5 Big Things: Everything we learned in NRL Round 8

Round 8 of the 2022 NRL season was chock-full of upsets which saw some major movement on the competition ladders, as several up-and-comers boosted their odds at Origin and Test call-ups. Here are 5 Big Things we learned from Round 7.

Staggs comes up trumps in centre battle

Much was made during the week of the centre battle between Brisbane’s Kotoni Staggs and Cronulla’s Siosifa Talakai on Thursday night, which ended with Staggs one-upping fellow Origin hopeful and potential Tongan centre partner. Staggs was dominant on both sides of the ball, taking a dozen carries for 116 metres, breaking six tackles, making 18 of his own and crossing for a brilliant individual try moments before halftime. Talakai, meanwhile, was held to his lowest yardage tally since shifting out into the centres this season and hit on just six of his nine tackle attempts. Whilst many centres would be most pleased making 15 carries for 164 metres and five tackle breaks in a lone outing, the Broncos defence did as well as any in containing the ever-damaging Talakai. With the race for the left centre position in the NSW backline heating up, all performances from here on out are vital for those jostling for the vacancy and Staggs perhaps thrusted himself a little closer on Thursday night.

Schoupp comes up big for Canterbury

After finding himself in and out of the first-grade side over the opening six weeks of the premiership, Canterbury centre Aaron Schoupp has put his best foot forward for the second-consecutive week in a bid to make the left centre spot his own. The 20-year-old has now appeared in just 17 NRL games spanning over the past two seasons but has gone toe-to-toe with some of the world’s premier centres and more than held his own. Last week, Schoupp held the rampaging Kotoni Staggs to just 96 run metres and did not concede a try or line break. In the Dogs’ upset win this weekend over the out-of-sorts Roosters, Schoupp held Joseph Manu to a season-low 40 run metres and again kept his opposite off the scoresheet. Canterbury put together their best 80 minutes of 2022 and came away with their second win of the season. Schoupp hasn’t only done his job defensively but has added some much-needed grit and spark in attack. He has averaged 135 run metres per contest in his two starts at left centre this season and busted seven tackles. It is also no coincidence that Josh Addo-Carr has scored four tries in two games outside Schoupp and just one in his previous six. If Trent Barrett had any reservations over who should be the Dogs’ left centre coming into their clash against the Roosters, Schoupp should have done enough to dispel any concerns.

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Resurgence of North Queensland

After being dubbed as preseason wooden spoon contenders, the North Queensland Cowboys have won five of their opening eight games of 2022 to rocket into the top four behind the second-best defence in the premiership and an improving attack. Their performance this weekend – a 35-4 win over Parramatta in Darwin – was their strongest thus far and proved they have it in them to truly compete with other top four hopefuls. Scott Drinkwater has been terrific since being brought into the team to cover for the injured Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow. In just four games, the 24-year-old has scored three tries, assisted on seven, broken 11 tackles and averaged over 140 metres per contest. A revitalised Jason Taumalolo leads all forwards in run metres for the season, whilst young back-rowers Jeremiah Nanai, Heilum Luki, and Tom Gilbert have put together breakout campaigns as they look to lead the Cowboys to their first finals berth since 2017. With games coming up against the Knights, Tigers, Storm and Panthers, the Cowboys will have an opportunity to really cement themselves in the top four before testing themselves against premiership heavyweights.

Newcastle’s wretched run

After a dream start the season, the Newcastle Knights are riding a six-game losing streak and are fresh off a 50-2 drubbing courtesy of Melbourne. The Knights have failed to score a try over their last 180 minutes of football and are tied for the premiership’s second-worst attack. Whilst they are without a host of names – including Jayden Brailey, Kurt Mann, Mitchell Barnett, Dane Gagai, Dominic Young and Hymel Hunt – they have been torn apart in back-to-back outings on their home turf and, this week, face a defensive-minded Cowboys side in Townsville before preparing for a Magic Round clash against the Bulldogs. After finishing with the second-worst attack in the premiership in 2021, many hoped a fresh halves pairing under the tutelage of Andrew Johns and revamped back five would help them improve on that side of the ball but they are yet to yield results. With just two wins from their first eight and points differential of -114, the Knights are now sitting 16th on the ladder and, if results do not come soon, pressure will continue to mount on some of the club’s decision-makers.

Determined Dragons enjoy winning run

After a 1-4 start to the season, many put a line through St. George Illawarra but enter a three-game unbeaten streak and the proud club are sitting on the cusp of the top eight and will face a trio of sides below them on the ladder – the Titans, Warriors, and Bulldogs – after their trip down to Melbourne this Sunday. Their wins have hardly been convincing – they have won by a combined margin of just 13 over their past three – but they are wins nonetheless and could not have come at a better time for the embattled club. Skipper Ben Hunt has been vital for his side over the past month and now sits equal-second on the Dally M leaderboard heading into Round 9. Hunt sits in the top three in the premiership for try assists and kick metres and has produced a plethora of tide-turning plays at crucial moments, as all star halfbacks do. Their back five, meanwhile, have proven potent in attack and skilled communicators in defence with the likes of Moses Suli, Zac Lomax, and Mikaele Ravalawa all enjoying their own big-time performances. Whilst their defence on Sunday against the Wests Tigers was porous over the first 80 metres of the field, the squad managed to galvanise on their own line and repelled numerous attacking onslaughts in a similar fashion to their second-half against the Roosters on ANZAC Day.

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