Monday's Expert - Round 9 Magic wrap

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Monday's Expert is back - with a full wrap of everything happening around the rugby league traps this Monday 13 May 2019. Includes match review charges, POTY leaderboard, crowds, ratings and injury news.

First things first...

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

Our match reports for the ninth round can be found here.

And while we're on it, thank you as always to our dedicated volunteer updaters - Andrew Ferguson, Andrew Jackson, Josh Robertson, and Robert Crosby, as well as preview writers Jeff Dickinson Fox, Rick Edgerton and Justin Davies.

Match review

Three players have received charges in Round 9.

Maika Sivo (Eels). 49th minute, Grade 3 Careless High Tackle on Jahrome Hughes
Base penalty 200 points
No prior offences last two years
Guilty / no contest 200 points (two matches)
Early guilty plea 150 points (one match)
OUTCOME: Early guilty plea. Suspended one match. 50 carryover points accrued.

Jared Waerea-Hargraves (Roosters). 14th minute, Grade 1 Dangerous Contact (head/neck) on Dunamis Lui
Base penalty 100 points
One (1) non-similar prior offence last two years (20% loading)
Guilty / no contest 120 points (one match)
Early guilty plea 90 points (no suspension)
OUTCOME: Early guilty plea. No suspension. 90 carryover points accrued.

Tevita Tatola (Rabbitohs). 4th minute, Grade 1 Carelesss High Tackle on Jordan Kahu
Base penalty $1500 fine
One similar prior offence last two years (50% loading)
Guilty / no contest $2250 fine
Early guilty plea $1700 fine
OUTCOME: Early guilty plea. $1700 fine.

No charges were issued for the first five matches of the round.

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:

15 points - Cody Walker (SOU)

13 points - Cameron Munster (MEL)

12 points - James Tedesco (SYD)

11 points - Daly Cherry-Evans (MAN), Clint Gutherson (PAR), Cameron Smith (MEL), David Klemmer (NEW)

10 points - Robbie Farah (WST)

9 points - Adam Reynolds (SOU), John Bateman (CAN), Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (WAR), Mitchell Pearce (NEW)

8 points - Latrell Mitchell (SYD), Luke Keary (SYD), Damien Cook (SOU), Luke Brooks (WST)

7 points - Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad (CAN), Ben Hunt (SGI), Siosiua Taukeiaho (SYD), Josh Papali'i (CAN)

6 points - Shaun Johnson (CRO), Blake Green (WAR), Paul Vaughan (SGI), James Maloney (PEN), Mitchell Moses (PAR), Cameron Murray (SOU), Anthony Milford (BRI)

5 points - Blake Ferguson (PAR), Kenny Bromwich (MEL), James Fisher Harris (PEN), Michael Morgan (NQL), Corey Oates (BRI), Briton Nikora (CRO), Ryan Matterson (WST)

4 points - Chanel Harris-Tavita (WAR), Martin Taupau (MAN), John Asiata (NQL), Manase Fainu (MAN), Kalyn Ponga (NEW)

3 points - Jason Taumalolo (NQL), Jarrod Croker (CAN), Sam Burgess (SOU), Tevita Pangai Junior (BRI), 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), Lachlan Croker (MAN), Jai Arrow (GLD), Kyle Flanagan (CRO), Kane Elgey (MAN), James Graham (SGI), Joe Ofahengaue (BRI), Paul Gallen (CRO), Josh Morris (CRO)

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), Michael Chee-Kam (WST), Ryan James (GLD), Jake Trbojevic (MAN), Jayden Brailey (CRO), Aiden Tolman (CBY), Michael Gordon (GLD), Ryan Sutton (CAN), Joseph Leilua (CAN), Josh Jackson (CBY), Alex Twal (WST), Jack Wighton (CAN), Reed Mahoney (PAR)

1 point - Nathaniel Roache (WAR), Russell Packer (WST), Braidon Burns (SOU), Jack Bird (BRI), Mitch Barnett (NEW), Shaun Lane (PAR), Benji Marshall (WST), Matt Prior (CRO), Josh Addo-Carr (MEL), Anthony Don (GLD), Matt Ikuvalu (SYD), Andrew Fifita (CRO), Blake Lawrie (SGI), Phillip Sami (GLD), Michael Jennings (PAR), Matthew Dufty (SGI), Ken Maumalo (WAR), Danny Levi (NEW), Thomas Burgess (SOU), Jason Taumalolo (NQL), Jack Williams (CRO), Jack Cogger (CBY), Sitili Tupouniua (SYD), Tepai Moeroa (PAR), Ryan Papenhuyzen (MEL), Peta Hiku (WAR), Jack Gosiewski (MAN), Braden Hamlin-Uele (CRO)

Sore points

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

Boyd Cordner (SYD) - concussion - monitored

Daniel Tupou (SYD) - neck - monitored

Jordan Rapana (CAN) - knee - scans

Latrell Mitchell (SYD) - groin - monitored

Jack Bird (BRI) - ACL - season

Toafofoa Sipley (MAN) - ACL - season

Api Koroisau (MAN) - calf - monitored

Moses Suli (MAN) - finger - 4-6 weeks

Curtis Scott (MEL) - foot - 10-12 weeks, scans to confirm

Connor Watson (NEW) - ankle - monitored

John Sutton (SOU) - ribs - monitored

Liam Knight (SOU) - concussion - monitored

Kyle Turner (SOU) - concussion - monitored

Matt Prior (CRO) - neck - monitored

Andrew Fifita (CRO) - hamstring - monitored

Edrick Lee (NEW) - foot - monitored

Tevita Pangai Junior (BRI) - back - monitored

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 9 attendance (times are AEST)

After nine rounds last year (NRL season 2018), 1,151,188 had attended 72 matches at an average of 15,989 per game.

Round 9 ratings

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

One last thing...

It's fair to say Magic Round was a success. There'll be negatives, yeah absolutely. The debate about how the NRL will table the crowd figures in official record will rage for days (or months), there'll be plenty of talk about how Suncorp's surface held up particularly in the later games of the round - but on the whole it was a great concept.

What's next for Magic Round? Does it stay in Brisbane? Should it go to Sydney in 2020 or later? What about Perth, Melbourne or even Adelaide?

The discussion rages on - check out our Front Row Forums and have your say.