The Doggies are back
Canterbury was struggling after the first few rounds and coach Des Hasler’s job was under attack. But since their round four humiliation against Manly the Dogs have turned things around and reeled off three straight wins. A gritty victory in the rain over the Broncos was followed by a close win over Newcastle and then a second half steamrolling of Souths.
The rotation of Moses Mybe, Matt Frawley and Michael Lichaa is working a treat, with Frawley coming on moving Mybe to hooker and Lichaa to the bench. This has allowed Josh Reynolds to express himself and play his natural game. Props Aiden Tolman and James Graham are getting through a mountain of work, tackling anything that moves, and David Klemmer is making real inroads with the ball in hand.
So are the Raiders
Canberra also had a slow start to 2017, being edged by the Cowboys and Broncos in close games. But the Green Machine are now back to their best with three consecutive victories. They’ve knocked off Parramatta, the Titans and Warriors, racking up a total of 92 points. Youngster Nick Cotric has been sensational while winger Jordan Rapana leads the competition in both tries and line breaks. The Raiders are gaining momentum and looking good. Massive up front and speedy on the flanks, there is plenty to like about the men in green when they get going.
The new JT
A Johnathan Thurston-less Cowboys were beaten by the Dragons 28-22 on Saturday night. But the talk of the game was not another impressive Red V win, but the starring role played by John Asiata in Thurston’s position. Asiata set up two tries and proved a constant menace for the Red V. The bench forward might have seemed a strange pick to replace JT, with the back-rower labelled a “fat Thurston” on social media, but Asiata was all class and silky skills. He also made 20 tackles and accrued 97 metres in a handy performance.
Burgess off the boil
What is going on with George Burgess? In 2014 the English prop was a destructive force, breaking tackles and making yardage at will.
This season Burgess has been poor, dropping the ball constantly and not troubling defences. Last year he was hit by injury, with a hip complaint keeping him out for long periods. A streak of grubbiness has also crept into his game, with an elbow to the head of an opponent on Good Friday amazing uncited. This followed an elbow and some punches at Knights forward Mitch Barnett earlier in 2017. Something’s not quite right with the burly front-rower, and at this rate his place in both Michael Maguire’s team and in Wayne Bennett’s England side is under huge threat.
Melted soldiers
Penrith fell to their fifth loss of the campaign with a 28-2 defeat to Cronulla. The Chocolate Soldiers were woeful, unable to break the Sharks down or stop a rampant James Maloney and Chad Townsend. The defending champions have now won four in a row and move up to fourth on the ladder, but the Panthers are flat and clueless. Penrith boss Phil Gould didn’t help matters when he said earlier this year that Cronulla won a “soft competition” in 2016. The Sharks didn’t take kindly to that slight and used it as ammunition on Sunday. It pays to respect your opponents.
