Innholdsfortegnelse for 2018 - Season Review i Big League Weekly Edition

FROM the moment the Roosters took the field last Sunday night, all eyes were on halfback Cooper Cronk. The 34-year-old playmaker was in doubt to play right up until the day before with what was initially believed to be a rotator cuff injury. It was revealed after the game that he actually had a fractured scapula, suffered in the Roosters’ preliminary final win over the Rabbitohs a week earlier. To put into perspective the severity of Cronk’s injury, Wests Tigers five-eighth Josh Reynolds suffered a minor fracture to his scapula earlier this year and was sidelined for five weeks. Cronks’ heroics were revered by his team-mates, opposition players, the media and fans alike. But no one summed it up better than his coach Trent Robinson. “I’ve seen guys get injured…

DALLY M Female Player of the Year Brittany Breayley has called on the NRL to extend the length of the NRLW next season. With just three matches in the inaugural regular season, Breayley would like to see at least double the number of games for the second campaign. Despite hoping for extra time on the park, the Brisbane hooker praised the NRL’s decision to start the competition in 2018 and said she doesn’t want to see more teams introduced yet in order to keep the standard high. “I would like to see a really competitive comp,”Breayleytold Big League. “Atthis stage we still want to see a lot of quality within the game. I’d like to see the minimum number of teams to keep the standard high, but I’d love to…

CLIVE BERNARD CHURCHILL (1927-85) South Sydney fullback 1947-58, 164 games, 13 tries, 75 goals, 2 field goals (193 points). NSW 1948-55, 1957, 27 games, 4 tries, 18 goals (48 points). Australia 1948-57, 34 Tests, 10 goals (20 points) KNOWN as ‘the Little Master’, the Clive Churchill Medal is awarded to the best player in a grand final in homage to someone who played the game with the utmost finesse. He achieved at every level and is regarded by many as the best to have ever graced a rugby league field. He signed with Souths in 1947 and played for New South Wales and Australia just one year later. He could kick with both feet, was elusive and hard to bring down, but importantly he was hard to get past as…

BRISBANE capped off a perfect season to be crowned the inaugural NRLW champions with a 34-12 win over the Roosters. The Broncos were dominant throughout the entire competition, finishing as the undefeated premiers. Five-eighth Kimiora Nati was the standout player of the grand final, bagging a hat-trick in a stunning display at ANZ Stadium. All the damage was done in the first half with the Broncos scoring five tries to one to hold a 28-6 lead at the break. Nati scored twice in the opening 17 minutes to set the tone for the game, while Heather Ballinger, Ngatokotoru Arakua and Lavinia Gould all bagged four-pointers in the first half. Nati capped of the win the final try of the match, while fullback Chelsea Baker kicked five goals from six attempts,…

SALARY CAP CONUNDRUM It seems we can never get through an entire season without a salary cap drama – this year two clubs were caught up in cap-related issues. Manly were fined $750,000 for breaches of the salary cap over the past five years, while two officials were stripped of their registration. The club will also have a $660,000 penalty applied to its salary cap in 2018 and 2019. The Sharks also found themselves in hot water after self-reporting discrepancies relating to historical third-party player payments, discovered during a club-instigated governance review. The NRL confirmed the club is currently compliant with the cap but the investigation is ongoing. BABY BLUES SHINE After years of Queensland dominance, NSW finally hold the upper hand after a stunning State of Origin series. New…

AS the inaugural NRL Women’s Premiership kicked off, all eyes were on the Roosters and Dragons. They had a number of big-name signings and were tipped to be the dominant teams of the competition. However, sneaking under the radar were the Broncos, who went on to go undefeated throughout the competition and win the 2018 Grand Final. Captained by Jillaroos halfback Ali Brigginshaw, the Broncos took charge of the competition from early on. They started things off with a convincing 30-point win over the Dragons, where fullback Chelsea Baker starred scoring a double and converting five from six. A week later, they faced the star-studded Roosters side. Both teams had attacking powerhouses up their sleeve, but it ultimately came down to defence, and the Broncos emerged victorious, 14-4. In Round…

FROM low to high and back to low – that’s one way to sum up St George Illawarra’s first NRLW season. Their campaign started in disappointing fashion as they suffered a 30-4 loss to Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium. Fullback Sam Bremner scored in the opening seven minutes to give the Dragons an early boost, but they couldn’t score for the remainder of the game. Chelsea Baker was the star of the show for the Broncos, with two tries and five goals. It wasn’t an ideal to start the season, but they hit back the following week against the Warriors. Playing in front of a healthy crowd at ANZ Stadium, the Dragons dominated from the outset – even without the injured Bremner. Shakiah Tungai and Honey Hireme both scored long-range tries…

