Panthers v Broncos preview
8 hours ago | Rhys Sullivan
Performance of the Round
This one might surprise a few people. Although they lost, Wests Tigers fans have a lot to look forward too in 2015. Coming up against the unbeaten premiers at home, many thought the Tigers would have been rolled easily. The young cubs stood up to a much more experienced Rabbitohs pack and for the majority of the game made Souths work bloody hard.
Yes they made 20 errors, yes they missed 28 tackles and yes they only managed to score one try. But Aaron Woods ran just shy of 200 metres, James Tedesco made more metres and busted more tackles than Greg Inglis with less carries of the ball and Robbie Farah was inspirational at hooker making 50 tackles and scoring a deserved try. I might be grabbing at straws but if Jason Taylor can keep his spine on the park and his forwards hungry, these Tiger cubs will earn a full coat of stripes before this season is over.
Paul Carige Award for the Worst Performance of the Round
The Sharks right edge was atrocious defensively. Marshalled by Jason Bukuya, his outside men in Ben Barba, Gerard Beale and Valentine Holmes were ordinary all night. They conceded five of the Storms' six tries and were made to look like schoolboys. Cameron Smith's try in particular when he palmed off Ben Barba was just plain sad. You know you can't tackle when the games elder statesman gives you a "don't argue". The only excuse they have is that Beale and Barba are both new to the club this year, so the chemistry in pressure situations is sill yet to be established. Both have also played the majority of their career defending out the back. Still, Shane Flanagan better hope they click soon or else there will be a re-shuffle.
Surprise Packet
Jordan Kahu. The Broncos young number one had a slow start to the season in round one against the Rabbitohs but since then has been exceptional. He dazzled in the stifling conditions on Friday night against the Cowboys, producing two freakish no-look catch and pass try assists as well as bagging a four pointer himself. Add to this a brilliant try saving tackle on a barnstorming Ethan Lowe and a faultless night under towering Johnathon Thurston bombs and Kahu was easily the standout player on the park.
It's been a long road for Kahu to cement his place in the Broncos 17 after knee reconstructions ended his seasons in 2012 and 2013. Last year the schoolboy prodigy also suffered a knee injury in the pre season as he was being touted as a potential half's partner for Ben Hunt. Thankfully he has been able to overcome all the setbacks and begin to live up to his potential. 2015 may be the year Jordan Kahu finally becomes a household name.
Russell Packer Medal for WTF Moment of the Week
Reece Robinson's screamer of a try was something else. First of all I don't think many people realised the ex-Raider possessed such lethal speed; he left the Warriors defence for dead. Than the backwards somersault finishes whilst being tackled by Lolohea was incredible, and a tad lucky. Take a look at it below! (2:35).
Ref Watch
"No no no no no". In the famous words of Philip Ronald Gould, this was the reaction of fans across the nation as the video refs made a couple of shocking decisions over the weekend. The first came in the Titans-Knights game when the men upstairs didn't overrule a blatant knock on from Korbin Sims in the lead up to Dane Gagai's long range effort. Even in slow motion and with multiple looks at the incident somehow they still gave it the green light… Titans coach Neil Henry is seeking a please explain from Referee's boss Tony Archer.
The second howler came in the Panthers loss to the Roosters when excitement machine Dallin Watene-Zelezniak was denied one of the tries of the season. The youngster polished off a lavish Panthers play with a spectacular one-handed dive into the corner, but the try was referred to upstairs to check on the grounding. DWZ clearly had a couple of finger tips still on the ball as it touched down on the white stripe, yet the Panthers faithful were left speechless when it flashed up as "No Try" on the big screen. Old Gus can forget about that hair dye, because soon he won't have any left.
Around the Social Media Traps
This week a reformed bad boy celebrates a milestone, Nate Myles spruiks his comedic talents and the Warriors highlight a Beast of a game.
Great to get the win in my 100th game against the team I started with and owe a lot Thanks to all the fans who turned up today #ontothenext
— Josh Dugan (@Josh_Dugan) March 21, 2015
"@couriermail: Nate who? Hilarious NRL interview http://t.co/9BekJrEVaN pic.twitter.com/Rk4PmTgvmE" thanks Kev
— Nate Myles (@nate_myles) March 23, 2015
.@ManuVatuvei went full #BeastMode against the Eels at #WarriorsHome. Check out the video at www.warriors.kiwi #PlayerStats #NRL
A photo posted by Vodafone Warriors (@nzwarriors) on