Innholdsfortegnelse for 2019 - Round 19 i Big League Weekly Edition

IT was the spray few saw coming from the usually reserved Michael Maguire, but club legend Benji Marshall has backed his coach’s harsh words and said the Wests Tigers must win against the Knights on Friday if they want to play finals footy. The Wests Tigers head to Newcastle on a three-game losing streak to face a Knights side sitting two competition points above them on the ladder as the logjam for spots in the top eight ramps up. Maguire was particularly critical of his side’s first-half performance against the Raiders last week, slamming them for their lack of consistency in the post-match press conference, and Marshall believes that tough approach is just what the Wests Tigers needed leading into Friday’s blockbuster. “‘Madge’ came out after the game last week…

Tell us about your journey to the Shire… I’ve been playing rugby league since I was a kid with the Cooma Colts. I played all my junior footy with them. I had a chance to trial with Canberra for the under-16s and I made that team, and I was in the system there for a while. I played Harold Matts, SG Ball and under-20s, and that’s when I signed for the Sharks. It was a big step moving to the big smoke in Cronulla, but it’s pretty cool to live so close to the beach. I had four goes at surfing but got dunked three times so I put the board in the back room and forgot about it. I think I’ll try again next year, but there are no…

ROUND 19 Jul 25-28 Sharks v Cowboys Thu, 7.50pm, PointsBet Knights v Wests Tigers Fri, 6pm, McDonald Jones Rabbitohs v Dragons Fri, 7.55pm, ANZ Eels v Warriors Sat, 3pm, Bankwest Titans v Broncos Sat, 5.30pm, Cbus Super Storm v Sea Eagles Sat, 7.35pm, AAMI Bulldogs v Roosters Sun, 2pm, ANZ Panthers v Raiders Sun, 4.05pm, Panthers ROUND 20 Aug 1-4 Wests Tigers v Cowboys Thu, 7.50pm, Leichhardt Warriors v Raiders Fri, 6pm, Mt Smart Broncos v Storm Fri, 7.55pm, Suncorp Sea Eagles v Knights Sat, 3pm, Lottoland Bulldogs v Panthers Sat, 5.30pm, Bankwest Sharks v Rabbitohs Sat, 7.35pm, PointsBet Roosters v Titans Sun, 2pm, SCG Dragons v Eels Sun, 4.05pm, Netstrata ROUND 21 Aug 8-11 Cowboys v Broncos Thu, 7.50pm, 1300SMILES Warriors v Sea Eagles Fri, 6pm, Mt Smart Panthers…

WHEN the smartest minds in the game were asked at the start of the year to predict the 2019 top eight, most defaulted to the Storm, Roosters, Rabbitohs and Panthers. Some were brave enough to back the Raiders or Wests Tigers for a finals berth, but next-to-no-one picked the Sea Eagles following last season’s disastrous campaign which resulted in Trent Barrett leaving the club despite still being contracted. What could have been a messy split became a blessing in disguise, with club favourite Des Hasler returning to the northern beaches following a year in coaching exile. Questions were raised as to whether he could fix a team that finished 2018 with the worst defensive record, but 18 rounds in, Hasler has the Sea Eagles sitting fifth – with the fifth-best…

EELS utility Jaeman Salmon has a simple message for anyone thinking about driving after a big night out. “If you’re with mates, make sure you look after each other and have a proper think before you act. It’s better to be safe than sorry.” Last October, Salmon did what many 20-year-olds do and went out with mates for a few drinks. The following day, however, saw him make the biggest mistake of his life. “I went driving after a night out and I crashed while I was looking at my phone,” he tells Big League. “I was driving from my house to Miranda Westfield to do some shopping before a day out. I hit a parked car and flipped into two more cars, it was a pretty scary experience. “I…

Everyone enjoys scoring a try but few more than Luke Garner. I don’t think anyone has looked happier than you did after scoring a try in Round 1… That was my first try! Luckily, it was a pretty decent one. I played six games last year without scoring, so I had to do the nudie run. Where did you start playing footy? I grew up on the Gold Coast. I used to play in the front yard with my brothers, and pictured ourselves playing first grade. My younger brother would chip-and-chase for himself, and he’d be commentating. I didn’t talk to myself as much as he did! What does he say now you’re playing first grade? I’ve got two little brothers and they’re both really good footballers. I speak to…