WHEN the Brisbane Broncos side of 1993 catches up for their 25-year premiership reunion, players can sit back and relax knowing they are still the last side to go back-to-back. The Storm had the chance to rewrite history, but in the end it was former friend Cooper Cronk and his Roosters team-mates who had the last laugh as the Tri-colours rode a first-half blitz to win 21-6. “It’s been a difficult year, no doubt about that,” skipper Cameron Smith says. “We’ve had to overcome a lot of challenges this year through various, different things, but when you look back at those challenges and what we have overcome, I think it’s a pretty special effort to get to where we did. “As disappointing as it is, I think we can all…

The Rabbitohs’ 2,197 metres to Wests Tigers’ 880 metres gained in Round 25 is the largest discrepancy in metres gained (1,317 metres) by opponents in a game since the data has been tracked from 1999. Adam Reynolds’ three field goals in the semi-final victory over the Dragons was the first time three field goals or more had been kicked in a final since Jason Taylor kicked three in North Sydney’s 33-21 loss to the Roosters in a 1997 Minor Qualifying Final. The Rabbitohs scored the most points throughout 2018, with 582 through the regular season and 627 including finals. South Sydney’s nine-game winning streak was the longest winning streak this season.…

During the 2018 season, Joseph Paulo overtook Chris Sandow as the player to have played the most first grade games without appearing in the NRL finals, at 166 games. Paulo was able to hand the unwanted record back to Sandow, appearing in a final in the Sharks Preliminary Final loss to the Storm – his last game in the NRL. Matt Moylan’s six try assists in the Round 12 win over the Knights equals Robbie Farah’s NRL-era record for most assists in a game. Valentine Holmes’ 22 tries is the most scored in a single season for the Sharks, overtaking his own record of 19 tries set in 2016. Holmes has finished the Sharks top tryscorer on three occasions since his debut in 2014.…

IF you stacked the Dragons’ 2017 and 2018 NRL campaigns side by side, you’d see some similarities. They both contained flying starts, premiership talk and murmurs of Origin selection, just as they both contained late season slides that raised questions over their premiership credentials and mental fragility. But in the end, the Dragons refused to choke. They pulled themselves out of the mire to finish strongly and return to the finals for the first time since 2015, turning on the style to hammer the Broncos and take South Sydney to the limit before enduring semifinal heartbreak. “We learnt a lot from last season, and we were determined to be more resilient and wiser,” coach Paul McGregor tells Big League. “The pain of our exit last year created a new challenge…

Jamayne Isaako became the first rookie to finish the regular season as the NRL’s top pointscorer (233 points) since Daryl Halligan in 1991, the previous rookie to finish as top scorer was Mick Cronin in 1977 (213 points); 233 is also the most points scored by a rookie. David Fifita became the first player to play NRL born post January 1st, 2000. Fellow Bronco Andrew McCullough was the first player born post January 1st, 1990 to make his NRL debut. Corey Oates equalled Brisbane’s record for 4 tries in a game in their 48-16 Round 25 win over the Sea Eagles. Oates is the first Bronco to score 4 tries in a game since Israel Folau v the Titans in Round 10 of 2009.…

IT was hard not to rally around the Wests Tigers this year. Mahe Fonua’s haircut was too good to ignore, Luke Brooks hit the best form of his career so far, Benji Marshall showed that he’s still got it and prodigal son Robbie Farah returned to the club. Hopping ‘on the bus’ was easy. The Tigers got off to a roaring start, winning five of their first six games – two of which were against the defending premiers in the Storm and one against this year’s premiers the Roosters. It looked as though they were on track to the club’s first finals appearance since 2011. “It was really good to start like that. We came up against some tough teams and we were a pretty new squad,” veteran second-rower Chris…

Through the regular season, Nick Cotric led the NRL in tackle-breaks (149), was second in line-breaks (20), played every possible minute for the Raiders and scored nine tries within eight consecutive games between Round 9-17. Joey Leilua’s 14 tries is the most he’s scored in a season, eclipsing his 13 try effort in 2013. He finished 2018 as the Raiders’ top tryscorer. The Raiders scored the second-most points in the competition through the regular season (563), making 2018 the fourth season in a row that the Raiders have finished in the top three pointscorers in the league. Despite only playing 11 games, Josh Hodgson still led all hookers through the NRL regular season in try assists, with nine.…

