts back scoring tries.