1. Storm (Last Week: 1)
Melbourne weather an early Storm (sorry...) against the Broncos but ultimately ran rings around their opponents on Friday night. Cameron Smith was at his absolute best and pulled all the strings. Ryan Papenhuyzen ran for 272 metres and scored an incredible try. Tino Faasuamaleaui is having a monster year.
Jahrome Hughes and Josh Addo Carr both scored doubles. NAS followed up his best performance of the season with, by far, his worst. This was a complete performance for the Storm and has them sitting very pretty right now.
2. Panthers (2)
Another week, another win for the Panthers, which sees them sit outright first on the NRL table. Two tries up after just 15 minutes, this looked a case of Penrith by how many. A quick scare around half time saw the Titans force their way back into this game, before the Panthers class guided them home.
Stephen Crichton is arguably the form centre of the competition right now. Isaah Yeo is putting himself in Origin contention. James Tamou is playing like a man possessed, topping the metres yesterday with 173 metres. Nathan Cleary is breathing fire right now.
3. Eels (3)
Parra bounced back quickly from their shock loss last weekend with a 10-point win over the Tigers. Mitch Moses was a huge influence on his side upon his return. Maika Sivo scored early, and late, although Reagan Campbell-Gillard was the man here for the Eels.
His gigantic 247 metres included a wonderful try and 89 post contact metres. An 85% completion rate with 54% possession added to the class of Moses saw the Eels home here. Blake Ferguson scored possible the greatest no try of all time with his aerial effort.
4. Roosters (5)
The Roosters were pushed all the way on Saturday afternoon by the Warriors yet left the Central Coast with the points. Sitili Tupouniua continues his rise with another big effort and a clever try. Manu's 68th minute try was the exact play that was required by the Rooster's superstar centre.
Tedesco made a mountain of metres but was largely kept quiet. Keary was classy despite his halve's partners probably quietest game since the restart of the season. JWH had his feathers ruffled in a big way. A win despite some big name players being absent sums this up.
5. Raiders (6)
The Raiders continued their good form over the Bunnies with an 18-12 win over the red and greens. Cotric and Croker had them on the way to a brilliant performance, however they let the Raiders right back into the contest.
Semi Valemei's 56th minute try was enough for the home side, who truthfully had more than enough chances to win this by more. I'm really enjoying Tom Starling's efforts at dummy half. Tapine and Sutton dominated off the bench while Papalii continued to boss the middle. Rapana looked good at centre.
6. Knights (4)
The Knights had it all to play for at home against the 16th placed Dogs yet fell short. Tries to Hunt and Mata'utia in the 60th and 68th minute dragged them back into the game in the horrible, pouring rain, but truthfully the Knights were a distant second in this contest.
Kalyn Ponga's stats may look good on paper but he was largely ineffective. Bradman Best looks like a man possessed at times but made a few errors. Two awful, season-ending injuries may have set the Knights back in a big way.
7. Sharks (8)
Some will put this down to luck due to a refereeing error, however truthfully, the Sharks were the better side for the majority of this contest. Aaron Woods scored a try. Just had to mention that. Will Kennedy looks every bit the first grader his early promised showed.
Shaun Johnson is the form player of the competition right now and leads almost every stat there is. Toby Rudolf and Royce Hunt were gigantic in 200 metres plus efforts from the bench. That Townsend, Goodwin left edge is a real issue for the Sharks. They need Dugan back ASAP. An injury to Jesse Ramien could prove hugely costly given his red hot form.
8. Sea Eagles (11)
Manly threatened a second straight hit and run effort when they ran out to an early lead against the Cowboys. AFB's return to the club provided big dividends for the Sea Eagles in a metre-topping performance.
Danny Levi has proven his worth since his shift from the Knights. DCE has been rewarded over the past fortnight for a huge effort despite some cattle missing. Cade Cust has announced himself as the club's best option at six. Curtis Sironen is an absolute force out wide.
9. Tigers (7)
The Tigers pushed the Eels all the way on Thursday night yet fell short. Luciano Leilua scored within the first minute of play while Nofoaluma's 13th minute try had the Tiges well on their way before the Eels clicked into gear.
A late try to young Talau made this game closer than it probably should have been, however the effort here was good. Harry Grant continues to announce himself as a genuine superstar of the future, although he may already be there! A lot to like here for the Tigers.
10. Dragons (10)
All the talk on social media centred around the incorrect video referee decision, however, the Dragons failed to ground the ball for match-winning tries in the final four minutes of the game. Matt Dufty has made a career of tearing the Red V's local rivals to shreds while Zac Lomax is an absolute star already.
The Dragons had more than enough chances to win this and will gain nothing from blaming a refereeing decision in the opening ten minutes. The Dragons should build on this performance after proving they can hang with an in form team.
11. Rabbitohs (9)
This was the strangest game of the weekend, with Canberra running out to an early lead before the Bunnies wrestled back momentum. Souths fell behind again and could have either won or lost this game by 10. Keeping up?
Thomas Burgess was huge in the middle and kept the Bunnies in this at times. The Bunnies were able to overcome the early loss of Alex Johnston to push the Grand Finalists all the way. Souths need to find a win before the finals positions slip too far away. Jack Johns played well on debut while Bayley Sironen looks a huge shout for the future.
12. Titans (12)
This weekend's performance summed up the Titans to perfection. Brave, classy at times, but ultimately not up to standard against the better sides. Jamal Fogarty is having a break out season and scored a brilliant try.
Kelly and Don scored tries prior to halftime which sent the home side in with their tail up. Unfortunately, the second half was all Penrith. Malakai Watene-Zelezniak's 60th minute try was enough to finish the Titan's day in the rain. The Titans run on props made just over 100 metres, with no Titans player making 100 by themselves.
13. Bulldogs (15)
What a win for the Bulldogs. They should really be 2-0 since Pay departed the club, however this was a win they can hopefully build upon. Aiden Tolman topped 200 metres and scored his first try in almost forever.
Raymond Faitala-Mariner continued his good form and crossed for another try. The 18-12 win in horrible conditions capped off a positive week for the Bulldogs. Foran stood up when required and almost certainly guaranteed his position at the club next year.
14. Cowboys (13)
The Cowboys were brave on Friday evening with an extremely young starting spine, however their finals hopes now look bleak. Taumalolo ran for over 200 metres but lacked the impact of his past performances. Tabuai Fidow continued his incredible rise in another highlight filled effort. The Cows season hinges on the next fortnight. They have to find a way to win without their experienced spine players. Not much more can be added here truthfully.
15. Warriors (14)
The Warriors did their absolute best to send their departing players out winners but fell just short against the Roosters. Eliesa Katoa's try on halftime had fans wondering if a massive upset may be on the cards. David Fusitu'a will be sorely missed after a big game.
Nikorima and Green provided some class but lacked the ability to finish the game off like Luke Keary. RTS did everything within his power to keep his side in the contest. A spirited effort here by the Warriors against some pretty handy opposition but they never looked like they would win this game.
16. Broncos (16)
For 20-or-so minutes the Broncos were arguably the better side on Friday night against the Storm. At halftime they trailed only 14-8 and were right in the contest. Unfortunately though, in the second half the Broncos were a distant, distant second to the red-hot Storm. Patrick Carrigan and Payne Haas put in huge shifts in the middle for the Broncos but they lacked polish in key positions. Young Farnworth had a decent game. The Broncos bench offered very little. That Pangai Jr sinbin shows he has a long way to go as a first grader.
