NRL Round 19: What we liked and disliked from every game

Joshua Mayne

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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 19: What we liked and disliked from every game image

Round 19 is officially in the books, with the Origin-affected weekend producing some interesting results.

Cronulla cemented themselves inside the NRL top-four with a clinical win over the Tigers, before a late surge from the Dragons gave the Raiders a scare on Friday night.

South Sydney and Parramatta both felt the impact of representative period in their respective losses on Saturday, before the Titans gave up yet another half-time lead to the Dolphins to finish the round. 

Here's what we liked and disliked from every game in NRL Round 19. 

Wests Tigers 12 - 36 Cronulla Sharks

What we liked: Tigers' promising young core

The Tigers suffered another loss on Thursday night, but there were plenty of positives for them to take away.

Their overall team effort was much improved, and their young core also shined.

Dashing fullback Jahream Bula led his side in run metres again (158m) while Shawn Blore scored the first try of his career in a strong performance in the second row.

Tallyn Da Silva was also a stand-out, contributing in attack and defence in an impactful 29-minute showing.

What we disliked: Wests crumble in the second half

The Tigers looked strong for 60 minutes of the game but would crumble towards the backend. 

Although an improvement on their previous 74-0 thrashing the 36 points conceded still isn't great.

The Tigers were not only poor defending their goaline, but also in the middle as their team could not stop Cronulla's attacking momentum.

The 36 points they let in means that over the past two weeks Wests has conceded a total of 110 points. 

St George Illawarra Dragons 26 - 36 Canberra Raiders

What we liked: Raiders looking like a finals team

Things are very tight on the NRL ladder at the moment, so the Raiders' win over the Dragons was an important result.

It was a first-half onslaught from Canberra, taking full advantage of the home side's weak left-edge defence.

The way they allowed their opponents back into the game wasn't ideal, but they got the two points nevertheless. 

The Raiders now sit in fourth place on the table and are increasingly looking like genuine finals threats.

Of course, the likes of the Panthers, Broncos, Rabbitohs and Storm will be considered better chances in September, but there can't be any team in the top eight who would want to face the 'Green Machine' in the opening week of the finals. 

What we disliked: Slow start costs Dragons

After consecutive terrible poor performances the Dragons at least showed fight in Friday night's matchup.

The Dragons had a considerable amount of possession and had plenty of attacking ball but struggled to be effective.

The 18-point first half deficit as well as the three injuries that left the Dragons with just one interchange player and forced them into a massive reshuffle didn't help their cause.

Zac Lomax's performance at fullback was promising and the overall team effort was there, but once again the Dragons came up short.

Parramatta Eels 10 - 46 New Zealand Warriors 

What we liked: Luke Metcalf produces eye-catching display

Luke Metcalf has been a promising talent for some time now and in the last few weeks he has grown into his role at the Warriors as he has enjoyed a sustained run in the NRL. 

The five-eighth was the catalyst of New Zealand's first half blitz, crossing for two tries and setting one up as the fleet-footed playmaker tore the depleted Eels to shreds. 

Metcalf is starting to make the No.6 jersey his own and even with the potential return of Te Maire Martin from injury soon, Andrew Webster will face a tough task in dropping the young gun.

The former Cronulla player is looking more and more comfortable in first grade and is forming a lethal partnership with Shaun Johnson as the Warriors rolled to an easy win against the hosts. 

What we disliked: Eels a shadow of their usual selves without Origin trio

Despite putting up a valiant effort in the first 20-odd minutes and briefly threatening to cause a boil over, the Eels slumped to a heavy defeat as the loss of their key players to Origin proved costly. 

They had no real direction in attack and crumbled under the weight of Warriors possession as they suffered their biggest deficit of the season so far. 

Parramatta were without their skipper Clint Gutherson, as well as their halfback Mitch Moses and best prop in Reagan Campbell-Gillard and their absences were keenly felt. 

The gutting of the side left the Eels massively outgunned with the Warriors, who were virtually at full strength, making light work of them in an all-too-predictable result. 

"I'm disappointed," Brad Arthur said post-match.

"I thought we put a good enough team out there to be better than that."

South Sydney Rabbitohs 32 - 36 Canterbury Bulldogs

What we liked: Rookies produce the goods in nail-biting shootout

The kids are alright.

On Saturday evening, South Sydney's team could have passed as their NSW Cup side, while the Bulldogs unearthed some potential diamonds just one week on from seemingly hitting rock bottom with their heavy loss to the Knights.

Blake Wilson scored a hat-trick for the Dogs in his fourth appearance in first grade, but he wasn't the only rookie to catch the eye during a wild shootout at Accor Stadium. 

His teammate Ethan Quai-Ward scored with one of his first touches of the ball on debut, while Jeral Skelton finally got a taste of NRL action when he was activated as 18th man following Ryan Sutton's injury.

Skelton showed what he is capable of after shining in reserve grade with a couple of strong carries, while Wilson's three tries proved decisive as the Dogs clung on for a nail-biting win. 

Meanwhile, on the losing side Tyrone Munro grabbed a double, Blake Taaffe had his best game in the NRL and Tallis Duncan scored an incredible try from the kickoff as the youth had a day out. 

What we disliked: Ryan Sutton gets stretchered off as Matt Burton cops a laser

In a game that pretty much had everything, Ryan Sutton departed early on a stretcher after being the victim of a high shot from Taane Milne. 

The English prop lay prone on the turf for quite some time with early news out of the sheds indicating he felt pain in his neck as a result of the tackle.

Milne was eventually sent to the sin bin but only after two reviews from the Bunker. Initially, he escaped with being put on report before the severity of Sutton's injury caused a re-think as Milne was sent for 10 in bizarre scenes. 

Once play resumed, the Bulldogs ran in three quickfire tries in the first half to establish a big lead against the depleted Bunnies. 

But as Matt Burton lined up for a sideline conversion, he copped a green laser in his eyes which he was understandably filthy about. 

Thankfully, reports indicated the person responsible was escorted out of the stadium after they had been identified by security. 

Gold Coast Titans 21 - 23 Dolphins

What we liked: Anthony Milford sparks Dolphins comeback

In a see-sawing affair between two sides desperate for a victory, the class and experience of Anthony Milford proved to be a major difference for the Dolphins. 

After missing the past three matches, the 28-year-old came off the bench in the golden point victory and filled in at hooker, giving the side plenty of spark around the ruck and creating points in their second-half comeback.

Milford finished with seven runs for 58 metres, two try assists and two linebreak assists in a classy display, earning some praise from head coach Wayne Bennett in the post-game press conference. 

“I felt that leading into half-time and held my nerve, but I knew I needed to get him on the field," Bennett said.

"He brings a lot, he’s got a lot to give us, and he kind of changed that second-half.

"He’s been out for three weeks, they feel that pain when they are out that they let the team down, and they want to come back and do something good for them."

What we disliked: Gold Coast's second-half collapse

For the second time this season, the Titans blew a half-time lead against their new Queensland rivals and are now on shaky ground in regards to playing finals footy.

Despite missing a host of big names including AJ Brimson and Tino Fa'asuamaleaui due to Origin commitments, Gold Coast took a 14-6 lead into the break and looked poised for a much-needed win. 

Unfortunately, the visitors scored three unanswered tries after the break to take the lead, before a penalty in extra time against Erin Clark put the nail in the Titans' coffin in a bitter two-point defeat. 

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. 

 

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.