Form: The Sharks have seven games left to extricate themselves from the sizable hole they have dug since Round 14. After a run of five wins from seven games, the Sharks had climbed to sixth and with several players due back from injury, they were considered a dark horse for the premiership. But instead of making a charge for the top four, the Sharks have slumped to 11th after a frustrating run of five-straight losses. Their injury situation has not improved but with five of their remaining seven games at PointsBet Stadium it is not too late for them to make a late charge. The Cowboys have been forced to deal with their own injury woes, which have grown more acute as the season has progressed. They’ve lost four of…

Form: Parramatta’s three-game winning streak was brought to a shuddering halt at Lottoland last Sunday when the Sea Eagles exposed defensive flaws that have shown up several times throughout the season. It was the third time since Round 9 that the Eels have conceded seven tries in a game and ultimately, last Sunday’s 12-point loss flattered the visitors. Although the Eels have climbed to third in attacking rankings, their defence has slumped to an alarming 13th and that will not put them in good stead to play finals football. At first glance, the Warriors’ recent results resemble a hotchpotch of inconsistency with a win, a loss, a win, a draw and a win in successive weeks, however two golden point results (loss to the Panthers and draw with the Broncos)…

Form: The Bulldogs have enjoyed recent success against the Sharks and the Knights but they were dealt a harsh dose of reality by the Broncos last Thursday night in a 28-6 drubbing at Suncorp. The Roosters bounced back impressively after a lean run to thrash the Knights 48-10 last Saturday. The defending premiers welcomed the return of a number of key players to run in eight tries and sound a warning for rival clubs in the run to the finals. History: These teams meet for the 175th time this Sunday after the rivalry kicked off in 1935. The fledgling Canterbury side was unlucky to run into future Immortal Dave Brown at the peak of his powers when the teams first met at Sydney Sports Ground that year. Brown blazed his…

SURPRISE results have blown open the race for the top four. Cronulla suffered just their third loss of the season after being stunned by the Warriors, while the Roosters won to reduce the Sharks’ competition lead to just one point. They defeated the Dragons 24-6, with hooker Freddy Lussick scoring a hat-trick. Penrith jumped into third place with a resounding win against Newcastle. Souths moved into equal fourth after edging past the Eels in a 36-32 thriller, and the Bulldogs blew a chance to enter the top four after a draw with the Thunderbolts. Canberra inflicted a 38-6 thumping on the Wests Tigers, and North Sydney finally registered their first win of the season – a 36-20 victory over Manly. WARRIORS 16 (T Otukolo, E Kosi, M Iemafa tries; S…

Roosters centre Latrell Mitchell has scored seven tries in seven games against the Bulldogs. The Storm are aiminng for 10-straight-wins for the fifth time in their history. Robbie Farah will play his 300th NRL game. Broncos winger Corey Oates has won seven from seven against the Gold Coast. Sharks half Chad Townsend has scored seven tries in his past seven games against the Cowboys. The Warriors are undefeated in their past five games in Australia. The Rabbitohs have won five of their past six games against the Dragons. Bryce Cartwright will make his 100th NRL appearance.…

LAST year was a difficult one for Sea Eagles fans, and though they came into 2019 with Des Hasler at the helm, I must admit I didn’t put them in my top eight calculations. Even with several big stars, I didn’t think their squad strength could hold over the course of a season and they would eventually fade away. Even without Tom Trbojevic and Daly Cherry-Evans for extended periods of time, they have really proved me wrong. The lift from rookies and players who had a difficult 2018 campaign has been incredible. The previously unwanted Reuben Garrick has been a revelation, Addin Fonua-Blake is one of the best props in the league and guys like Curtis Sironen, Manase Fainu and Corey Waddell are in the form of their relatively short…

ROOSTERS enforcer Jared Waerea-Hargreaves has backed team-mate Jake Friend to return after the nuggety No.9 suffered a small fracture around the screw that was inserted in his arm to fix a torn biceps muscle earlier in the year. Friend has been restricted to just five matches this season and suffered the latest setback in the early stages of last week’s win over the Knights. The workhorse was only in his second match back from a biceps injury which kept him sidelined since Anzac Day. While a return date hasn’t been confirmed, the club hopes to see him back on the paddock before the first week of the finals. “He’s as tough as they come,” Waerea-Hargreaves told Big League. “Obviously he’s shattered and it’ll take him 24 or 48 hours to…

