NRL round 23: What we liked and disliked from every game

Joshua Mayne

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Mark Molyneux

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NRL round 23: What we liked and disliked from every game image

It was tries galore this week, with the top eight also given a bit of a shuffle just two weeks out from the finals.

Brisbane have dropped down to eighth, whilst Parramatta have moved within touching distance of the top four.

Here's what we liked and disliked from Round 23 of the NRL.

South Sydney Rabbitohs 22 - 26 Penrith Panthers

What we liked: Api Koroisau's big final play

In an absorbing match that swung back and forth, there was plenty to admire from both teams.

However, there was no bigger play than Api Koroisau's decision to turn down the option of a field goal and instead go for the try. It was an all-or-nothing play.

With only a minute left on the clock, score were all tied up and Penrith had possession on the Rabbitohs' try line. Sean O'Sullivan had positioned himself in front of the sticks, yet Koroisau had other ideas.

He fooled pretty much everyone when out of dummy half he threw a no-look pass to Liam Martin down the short side. The backrower flew onto the ball and planted it down to seal the victory and the minor premiership. 

Martin got the plaudits, but it was Koroisau's vision and willingness to not take the conservative option that resulted in one of the plays of the season. 

What we disliked: Reaction to Jaxson Paulo's tough night

History is written by the victors and unfortunately for Jaxson Paulo on Thursday night, that was Liam Martin.

The Penrith star botched two try-scoring opportunities before scoring the match-winning try in the closing stages. His mistakes were forgotten about, while Paulo's were magnified.

Having said all that, the treatment the young winger received in the aftermath of the match on social media was unacceptable. There is no place for it in the game.

North Queensland Cowboys 48 - 4 New Zealand Warriors 

What we liked: Cowboys bounce back to show premiership credentials

The Cowboys were disappointing against the Roosters last week on the road, but back on their own patch, they looked like a team capable of winning the premiership.

Running over eight tries against the Warriors, North Queensland showed the attacking threat they possess with seven individual try scorers.

Young playmaker Tom Dearden continued his meteoric rise with two tries for the winners.

What we disliked: Reece Walsh brought back down to earth

After a starring performance against the Bulldogs last week, Reece Walsh learned a week was a long time in football as he struggled against the Cowboys.

Having been challenged with his consistency for most of the season, Walsh battled under the high ball and was run over for two of North Queensland's tries.

The supremely talented 20-year-old will need to work hard to elevate himself into the top echelon of players.

Brisbane Broncos 12 - 60 Melbourne Storm

What we liked: Harry Grant masterclass

After Api Koroisau's starring role in Penrith's win the night before, Harry Grant seemed to take it as a personal challenge to prove he's still the best No.9 in the game.

He simply tore the Brisbane defence apart with his work in the ruck, as the Storm piled on 10 tries to dismantle the Broncos just a few weeks out from finals.

Grant registered his first try assist of the night when he sent Tui Kamikamika over under the posts. He then measured a grubber kick into the in-goal for Cameron Munster to score. It blew their lead out to 24-6 at the interval and all but put the game to bed. 

The hooker took advantage of lazy work at marker to barge over from close-range and score what has become a trademark four-pointer for Grant. 

He finished with a try, two try assists, over 100 running metres and three tackle busts in an absolute clinic that reminded everyone the Storm dummy-half is still the best there is in his position.  

What we disliked: Broncos handed a harsh lesson

Brisbane entered into the contest as major underdogs. Their recent form had been shaky and they have a horrendous record against the Storm.

In truth, they never appeared likely to end their 11-game losing streak against Melbourne, as Craig Bellamy's men battered them in every facet of the game on the way to notching 60 points.

It left the Broncos in serious danger of slipping out of the eight in the coming weeks.

“I guess it was a good lesson in how to play rugby league for our blokes,” Kevin Walters admitted post-match.

After having hopes of a top-four finish just a month ago, they now will be looking over their shoulder in the final weeks of the season, as they try to hold onto their position in the eight. 

Parramatta Eels 42 - 6 Canterbury Bulldogs 

What we liked: Dylan Brown at his best

There are not many better five-eighths to watch in the competition than Dylan Brown when he is in full flow. The Kiwi international has pretty much everything in his locker, with his running game and creativity off the back of quick play-the-balls a joy to watch. 

Against the Bulldogs, Brown and his halves partner Mitchell Moses ran riot while putting the Eels back into the winner's circle. 

His cut-out pass to send Maika Sivo over in the corner was a highlight, but his game was full of high-quality moments as his short ball to Ryan Matterson left the Bulldogs defence at sixes and sevens. 

The No.6 finished off his afternoon's work with two late tries as he combined with the returning Moses to notch a quickfire double.

What we disliked: The Dogs have run out of juice

For a period, the Bulldogs became the great entertainers under Mick Potter. Yet that momentum they had been able to generate has diminished in the past fortnight with two heavy defeats. 

Last weekend, they were blown away by the Warriors in New Zealand and against their arch-rivals Parramatta they didn't fare any better.

