Monday's Expert - 2020 NRL Round 5

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Monday's Expert is back in 2020 - each week providing a full wrap of everything happening around the rugby league traps each Monday.

Each edition will include NRL match review charges & judiciary updates, our player of the year leaderboard, crowd stats, TV ratings and injury news.

First things first...

Our Round 5 wrap of NRL results can be found here. The full 2020 draw can be viewed here.

Match reports for NRL matches are here.

A huge thanks to the following legends for putting hard work into our weekly previews and live blogs of NRL games - Rob Crosby, Sam Bourke, Josh Robertson, Justin Davies, Andrew Jackson, Andrew Ferguson, Jeff Dickinson-Fox, Rick Edgerton, Paul Jobber, Adam Huxtable and Hamish Parker.

The Front Row - online rugby league magazine

Make sure you check out our exclusive match program & online magazine - THE FRONT ROW.

Last week's issue showcased Newcastle forward Aidan Guerra and Storm signing Brenko Lee ahead of the two sides meeting on Saturday.

You can check out the current edition plus back issues here.

Keep an eye out this Wednesday for Issue 4 (Round 6)!

Match review

Six players have been charged from the first seven matches of Round 5.

Danny Levi (Sea Eagles)

Grade 1 Dangerous Contact (head/neck)
74th minute, on Matt Lodge (Broncos)
Base penalty 100 points
Guilty / no contest = 100 points (1 match)
Guilty - early plea = 75 points (0 matches)
PLEA: Guilty - early plea
OUTCOME: No suspension. 75 carryover points accrued.

Kane Evans (Eels)

Grade 1 Dangerous Contact (head/neck)
41st minute, on Liam Martin (Panthers)
Base penalty 100 points
1 x non-similar prior offence last 2 years (20% loading)
25 carryover points to be added
Guilty / no contest = 120+25=145 points (1 match)
Guilty - early plea = 90+25=115 points (1 match)
PLEA: Guilty - early plea
OUTCOME: Suspended 1 match. 15 carryover points accrued.

Tom Gilbert (Cowboys)

Grade 2 Dangerous Contact (head/neck)
44th minute, on King Vuniyayawa (Warriors)
Base penalty 300 points
1 x non-similar prior offence last 2 years (20% loading)
55 carryover points to be added
Guilty / no contest = 360+55=415 points (4 matches)
Guilty - early plea = 270+55=325 points (3 matches)
PLEA: Guilty - early plea
OUTCOME: Suspended 3 matches. 25 carryover points accrued.

Jack Murchie (Warriors)

Grade 1 Dangerous Contact (other)
34th minute, on Tom Gilbert (Cowboys)
Base penalty 100 points
Guilty / no contest = 100 points (1 match)
Guilty - early plea = 75 points (0 matches)
PLEA: Guilty - early plea
OUTCOME: No suspension. 75 carryover points accrued.

Poasa Faamausili (Warriors)

Grade 1 Dangerous Contact (other)
33rd minute, on Kyle Feldt (Cowboys)
Base penalty 100 points
Guilty / no contest = 100 points (1 match)
Guilty - early plea = 75 points (0 matches)
PLEA: Guilty - early plea
OUTCOME: No suspension. 75 carryover points accrued.

Russell Packer (Wests Tigers)

Grade 3 Careless High Tackle
66th minute, on Joseph Tapine (Raiders)
Base penalty 300 points
Guilty / no contest = 300 points (3 matches)
Guilty - early plea = 225 points (2 matches)
PLEA: Guilty - early plea
OUTCOME: Suspended 2 matches. 25 carryover points accrued.

Corey Norman (Dragons)

Grade 1 Tripping
72nd minute, on Mawene Hiroti (Sharks)
Base penalty $750 fine
1 x non-similar prior offence last 2 years (20% loading)
Guilty / no contest = $900 fine
Guilty - early plea = $700 fine
PLEA: Guilty - early plea
OUTCOME: $700 fine

Angus Crichton (Roosters)

Grade 1 Dangerous Contact (other)
10th minute, on Lachlan Lewis (Bulldogs)
Base penalty 100 points
Guilty / no contest = 100 points (1 match)
Guilty - early plea = 75 points (0 matches)
PLEA: Guilty - early plea
OUTCOME: No suspension. 75 carryover points accrued.

Raymond Faitala-Mariner (Bulldogs)

Grade 1 Contrary Conduct
9th minute, on Siosiua Tauekiaho (Roosters)
Base penalty $750 fine
Guilty / no contest = $750 fine
Guilty - early plea = $550 fine
PLEA: Guilty - early plea
OUTCOME: $550 fine

The LU Leaderboard

At the conclusion of each match our reporters will 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.