THIS year had all the makings to be something special for the Bulldogs. A new coach, captain, CEO and board all looking to resurrect what used to be known as ‘the family club’. But after losing four of their first five matches, it started to set in that maybe 2018 was going to be a much harder year than anticipated. Josh Jackson was appointed as the new club captain earlier this year and says that everything leading up to this season seemed to have aligned and the club was confident that this would be their year. “We had a really great pre-season and everyone was really confident coming into the season,” Jackson tells Big League. “Obviously there were a lot of changes with the coaching staff and players, but heading…

Gavin Cooper’s nine tries in nine consecutive games (Round 16-25) is the longest scoring streak by a forward, overtaking Frank Burge’s 18 tries in eight consecutive games in 1918. This also equals the NRL era record for consecutive tries for any position (Akuila Uate’s 12 tries in nine games in 2012 and Matt King’s 11 tries in nine games in 2007). Johnathan Thurston finished his final NRL season with 22 try assists and 24 line-break assists, leading the NRL in both categories, as well as playing every possible minute throughout the season for the Cowboys. The Cowboys offloaded the least of any side throughout the 2018 season, offloading 158 times at an average of 6.6 times per game.…

IT’S not often you thrash a team 54-0 in Round 2 and then go on to finish one win away from the wooden spoon. But as the Sea Eagles found out, 2018 just wasn’t their year. “I don’t think it’s an accurate reflection of our season,” skipper, Daly Cherry-Evans tells Big League of his side’s 15th-place finish. “I thought we played some really good football this year, but we lost a lot of tight games. Had we been able to jag a few of those wins, it would have been a better reflection of where we should have finished. “I don’t think we played enough good football to be a top-eight side, but I certainly felt we didn’t deserve to finish second last.” Manly were their own biggest enemies as…

THERE are few better words than ‘triumph’ to describe what the Roosters have been able to achieve this year – and the grand final was a fitting end to a remarkable campaign. It wasn’t that they beat the Storm that was surprising, it was how resoundingly they did it – and with 12-and-a-half players as well thanks to Cooper Cronk’s broken scapula. Few teams have been able to so easily curtail the Storm’s attack, but had it not been for Josh Addo-Carr’s tearaway try, the defending premiers would have failed to find the line. The first half was perfectly executed by the Roosters, they suffocated the Storm from all sides and found the line with ease. The tributes paid to wounded warriors Cronk and Blake Ferguson, as well as the…

WE all know what type of player Cooper Cronk is – his stats and achievements speak for themselves; 349 NRL games, 22 games for Queensland and 38 for Australia. But last Sunday we saw a different side to the Roosters halfback when he remarkably took to the field with a fractured scapula to lead his new team to the 2018 premiership. The 34-year-old’s courageous efforts will doubtless be re-told for many years to come, but they had a particularly significant impact on Cronk’s team-mate Victor Radley who has a new level of admiration for the Tri-colours’ marquee star. “He inspired us, we all had goose bumps. If I could turn out to be half the man Cooper is, I’d be really happy,” Radley tells Big League. ELEVENTH HOUR Leading up…

JamesTedesco 8.5 Ran for a game-high 214 metres and looked dangerous in attack all night. He ushered Joseph Manu over the line for a crucial try just before half-time. DanielTupou 8 Got his side on the front foot with 184 metres from 19 carries and even bagged the opening try of the match. LatrellMitchell 7 Was quiet for large periods of the game but dominated Will Chambers when it mattered. Scored a stunning try and booted four goals. Joseph Manu 7 Recorded a game-high five tackle-breaks and was stable in defence with a crucial try-saving tackle. Bagged a four-pointer in his first grand final. Blake Ferguson 7 Wasn’t at his explosive best but still managed 155 metres from 21 runs. Later revealed to have played on with a broken leg.…

