The NRL All Stars finally brought rugby league back to Sydney, and back to TV screens with the season rapidly approaching last night at a wet and wild CommBank Stadium in Parramatta, with the Maori team running out 16 points to 10 winners over the Indigenous side.
In a display of passion and culture, the game, for the second straight year, went down to the final minute.
A draw last year was followed this time around by the Maori team clinging onto their six-point lead to turn it into a victory by the slimmest of margins, keeping out a last-ditch attacking raid by the Indigenous.
It was exactly what the game - close all the way - deserved. While there were questions in the lead up as players, worried by COVID and a lack of preparation for the new season, withdrew, but there were no questions on the night.
The pre-match ceremony was something to behold, and so was the match. Fights are rare in the regular season, but the teams came together in scuffles on a number of occasions on Saturday evening as passion and intensity spilt over.
It might yet cost Jordan Rapana and Andrew Fifita, who were both put on report and will face a nervous wait for the judiciary to determine their fates, but the game proved once and for all that it belongs, with a crowd of more than 26,000 on hand to witness it, despite the prevailing COVID threat and horrid weather conditions.
Here are the big points from the game.
3. Dylan Walker's utility value is critical to Manly
We knew this last year, but Dylan Walker played partly on the wing and partly in the centres for the Maori last night and did it excellently.
He might want to return to a starting position, but he has become too valuable off the bench for the Sea Eagles to even consider it.
He played multiple positions during 2021, although it was his regular transformation into a ball-playing lock which told the story of his season.
He came out during the week suggesting he had lost the love for the game before he found his way into the middle third, and yet, the change in role hasn't seen him diminish from other roles, as evidenced on Saturday evening.
He ran for 120 metres in the All Stars game, played for all 80 minutes and looked excellent out wide, and yet, come Round 1 for Manly, he will be back in the middle third, ready to cover just about anywhere on the park if there is an injury.
The Sea Eagles' performances will be defined by Tom Trbojevic - don't get me wrong. But they won't be anywhere near the top if Dylan Walker isn't fit and firing.
Good summation Scott, I would agree with those. Fifita played 61mins? After that run and hit I thought he was off much longer. I hope he didn’t reaggravate the rib cartilage? Agree about Clark but my concern is that this game brings out a lot of emotion and it’s hard to maintain that level all NRL season. Was super impressed with Trindall’s defence as well.
“This game belongs…” it sure does. This game will, should, take over as the NRL season opener; the game with the passion to remind us how good rugby league is. The women showed they need prime time exposure too. They were great.
The only downside, that disengaged sounding Ch9 commentator. Compare the Ch9 commentary with an AFL game where there is not so much technical commentary just pump up the emotion with an outpouring of adjectives and superlatives! Ch7 commentators must have to read the thesaurus to qualify for an on air job. Is it too much to ask Ch9 to at least sound interested?