NRL Round-Up: Souths continue to struggle, the Broncos injuries mount and Reed Mahoney's protection services
Some players did their talking with the ball in hand, at least one was just talking in Round 9 of the NRL. ()
The Brisbane Broncos have a big injury issue, while South Sydney and the Warriors just have issues after falling to more defeats.
Meanwhile Reed Mahoney reckons everyone has got him wrong and he’s just offering his forwards protection.
Here’s this week’s NRL Round-Up.
1. The try that sums up South Sydney in 2024
The Rabbitohs shot off the blocks with the first two tries against Penrith on Thursday night and after an hour they had only just gone behind 24-12.
Then it happened…
Cody Walker’s kick dribbled just over the dead-ball line, Dylan Edwards shot up to the 20m line, tapped the ball with only three Rabbitohs onside, looked left, found Taylan May completely unmarked, and the man with the worst tattoo in the NRL did the rest, with not a dash of cardinal or myrtle in sight.
So it has been for South Sydney this season, showing glimpses of top-shelf ability, but utterly incapable of stringing it together for much more than a half and certainly not a full game.
They had some injury woes and played with 12 men on the field for a quarter of the match, but former Penrith coach Matthew Elliott said on ABC Sport that the team’s conditioning is just not up to snuff.
ABC player of the year votes:
3. Isaah Yeo (Panthers)
2. Dylan Edwards (Panthers)
1. Mitch Kenny (Panthers)
(Votes are compiled by the ABC Sport radio commentary team after each match)
2. Raiders win built on Yorkshire grit
Losing 40-0 one week, 20-0 down inside half an hour the next, it would have been pretty easy for the Raiders to completely capitulate.
That they didn’t is down to their English import Elliot Whitehead.
The former Bradford second rower put the team on his back, scoring two tries and setting another one up in a dazzling performance.
“It were pleasing to get the two tries,” Whitehead told the ABC Sport team on Saturday.
“He [coach Ricky Stuart] is really passionate and wants all the best for the boys week-in week-out. He were a little bit upset with the last few performances … he was in tears at the end of the game, overwhelmed by the way we’d played.”
For Stuart’s part, he was thrilled with his import’s performance.
“Elliott played one of his best games I’ve seen him play,” Stuart said post-match.
“It’s not just two tries; it’s leadership, his contributions in meetings this week, he was massive this week — and those boys grow around that.”
ABC player of the year votes:
3. Elliott Whitehead (Raiders)
2. Sebastian Kris (Raiders)
1. Tom Trbojevic (Sea Eagles)
3. Injury pain to test Broncos’ depth
Nobody expects too many positives to come from a 40-18 thumping — but far more damaging than the Broncos’ fourth defeat of the season is the long term damage inflicted by multiple injuries.
The Broncos confirmed Adam Reynolds will miss 12-14 weeks with a ruptured bicep, while Jesse Arthars will miss six weeks with a broken jaw.
However, Kevin Walters said the disastrous injury was a chance for former Tigers player Jock Madden to step up.
“We would prefer for guys to not get injured but it gives us an opportunity to have a really good look at Jock for the next 12 or 14 weeks,” Walters said.
“We have got good depth. I’m more concerned about how we played [on Friday night]. We need to fix that.”
ABC player of the year votes:
3. James Tedesco (Roosters)
2. Angus Crichton (Roosters)
1. Connor Watson (Roosters)
4. Bulldogs’ Reed Mahoney just ‘protecting’ his mate
Bulldogs hooker Reed Mahoney is developing something of a reputation.
The 26-year-old has been involved in scuffles in consecutive weeks, first with Newcastle’s Jack Hetherington and this weekend with Wests Tigers’ Alex Seyfarth in the Bulldogs 22-14 victory.
Mahoney rushed to get involved with Seyfarth as the Tigers prop he grabbed at his Canterbury teammate Viliame Kikau.
“I was just doing what anyone else would do, just running in there and protecting their mate,” Mahoney said, defending accusations that he deliberately baited opponents.
“People get big man syndrome, they don’t like little people talking up to them. Maybe that’s their fault, not mine.