SYDNEY ROOSTERS 21 (Daniel Tupou 8’, Latrell Mitchell 15’, Joseph Manu 37’ tries; Mitchell 4 goals; Luke Keary 1 field goal) D. MELBOURNE 6 (Josh Addo-Carr 63’ try; Cameron Smith 1 goal) Half-time: Sydney Roosters 18-0 Crowd: 82,688 Scrums: Sydney Roosters 5-3 Penalties: Melbourne 10-7 Sin-Bin: Cameron Munster (Storm) 30’ 78’ Sent Off: Nil Referee: Gerard Sutton Assistant Referee: Ashley Klein Touch Judges: Nick Beashel, Brett Suttor Goalkickers: Latrell Mitchell (Roosters) 4 from 6, Cameron Smith (Storm) 1 from 1 Completion Rates: Sydney Roosters 34/40, Melbourne 29/41…

ALL eyes were on the Panthers leading into the 2018 Intrust Super Premiership finals series after they claimed the minor premiership and sat six points clear of the second-placed Dragons. However, it was the third-placed Jets and fourth-placed Bulldogs who would ultimately progress to an unexpected grand final contest, and the Bulldogs who celebrated an historic accomplishment at the end of 80 minutes. The grand final saw an impressive defensive effort from both teams. The opening try wasn’t scored until Jets winger Sione Katoa crossed over in the 24th minute, before half Kyle Flanagan backed it up 10 minutes later to push over the line from close-range. He converted his own try to hand the bluebags an early 10-nil lead. Just as it was looking like the Bulldogs would head…

SUPERSTAR fullback Roger Tuivasa-Sheck etched his name into the history books by becoming the first Warrior to take out the prestigious Dally M Medal. The 25-year-old finished the night on 29 points, just ahead of Kalyn Ponga, Luke Brooks, Valentine Holmes and Mitchell Pearce. In a dramatic finish to the count, Tuivasa-Sheck polled three votes in Round 25 to take out the top gong. Key injuries to Knights pair Ponga and Pearce proved telling in the end, but no one can deny the Kiwis star was outstanding in 2018. The Warriors skipper scored three tries, had eight assists, 112 tackle-breaks and ran for 4,102 metres, also earning the Dally M Fullback of the Year award. “It’s unbelievable, I’m blown away to be receiving this award,” Tuivasa-Sheck said. “I’m truly proud…

THEY were written off by everyone after starting the competition with back-to-back losses, but the Roosters showed their potential with a huge win in the final round of the regular season. They headed into the decider with plenty of confidence, but were blown off the park by the red-hot Broncos who rolled through the middle and took advantage of their chances out wide. It wasn’t what the Roosters deserved after pushing the premiers a fortnight earlier, but the result showed the importance of a solid pre-season. The Broncos were a step above the rest of the NRLW courtesy of a big trial win over the PNG Orchids, and Roosters fullback Karina Brown admits the lack of preparation caught up with the Tri-colours. “We didn’t play a trial match this year,…

WHEN the Sharks won the competition in 2016, they did so with the simple mantra: Why not us? Two years later, the Roosters embraced a slightly different philosophy, but the meaning was clear: We play for premierships. It was the hashtag that defined the Tri-colours throughout the finals series and was trending on grand final night after they belted the Storm 21-6 to claim their first premiership in five years. The team have gone close for a number of seasons, but have fallen short time and time again. To go that extra step, the Roosters let go of several high-profile players, including Mitchell Pearce, and replaced them with legendary halfback Cooper Cronk and flashy fullback James Tedesco. With those two attacking weapons in the side, Trent Robinson’s men were tipped…

Curtis Scott’s send-off against Manly in Round 11 is the first since David Shillington for Canberra in Round 22, 2015. The Storm appeared in their eighth Grand Final in 13 years, with no single player to appear in all eight. Cameron Smith missed the 2008 decider through suspension, Billy Slater missed the 2016 final through injury. Cam Smith eclipsed 200 points scored in a season for the first time in his 17-year career, finishing with 201 points scored. Dale Finucane appeared in his fifth grand final in just his seventh NRL season, having also appeared in the 2012 and 2014 deciders for the Bulldogs, and the 2016 and 2017 finales for the Storm.…

THE Cronulla faithful can head into the offseason feeling pretty good about 2018. A preliminary finals appearance, a prolific mid-season recruit in Aaron Woods, a blistering season from Valentine Holmes, an insight into the up and coming talent with Kyle Flanagan’s debut and a remarkable year for both their Intrust Super Premiership and Jersey Flegg teams offered plenty of positives. Sharks coach, Shane Flanagan can feel free to kick his feet up over the break, knowing the season was a good one. “I’m pretty pleased, it was a successful season,” Flanagan tells Big League. “Obviously everyone wants to finish in the last week of the competition, but we gave it a fair crack and there was a fair bit of change over the past 12 months with personnel. We’ve taken…