8. Dick Huddart A second-row destroyer for Great Britain on the 1958 and ’62 Lions tours, Huddart joined St George in 1964, but was ruled out the Dragons’ 1964-65 Grand Final victories by injury. He finally scored a try in the win over Balmain in 1966 to become the first British player to win a Sydney premiership. An outstanding defender and renowned ball-runner, Huddart played a total of 78 first grade games for the Saints and later had stints with Dubbo and Newcastle club Macquarie United. 7. Ellery Hanley ‘The Black Pearl’s’ performances in Balmain’s miraculous run to the 1988 Grand Final hold a treasured place in premiership folklore. The aristocratic Wigan and Great Britain captain scored tries in four-straight matches as the Tigers progressed from a fifth-place playoff to…

YOUNG Knights prop Daniel Saifiti says David Klemmer’s arrival in Newcastle has made him a better player on the field and a better person off it. Klemmer’s arrival at the club originally relegated Saifiti to the interchange, but as the season has progressed their combination has grown, culminating with the opportunity to play State of Origin together. “If he didn’t come to the Knights, I wouldn’t be playing Origin,” Saifiti tells Big League. “He’s helped me so much. I can’t thank him enough.” With prolific middle forwards Klemmer, James Gavet and Tim Glasby joining the club in the off-season, Saifiti has had to fight his way into the starting line-up. He got his opportunity to start in Round 7 against Parramatta – and has stayed there ever since. “[Klemmer] showed…

IT began as an anomaly, became a fixation and has developed into a full-blown hoodoo – and it looms as the Roosters’ biggest mental hurdle as they set a course for another grand final assault. No club has won back-to-back premierships for more than a quarter of a century, with a successful title defence morphing into a seemingly unattainable symbol of dominance in the NRL era of salary cap-driven parity. The last 16 NRL grand finals were won by 11 different clubs, while only Melbourne (who had two titles stripped) prevailed more than twice during that time. In contrast, the first 40 competitions after the introduction of mandatory grand finals in 1954 were shared among just 10 clubs, and there were also 20 successful title defences. St George’s record run…

While fans will be disappointed to hear that their club has scored the fewest points in the NRL this season, there’s a more alarming stat ahead of this weekend’s clash with the Roosters, with star centre Latrell Mitchell entering Round 19 with 177 points next to his name. The fact he could finish the year with more points than an entire club remains a possibility, and the Dogs will be out to make sure that doesn’t happen with a late-season surge.…

Form: The Knights looked headed for their first top four finish since 2006 when they compiled a run of six-straight wins from Round 7 but the victories have dried up in recent times and one win from their past five games has left them clinging precariously to their place in the top eight. In their favour is a run to the play-offs that does not include any of the current top four teams and only three top eight opponents in their final seven games. The Knights were blown away by a potent Sydney Roosters team in the latter stages of last Saturday’s duel at the Sydney Cricket Ground and the embarrassment of the 48-10 scoreline should lead to a strong response back at McDonald Jones Stadium. Wests Tigers have also…

Form: The emotional ‘kick’ that resulted from the sacking of coach Garth Brennan and the installation of caretaker pair Craig Hodges and Luke Burt lasted all of a dozen minutes at Cbus Super Stadium last Sunday. The Titans sprung out of the blocks to score two tries against competition leaders the Melbourne Storm and open up a stunning 12-0 lead. The expectations of success-starved Titans fans suddenly soared but were just as quickly dashed as Cameron Smith ensured normal service was resumed with a seven-try onslaught that left the Titans anchored to the bottom of the ladder. The Broncos’ recent performances have yielded five competition points from a possible six and ensured they remain in the hunt for a place in the finals. History: The Broncos hold a commanding lead…

Form: The Panthers have not been a team to do things by halves in 2019. When they’ve lost, they’ve lost decisively, falling in six consecutive games early in the season to sink to last place on the competition ladder. When they’ve won, they have strung together victories in style and this Sunday they will be playing for a club-record eight consecutive wins. Opponents Canberra shape as one of their most formidable opponents and their recent run of form has netted them five wins from their past six games and a place in the top four. History: Apart from Penrith’s early dominance in which they won eight of the first nine encounters, neither side has established a lengthy period of superiority in this fixture. The Panthers managed four-straight wins in 2017-18…

NEW Canterbury fullback Dallin Watene-Zelezniak has thrown his support behind besieged coach Dean Pay despite increased pressure on the Bulldogs mentor. Pay is contracted with the club until the end of the 2020 season, however there have been multiple reports his job is on the line. The Bulldogs have won just five games this season and sit second-last on the competition ladder following 18 rounds. However Watene-Zelezniak, who signed with the team last month, has called on the club to remain loyal to Pay. “I love him, he’s an amazing coach,” he told Big League. “People who comment should come and spend a couple of weeks with us and get to know him and see what he’s about. I’ve been able to do that and my view on him is…

