The race to the finals is well and truly on in the second-tier. With the QLD Cup taking a week off to recover from the carnage of Country Week, our focus this week is exclusively on the NSW Cup.
There were plenty of matches with finals implications while some NRL talent were making their case for recalls as rookies pushed their claims for late-season debuts.
Talagi finds confidence after "career-defining" demotion
All the talk this week was around Penrith pivot Blaize Talagi and his dropping from the NRL squad for their clash against Canberra. Having been left out of the squad altogether for the Panthers' trip to Mudgee, the Samoan international knew he'd have to make a statement at Parker Street Reserve against the Raiders.
The 21-year-old shone for the Panthers, claiming man-of-the-match honours in their 28-16 victory on Saturday afternoon. He started the match in fine style, crossing for the first try after backing up in support following a linebreak. Despite some concerns over his defence, the five-eight responded with a sound defensive performance, but did concede a try in the second half after he was caught out of position.
Talagi was regularly controlling the Panthers' attack, having 39 touches of the football throughout the contest. His quick thinking led to Penrith's third try, following a Jesse McLean break; the pivot saw fullback Chevy Stewart out of position in the defensive line and put in a clever chip for his winger Nick Murphy to score.
The demotion might just be what Talagi needs to fight for his career at the Panthers and be the career-defining moment for the young playmaker. His contract at the club ends after 2027, and he becomes eligible to be approached by other clubs from November 1.
Despite the defensive deficiencies that have been called out in his game, with the ball in hand, he has proven to be an exciting attacking player and one that will definitely attract interest from clubs as the talent pool expands to 19 teams from the 2028 season, when he could become a free agent.
Dragons' NRL trio upstaged by Cup talents
The other selection bombshell of the week was St George Illawarra Dragons coach Dean Young sending his left edge combination of Daniel Atkinson and Mat Feagai packing to the NSW Cup.
Joining the duo was Luciano Leilua, who was also sent down to the second tier after being an unused NRL reserve for the third time this season.
With the inclusion of the "ring-ins", the Dragons pulled off a 24-20 upset win over the Sydney Roosters at Wentworth Park.
That being said, the trio of NRL stars were fairly pedestrian, with NSW Cup squad players Ryan Hutchison, Jacob Webster and Matthew Alhazim all producing superior efforts.
More alarmingly for Atkinson was the fact he was completely outshone by halves partner Joseph O'Neill. The former Bulldog had his hands all over the Dragons' attack, having a hand in several tries, including a try assist from a grubber kick in the early stages of the second half.
In the forward department, Hutchison and Webster have been the backbone of the Dragons pack all season, with consistent performances. In any other struggling side, these two would be knocking on the door of a first-grade debut; however, the Dragons are blessed with immense talent in their forward stocks that these guys have unfortunately missed the boat to debut this season.
Both ran for over 100 metres and made more than 30 tackles each in a dominant forwards' display. Webster has been rewarded with an NRL debut this weekend and that is a terrific reward for a strong season for the Dragons, consistently among their best weekly.
Other talking points
Canterbury continued their charge for a finals spot with an unconvincing 20-10 win over the Melbourne Storm in Victoria.
Edge backrower Logan Spinks turned the game on the stroke of half-time with a charge-down; the talented forward was able to scoop and score a go-ahead try to give the Bulldogs a commanding lead which they never let go. Future Manly prop Davvy Moale was best for the Storm, crossing for a try and running for over 130 metres whilst making over 35 tackles.
Newtown picked up a vital 14-8 victory over South Sydney to move ahead of the Rabbitohs in the race for the top five. Titans-bound centre Mawene Hiroti crossed for two tries and ran for over 160 metres while fullback Liam Ison had his hands in everything, setting up a try and busting six tackles.
Souths forward Tim Johannssen continued his strong season, busting out 80 minutes in the middle, running for over 200 metres, making 46 tackles (two of which were one-on-one strips) in a dominant performance.
Centre Isaiah Tass did his hopes for a first-grade recall plenty of harm, picking up a one-game suspension for punching Tuku Hau Tapuha in the final minutes.
North Sydney kept the pressure on Penrith at the top of the table with a 34-16 victory over Newcastle. Halfback Thomas Steadman was outstanding, scoring a solo try while having his hand in several other four-pointers to give the Bears a quality victory as plenty of Bears players look for potential opportunities in Perth next season.
Despite the loss, the Knights have plenty of young talent from their SG Ball side coming into the open-age competition, with several making their debuts this season. Players such as Curtis Mulherin and Diesel Hagan were rewarded with starting spots and didn't look out of place despite the loss.
Meanwhile, to close out the round, Western Suburbs put 50 points past Parramatta at Lidcombe. Halfback Javon Andrews was in everything, adding a further two try assists to his impressive tally this season.
Centre Solomone Saukuru stormed past 20 tries for the season, while setting up three further Magpies tries. It was a solid all-round performance that will give Tigers coach Benji Marshall food for thought when it comes to tinkering with his line-up in the coming weeks.
