NRL Round 11: What we liked and disliked from every game

Joshua Mayne

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Tom Naghten

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Liam O'Loughlin

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Mark Molyneux

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Kye Kuncoro

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NRL Round 11: What we liked and disliked from every game image

Round 11 was opened by an electric clash between the Storm and Broncos, with Melbourne extending their winning streak against Brisbane to 13 games.

On Friday, the Panthers flexed their muscle against the Roosters in a thrashing, before the Rabbitohs continued their unbeaten run the following day.

To wrap up the week, the Sharks held off a fast-finishing Sea Eagles side to return to winning ways.

Here's what we liked and disliked from every game of Round 11. 

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Melbourne Storm 24 - 16 Brisbane Broncos

What we liked: Jahrome Hughes responds to challenge from Craig Bellamy

In a scrappy affair that never really settled into a flow, it was Melbourne's halves that inflicted most of the damage on the scoreboard.

Cameron Munster opened the scoring when he crashed through from close-range off a slick pass out of dummy-half from Harry Grant. 

It kick-started a busy night for the No.6, who finished with a four-pointer, two linebreaks and nearly 100 running metres. 

But it was his halves partner, Jahrome Hughes, who had his fingerprints all over the Storm's attack as they steam-rolled the Broncos in a dominant second half.

After being challenged during the week by Craig Bellamy to back himself more, Hughes did exactly that to notch two try assists, a linebreak and 100 metres as he steered his side to a vital win. 

*Notable mention to Ezra Mam who pulled off the try-saver of the year when his refusal to let the play die paid off when he embarrassed Eli Katoa with a last-ditch tackle. 

What we disliked: Adam Reynolds' injury and hip drop drama bury Brisbane

Losing their skipper just 15 minutes into the contest due to injury is hard enough but the Broncos also had to deal with three sin-bins during a stop-start affair in Melbourne. 

Brisbane's halfback was thankfully cleared of serious injury pretty quickly after he had face-planted into the ground and been stretchered off. Yet his side remained in the fight with Reece Walsh pulling the strings in attack.

But in the end, they ran out of steam as the Storm kicked away in the second half to inflict a 13th straight defeat on their opponents in this fixture. 

Herbie Farnworth and Pat Carrigan were both unlucky to be sent to the bin by the Bunker, with Brisbane's lock particularly dumbfounded by the decision. He was sent for a hip drop tackle which ended up not even featuring on the match review committee's charge sheet the next morning.

It sparked another debate around the issue of hip drops after Graham Annesley had earlier claimed there was nothing difficult about identifying what was and what wasn't a hip drop tackle.

"He slid down his legs!" an irritated Kevin Walters said post-match. 

"You would not see that happen in a grand final – someone getting sin-binned for that."

New Zealand Warriors 24 - 12 Canterbury Bulldogs

What we liked: Shaun Johnson winding back the clock

Shaun Johnson has been playing a setlist stacked with all the old classics to date, threading the ball into the on-goal to ramp up pressure on the opposition and then hitting points on the field with his side.

He did exactly this for New Zealand’s first try when he forced a drop out, before rolling a deft kick into the in-goal exposing Canterbury’s rush defence for Josh Curran to score.

However, his best was yet to come when he laid it on a platter for Dallin Watene-Zelezniak to score in the corner following an intercept break.

The No.7 executed a perfect cross-field kick on the first tackle to extend the Warriors’ lead to 18-0 after he also nailed the sideline conversion right over the black dot.

New Zealand didn't come out after the break with the same kind of intensity as they had to start the match, but it didn't matter as they eased to their sixth win of the season. 

What we disliked: Canterbury's struggles in attack

The Bulldogs started the game with plenty of intent, shifting the ball inside their own territory and trying to get on the front foot. 

Yet as soon as they fell behind to tries from Curran and the impressive Addin Fonua-Blake, the scoreboard pressure started to tell on an attack that is already malfunctioning.

In the second half, the Dogs enjoyed the majority of possession and made five linebreaks to one but offered little in attack outside of the odd spark. 

Matt Burton is being asked to do too much and isn't getting much help from the rest of his teammates which is making it easy for opponents to snuff out the threat the five-eighth turned halfback has with his running game. 

Penrith Panthers 48 - 4 Sydney Roosters

What we liked: Jarome Luai and Scott Sorensen tear Sydney to shreds

Heading into the blockbuster clash, Jarome Luai spoke of his confidence in keeping his NSW jersey despite his stuttering start to the season while Nicho Hynes lurked in the background. 

Yet even in Luai's wildest dreams he couldn't have imagined sparking back into form the way he did against the Roosters. 

The five-eighth was at the heart of everything the Panthers did well, as Nathan Cleary took the back seat and allowed his halves partner to gather all of the limelight. 

