Monday's Expert - NRL Round 7

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Monday's Expert is back - with a full wrap of everything happening around the rugby league traps this Monday 29 April 2019. Includes match review charges, POTY leaderboard, crowds, ratings and injury news.

First things first...

The results are in. Check out how Round 7 played out in our one-page results wrap.

Our match reports for the seventh round can be found here. And while we're on it, another huge huge huge thank you to our dedicated volunteer updaters - Andrew Ferguson, Andrew Jackson, Josh Robertson, Sam Bourke and Rob Crosby.

Match review

Four players were charged in Round 7.

Chris McQueen (Wests Tigers). 4th minute, Grade 1 Dangerous Contact (other) on Moeaki Fotuaika
Base penalty 100 points
No prior offences last two years
Guilty / no contest 100 points (one match)
Early guilty plea 75 points (no suspension)
OUTCOME: Early plea - no suspension (75 carryover points added).

Alex Twal (Wests Tigers). 47th minute, Grade 1 Dangerous Throw on Phillip Sami.
Base penalty 100 points
No prior offences last two years
Guilty / no contest 100 points (one match)
Early guilty plea 75 points (no suspension)
OUTCOME: Early plea - no suspension (75 carryover points added).

Will Kennedy (Sharks). 27th minute, Grade 1 Tripping on Alex Glenn.
Base penalty $1,500 fine
No prior offences last two years
Guilty / no contest $1,500 fine
Early guilty plea $1,150 fine
OUTCOME: Early plea - $1,150 fine.

Sione Katoa (Panthers). 73rd minute, Grade 1 Dangerous Contact (other) on Dane Gagai.
Base penalty 100 points
No prior offences last two years
Guilty / no contest 100 points (one match)
Early guilty plea 75 points (no suspension)
OUTCOME: Early plea - no suspension (75 carryover points added).

Charges from Sunday's matches remain outstanding. 

The LU Leaderboard

At the conclusion of each match our reporters choose their best three players from the match. You can views those points in each match in their respective match reports. Each week we'll update the leaderboard:

12 points - Cody Walker (SOU)

11 points - Daly Cherry-Evans (MAN)

10 points - Cameron Munster (MEL)

9 points - Adam Reynolds (SOU), John Bateman (CAN), James Tedesco (SYD), Cameron Smith (MEL)

8 points - Clint Gutherson (PAR)

7 points - Robbie Farah (WST), Ben Hunt (SGI), Luke Brooks (WST), David Klemmer (NEW)

6 points - Shaun Johnson (CRO), Blake Green (WAR), Paul Vaughan (SGI), Luke Keary (SYD), James Maloney (PEN), Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (WAR), Mitchell Moses (PAR)

5 points - Blake Ferguson (PAR), Kenny Bromwich (MEL), James Fisher Harris (PEN), Josh Papali'i (CAN), Latrell Mitchell (SYD), Michael Morgan (NQL), Siosiua Taukeiaho (SYD), Corey Oates (BRI)

4 points - Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad (CAN), Chanel Harris-Tavita (WAR), Cameron Murray (SOU), Martin Taupau (MAN)

3 points - Jason Taumalolo (NQL), Jarrod Croker (CAN), Sam Burgess (SOU), Tevita Pangai Junior (BRI), Briton Nikora (CRO), Tom Trbojevic (MAN), Kieran Foran (CBY), Josh Reynolds (WST), Josh Hodgson (CAN), Jahrome Hughes (MEL), Corey Norman (SGI), Tyrone Roberts (GLD), Corey Harawira-Naera (CBY), Josh McGuire (NQL), Nathan Cleary (PEN), Ryan Matterson (WST), Anthony Milford (BRI), Lachlan Croker (MAN), Mitchell Pearce (NEW)

2 points - Edrick Lee (NEW), Benji Marshall (WST), Dylan Brown (PAR), Suliasi Vunivalu (MEL), Jared Waerea-Hargreaves (SYD), Andrew McCullough (BRI), Isaac Liu (SYD), Chad Townsend (CRO), Brodie Croft (MEL), Jayden Okunbor (CBY), Jordan Rapana (CAN), Daniel Alvaro (PAR), Lachlan Lewis (CBY), Kalyn Ponga (NEW), Michael Chee-Kam (WST), Ryan James (GLD), Jake Trbojevic (MAN), Jayden Brailey (CRO), Aiden Tolman (CBY), Damien Cook (SOU), Michael Gordon (GLD), Ryan Sutton (CAN), Joseph Leilua (CAN), Josh Jackson (CBY), Alex Twal (WST), Manase Fainu (MAN)

1 point - Nathaniel Roache (WAR), Russell Packer (WST), John Asiata (NQL), Braidon Burns (SOU), Jack Bird (BRI), Jai Arrow (GLD), Mitch Barnett (NEW), Shaun Lane (PAR), Benji Marshall (WST), Matt Prior (CRO), Josh Addo-Carr (MEL), Anthony Don (GLD), Matt Ikuvalu (SYD), Josh Morris (CRO), James Graham (SGI), Andrew Fifita (CRO), Blake Lawrie (SGI), Phillip Sami (GLD), Michael Jennings (PAR), Matthew Dufty (SGI), Ken Maumalo (WAR), Joe Ofahengaue (BRI), Danny Levi (NEW)

Sore points

A quick look at the injury news to come out of Round 7:

Daly Cherry-Evans (MAN) - ankle - scans

Josh Dugan (CRO) - hamstring - monitored

Shaun Johnson (CRO) - hamstring - monitored

Josh Reynolds (WST) - knee - scans

Dale Copley (GLD) - quad - scans

Raymond Faitala-Mariner (CBY) - MCL - 4-6 weeks

Jake Friend (SYD) - bicep - 4 months

Metrics Metrics Metrics

Each week we'll do our best to keep you across the crowd figures and TV ratings which are often the most talked-about parts of the game.

Round 7 attendance (times are AEST)

After seven rounds last year (NRL season 2018), 884,941 had attended 56 matches at an average of 15,802 per game. Note: ANZAC Round in 2018 was Round 8, this year it was Round 7.

Round 7 ratings

Note: Ratings figures courtesy of Mediaweek Australia on Twitter, TV Blackbox and TV Tonight.

One last thing...

It is indeed wonderful to see how respectful NRL crowds have been across the entire ANZAC Round of matches, with commemorative services included with each match.

Having said that, a poll over the weekend (open til 8pm Monday night) indicates many NRL fans are keen for just the ANZAC Day matches to feature the commemoration rather than all eight games in the round. At the time of publishing, around 70% of respondents indicated they'd prefer only April 25 matches to include these ceremonies.

What do you think?

ANZAC Round pre-game ceremonies - should they take place before every game, or just the games played on April 25 itself?#NRL #ANZACRound
— LeagueUnlimited Rugby League News (@LeagueUnlimited) April 26, 2019