PENRITH fans will have the next five months to get their anxiety levels down after a season of heart palpitations and scares. The Panthers were named ‘the cardiac kids’ after coming back from double-digit deficits on eight occasions to record victory. No matter how far behind they got on the scoreboard, they never gave up until the final siren. Even in their final match of the season against Cronulla, they managed to fight back from 18-nil down to lock the scores with 10 minutes remaining – but they couldn’t pull of another comeback when it counted the most. A field goal to Sharks halfback Chad Townsend proved to be the difference, ending Penrith’s 2018 campaign. “We can look back and say it was an alright season, but it comes down…

Gareth Widdop’s 205-point tally is the most he’s scored in a single season in his career. The Dragons broke the most tackles through the season, breaking 967 at an average of 37.2 per game. Jason Nightingale’s last season in the NRL led to his lowest try tally in a year in his career, finishing with two tries. Nightingale finishes up with 110 tries for St George Illawarra, the third-most tries in the merger’s history, as well as the third most appearances for the side with 270. Cameron McInnes touched the ball more than any player in the 2018 season, with 2,794 receipts, as well as finishing second in tackles with 1,147 and dummy-half runs with 125.…

THE Warriors have made a habit of defying expectations for all the wrong reasons in recent years. But after six carbon-copy, underachieving seasons finishing outside the top eight, the club stunned everyone in a stellar campaign on and off the paddock. The wooden spoon favourites leading into 2018, the traditionally slow-out-of-the-blocks Warriors made a blistering 5-0 start to set a course for their first finals series since 2011. Landing eighth after occupying a top-four spot for 14 of the first 15 rounds was disappointing, but their 15-9 record – equal-second-best in the club’s history – was just one victory shy of the minor premiers. Notoriously poor travellers, the Warriors also won eight of 12 games on the road, and produced some of their greatest-ever wins at home and away. A…

The Wests Tigers now have the longest active finals drought of any NRL side, not playing finals football since 2011. Luke Brooks had a coming-of-age season, forcing 21 drop outs, running the ball 243 times (10.1 per game), breaking 65 tackles and adding 11 line-breaks, 15 line-break assists and 10 try assists. Matt Eisenhuth finished the regular season with 963 tackles, the fourth-most by any player and the second-most by any non-hooker, five behind Jake Trbojevic’s 968. The Wests Tigers finished the season in ninth place for the fifth time in the club’s 19-year history. This is the most times they have finished in any position.…

AFTER three-consecutive wooden spoons, the only way was up for the Newcastle Knights. A massive roster overhaul saw several players leave, while the club was also able to raid Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs and add former Roosters Mitchell Pearce, Aidan Guerra and Connor Watson to the club. But coach Nathan Brown’s biggest offseason recruit was wunderkind Kalyn Ponga, whose freakish talent was tipped to turn the Knights into top-eight contenders. “When you bring in quality players, straight away your training intensity is far better, and when you bring in hardened, experienced players who know how to win, the younger guys get to see how professionals train properly,” Brown tells Big League. “We had the experienced people coming in from successful clubs to lift the intensity at training and help educate the…

Brett and Josh Morris finished equal top try scorer for the Bulldogs with nine tries apiece, the least tries scored by a Bulldogs top try scorer since 1992, where Darren Smith, Jason Williams and Terry Lamb all crossed the stripe eight times. Will Hopoate’s 10 offloads in Round 18 v South Sydney was the most in a single game by a player in 2018, and is the equal most by a player in a single game in the last five years. Rhyse Martin kicked 34 goals from 36 attempts this season, making him the most accurate kicker of the NRL era with over 30 attempts at 94.7 per cent. Hazem El Masri’s most accurate season was 2006, where he struck 114 of 132 goals at 86.4 per cent.…

INCONSISTENT is a fitting way to describe the Titans’ 2018 season. Though they showed signs that they were set for a promising campaign by winning three of their first five games, five consecutive losses immediately followed, sedating the optimism of fans and pundits. To their credit they were able to mix it with some of the strongest teams. They had convincing wins over the Broncos in Round 4 and the Warriors in Round 20, came within two points of the Rabbitohs in Round 14 and the Storm in Round 24 and within one point of Penrith in Round 22. Club captain and Player of the Year Ryan James says his team seemed to lift for their big games against serious premiership contenders but then fizzle out against teams battling further…