“I go into those sorts of scuffles because I’m there to protect my mate. That’s what we’re about here, protecting each other to the death. I’m just there to do that, I’m not there to start anything, I’m there to protect and stand up for my boys.
“That’s how I see it.”
ABC player of the year votes:
3. Jacob Kiraz (Bulldogs)
2. Jahream Bula (Wests Tigers)
1. Viliame Kikau (Bulldogs)
5. More heartbreak for Storm’s Papenhuyzen
You simply have to feel sorry for Ryan Papenhuyzen.
The 25-year-old, whose recent career has been blighted by serious injury after serious injury, has been struck down again.
After excelling with two try assists and a score of his own in the opening 30 minutes of the game against the Titans on the Gold Coast, the fullback chased down his opposite number AJ Brimson to force a goal line drop out.
However, as soon as he tried to get back up it was clear that there was an issue, his right ankle — the same one broken in last year’s finals match against the Broncos — unable to bear his weight.
This coming after Papenhuyzen missed 15 months with a shattered kneecap that has limited him to just 22 appearances in three years.
“I don’t know how much bad luck you can have,” coach Craig Bellamy said.
ABC player of the year votes:
3. AJ Brimson (Titans)
2. Shawn Blore (Storm)
1. Josh King (Storm)
6. Kodi Nikorima proves his worth
The Dolphins had to dig very deep to condemn the Cowboys to a fourth-successive defeat on Saturday night in Townsville, but were able to do so, in part, due to 30-year-old journeyman five-eighth Kodi Nikorima.
The veteran playmaker was at his brilliant best in Townsville, having a direct hand in four of five tries as the Dolphins came from behind to claim victory — including a gorgeously weighted, almost nonchalant grubber for Jeremiah Nanai to score the deciding try late in the contest.
Nikorima though was quick to praise his 20-year-old halfback partner Isaiya Katoa.
“Credit to Issy, he’s still learning his trade but he’s got an old head on his young shoulders,” Nikorima told Fox after the match.
“He complements my game really well, he plays nice and square which gives me time out the back.
“I don’t reckon we’re where we want to be but we’re definitely building to it.”
ABC player of the year votes:
3. Jamayne Isaako (Dolphins)
2. Reuben Cotter (Cowboys)
1. Max Plath (Dolphins)
7. Warriors wobbles continue to concern
After two narrow defeats to open the year against the Sharks and Storm, the Warriors appeared to have turned the corner.
Three-straight victories saw the New Zealand side turn the corner to sit 3-2 and looking up towards the top of the table.
They’ve not won a game since.
With three-straight defeats plus a draw, the Warriors are wobbling badly.
“We went off script away from what we wanted to do,” Warriors coach Andrew Webster said.
“There were a lot of things this week that we wanted to work on which I thought were a lot better but we’re definitely not good enough and zapping ourself out of energy through our discipline.”
That discipline was worst at the start of the match, when the Warriors conceded five penalties in the first 17 minutes, had Jackson Ford and Tohu Harris put on report and saw Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad fumble under the posts to gift Newcastle the opening try.
And things won’t get any easier, with matches against the Roosters and Penrith before they head back home to New Zealand.
ABC player of the year votes:
3. Daniel Saifiti (Knights)
2. Dane Gagai (Knights)
1. Addin Fonua-Blake (Warriors)
8. Sharks’ unlikely strike weapon sinks Dragons
Tom Hazelton is something of a throwback player.
The 25-year-old from Goulburn in the Southern Tablelands is a prop from the old-school mould — big, hulking, hard running with an average of 107 running metres per game and comes complete with head tape.
The hard-working forward was definitely not known as a try-scorer, with just three in his first 23 games.
Against the Dragons though, he scored the crucial try of the match to seal the victory — his third meat pie in as many games.
“We were just awful,” was Dragons coach Shane Flanagan’s blunt assessment.
“Never completed sets, never got to our kick and when we did, we didn’t nail them down to the corners so it was a frustrating game for me.”
ABC player of the year votes:
3. Teig Wilton (Sharks)
2. Cameron McInnes (Sharks)
1. Daniel Atkinson (Sharks)
[ladder]