9 points - Tom Trbojevic (Sea Eagles)

8 points - Cameron Munster (Storm)

7 points - James Tedesco (Roosters)

6 points - Jason Taumalolo (Cowboys), Cameron Smith (Storm), Dylan Brown (Eels), Jack Wighton (Raiders), Matt Burton (Panthers), Brett Morris (Roosters)

5 points - Benji Marshall (Wests Tigers), Jarrod Croker (Raiders), Kodi Nikorima (Warriors), Blake Green (Warriors), David Klemmer (Knights), Kalyn Ponga (Knights), Mitchell Moses (Eels), Mitchell Pearce (Knights)

4 points - George Williams (Raiders), Dallin Watene-Zelezniak (Bulldogs), Shaun Johnson (Sharks), Luke Keary (Roosters), Isaah Yeo (Panthers)

3 points - Luke Brooks (Wests Tigers), Kotoni Staggs (Broncos), Adam Reynolds (Rabbitohs), Jesse Ramien (Sharks), Will Hopoate (Bulldogs), Maika Sivo (Eels), Jamayne Isaako (Broncos), Young Tonumaipea (Titans), Latrell Mitchell (Rabbitohs), Nathan Cleary (Panthers), Matthew Dufty (Dragons), Waqa Blake (Eels), Jake Trbojevic (Sea Eagles), Viliame Kikau (Panthers)

2 points - Lindsay Collins (Roosters), Adam Doueihi (Wests Tigers), Jarome Luai (Panthers), Bradman Best (Knights), Cameron McInnes (Dragons), Jorge Taufua (Sea Eagles), Addin Fonua-Blake (Sea Eagles), Scott Drinkwater (Cowboys), Nathan Brown (Eels), Ashley Taylor (Titans), Cody Walker (Rabbitohs), Ronaldo Mulitalo (Sharks), Dale Finucane (Storm), Emre Guler (Raiders), Stephen Crichton (Panthers), David Fifita (Broncos), Nick Cotric (Raiders), Sione Katoa (Bulldogs), Daly Cherry-Evans (Sea Eagles), Anthony Milford (Broncos), Daniel Saifiti (Knights), Michael Jennings (Eels), Michael Morgan (Cowboys), David Nofoaluma (Wests Tigers), Jahrome Hughes (Storm), Clinton Gutherson (Eels)

1 point - Ethan Lowe (Rabbitohs), Thomas Flegler (Broncos), Adam Elliott (Bulldogs), Payne Haas (Broncos), Alex Twal (Wests Tigers), Coen Hess (Cowboys), Tyrell Fuimaono (Dragons), Peta Hiku (Warriors), Josh Reynolds (Wests Tigers), Cameron Murray (Rabbitohs), Daniel Tupou (Roosters), Tevita Pangai Junior (Broncos), Josh Papali'i (Raiders), Wade Graham (Sharks), Shaun Lane (Eels), Eliesa Katoa (Warriors), Phillip Sami (Titans), Reed Mahoney (Eels), Curtis Sironen (Sea Eagles), Valentine Holmes (Cowboys), Herman Ese'ese (Knights), Tui Kamikamica (Storm), Jaydn Su'A (Rabbitohs), Connor Watson (Knights), Apisai Koroisau (Panthers), Brian Kelly (Titans)

Sore points - injury update

Injury news that came out of Round 5

Valentine Holmes (Cowboys) - ankle - one week
Jordan McLean (Cowboys) - calf - one week
Kotoni Staggs (Broncos) - hamstring - scans
Luciano Leilua (Wests Tigers) - ankle - scans
Matt Moylan (Sharks) - hamstring - monitored
Kurt Capewell (Panthers) - medial ligament - scans
Martin Taupau (Sea Eagles) - thumb - monitored
Curtis Sironen (Sea Eagles) - knee - monitored
Moses Suli (Sea Eagles) - finger - 1-3 weeks
Jorge Taufua (Sea Eagles) - quad - one week

The good news - who's back?

The following players are likely or possible to return from injury or suspension this weekend.

Broncos - Alex Glenn
Raiders - Ryan Sutton, Hudson Young
Bulldogs - Kerrod Holland
Sharks - Matt Moylan
Titans - Tyrone Roberts
Knights - Lachlan Fitzgibbon
Panthers - Dylan Edwards

Metrics Metrics Metrics

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

A handful of matches reported small crowds as limited fan numbers were admitted to games this weekend - Manly v Broncos (178), Eels v Panthers (507), and Rabbitohs v Titans (415).

Hopefully we'll be able to bring you crowd stats in a few weeks as things return to a new normal post-COVID.

Ratings: Round 5

One last thing...

Well it's happened - the first COVID-enforced delay of a premiership match since the resumption. Thankfully Aiden Tolman's COVID-19 test came back negative and the game can proceed tonight.

Join Justin Davies for tonight's live blog of Bulldogs v Roosters from 6pm here.