'Curious' Roosters move that 'almost backfired'

1 year ago 77

The opening week of proceedings enactment has thrown up plentifulness of surprises, and The Mole watched each infinitesimal of each match.

Here's The Mole's circular up of the hits and misses from the weekend.

STORM 24 ROOSTERS 32

Roosters manager Trent Robinson played this 1 otherwise to astir of his counterparts, starting with his kids and the bringing his large names connected successful the 2nd fractional - and it astir backfired.

Curiously, the bantam Roosters did amended than large names Brandon Smith, Sam Walker, Victor Radley and Matt Lodge.

Ex-Parramatta back-rower Elie El-Zakham was the prime of the Roosters unknowns, portion erstwhile Tigers centre Junior Pauga scored a precocious 90 metre intercept conscionable erstwhile the Storm looked acceptable to propulsion disconnected an improbable win.

Things started severely for Melbourne, with prima centre Justin Olam coming disconnected aboriginal with a suspected breached arm.

Storm fullback Sualauvi Faalogo, a Samoan-born section Melbourne junior, bagged 2 tries, moving for 200-plus metres successful 69 minutes and looks different Ryan Papenhuyzen - a existent pouch rocket.

He should play NRL astatine immoderate signifier of 2023 connected that performance.

Hooker Bronson Garlick, lad of erstwhile Rooster and Rabbitoh Sean, was different to impressment for the Storm.

BRONCOS 24 TITANS 24

A gully was astir apt a just result, with the Broncos starring 24-6 astatine halftime and past the Titans steaming location to level accounts with a spectacular effort to winger Alofiana Khan-Pereira - his 2nd of the game.

Khan-Pereira has been a tryscoring instrumentality successful the Queensland Cup implicit the past mates of years and showed plentifulness of pace.

Reece Walsh was superb successful his instrumentality to the Broncos, scoring a effort with his archetypal interaction and perpetually troubling the defence.

Tanah Boyd justified getting archetypal ace astatine the Titans' halfback spot, directing the squad astir the parkland and putting winger Jojo Fifita implicit for the team's opening effort with a crossfield bomb.

Deine Mariner made the astir of his chances connected the Broncos wing, scoring 1 effort and creating another.

Keano Kini was large disconnected the seat for the Titans.

WARRIORS 48 TIGERS 12

Few teams made a bigger connection connected the opening play of the twelvemonth than the Warriors, who demolished a supposedly promising Tigers side.

The Warriors were peculiarly awesome retired wide, with centre Viliami Vailea and winger Marcelo Montoya some scoring 3 tries.

Young enlistee Luke Metcalf, who looked a imaginable successful cameo apperances astatine Cronulla past season, was outstanding astatine five-eighth, making a existent connection to caller manager Andrew Webster.

Up front, props Solomon Vasuvulagi and Tom Ale were each powerfulness and purpose.

The young Tigers had small to enthuse about… prop Stefano Utoikamanu was a people supra his team-mates and was rewarded with a barnstorming try.

Rugby national person Tristan Reilly had immoderate bully touches astatine five-eighth and Jahream Bula looked promising astatine fullback.

KNIGHTS 16 SHARKS 28

Former Panthers fractional Niwhai Puru enactment up his manus for an NRL hit-out astatine immoderate signifier of 2023 with an awesome debut for the Sharks.

Puru laid connected a mates of tries and had plentifulness of zip astir his play arsenic the Sharks outclassed the Knights.

Another caller boy, fullback Daniel Atkinson, besides shone successful his archetypal crippled for Cronulla aft lone signing a mates of weeks agone from the Queensland Cup.

Atkinson people a solo try, regathering his ain footwear and acceptable up different successful the dying stages.

There were plentifulness of different positives for the Sharks - winger Tom Rodwell - lad of Illawarra fable Brett - scored the opening effort aft conscionable 4 minutes and prop Thomas Hazelton besides looked bully and was rewarded with a try.

The Knights were led astir the parkland by experienced halves Jackson Hastings and Tyson Gamble but failed to marque overmuch of an impression, with the Sharks successful bid astatine 16-4 astatine the break.

Knights fullback Bailey Hodgson produced a mixed container with respective unforced errors but immoderate unsafe runs.

Second-rower Ben Talty made a mates of useful breaks for the Knights erstwhile thrown into the fray precocious successful the crippled and Adam Clune showed immoderate touches of class, but determination was small other to enthuse astir the Knights.

RABBITOHS 28 SEA EAGLES 30

This was a truly awesome comeback triumph from Manly - a much experienced Souths squad dominated agelong stages of the crippled earlier the Sea Eagles roared location for an unexpected win.

Manly manager Anthony Seibold was delighted with his young charges - and truthful helium should person been.

Fullback Jake Toby shone for Manly, scoring a solo effort and having a manus successful a mates of others.

Hooker Gordon Chan Kum Tong was bully retired of dummy fractional and looks a existent prospect, portion Zac Fulton, who played powerfully erstwhile helium debuted successful the NRL precocious past season, was again solid.

Cooper Johns laid connected a mates of tries astatine five-eighth and could beryllium a useful bargain for Manly, portion large Samuela Fainu lived up to the hype.

Centre Fletcher Myers, signed from Newcastle implicit the summer, had immoderate good moments and showed existent pace.

It wasn't each doom and gloom for Souths - five-eighth Dion Teaupa was arsenic bully arsenic anyone connected the field, mounting up his team's opening effort and past scoring 2 himself.

Big Davvy Moale ran powerfully and was unlucky to person a effort disallowed.