WHEN you look back at the players who have represented the Wests Tigers, your mind automatically goes to guys like John Skandalis, Brett Hodgson, Scott Prince and Gareth Ellis. But if I had to pick the club’s greatest player, it’d be Robbie Farah. In terms of creativity, he’s the greatest hooker to have played the game. When you look at his attack, vision and ability to play what’s in front of him, no one has done it better. He changed the No.9 role with what he could do creatively. The style that we played in 2005 was to move the ball, and a lot of that started around dummy-half and he was the guy doing it for us. When you think about how many games he’s actually played for the…

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NRL FANS are being encouraged to get their beanies on during this weekend’s Beanie for Brain Cancer Round in support of the Mark Hughes Foundation – a charity created by the former Knight and his family after he was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2013. The foundation’s mission is to raise much needed funds for research, to create awareness and support brain cancer patients and their families. The NRL has supported this cause for the past few years and the special round will go to a new level in 2019. Newcastle’s home ground, McDonald Jones Stadium, will don its own three-metre high beanie and be renamed Beanie for Brain Cancer Stadium, and all NRL venues will sell beanies at merchandise outlets “I’d like to thank McDonald Jones Stadium for their…

PANTHERS REPRESENTATIVE halfback Nathan Cleary said there’s a buzz around the club following Penrith’s seventh-straight victory. After their 40-18 win over St George Illawarra, Cleary said he feels the Panthers have regained their mojo and they’re enjoying their footy. “There’s a good feeling around the club and it was probably our best performance of the year,” Cleary said after last Friday’s win. “There was a fun vibe out there. It felt like we were kids running around playing under-16s footy again. “There are a lot of Penrith juniors in the team and to be able to play alongside them and play that brand of footy is really good.” Only the Bulldogs have scored fewer points than the Panthers in 2019, however Cleary said their attack is finally clicking after their…

WELL Fantasy coaches, it feels like it’s been a while but we finally had a week with almost no Fantasy-relevant injuries or other dramas. As a result there were some monster scores, with 15 coaches scoring 1,140 or better and thousands cracking the magical 1,000-barrier. All the obvious captaincy choices got at least 60 with Cameron Smith (74), Payne Haas (70), Damien Cook (66), Cam McInnes (68) and Jason Taumalolo (62) doing their thing. The backline stars all lit up with a well-rested James Tedesco (93) topping all scorers and a similarly-rested Tom Trbojevic (64) making a welcome return. If you had those three plus Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (65) – and that trio is definitely the ultimate goal for the run home – in your back three you were starting from…

Form: After slumping to four successive losses during the demanding representative period, the Rabbitohs have recovered over the past fortnight to record victories over the Sea Eagles and Cowboys. Neither win was decisive however the positive results have restored confidence and ensured the Rabbitohs remain bound for a place in the top four. Significantly, they won both games without the input of the Burgess brothers (two injured, one suspended) and as they make their returns, the impetus provided by the Rabbitohs’ forward pack should increase accordingly. The Dragons have been one of the major disappointments of the 2019 season, affected deeply by the Jack de Belin saga and struck down by injuries to key players Gareth Widdop and James Graham. They’ve suffered heavy defeats in their past two games and…

Form: Even with four State of Origin players rested and another sidelined through suspension, the Storm were largely untroubled in dispatching the Titans last Sunday. With ageless skipper Cameron Smith leading the charge, the Storm recovered quickly from an early double-strike by the Titans to post their ninth consecutive victory. The Sea Eagles resumed winning form last Sunday after a narrow loss to the Rabbitohs and a 36-24 result against Parramatta was more decisive than the 12-point margin suggested. Manly sit two points adrift of the top four and are playing with a confidence that suggests they are almost certain to figure in this year’s finals series. History: Storm fans at AAMI Park were reminded of the intensity of this rivalry last year when centre Curtis Scott was sent from…

THE Hastings Deering Colts returns to action this week after the recent bye round, with the race for the minor premiership really beginning to heat up. Burleigh and Wynnum Manly are leading the way on 31 competition points, and have Townsville hot on their heels with 30 points. The top three sides have been going blow-for-blow over two months; Burleigh have won their past three games and Wynnum Manly their past four, while Townville are on a six-game winning streak. The Blackhawks are as hot as ever at the moment, putting 60 points on top four contenders Northern Pride in their latest outing. The battle for the top four is just as tight. The Sunshine Coast are currently perched in fourth, but Mackay and the Pride are only one win…