Jake Trbojevic finished the regular season with 968 tackles, the third most by any player and the most by any non-hooker. Martin Taupau finished the season second in offloads in the competition with 71, after finishing first last year with 73. Shaun Lane finished as the Sea Eagles’ equal top tryscorer with Tom Trbojevic, with nine tries. This is the first time a forward has topped the Sea Eagles’ tryscoring tally in a season since Steve Menzies’ 13 tries in 1999. 622 points is the most points the Sea Eagles have conceded in a season since 2005, where they conceded 633 points but still finished eighth on the ladder.…

The Eels became the sixth side of the NRL era to finish the season with no wins away from home, with five of these sides also finishing as wooden spooners. The Eels claimed their 14th wooden spoon in club history in 2018, the most by any active club and second all-time behind the Western Suburb Magpies’ 17 spoons. Brad Arthur became the third-longest tenured Parramatta Eels coach of all time, notching up his 128th game in charge. He sits behind Brian Smith and John Monie for the Eels. The Eels forced the second most drop outs in the competition through 25 rounds, earning 44 repeat sets, as well as giving away the fewst seven-tackle sets with 12.…

ROOSTERS fullback James Tedesco has capped off a stunning season by being selected in the Kangaroos squad for the upcoming Test matches against New Zealand and Tonga. He’s set to make his Test debut for Australia alongside fellow uncapped players Damien Cook, Latrell Mitchell and Tyrone Peachey. Tedesco has been in fine form this year, helping the Blues win State of Origin series and the Roosters the grand final. “I’ve won an Origin series and a premiership now, but I haven’t debuted for Australia yet so that’s the next exciting thing to achieve,” Tedesco told Big League. “To be able to do it over the next few weeks would be surreal and would top off a great season. It’s been a great year for me.” Following the representative retirement of…

THE dust has barely settled on their premiership success, but questions are already being asked as to whether the Roosters can become the first team since the Broncos in 1992 and 1993 to go back-to-back in a unified competition. The cost of success generally means teams lose several high-profile players and are forced into a mini pre-season rebuild, but in this case, Trent Robinson has retained the bulk of the grand final-winning squad. Blake Ferguson (Eels) will be the biggest loss, while they’ll also lose depth with Ryan Matterson, Paul Momirovski and Sean O’Sullivan moving on. However, the Tri-colours have managed to strengthen their squad, with Angus Crichton coming from the Rabbitohs, while veteran wingers Brett Morris and Ryan Hall – who will miss the start of the season with…

THE Clive Churchill Medal is one of the most debated topics in the days after a grand final, but there were no arguments this year as a dominant Luke Keary took home the title after steering the Roosters to a 21-6 win over the Storm. The classy five-eighth has been one of the club’s best players this season, and he took his game to new heights in the final 120 minutes of the premiership campaign as halves partner Cooper Cronk battled through injury. It was revealed post-game that the champion halfback had fractured his scapula in the first half of his side’s preliminary final win over the Rabbitohs an injury he had to extensively rehab so he could play some role as the on-field general against his former team on…

BillySlater 6.5 Didn’t receive the fairytale premiership he deserved, but put in another classy display with 134 metres and trademark surety under the high ball. SuliasiVunivalu 5 Was caught out of position for the first try and make an uncharacteristic error from a kick. Never really got into the game and was held to just 52 metres. Will Chambers 3.5 Not for the first time in 2018, he was outplayed by Latrell Mitchell. He made tough carries but was brushed aside by his arch-nemesis for a crucial four-pointer. Missed five tackles, conceded two penalties and made an error. Curtis Scott 6.5 Two grand finals in as many seasons is just reward for a player who is destined for higher honours. Ran for 142 metres and looked likely every time he…

THE Bulldogs’ NRL team may have had a tough season, but the Intrust Super Premiership side reached the highest of highs with a dominant 42-18 victory over Intrust Super Cup winners Redcliffe Dolphins in the State Championship last Sunday. Five-eighth Josh Cleeland led an inspired side that were too strong for Redcliffe, who felt the effect of losing back-rower Toby Rudolf and hooker Jake Turpin to injuries in the first half. It was Cleeland who shone at ANZ Stadium, scoring back-to-back tries, but NRL veteran Greg Eastwood deserves a special mention for nailing a sideline conversion in the 73rd minute in what was his final game for the club. The score was opened up early when Bulldogs captain and goal-kicking extraordinaire Rhyse Martin slipped through sloppy defence to cross in…