Utility backmost Blake Taaffe, coming disconnected declaration astatine year's end, was unsafe astatine fullback and looks acceptable for a large season.

PANTHERS 22 EELS 16

One of the scrappier games of the weekend, but that tin mostly beryllium enactment down to the stifling vigor astatine Penrith connected Saturday evening.

The Eels had much acquisition successful their broadside but Ivan Cleary utilized the crippled to showcase his young endowment - and the Panther cubs didn't disappoint.

The crippled was mostly a communicative of 4 hookers - Penrith youngsters Luke Sommerton and Connor Mason, aged 22 and 20 respectively, were superb.

Veterans Josh Hodgson and Mitch Rein struggled for the Eels, the erstwhile making immoderate important errors and the second suffering a caput knock.

The Panthers backline oozed pace, with centre Tom Jenkins looking a existent speedster, motoring 95 metres for an intercept effort from a Hodgson pass.

Jesse McLean, an Australian Schoolboy past twelvemonth - besides showed a good crook of speed.

Mav Geyer - lad of nine fable Mark - made a cameo quality for the Panthers and produced a fantastic offload for a effort to Logan Dickson.

Former Tigers centre Zac Cini, successful his 2nd twelvemonth astatine Parra, was their astir unsafe player, scoring a solo effort and asking questions of the defence.

Big Wiremu Greig was coagulated for Parra up beforehand and centre Samuel Loizou besides did immoderate bully things.

DRAGONS 18 ST HELENS 30

St Helens fielded a beardown broadside with 7 erstwhile NRL players successful mentation for adjacent weekend's World Club Challenge against Penrith and were excessively experienced for a young Dragons outfit.

NRL scouts volition person noted the signifier of 21-year-old St Helens fractional Lewis Dodd - with a shortage of people fig sevens successful Australia, helium could find immoderate clubs knocking connected his door.

A James Roby grubber saw Dodd people the opening effort of the crippled and past helium acceptable up the 2nd effort for fullback Jack Welsby with a agelong shot retired wide.

Welsby is simply a James Tedesco-style elusive runner and helium whitethorn occupation the Panthers.

Former Tigers and Sea Eagles back-rower Curtis Sironen ran powerfully for St Helens and acceptable up a effort for winger Tommy Makinson.

The Dragons didn't person overmuch to enthuse astir - fullback Treigh Stewart - a Canberra inferior connected a bid and proceedings declaration - showed large limb velocity for a solo try.

But Stewart marred his crippled with a mates of dreadful errors nether the precocious shot successful defence.

Ben Murdoch-Masila showed immoderate vigor successful his archetypal crippled for the Dragons and Zac Lomax was Zac Lomax - bully moments but mistakes.

Junior Wallaby Savelio Tamale, conscionable 18, scored a precocious effort with his archetypal interaction for the Dragons and looks a player.

RAIDERS 18 BULLDOGS 34

The Cameron Ciraldo epoch began connected a highly affirmative enactment arsenic the Bulldogs scored an emphatic triumph implicit Canberra.

Looking to marque a statement, Ciraldo named adjacent to his strongest squad arsenic good arsenic immoderate 'gun' youngsters.

The Bulldogs had the triumph sewn up astatine 16-0 aft 20 minutes, but to their credit, the Raiders kept coming.

Hooker Reed Mahoney was the astir awesome of the Bulldogs' caller brigade, laying connected the opening 2 tries.

Halfback Kyle Flanagan - starting the twelvemonth nether plentifulness of unit - had a coagulated outing.

Of the youngsters, Jacob Preston, a 21-year-old second-rower signing from the North Sydney Bears, ran powerfully - arsenic did the elephantine Franklin Pele.

Former Aussie 7s rugby centre Jeral Skelton besides had immoderate bully touches.

Brad Schneider - the Raiders' rookie of the twelvemonth successful 2022 - scored disconnected his ain grubber footwear for his team's archetypal effort and acceptable up the 2nd for winger Elijah Anderson.

Wing/centre James Schiller besides made the astir of constricted chances for the Raiders.

COWBOYS 22 DOLPHINS 22

The Dolphins got an aboriginal sensation of the heartbreak that tin beryllium rugby league successful a thriller successful Cairns.

The game's caller boys looked acceptable to propulsion disconnected a triumph implicit the Cowboys earlier a last-second effort to winger Laitia Moceidreke tied the scores up astatine 22-all.

The Dolphins showed touches of people during a scrappy but entertaining game, but besides had lapses of subject that volition request to beryllium worked on.

Tongan planetary Isaiya Katoa staked his assertion for the Dolphins halfback spot with an eye-catching show for the NRL's newcomers.

Katoa was the astir unsafe subordinate connected the field, mounting up 2 important tries.

While his erstwhile Panthers' team-mate Sean O'Sullivan volition beryllium favourite for the fig 7 jumper successful circular one, Katoa gave Wayne Bennett plentifulness to deliberation about.

Youngsters Jack Bostock and Brenton Baira besides looked bully for the Dolphins portion erstwhile Eel Ray Stone was pugnacious successful the middle.

Veteran Anthony Milford had a mixed game, showing immoderate bully touches but besides making errors and spending 10 minutes successful the misdeed bin.

For the Cowboys, winger and PNG planetary Robert Derby bagged 2 archetypal fractional tries, including a 90m intercept try, and is simply a genuine speedster.

Cowboys halfback Tom Duffy impressed with his kicking crippled and seasoned James Tamou ran for implicit 100 metres successful his instrumentality to the club.

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