5 Big Things: Everything we learned in NRL Round 6

There was plenty of NRL action over a bumper Easter long weekend that saw tight finishes, upsets, and a hint of ever-present controversy. With that in mind, here are 5 Big Things we learned from Round 6.

Canberra struggling to shake ‘Faders’ tag

Pressure in the nation’s capital is beginning heat up after yet another second-half boilover saw Canberra blow a 12-nil lead to North Queensland. Ricky Stuart’s men got off to a flying start; Tom Starling scampered out of dummy-half in the second minute to cross, before a Jordan Rapana four-pointer added to the lead just 10 minutes later. The Raiders, however, failed to score another point in the remaining 65 minutes and had their defence picked apart on multiple occasions as the Cowboys stormed home to claim their third win of the season and remain in the top eight. The loss was the Raiders’ seventh double-digit lead blown since the beginning of 2020 – the highest tally in the premiership. Their late-game fades have become a serious issue over the past several seasons and have cost them dearly. Dropping these sorts of games early on in the season will undoubtedly come back to bite them as they fight for a finals spot later in the year and, whilst he has managed to avoid major scrutiny thus far, Stuart may come under fire if he is unable to fix his side’s second-half woes.

Taaffe a proven starter

With 10 first-grade games now under his belt, South Sydney fullback Blake Taaffe has proven that he is more than capable as a starting fullback, having answered every call that has come his way. No matter the stage, Taaffe has performed at a high level. In his side’s Good Friday clash against Canterbury, the 22-year-old kicked all six of his conversion attempts, laid on a try, and did not make an error, all whilst nailing his positional and organisational responsibilities. It was just Taaffe’s second game of the season and first in the number-one jersey after Latrell Mitchell went down with a hamstring issue against St. George Illawarra. Taaffe’s first game of the season was in the 14 jersey that Benji Marshall made his own in 2021 but first-year head coach Jason Demetriou may have trouble playing Taaffe in limited minutes off the bench if he continues his strong play at the back. He may be tempted to keep Taaffe in the number-one jumper and shift Mitchell to left centre – a position in which he has won premierships and Origin series at. Dane Gagai departed the club over the off-season and left a gaping hole inside Alex Johnston on the left edge. Shifting Mitchell there may help to re-unlock Souths’ potent left side and help to lessen Mitchell’s workload.

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Optimism surrounding Warriors warranted

Whilst they dropped their third game of the season, Warriors’ fans can be enthused by the form of their side. After dropping their opening two matches of the season, the Warriors enjoyed a three-game win streak that was narrowly snapped by the Roosters on Sunday. In what was the 20-year anniversay celebration of the 2002 Grand Final between the two sides, the Warriors got off to a fast start, leading by two points at half-time, and were unlucky to relinquish their lead in the 54th minute. Despite all the challenges they have faced this season, the Warriors remain in a strong position led largely by their big names. Reece Walsh set up a brilliant try and ran for 138 metres with six tackle breaks on Sunday, whilst Addin Fonua-Blake ran for a team-high 146 metres with six tackle breaks and made 29 tackles with zero misses. With Tohu Harris, Jazz Tevaga, and Marcelo Montoya all set to return in coming months and a homecoming for the ages scheduled for early July, things are looking up for the long-suffering Warriors.

Worrisome Knights continue to slide

After a red-hot 2-0 start to the season, Newcastle have lost their past four games by an average margin exceeding 16 after Sunday’s five-point loss to St. George Illawarra in Wollongong. Whilst they are contending with a crippling injury toll, head coach Adam O’Brien must be disappointed with the manner in which the final month has played out on the field. They are currently sitting at 11th on the competition ladder and, with clashes against Parramatta and Melbourne over the next fortnight, they are at risk of losing touch with the top eight. Despite contending with uncertainty surrounding his future, Kalyn Ponga was the Knights’ best on Sunday, scoring a try and assisting on another, whilst running for a game-high 240 metres with 10 tackle breaks. A roster boasting the likes of Ponga, Daniel Saifiti, Dane Gagai, Tyson Frizell and Bradman Best should have no dramas contending for the top eight and an unsuccessful 2022 may put pressure on some of the club’s decision-makers.

Relief in Tiger Town

The Wests Tigers have put a horror start to the season behind them to come away with one of the biggest upsets in recent memory against Parramatta in their annual Easter Monday showdown. New recruit Jackson Hastings was superb, running for 95 metres, assisting on a try, and kicking a walk-off field goal to win it. Perhaps most encouraging was Hastings’ level of involvement, with the 26-year-old notching 90 receipts – 27 more than the next most involved half this round. Most rugby league fans likely cracked a smirk seeing the joy on Michael Maguire’s face, whose job security has been in question for some time now. Hastings was not the only standout for the Wests Tigers; Luke Brooks laid on a pair of tries and made 30 tackles in his best outing of the season, whilst workhorse Alex Twal ran for a game-high 166 metres to go along with a team-high 46 tackles. With the win, the Tigers managed to lift themselves off the bottom of the competition ladder as they prepare to face South Sydney in Round 7.