What we learned from the NRL this week: Round 7
Shattered Sea Eagles
It’s crisis time at Brookvale Oval in a big, big way. The breaking of the news that Jackson Hastings had been in a dust-up with captain Daly Cherry Evans, and that Hastings was on the nose with the Manly squad, quickly went against the club. The Sea Eagles tried to get that narrative out there early, that it was all Hastings’ fault, but it has now back-fired.
Reports since have revealed that some Manly players would be happy to have the 22-year-old back in the team and that was it Cherry-Evans, not Hastings, who started their hotel fracas. Since then the skipper, who we must remember fell out with senior players Glenn Stewart, Brett Stewart and Anthony Watmough when his career started at Brookvale all those years ago, has been fined $10,000 for his behavior.
Essentially the whole situation is a huge mess. Hastings is clearly no saint, and was already kicked out for the Roosters for his arrogance and prickly character. But ‘DCE’ is not blameless either and there does appear to be a culture of bullying on the northern beaches that is getting out of hand there. This whole hoo-haa, coupled with the salary cap scandal that has led to several players being released, has left Manly between a rock and a hard place. They were bashed by Parramatta 44-10 on Sunday, a team that up until then had not won a game, and were spanked 38-12 by the Tigers the weekend before. They are sliding down the table and refuge could be some way off.
Arise Sir Kalyn
The Knights have real ticker this year and Kalyn Ponga will become an NRL superstar before too long. Newcastle and Wests Tigers played out a hum-dinger of a battle in Tamworth, eventually snatched at the death by the Knights thanks to Shaun Kenny-Dowall’s try. Ponga was sensational in this one, playing above his tender years, and challenging the Tigers defence with every carry. Goal-kicking might not be in his kitbag of tools, but he does have every other silky skill in his locker. It won’t be too long until Ponga is playing for both Queensland and Australia.
Warriors work over Dragons
There are no longer any undefeated teams in the NRL after the New Zealand Warriors downed St George Illawarra 20-12. The Warriors bounced back from their loss to Brisbane, their first defeat of 2018, to knock the Dragons off their perch.
This was a thrilling game that was won on the back of the Warriors’ outstanding defence. Marshalled by hooker Isaac Luke, and led by Shaun Johnson’s impressive understudy Mason Lino, the Kiwi side really are a different proposition in 2018. Credit has to go to Stephen Kearney and all his staff for turning them around.
Sharks and Cowboys crow
The see-sawing nature of this competition, a nightmare for tipsters, rolls on. The Cowboys have been in a bit of a rut and under-fire but managed to beat down Gold Coast 26-14. While it’s been a difficult year for Cronulla so far, they also proved too good for the in-form Panthers, taking the biscuits 26-22. Picking the winners each round is proving harder than ever as any team can beat any other on their day.
