5 Big Things: Everything we learned in Round 19

We are fresh off a weekend with an absolute overabundance of NRL action. The top four race became a whole lot more interesting, and the round was capped off by a controversial thriller up north. Here are 5 Big Things we learned in Round 19.

Brisbane flex their muscles in top eight showdown

Both Parramatta and Brisbane would have earmarked their Thursday night clash as a key one as they embark on their run towards the finals. It was the Broncos, however, who came away with a big-time 22-point win to boost their top four odds and get one up on a team who they may again come face-to-face with throughout the postseason. Corey Oates crossed for his third consecutive double, whilst Payne Haas put together one of his most productive performances of 2022, scoring a brilliant, solo try and running for a game-high 225 metres from 22 carries with nine tackle busts. The Broncos now find themselves fourth on the league table and a win ahead of the fifth-place Storm with six matches to play. For Parramatta, rangy back-rower Shaun Lane continued his red-hot run of form in the loss, assisting on a pair of tries and running for 153 metres from 19 carries. The Eels have now dropped to seventh on the ladder but are still four competition points clear of the eight-place Roosters. They will, however, face Penrith, Manly and South Sydney over the next three weeks in what could be a make-or-break period for their season.

Roosters enter the eight

The Sydney Roosters are back in the top eight after a three-week absence thanks to a convincing 42-12 win over the Knights in Newcastle. Wingers Joseph Suaalii and Daniel Tupou both crossed for doubles whilst skipper James Tedesco showed why he has an argument for the most impactful player in rugby league. Tedesco ran for a game-high 317 metres from 22 carries, scored a try and assisted on two others, made three line breaks and 10 tackle breaks, and assisted on three line breaks. Suaalii ran for 193 metres from 16 carries and busted seven tackles to go along with his try double, whilst Victor Radley ran for 171 metres and made 25 tackles. Halves Luke Keary and Sam Walker combined for four try assists in the absence of Joseph Manu. For Newcastle, David Klemmer put in his usual, tradesman-like performance running for 195 metres and in 49 minutes whilst Dolphins-bound winger Edrick Lee scored a try and ran for 160 metres of his own. The Knights lost star fullback Kalyn Ponga to a head knock in the opening exchanges and looked a step behind the tricolours for much of the night.

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Historic Panthers continue winning ways

With 17 wins through their first 18 games, the Penrith Panthers stand on the cusp of history and are looking to become the first team since the 1975 Roosters to finish double-digit competition points ahead of second. Following their 20-10 win over Cronulla on Saturday night, the Panthers are eight points clear of the second-place Cowboys with six games remaining. Their season has been remarkably dominant particularly after a gruelling finals run that ended with premiership glory. Two tries in the opening 11 minutes got the visitors off to a dream start before the Panthers characteristically grinded their way to 20 unanswered points. Dylan Edwards added another strong performance to his terrific season, scoring a try, running for a game-high 247 metres and breaking eight tackles, whilst Brian To’o ran for 225 metres of his own with six tackle breaks. Former-Shark Scott Sorensen was huge off the bench for the Panthers running for 170 metres from 16 carries and making 23 tackles. Cronulla did not do a whole lot to discredit their postseason chops but were let down by their own ill-discipline.

Where are the Storm?

The Melbourne Storm are out of the top four for the first time since Round 3 after falling to the Rabbitohs on Saturday night at Homebush 24-12. Their four-game losing streak is the club’s longest in seven years, prompting head coach Craig Bellamy to declare he is “not confident [they] can turn it around” at the postgame presser. Fearsome edge forward Keaon Koloamatangi had some game for South Sydney, scoring a try in the opening two minutes before assisting on another in the second half and also finishing with 181 run metres and 26 tackles. Alex Johnston crossed for at least two tries for the fifth time in six outings to take his yearly tally to 21. The 27-year-old has now scored 13 tries in six games and requires just 11 tries to enter the top five for career most tries in premiership history. If his past six weeks are anything to go by, he could find himself rocketing up the leaderboard at an insane rate. Whilst South Sydney appear to be trending upwards with six wins from their past seven, Melbourne are reeling. Putting a line through them, however, may be unwise; in 2012, they backed up a five-game losing streak with an eight-game winning streak which saw them take out their first premiership after their infamous salary cap breach.

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Wests Tigers remain 16th despite their best efforts

A frantic finish saw the North Queensland Cowboys come away with a with a one-point victory over the Wests Tigers in Townsville to round out the round and pull ahead of several top four contenders on the ladder. When Cowboys half Tom Dearden crossed in the opening minute of the game, many foresaw a one-sided avalanche brewing, however, the Wests Tigers showed a tonne of guts and resolve to re-group and take a 16-6 lead into the break. A second-half try-scoring double courtesy of Jeremiah Nanai saw North Queensland leap out to a six-point lead before a Valentine Holmes field goal looked to have all but sealed the result for the hosts. Brent Naden’s second try of the afternoon saw the visitors bring themselves back within one with five minutes to play before a superb collaboration inspired by Adam Doueihi and Daine Laurie saw centre Starford To’a cross to put the Wests Tigers back in front and seemingly steal a famous victory. With one second remaining, however, a short kick-off paid dividends for the Cowboys who received an escort penalty thanks to a dubious captains challenge call to allow Holmes to kick a walk-off penalty goal. It was a devastating end to a terrific afternoon for the embattled Wests Tigers who were hit with a second gut-punch after referees boss Graham Annesley admitted the escort call was wrong. The joint venture still sit on the bottom of the competition ladder with six weeks remaining before finals. Join TopSport Here

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