Canterbury had their equal share of possession but looked devoid of ideas in attack unless Matt Burton was able to conjure something up.

But it was their defence which was the biggest worry; conceding 10 linebreaks and being brushed off tackles far too easily on the edges. 

They've now lost three matches in a row and have leaked 112 points in that period. 

Manly Sea Eagles 6 - 40 Cronulla Sharks

What we liked: The combination of Matt Moylan and Nicho Hynes

In the past few weeks, the Sharks have ticked off the wins in the absence of Matt Moylan. But the return of the No.6 from injury resulted in one of their best attacking displays in some time, as they made light work of Manly.

In doing so, they claimed their first victory at 4 Pines Park since 2008 - eradicating the hoodoo in impressive fashion.

The signs were there early when Moylan and Hynes combined to catch Tolutau Koula out of position at fullback and open the scoring. 

From there, Cronulla barely relented as they went through their whole attacking repertoire to pile on the points. At the heart of this was their halves pairing who linked constantly with shifts to the edges and attacking kicks. 

Hynes finished with two tries and two try assists, while Moylan ended with one try and one try assist in a dominant performance. 

What we disliked: Manly's season continues to implode 

After the Pride jersey fiasco, the Sea Eagles have lost four in a row. It's now officially in the same realms as the Dragons' infamous BBQ-gate last season. 

In their final game at home this year, Manly failed to fire a shot as they were comprehensively outplayed by the Sharks. 

Des Hasler's side had been ravaged by injury this week with the likes of Jake Trbojevic and Reuben Garrick ruled out through injury. Yet their application in defence still left a lot to be desired, as their chance of making the finals was brutally stamped out in front of their home fans. 

After riding on the wave of Tom Trbojevic's incredible form last season, this campaign has been littered with controversy and injury as it slides towards a miserable end. 

Sydney Roosters 72 - 6 Wests Tigers 

What we liked: Angus Crichton's first half

In truth, there wasn't a bad Sydney player on the park in a dominant display where they obliterated a hapless Tigers defence.  

But Angus Crichton backed up his recent good form with the most complete 40 minutes he, or any other player for that matter, has put together all season. 

His stat line was frankly ridiculous: two tries, one try assist, three linebreaks, over 100 running metres and seven tackle busts. 

After a slow start to the season, Crichton has really started to gather momentum before the finals - that will no doubt worry every edge defence in the top end of the comp. 

What we disliked: The Wests Tigers

The Roosters have been in great form recently, but it really was made all too easy for them against a Tigers side who looked like they wanted to be anywhere but the SCG on Saturday night. 

Brett Kimmorley's men continued with their tradition of conceding far too many points early and being all but out of the contest by half-time. Against the Roosters, they found themselves 30-0 down at the interval. 

"This is like an opposed training session against the under 20's side during the week," Fox League commentator Warren Smith said.  

The Tigers are done for the year. They are just watching the clock, while they are almost certain to pick up the wooden spoon. 

St George Illawarra Dragons 46 - 26 Gold Coast Titans 

What we liked: Dragons youngsters shine

They may have fallen short of the finals this season, but Dragons fans should be optimistic about the potential of their side's young players.

Cody Ramsey is settling into the fullback position, Talatau Amone is growing in confidence in the halves and Jayden Sullivan is emerging as a useful utility player.

There is still plenty to tidy up - notably defensively - but there is no shortage of talent on hand for Anthony Griffin to utilise next year.

What we disliked: Both sides sloppy in defence

With both sides out of finals contention, it's understandable that defensive lapses will occur, but 72 points is still a staggering amount of points to be scored in one match.

Both the Titans and Dragons have shown this season that they can be dangerous in attack, but they have blown too many matches by leaking tries unnecessarily.

This was on full display at WIN Stadium, with gaps appearing in defensive lines all too often.

No doubt a focus area for improvement next season.

Newcastle Knights 22 - 28 Canberra Raiders

What we liked: Kris steps up again

Sebastian Kris is emerging as one of the Raiders' most reliable players, putting on another strong performance on Sunday afternoon.

His consistency in attack is often overshadowed by the brilliance of established stars like Jack Wighton and Josh Papali'i, but Kris' double against the Knights was another example of his importance.

Those two tries - scored on either side of halftime - brought his season total to 12 four-pointers. 

For now, the Raiders remain in contention for finals footy, and Ricky Stuart will be able to rely on Kris to deliver in the final two rounds.

What we disliked: Knights too passive

Finals footy may be out of the equation, but it was a pretty lacklustre second-half performance from the Knights, too easily letting the Raiders make a comeback.

Canberra came out with a point to prove - and arguably deserved the win - but their job was made much simpler by a passive Newcastle defensive effort.

The Knights conceded two tries within the first 10 minutes after the break, and then it felt inevitable that the Raiders would score again to seal a result.

Anthony Milford only making one of his five conversions certainly didn't help, either.

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. 

 

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.