Here are the talking points from Round 25.
Ups and downs
It was another week that saw some teams grab their chances, while others let them slip through their fingers. Somehow, the Dragons have kept their season alive with a hard fought win over the Panthers, and their superior points differential actually has them in a good position, despite still sitting outside the 8. The Eels roared back to life against the listless Broncos, who were bullied into submission by the hungrier men in blue and gold. The Roosters have a top 2 spot at their mercy after getting over the Sharks, who have slipped out of the top 4 and will likely miss a vital second chance in the finals. The Cowboys managed to climb off the canvas one more time, but they are shakier than Conor McGregor in the tenth, and surely don’t have the troops to mount a challenge this week against Brisbane. With one week to go, there is still so much to play out.
Got the Blues
Laurie Daley has finally had his future as NSW State of Origin coach determined, being told this week he won’t be required next year. Daley got the Blues their solitary series win for the decade in 2014, but ultimately 1 win in 5 attempts was never going to justify him keeping the position. It appears that Brad Fittler is the early favourite to take over, especially now that Phil Gould has rejected an overture from the NSWRL, but this appears flawed on a number of levels. Fittler brings nothing that Daley hasn’t brought for the last five years, and changing from one ex-player with limited coaching experience to another is just shuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic. With Craig Bellamy perhaps looking to transition away from the Storm in the near future, surely it is worth asking him if he would be interested in the full time NSW role. Granted, he didn’t have success when juggling the job with his Melbourne commitments, but with his full focus on restoring NSW pride, it would be a brave man to bet against him. Otherwise, what’s Geoff Toovey up to? Jason Taylor, anyone? Ok, too far.
Wings taking flight
Is there anything more exciting in the NRL at the moment than the two Melbourne wingers, Suliasi Vunivalu and Josh Addo-Carr? The Storm flanks combined for 6 tries against Souths on Saturday night, and their 108 metre effort, with Vunivalu streaking away from his own in-goal and kicking ahead for Addo-Carr to score, was simply breathtaking. With speed, power and freakish ability in the air, these two have been the breakout stars of the year. No team can drop their ruck defence when they are bringing the Storm out of their own end, as they sniff around the play the ball for half chances they inevitably turn into four points. Melbourne have so much strike power, and these two are a huge reason the Storm are raging favourites to go one better this year. And if it doesn’t work out, at least we know Vunivalu has a future in the hurdles.
What’s next?
Well, it all comes down to this. One round to go, and positions 2-8 still up for grabs. The loser of the Panthers v Manly game will be nervously cheering for the Bulldogs to beat the Dragons, while the Cowboys desperately need another win to keep their season alive for one more week. Every coach will know how important momentum is going into the finals, so it’s a huge week for everyone still in contention. It’s a great time of year, enjoy your footy!
For the latest NRL Round 26 markets, click here.
Words: Cameron Stokes
