Coach urged to make major change after flogging

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Craig Fitzgibbon has ever been known arsenic 1 of rugby league's nicest guys but the clip has travel for the Sharks manager to adhd a mean borderline to his personality.

The Sharks person mislaid 3 of their past 5 games and were perfectly flogged by the Storm successful Melbourne connected Sunday.

Fitzgibbon has utilized conscionable 21 players each season, meaning that helium has stuck by the aforesaid players conscionable astir each week in, week out.

Clearly, the Sharks person deed the partition and the squad needs a shake-up.

Harry Grant of the Storm scores a try. (Getty)

Several players are not surviving up to the hype portion young guns similar Connor Tracey proceed to prima successful the NSW Cup and bash good successful the apical people erstwhile fixed the uncommon chance.

Wayne Bennett erstwhile said "coaching isn't a popularity contest" and the clip has travel for Fitzy to get pugnacious with his troops earlier the play slips away.

CLEARY FILL-IN STEPS UP

Panthers officials were privately disquieted implicit past disconnected play erstwhile Nathan Cleary's lawman Sean O'Sullivan discontinue the nine to articulation the Dolphins.

O'Sullivan did a large occupation filling successful for Cleary erstwhile helium was injured oregon connected State of Origin duty.

Stream the NRL premiership 2023 unrecorded and escaped connected 9Now

It was a large spread to capable - but the nine ended up uncovering an perfect replacement successful journeyman Jack Cogger.

A erstwhile Knight and Bulldog, 25-year-old Cogger had spent the past 2 years successful Super League with Huddersfield but jumped astatine the accidental to articulation the Panthers.

NRL Highlights: Roosters v Panthers - Round 15

The feline is nary superstar but he's a astute playmaker and coagulated footballer who knows however to steer a squad astir the park.

With Cleary facing astatine slightest six weeks retired with a hamstring injury, it was captious for Cogger to measurement up and helium did conscionable that successful the Panthers' 30-6 triumph implicit the Roosters connected Saturday night.

The lad of Wests Magpies favourite Trevor Cogger, Jack gave his superb backline clip and abstraction with his bully work and the Panthers' attacking instrumentality did the rest.

'DRAW' IN EPIC FULLBACK BATTLE

Brilliant fullbacks Kalyn Ponga (Knights) and Reece Walsh (Broncos) produced a duel for the ages successful Saturday night's epic clash successful Brisbane.

The Knights were the amended squad for overmuch of the crippled but the Broncos' firepower got them location successful the extremity for a precocious 24-20 victory.

But it was the conflict betwixt Queensland's 2022 fullback and Queensland's 2023 fullback that was the item of a classic.

NRL Highlights: Broncos v Knights - Round 15

Both ran for much than 200 metres, with Walsh producing 2 effort assists, a linebreak and a try-saving tackle.

Not to beryllium outdone, Ponga scored a large solo effort and made 2 linebreaks.

Who won the duel? I'd telephone it a gully - but some tin clasp their heads precocious aft coming up with immoderate breathtaking football.

DRAGON'S BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE

At the extremity of his career, a subordinate tin look backmost and accidental "that was THE crippled that made maine an NRL player".

And for Dragons prop Michael Molo, that breakthrough lucifer came earlier a afloat location astatine Kogarah against the Rabbitohs connected Saturday afternoon.

Molo achieved a uncommon treble - helium topped some the Dragons' moving metres and tackle number and scored a powerhouse effort for bully measure.

Caretaker manager Ryan Carr is simply a large instrumentality of the 26-year-old - arsenic were the fans connected the hill, wherever it was lasting country only, successful the breathtaking 36-30 triumph implicit the Bunnies.

Welch's Origin concern

SEA EAGLE EYES BACKLINE MOVE

Reuben Garrick is simply a precise bully winger for Manly - but helium wants to beryllium an adjacent amended centre.

And Garrick enactment his lawsuit to manager Anthony Seibold successful emphatic benignant connected Friday nighttime astatine Brookvale, scoring a singular 30 points arsenic the Sea Eagles enactment the Dolphins to the sword 58-18.

Putting speech his immense points haul, Garrick gave 1 of the astir implicit centre performances of the year.

He ran for much than 100 metres, acceptable up 3 tries and had 3 linebreak assists and came up with a fantastic try-saving tackle.

Last week I wrote that the injured Brad Parker is looking to determination from the centres to 2nd enactment - it mightiness beryllium conscionable arsenic good fixed Garrick's wizard-like display.

Sea Eagles intercept burns Knights

KEY TO WARRIORS BREAKING DROUGHT

The Warriors person made the finals conscionable erstwhile successful the past 11 seasons - and an inability to triumph connected the roadworthy played a large relation successful the agelong tally of outs.

But successful 2023, Andrew Webster seems to person recovered the cardinal to unlocking the concealed to the distant win.

The Kiwi lads person been victorious successful 4 of their 7 games connected the roadworthy - including 3 of the toughest destinations successful the NRL - Townsville, Cronulla and present Canberra.

The rugby league satellite expected the Warriors to beryllium cannon fodder successful Jarrod Croker's 300th crippled earlier a afloat location successful Canberra, but the Warriors had different ideas.

They out-thought and out-enthused the Raiders to decorativeness convincing 36-14 winners.

Shaun Johnson for the Warriors. (NRL)

The 2023 Warriors are arsenic bully arsenic immoderate squad that has represented the nine - and don't hide the Kiwis person been successful 2 expansive finals.

They play a large marque of football, support their enactment good and are a squad susceptible of truly doing immoderate harm successful the finals.

TITANS RETURN TO FINALS HUNT

Don't regularisation retired the Titans for a precocious tally to the finals present they person immoderate cardinal players backmost from injury.

The instrumentality of fullback AJ Brimson and hooker Sam Verrills has transformed the Titans and they produced 1 of their champion efforts of the play to dispose of the Tigers 28-12 connected Thursday night.

Coach Justin Holbrook has sorely missed the duo and they gave the Titans a much polished look.

Brimson scored the game's opening effort and Verrills was ever a menace astatine dummy-half.

The Titans person plentifulness of attacking threats and immoderate large boppers up front, led by Tino Fa'asuamaleaui, who rattled the Tigers with immoderate large hits.

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