FOLLOWING three grand final defeats since 2006, Redcliffe’s title drought finally ended after they defeated Easts Tigers 36-22 in the Intrust Super Cup decider. In front of 7,504 people at Suncorp Stadium, the Dolphins scored six tries to four to claim an unmatched sixth premiership. They had already claimed the minor premiership with 16 wins from 23 matches in the regular season, scoring more points than any other team and finishing with the best points differential. Although they couldn’t produce a fairytale finish, Easts Tigers had a magical run of their own late in the season. They finished fifth, winning three sudden-death finals matches to qualify for the decider. It was Redcliffe fullback Trai Fuller who flipped the grand final on its head. Weighing no more than 80kg, the youngster…

Fullback Valentine Holmes (Sharks) In one of the most competitive fullback fields ever, six polled double-digit scores, but ultimately a number of strong post-Origin performances got Holmes over the line ahead of Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Kalyn Ponga and Matt Dufty. The opening rounds were spent debating whether Holmes belonged in the No.1 jersey, but by the end of the year there was no doubt. He finished with a career-high 22 tries in a season – a new club record and one behind the year’s top tryscorer – and also ended the year in the top 10 for running metres and first in line-breaks. With four tries in the Origin series and 12 at the World Cup, Holmes has gone from strength to strength at all levels of the game. Winger Corey…

THEY may have missed out on a spot in the final on for-and-against, but the Warriors can hold their heads high after they handled a stack of adversity in the inaugural NRL Women’s Premiership. Back-to-back losses saw the Warriors finish equal second on the ladder, but a poor points differential meant they couldn’t challenge for a top-two finish. The competition started out on shaky ground as their flight was diverted to Brisbane due to severe storms in Sydney. It meant they arrived in the Harbour City on game day for their competition-opening clash against the Roosters. They headed into the contest as outsiders, but stunned their more-fancied rivals on the back of brutal defence that the Roosters never saw coming. “I’m proud of how we conducted ourselves with the process…

Latrell Mitchell scored 24 points on two occasions this season (Round 19 v the Sea Eagles, Round 25 v The Eels), setting a Roosters record for the most points scored in a match for the club in the NRL era. Jake Friend’s 73-tackle effort in the Roosters’ Round 23 22-8 loss to the Broncos is the fifth most tackles made in a game in the NRL era. This was the third time Friend topped 70 tackles. He now accounts for 3 of the 12 times a player has notched 70 tackles or more (equal with Nathan Hindmarsh). Jake Friend led the NRL tackle count with 1,255 tackles, the second time he has finished as the top tackler in the NRL (2016 with 1,277 tackles).…

THIS season was the beginning of a new era for the South Sydney Rabbitohs. Following consecutive 12th-place finishes, the club needed a change and Anthony Seibold took the reigns as head coach. It was meant to be a rebuilding year for the club with not many giving them a chance of making the finals. After back-to-back losses against the Warriors and Panthers to start the season, it seemed the Bunnies would struggle again in 2018 – but that changed in a blink of an eye. After a convincing 28-point win over the Sea Eagles, it all clicked for the Rabbitohs as they gathered momentum and won 15 of their next 18 games. They claimed top spot on the ladder with four rounds remaining, but slipped to third heading into the…

James Maloney’s 14 missed tackles in Penrith’s Round 4 20-18 loss to the Bulldogs is the equal fifth-most missed tackles of the NRL era in a single fixture. Viliame Kikau finished his breakout season fourth overall in the NRL in offloads (44) and post-contact metres (1,357 metres), as well as amassing five tries and nine line-breaks. The Panthers defence conceded the least metres through the regular season, conceding 33,635 metres for the season at an average of 1,401 metres per game. James Maloney and Nathan Cleary were the first club halves to partner up for the Blues since Josh Reynolds and Trent Hodkinson did in 2014 – the Blues went on to win both series.…

THE Brisbane Broncos’ 2018 campaign was a roller coaster on and off the field – and it’s difficult to assess whether the club is better placed than it was at the beginning of the year. Every positive aspect of the season was countered by a negative, and vice versa. The Broncos struggled to build momentum and failed to win more than three games in a row, yet they didn’t lose more than two on the trot. They won eight of 12 games against their fellow top-eight sides, but their record against non-finalists was just over 50 per cent. Injuries hit hard – headlined by a neck injury that ended Test forward Matt Gillett’s season in April and marquee recruit Jack Bird being restricted to just eight games – but that…

