By CASEY O’CONNOR
IT HAS been quite a week in NRL land. Teams are over the half way hump in the 2015 competition, and the run to the business end of the season begins in earnest. On Monday night, the Cowboys conjured up the most impossible win, extending their winning streak to a perfect 10 and grabbed a share of the leader board with the Broncos.
Daly Cherry Evans, after not one but two bites of the “which club shall I play for cherry” turned his back on the Titans. In doing so, he penned his own chapter on how to win friends and fans. He scored a perfect 10 for his timed-to-the-moment back flip as he delivered a TKO to the Titans, landing perfectly in the Eagles nest for life.
As Origin II looms large, a knee injury to NSW Game One destroyer Cooper Cronk means angry Queenslanders may have to forgive but perhaps not forget as DCE looks likely to get the nod from Mal as Cronk’s replacement. Despite Cronk’s injury, it is not all doom and gloom for Queenslanders. The sight of Greg Inglis in full flight in round 13 was enough to warm any Maroon heart. It has opened the door for another Origin appearance for Michael Morgan and perhaps even Ben Hunt.
There is good news in the Blues camp. Skipper Paul Gallen made a triumphant return for the Sharks on Saturday as they pulled down the pants of the premiership favourites the Roosters at Shark Park. And so the rivalry between those two clubs flourishes. Robbie Farah appears to have been given the green light to grab another Blue jersey after overcoming his shoulder injury. Laurie Daley’s biggest concern must be the ordinary form of Trent Hodkinson. To switch or stick – is the dilemma for the Blues.
As we savour the thought of another Origin clash, attention turns to the four games in round 14. All have the potential to give tipsters heartburn.
On Friday night, the Tigers host the Bunnies. The inconsistent Tigers showed a glimpse of what they are capable of when they raced in 18 points in under 12 minutes against the Titans but their coach Jason Taylor summed up the situation post game, saying some performances of the Tigers are not up to NRL standards.
The Tigers play well in patches but are inconsistent and must aim up for the full 80 minutes to win games. This week they face a big test against the Bunnies. There will be plenty of talent unavailable for selection due to Origin, but the Bunnies impressive performance against the Warriors in Perth was a real show of the current Premier’s strength. The win was their third consecutive victory and they have fired an ominous warning shot to other teams as the competition gallops towards the premiership straight. On the back of their performance in Perth, they look the winners here.
On Saturday, interest turns to Mt Smart Stadium where the Warriors host the current premiership favourites the Roosters.
The head-to-head stats show that the Warriors have the wood on the Roosters especially in games played on their home turf. The Roosters will be smarting after their shock loss to the Sharks. Coach Trent Robinson didn’t mince words after the game. He labelled Roosters performance horrible, saying staff and key players spent too long “patting themselves on the back” after the Roosters demolition of the Storm in the previous round.
The Warriors must bounce back after their loss to the Bunnies in Perth. The trip to the west is recurring nightmare for the Warriors. It is now seven trips for seven losses and they won’t be keen to head back any time soon. The Warriors must improve their ball handling and address their error rate if they are to remain in the eight.
The Roosters will leave no stone unturned in their preparation for this game but with key players on Origin duty, the Warriors should extend their dominance over the Chooks on Kiwi turf.
On Sunday, the Bulldogs head to the Gold Coast for their clash with the Titans at Cbus Stadium. In one of the most entertaining games of the season, the Doggies overran the Dragons to get the points at ANZ stadium. The Dogs had all the early running as they slipped out to a handy lead. The Dragons were not going away, and in the middle stage of the game they put on tries to snatch the lead from the Dogs.
At the back end of the game, the Dogs showed their tenacity, and as momentum swung their way they upped the ante and ran away with the game. Adam Reynolds started the game on the bench as Hasler played Moses Mybe as the starting five eighth. When Reynolds was injected into the game, he made an immediate impact and it proved a canny coaching decision.
The Titans dusted themselves off after the DCE drama to put away the Tigers in round 13. It may surprise some tipsters but the Titans lead the head-to-head stats 6/5 and have the upper hand in games played at Cbus. The Doggies will be without Captain James Graham who is having a horror season with suspension and injury keeping him off the paddock. He was forced from the field with a hamstring problem against the Dragons and is unlikely to play here. The Titans will be without Nate Myles, who joins the Maroon camp and that should swing the pendulum in favour of the Dogs but only just.
Round four closes with a game at AAMI Park between Melbourne and Parramatta. In round 13, Melbourne simply blew the Panthers off the park after their humiliating loss to the Roosters the previous week. The win was made more impressive given Bellamy rested Billy Slater.
Parramatta fans are still reeling after the Cowboys lassoed their troops and reined them in last Monday night to post one of the biggest comebacks in rugby league history. The closing 15 minutes of the game were amazing as the Cowboys went on a scoring spree and the Eels capitulated. The ugly loss pretty much sums up the Eels season, and it will be hard for them to pick themselves up off the canvas to face the Storm at home.
Melbourne demonstrated they have depth and can win without their big three last weekend. I fear there will be more pain for the Blue and Gold Army here.
On the Origin front, I think we are headed for a different type of game in Melbourne, but for Blues supporters my Maroon bones are saying the result is going to be in Queensland’s favour.
Casey’s tips
Rabbitohs
Warriors
Bulldogs
Storm
Queensland
2015 Telstra Premiership Ladder
Pos. Team P Pts
1 Broncos 13 20
2 Cowboys 13 20
3 Storm 12 18
4 Dragons 12 18
5 Rabbitohs 13 16
6 Roosters 12 14
7 Bulldogs 12 14
8 Warriors 12 14
9 Raiders 13 12
10 Panthers 12 12
11 Titans 12 12
12 Sharks 12 12
13 Tigers 12 10
14 Knights 13 10
15 Eels 13 8
16 Sea Eagles 12 8
