Another week of talking points has emerged from Round 14 of the NSW Cup and Round 12 of the QLD Cup.
Watch The League Scene's Full wrap of the lower grade action in the video above.
From demoted players trying to prove a point to their respective coaches, or rookies looking to continue their rise up the NRL ladder. This weekend, the second tier proved that anything is possible as we approach the halfway mark of the season in the state-based competitions.
Off-contract Dragon makes presence felt
All eyes were on Dragons enforcer Luciano Leilua this week to see how he would perform after reports circulated that he had requested to be sent to NSW Cup by interim coach Dean Young.
The Samoan international had played only 30 minutes in each of his last two matches and was an unused reserve in their win over the Broncos.
The 29-year-old is off contract at the end of the season and is fast approaching a prove-it stage if he wants to remain in the Red V beyond this campaign.
The veteran recently gave a candid interview discussing his future, telling Fox Sports, “I would love to (remain at the Dragons). I just let my manager handle all that, but all I can do is go out there and play good footy. I haven't really spoken to anyone or the club yet, and I'm just trying to play good footy for the moment,” Leilua said.
At Henson Park on Saturday, Leilua was strong with his carries on the left edge, consistently giving the Jets defenders grief with his involvement in a busy afternoon. Playing the full 80 minutes, he scored a try, had 18 runs for 199 metres, a linebreak, linebreak assist, seven tackle breaks, four offloads, as well as 19 tackles without a miss.
With consistent big-minute performances like this, the veteran of 174 NRL games will continue to put himself in the shop window for teams looking to add some spark and intensity to their edges for 2027.
The must-have halves making their mark
The great thing about the NSW and QLD Cup is that we get to see how the next generation of players can handle the open-age competition. So far this season, there have been a plethora of rookie halves that have created names for themselves and three young guns in particular are stamping their class.
Joey Walsh burst onto the scene and created a name for himself in his limited NRL sample size. But since dropping back to the NSW Cup, he's been playing on a different level to his Manly side, who have won just one game this season.
In a 34-24 loss to Souths, Walsh did everything he could to lift his side off the canvas. The 20-year-old scored two tries, ran for over 150 metres, had two linebreak assists, a try assist, six tackle breaks and a 40/20 in a ruthless display of attacking football. Due to Manly's resurgence under newly appointed coach Kieran Foran, the young gun is only likely to get a look in due to injury or suspension.
The same can be said for Cronulla's Riley Pollard and the Bulldogs' Alex Conti, who also had terrific performances at the weekend.
Pollard crossed for a double and had his fingerprints all over Newtown's attack in their win over the Dragons. On the defensive side of the ball, he's finding his groove in contact, handling Luciano Leilua fairly well, whilst his combination with Taj Ford continues to generate positive results.
With questions raging at the Bulldogs about who their best halfback prospect is, Conti has quietly cemented a halfback jersey in reserve grade in the absence of the injury-cursed Mitch Woods.
The 20-year-old had a breakout performance in a 60-4 smashing of the Parramatta Eels on Monday afternoon, scoring two tries and having four line breaks in a tremendous individual performance. As the Bulldogs attack in first grade continues to splutter, Conti has emerged as the potential saviour in the halves for the club in their long-term future.
Other Talking Points
Newcastle cemented their spot in the top five with a 34-28 victory over a courageous Melbourne side. Francis Manuleleua was best on ground with over 100 running metres, three offloads and a try in the second half.
Penrith forward Billy Phillips was sent down to the NSW Cup this weekend for increased game time. Playing the full 80 minutes, Phillips ran for 150 metres and made a team-high 43 tackles as the Panthers kept a three-point gap at the top of the ladder following a 30-16 win over Wests.
The Roosters have made several big selection calls at the NRL level, with seven regulars missing due to Origin, one of which was moving Egan Butcher to the centres. That was given a test run on Sunday in their 33-28 loss to Norths, where he scored a try and carried the ball well. Defensively, he did have a couple of costly misreads, which could spell trouble if he marks up on Herbie Farnworth this weekend.
The Dolphins trio of Trai Fuller, Oryn Keeley and Brian Pouniu sparked Redcliffe to a 52-20 drubbing of the Western Clydesdales. Keeley had 13 tackle breaks, while Pouniu crossed for two tries and had a game-high 35 tackles in the back row.
Titans winger Siale Faeamani made a sound return from a knee injury. Playing in just the first half, the outside back ran for just under 100 metres as Tweed defeated PNG by 34-18.
NSW Cup Round 14 Results
Knights 34 d Storm 28
Souths 34 d Manly 24
Newtown 34 d Dragons 22
Penrith 30 d Wests 16
Norths 33 d Roosters 28
Bulldogs 60 d Eels 4
QLD Cup Round 12 Results
Redcliffe 52 d Western 20
Tweed 34 d PNG 18
Townsville 44 d Brisbane 16
Wynnum 30 d Northern 22
Sunshine Coast 29 d Burleigh 22
The full weekend wrap of all the NSW and QLD Cup action can be found by clicking here.