Simon Mannering became the first ever Warriors player to reach the 300-game milestone for the club, and only the second player from New Zealand to reach over 300 NRL games (after Ruben Wiki). The Warriors’ 15 wins is the highest required to make the finals in the history of the Top 8 system. Previously the most wins by the eighth-placed team was 13 (1999, 2008, 2017). David Fusitu’a’s 22 tries is the most in the regular season in Warriors’ history, and his overall tally equals Francis Meli’s 23 tries in 2003. Meli scored five tries in a qualifying final. Fusitu’a is the first Warrior to crack 20 tries in the regular season.…

IF the Raiders played to their full potential, they’d be premiership threats each and every year. On paper, they’ve got one of the most exciting football teams going around and when they click, they’re unstoppable and a delight to watch. The Raiders regularly rank as one of the best attacking sides in the NRL – but somehow, it always falls apart when it matters the most. After letting multiple leads slip at the death in 2017, the Raiders started their new campaign with the goal of shaking that reputation. Unfortunately, they fell back into old ways from the opening clash against the Titans. Their season couldn’t have started any better when they shot out of the blocks to an 18-0 lead after 11 minutes, but they then managed to let…

The Knights’ 11th-placed finish is the club’s best since 2013, when they finished seventh and bowed out of the finals in the prelim stage. 2018 is the third consecutive season that the Knights’ top pointscorer failed to eclipse 100 points – Ken Sio finishing the season with 98 points overall. Kalyn Ponga had the third most tackle-breaks in the competition with 140. He also contributed six tries, 11 try assists, 12 line-breaks and 13 line-break assists. The Knights won five of 12 away games this season, the club’s best record since 2013. Between 2015 and 2017, the Knights won only five games combined away from home.…

IF the rugby league gods had it their way, they would’ve handed Johnathan Thurston a premiership ring on a silver platter as a farewell gift. After 323 NRL games, 37 State of Origins and 38 Tests for Australia, it would’ve been fitting for the Queensland legend to go out as a winner, but if season 2018 taught us anything, it’s that fairytale finishes don’t always happen. The Cowboys began the year as premiership favourites, alongside the Roosters, but after a slow start and several narrow losses they failed to recover – ending their campaign with eight wins, 16 losses and a 13th-place finish. “I’m not happy about where we finished but I am proud of the way we have gone about our season,” coach Paul Green says. “Things didn’t go…

Ash Taylor finished the season with 17 try assists, third overall in the NRL, backing up his 2017 effort of 19 try assists (second overall). Ryan James scored the most tries of any prop in the competition with six, taking him to 30 career tries for the Titans, ninth most in the club’s history. The Titans finished the season with the worst completion rate in the league, averaging 75.8 per cent across the season. Anthony Don finished the season on 67 career tries for the Titans, equalling David Mead’s tally for the club as the all-time leading Titans tryscorer. Don reached this milestone in 110 games compared to Mead’s 147.…

AFTER half an hour of the Round 1 blockbuster against Penrith, Parramatta held a commanding 14-0 lead at a packed Panthers Stadium and the early signs were the trendy tip for the 2018 premiership would deliver on their promise. But the Eels capitulated, losing that game 24-14, and their campaign never recovered. A week later they were humiliated 54-0 by Manly, which fed into a disastrous 0-6 start. Despite a couple of pockets of good form, the Eels never looked like finals contenders and were eventually lumped with the wooden spoon. “Our start wasn’t good enough. We played well in a trial match and maybe we thought it was just going to happen,” coach Brad Arthur laments to Big League. “We got off to a really good start against Penrith…

Metres gained James Tedesco – 214 Daniel Tupou – 184 Josh Addo-Carr – 178 Tedesco was at his devastating best on Sunday night, charging onto the ball and making metres at will. Tupou also helped out with powerful carries out of his own end, while Addo-Carr racked up nearly half of his metres from an intercept try. Missed tackles Will Chambers – 5 Luke Keary – 5 Dale Finucane – 5 It wasn’t a happy night for Chambers, who missed five tackles, including a crucial one on rival centre Latrell Mitchell that led to a try. Keary also missed five tackles, while Finucane can be excused considering he attempted 56 tackles on the night. Tackles Cameron Smith – 53 Dale Finucane – 51 Joe Stimson – 45 With Melbourne having…