Four talking points from round six of the NRL:
Cowboys are crumbling
North Queensland are in deep trouble. Saturday’s 27-10 loss to the struggling Bulldogs was their fifth defeat already in 2018. They are now second-last on the table, just above rock bottom winless-wonders Parramatta. Where has it all gone wrong for the Cowboys? They were grand finalists last year and that was without injured power pair Jonathan Thurston and Matt Scott. With those two big guns back and a roster ram-packed with stars – Jason Taumalolo, Michael Morgan, Coen Hess, Lachlan Coote et all – most tipped for another grand final appearance. But they have been dire so far and need a win desperately. Time for Paul Green to start dropping some of his players and putting the rest on notice. Clearly not good enough.
Canberra shut down the Eels
Ricky Stuart’s blood pressure probably couldn’t handle another defeat and his Raiders got a hard-earned victory over Parramatta. Canberra haven’t been that bad this year, just unable to win the tight ones, but this result was rarely in doubt. At 18-2 the Eels could only manage a penalty goal as their attacking woes worsen. This is the worst start Parramatta have managed to a season in yonks, while their points scored tally is the lowest since the club was formed in 1947. If this continues then coach Brad Arthur’s head will be on the chopping block.
Delightful Dragons win again
While it’s all going down the gurgler in western Sydney, down south the Dragons are flying. They remain the NRL’s only perfect team after seeing off neighbours the Sharks. Amazingly coach Paul McGregor has used just 18 players in all six rounds so far, selecting the same XIII week-in-week-out. Injuries have yet to bite, and they surely will at some point, but St George Illawarra’s run is very impressive. Their combinations are firing and there is a great blend of youth and experience, speed and power. What a time to be a Red V fan.
Warriors lose to bucking Broncs
The Warriors faithful are also enjoying 2018 but they suffered their first blip when they went down to 27-18 to the Broncos. Still, if you had offered a 5-1 win-loss record to the Kiwis before a ball had been kicked this season, they would have bitten your hand off. Wayne Bennett and his Brisbane boys were under some pressure heading into this one. A handful of lacklustre displays, some serious injury worries and some controversial media comments had lead to the heat being cranked up on the Broncos. But they turned it on across the ditch on Saturday to hand the Warriors their first loss. Bennett gambled by naming centre Jack Bird in the halves with Anthony Milford, but the move paid off. Brisbane started like a house on fire and kicked ahead in the second half to close out the game. Write off the ‘supercoach’ and his charges at your peril.