Except, even though Luai set up three tries and scored a four-pointer of his own, he was upstaged by a teammate. 

At BlueBet Stadium on Friday night, it was Scott Sorensen's world and everyone else was just living in it.

The backrower produced a frankly ridiculous display to terrorise the Roosters and condemn Trent Robinson's men to a seventh-straight loss to Penrith. 

He finished with a double, two try assists, over 150m, 27 tackles and three linebreaks in what was undoubtedly the performance of his career. 

What we disliked: Everything about the Roosters

The match promised plenty with both sides on the end of some surprising results so far this year. It promised to be a tight and brutal affair with two heavyweights going toe-to-toe and yet, the Roosters offered nothing.

Not only was their stuttering attack on full display once again, they were also dreadful in defence.

They got dominated in both possession and territory as the Panthers simply rolled through the middle of them before they spread it out wide to the edges where Sorensen and co ran riot. 

The Chooks found themselves 24-0 down at half time and couldn't stem the onslaught as Penrith piled on another 24 points in the second stanza to claim their biggest win ever over their opponents. 

To make matters worse, Jared Warea-Hargreaves departed after just 16 minutes with an injury, while Joey Manu limped off with an ankle injury in the second half. 

Just hours before the game started, it was revealed Sam Walker had also picked up an injury which ruled him out of the NSW Cup game which acted as the precursor for Sydney's night of embarrassment. 

South Sydney Rabbitohs 20 - 0 Wests Tigers

What we liked: South Sydney dominate from start to finish

For a team that has struggled with consistency and patience in past seasons, the Rabbitohs led from siren to siren. 

It was another Latrell masterclass who was in full control recording a try, try assist, seven tackle breaks and 12 individual points.

The Bunnies completed their sets incredibly well - the right side of Milne and Graham played spectacularly running for over a combined 450 run metres.

It was convincing from South Sydney who now move to the top of the NRL ladder and look like premiership favourites 11 rounds in.

What we disliked: Tigers show no threat in attack

The Tigers' effort and desire cannot be discredited - they hung in with the Bunnies for 73 minutes before conceding.

They ran through the middle of the park well, but it was their lack of threat around the opposition's try line that hurt them.

The Tigers completed well and had just as much possession as South Sydney but just didn't make the most of their attacking opportunities.

Defensively the side was excellent and will remain in games if they are to play at that level each week.

However, Brandon Wakeham and Luke Brooks will need to find something in attack if the Tigers are to turn these close contests into wins. 

North Queensland Cowboys 42 - 22 St George Illawarra Dragons

What we liked: Heilum Luki makes a late bid for Origin debut

In a breathtaking performance, Cowboys second-rower Heilum Luki threw his name into the mix for Queensland contention against the Red V.

After some tough injuries over the past 12 months, Luki is back to his rampaging best on the edge for North Queensland and crossed for two tries and ran for 185 metres in the impressive victory.

Luki will face stiff competition from the likes of David Fifita and Felise Kaufusi for a spot in the Maroons lineup, but would add instant X-factor, size and skill to their forward rotation. 

Cowboys captain Chad Townsend was full of praise for the Cairns junior after his game-breaking display. 

“He’s been huge – we really value Heilum at this club and he brings a different dynamic to some of our other back-rowers," he said.

"He is very hard to tackle, he is very fast and he can score tries. You saw what he was capable of tonight and he is still finding his feet…his best is yet to come."

The 22-year-old has been touted for big things since making his debut a couple of years ago and a consistent stint in the top grade will only help his chances for higher honours.

What we disliked: The handling of Jayden Sullivan

There was so much to dislike about the performance of St George Illawarra on Saturday night, but the way that head coach Anthony Griffin used young playmaker Jayden Sullivan was borderline criminal.

After starring off the bench in a narrow loss at Magic Round, the local junior was promoted to the starting side at halfback, with Ben Hunt shifting to hooker in his 300th appearance.

But after being controversially sin-binned in the 20th minute and the Dragons leaking three tries in his absence, Sullivan never returned to the field.

Instead, the under-fire Griffin opted to move Hunt back to halfback and push Moses Mbye to hooker for the final 50 minutes of the clash. The experienced utility has proven time and time again this season that his service from dummy-half is sub-par, and the Red V have looked far better with Sullivan on the field.

The coach attempted to explain his decision in the post-game press conference, but it will likely fall on deaf ears as far as Dragons fans are concerned. 

The defensive woes and simple errors are a major concern for St George moving forward, but the treatment of one of their brightest young stars - not just tonight, but all season - is horrendous coaching. 

