Magic Round has come and gone and it very much lived up to the billing.
It was my first trip to Brisbane for the festival of rugby league and I have only the best of things to say.
Off field it was a massive success with fans from every club gathering to party it up on Caxton Street. On field the highlights flowed along with a mountain of points.
Below are 20 thoughts from a magnificent magic weekend:
1. If you have the time and means, Magic Round is something I absolutely recommend every rugby league fan undertakes at some stage. The football was incredible but the real magic of the weekend came in the pre and post-game gatherings. Book your tickets early league fans as this edition was a complete sell out and I can't see it slowing down any time soon.
2. Sticking with Magic Round, any talks of moving away from the Queensland capital need to stop immediately. Brisbane is the perfect hub for the party weekend. It has the public transport, ease of access, hotels, bars and stadium to host such a huge event. It also has the perfect weather at this time of year. The Suncorp surface was the only concern but luckily it looks like we had an injury-free weekend.
3. The Broncos, Bunnies and Dolphins were the best performers in Round 10. Meanwhile the Sea Eagles, Roosters and Sharks had absolute nightmare outings. Something about the Sharks and Suncorp stadium. If I'm at the club I'm asking for a bye next time around.
4. I've asked this previously and I am going to double down here - does anyone actually want to win this competition? With the Panthers having fallen back to the pack the 2023 premiership looks wide open. The Broncos have been front runners all season while the Bunnies are the comps form team. Outside of that, the Roosters, Sharks, Eels, Cowboys, Raiders etc are all searching for consistency.
5. It is ten rounds in and we have two competition points between second place and ninth. At the same point in 2022, it was six points, and in 2021 it was ten. We have a situation where a good win can see a side sit second, whilst a big loss could see them drop out of the eight. Delicious!
6. You can search high and wide and you won't ever find a bigger fan of Nicho Hynes than me. That said, his worst performances at the Sharks (both of them) have come under the brightest of lights. Perhaps he isn't the Origin must-pick we all thought he was? Am I being harsh?
7. How was Latrell Mitchell not sin-binned, let alone penalised after his ridiculous lashing out at Harry Grant? A mere hours earlier, in almost the exact same spot, Jackson Ford was sat down for something very similar. It's no wonder fans get frustrated.
8. Word has broken that the Dolphins are headed to the Northern Territory to promote the game over their bye weekend. Wayne Bennett has been the best recruit the club has or will ever make.
9. Six of the eight games this past weekend were won by the "away" side. Last year it was also six. I guess fans were right to blow up about having to host games on magic weekend after all.
10. Sticking with the Magic Round themes. In 2022 the teams who lost on the weekend were the Bulldogs, Sea Eagles, Warriors, Dragons, Storm, Sharks, Eels and Tigers. In 2023 the teams on the losing end were the Bulldogs, Sea Eagles, Warriors, Dragons, Storm, Sharks, Eels and Roosters. The Tigers and Roosters swapped results while the Dolphins took over the Newcastle spot due to the bye. Take note for your 2024 tips.
11. Isaiya Katoa and Jake Preston look to be in a straight shootout for Rookie of the Year honours. Jahream Bula debuted much later but could have something to say about this statement.
12. The Dolphins continue to defy the odds, and doubters, and are flying right now. You add incoming signings Herbie Farnworth and Thomas Flegler and this side is looking scary for the future.
13. I think it's time for Tom Trbojevic to make a move to centre. He is obviously not right and looks to be moving at about 80 per cent speed. A move into the centres will ease his workload. This doesn't need to be permanent but at least until or if he ever regains 100 per cent fitness.
14. If you were picking a NSW Origin side purely on form, James Tedesco doesn't make it. Latrell Mitchell and Dylan Edwards are well ahead of him. He'll be there based on years of brilliant performances but part of me wants to see Mitchell unleashed at fullback in the rep arena.
15. Nine of the top ten on the try assist stat are playing in the spine. Without using a search engine, who is the none spine player? ... it's centre Sifa Talakai. He has one less than Cody Walker, who has played a game more. He also sits atop the line break assists category.
16. Corey Horsburgh would not look out of position in a Maroon jersey in a few short week's time.
17. How has Jayden Sullivan been sitting in NSW Cup while the Dragons have been on a losing streak and struggling to score points? He completely changed the game when he came on.
18. Sticking with the Dragons, they've now lost five straight games by margins of two, two, one, six and two points. Maybe they're not as bad as we thought?
19. The Cowboys had the biggest Jekyll and Hyde fortnight of all time. Last week they were wiped off the park to the tune of 44-6 only to turn around and beat competition heavyweight's the Roosters 20-6. This looked more like the Cowboys of 2022. Reuben Cotter was in a mood following a horror effort a week earlier and the team followed his lead.
20. The Bunnies sit second despite only playing three of their ten games at home. They've not had a full-strength forward pack on the park yet this season. I can comfortably say, as of right now, they are competition favourites.
Dragons: “Maybe they’re not as bad as we thought?”
Maybe they have a great coach getting a better-than-deserved performance (which almost results in a win most weeks) from a bunch of journeymen
Maybe they have a poor coach whose tactics prevent a basically sound team from ever being competitive.
Could be either. Could be somewhere in the middle. We are unlikely to know unless Hook gets hooked midway through the season.