In the Spotlight - NRL 2016 Round 3

Welcome back to another star-studded edition of In The Spotlight!

If you thought round one was interesting, round two would have blown your socks off. Okay, maybe that's a little bit dramatic but it was a cracking round of football. That is, if you don't support the Roosters, Dragons, Warriors, Panthers, Sea Eagles or Knights, who all fell to 0-2 after being chewed and spat out once again.  Rugby League is a cruel, cruel mistress.

My spotlight-ees didn't have a great time of it either. My old mate Lachlan Croker came into the clash with the Chooks ready to rock and or roll. The music didn't quite eventuate though, with the young fella copping a heavy knock in the first half and not returning in the second.

Andrew McFadden endured another rough old week in the coaching game as his Warriors were taken care of, to the tune of 25-10 by the ruthless wild horses. McFadsy's boys did improve significantly on their round one exploits however, so all hope is not lost over the dutch (that ‘u' was intentional).

There was one hell of a community barbecue last night in Townsville, as the North Queenslanders ripped into some juicy chook and the beleaguered Saints take on a hungry colony of rabbits (I had to google the name of a group of rabbits). Things look just as tough out west, with the poor old Pennies getting a visit from the ominous-looking Broncos. This week will tell us quite a bit about any top eight hopes the Dragons and Panthers may have had this year, methinks.

Who's facing the Spotlight this weekend? Read on, muchacho.

Kieran Foran

If you haven't heard any of the 5,500 times the Johns brothers have mentioned this fella in the first two weeks of 2016 (and he didn't even play round one!), here's another mention of K. Foran. Parramatta fans haven't had the best time of it during the past 29 years and there is no shortage of pressure on the shoulders of the former Manly five-eighth. Foz's response in his first game for the club was impressive, having a role in two of their three meaties in a superb win over the defending premiers. Let's see how he responds to the most INTENSE pressure of all… the unyielding glare of The Spotlight!

Mitchell Moses

A lot of people (myself included) thought the Tigers would struggle to compete at times in 2016.  A green halves pairing and a defensive line breached more times than a Kardashian had me thinking they might even be a chance of some sort of kitchen implement this season. To quote Jonah Hill in Superbad, "f*** me, right?" Two wins from two wins and favoured to beat the Titans away, how Mr Moses goes this week will go a long way to determining if the Tigpies can improve to 3-0. 

See you round m8.