Canberra Raiders - Parramatta Eels 

What we liked: Hudson Young continues Origin push

There was plenty to like about the Raiders and this game as a whole, but the performance of Hudson Young in the second-row will surely catch the eye of Brad Fittler.

As many within the game calling for his selection in the NSW Blues lineup for the upcoming Origin series, Young continued to stake his claim with one try, 103 run metres, two tackle breaks and 27 tackles. 

Young also came up with a crucial one-on-one strip in the second-half when Eels were gaining momentum, which is proof of his football IQ.

A tough and gritty competitor who knows how to find the try line, NSW could do a lot worse than handing the bolter a debut. 

What we disliked: Possession issues cripple Eels

While it was a gallant effort from the Eels considering the absence of star halfback Mitchell Moses, their lack of possession never gave them a real chance of coming away with the two points. 

The weight of possession was against the blue and gold due to their ball handling and the officiating, coming up with 12 errors and completing at just 63 per cent, while also stuck on the wrong end of a 10-3 penalty count. 

"I never say anything about the refereeing – but I think tonight, we were hard done by," head coach Brad Arthur said post-game.

"We contributed to a few things...but I don’t know what more I can say to the boys, because I thought they were stiff."

And despite making six linebreaks to Canberra's two, the visitors couldn't manage to capitalise on a lot of them and fell short by eight points at GIO Stadium. 

Newcastle Knights 46 - 26 Gold Coast Titans

What we liked: Ponga finds devastating form

Just in time for State of Origin, Kalyn Ponga returned to form and fitness with a huge performance in Newcastle's win over the Titans.

Playing at five-eighth, Ponga set up three tries and scored one of his own as the Knights recorded a resounding victory on home soil.

Ponga also ran for 175 metres in a performance which will have caught the eye of Queensland coach Billy Slater and have Blues fans worried.

What we disliked: Titans' 15-minute lapse costs them

For 15 minutes in the second half, the Titans weren't at the races defensively.

It started when Greg Marzhew bullocked his way to a try in the corner, shrugging off a host of Gold Coast defenders.

The Knights would go on to score three more tries in the 15 minutes that followed, effectively putting the game to bed.

Gold Coast missed a staggering 48 tackles in the contest, the majority coming in the second half

Manly Sea Eagles 14 - 20 Cronulla Sharks 

What we liked: Sharks bounce back with gritty win

Last week's showing against the Dolphins was less-than-ideal for the Sharks, but they responded well this round.

A dominant first-half followed by an early second-half try from Jesse Ramien put them in a commanding 20-2 lead.

The Sea Eagles left their run late but Craig Fitzgibbon's side were able to diffuse any scoring opportunities in the dying minutes.

It wasn't the tidiest win - their 12 penalties conceded a concern - but two points were all they needed after their heavy loss at Magic Round.

What we disliked: Tom Trbojevic's concerning fitness

Tom Trbojevic has battled a number of injuries in recent years and it appears that it has all caught up to him on the field.

The Sea Eagles No. 1 has struggled for form this year, but it was his movement that was most concerning on Sunday.

Traditionally known for his turn of foot and sheer speed, Trbojevic's potential selection in the NSW Blues squad will be highly speculated.

Should Brad Fittler pick him despite his lacklustre performances? Should Manly give him a spell on the sideline?

Regardless, it's fair to say that the league is more exciting when Turbo is at his best, so we can only hope a solution is found.

Joshua Mayne

Joshua Mayne Photo

Joshua Mayne is a content producer for The Sporting News Australia based in Sydney, Australia. He has previously worked as a newsreader at 2SER and journalist at Ministry of Sport. While Joshua’s main passions are football, rugby league, basketball and F1, he will watch any sport that's on. He is still waiting for Arsenal to win the Premier League again. 

 

Tom Naghten

Tom Naghten Photo

Tom Naghten is a senior editor at The Sporting News Australia where he's been part of the team since 2017. He predominantly covers boxing and MMA. In his spare time, he likes to watch Robbie Ahmat's goal against the Kangaroos at the SCG in 2000.

Liam O'Loughlin

Liam O'Loughlin Photo

Liam has been with The Sporting News since 2019, helping lead both NRL and cricket content, as well as delving into the world of combat sports and NFL. A true rugby league tragic, he has spent the past 20 years playing, coaching and volunteering for his beloved junior club, Penshurst RSL. 

Away from work, Liam has a lifelong passion for all things pro wrestling and has travelled abroad to attend showcase events for WWE, AEW and NJPW. 

 

Mark Molyneux

Mark Molyneux Photo

Mark Molyneux is a freelance writer covering the NRL and UFC for Sporting News Australia. He has previously worked in the music industry and as a teacher around the world.

Kye Kuncoro

Kye Kuncoro Photo

Kye is a content producer for Sporting News Australia.