5 Things to Watch: Everything to keep an eye on in NRL Round 17

With an Origin decider rapidly approaching and half the premiership’s sides sitting this weekend out, one could be forgiven for glancing over this round’s fixtures, however, there are some big clashes for fans to enjoy before the big one next Wednesday night. Here are 5 Things to Watch in Round 17.

Undermanned Storm make Shire trip

Melbourne and Cronulla have met in a number of big clashes over the years and will again this Thursday night on what will be a soggy track in the Shire. The Storm will be without the likes of Cameron Munster, Harry Grant, Felise Kaufusi and Xavier Coates, whilst Cronulla will be missing barnstorming centre Siosifa Talakai. Melbourne have won their past five against Cronulla, including a 34-18 win at home earlier this year, but will be up against it on Thursday night. They are fresh off a 36-30 loss to Manly and look the most vulnerable they have for some time, whilst Cronulla snuck past the Dogs in monsoon-like conditions last Saturday afternoon. Ryan Papenhuyzen came home with a wet sail in Melbourne’s narrow, last-start loss, laying on a pair of tries and scoring two of his own in an absurd final five minutes. In his first appearance since Round 9, the 24-year-old finished with two tries, three try assists, and a line break. He has now scored 14 tries in his past nine games and has crossed for a double in three of his past four.

Souths looking to build platform

With seven wins from their past 11, South Sydney will be eager to launch themselves into the backend of the season and nestle themselves in the top eight when they face the Knights in Newcastle this weekend. They will, however, have to do so without Cameron Murray, Damien Cook, Campbell Graham, Jai Arrow and Hame Sele. The Knights, meanwhile, will welcome back Bradman Best who replaces Maroons centre Dane Gagai. Souths came away with a massive 18-point win over the 6th-place Eels on Saturday night to give them some breathing room in their race towards the top eight. Latrell Mitchell played well in his highly-anticipated return, whilst Alex Johnston added another two tries to his premiership-leading tally. The Knights managed their third win in six outings against a lacklustre Titans outfit, with winger Edrick Lee becoming the first player in club history to score five tries in a single game. If Newcastle exhibit the same attacking spark they showed last Friday evening, they could seriously trouble an undermanned Bunnies outfit who will be desperate to put their up-and-down run behind them and progress full-throttle towards the postseason.

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Wests Tigers need wins and need them fast

After an awful 22-2 defeat at the hands of the Warriors in Auckland, the Wests Tigers find themselves tied with the Gold Coast in the wins column with a premiership-worst -188 for-and-against. They are in serious danger of finishing with the wooden spoon for the first time in the joint venture’s history if they are unable to improve. This Saturday night, they face an Eels team fresh off a 30-12 loss to South Sydney who they have already managed a win against this season. Adam Doueihi will start in the centres for the first time this season, whilst teenager Justin Matamua is set to make his debut off the interchange. Parramatta will be without Blues prop Junior Paulo, however, Ryan Matterson will return after a week off. The Wests Tigers will face current top eight sides in each of their next four games as they desperately try to climb up the ladder and avoid the spoon. The Eels, meanwhile, are currently sitting at sixth and are just two competition points ahead of the Rabbitohs and Dragons after blowing a big opportunity against Souths last week.

Where does Doueihi belong?

Wests Tigers star Adam Doueihi is just now starting to find his feet after a 10-month ACL layoff and has been named in the starting side for the first time this season for his side’s clash against Parramatta at Leichhardt this Saturday night. The Lebanese international will wear the four on his back and line-up at right centre for his embattled side. Since joining the Wests Tigers at the start of 2020, the coaching staff has tinkered with his positioning and still appear unsure of where he best fits. He has spent extended stints at fullback and five-eighth, as well as in the centres. Luke Brooks and Jackson Hastings make up the current halves-pairing, whilst Jock Madden is also waiting in the wings. Most would agree Doueihi’s best football has come with the six jersey on his back, however, veteran Luke Brooks occupies that spot for the time being. At 191cm and 95kg, Doueihi is a similar build to Raiders six Jack Wighton and possesses a kicking repertoire not all too dissimilar to that of Matt Burton’s. The Wests Tigers could do worse than a long-term halves-pairing of Doueihi and Hastings whose skillsets compliment current fullback Daine Laurie and incoming hooker Apisai Koroisau.

Sullivan slots in at 7

Perhaps the round’s most intriguing matchup is Sunday afternoon’s top eight showdown between Brisbane and St. George Illawarra at Suncorp, albeit with a number of stars missing. The Broncos are set to be without Payne Haas, Kurt Capewell, Selwyn Cobbo, Patty Carrigan, Te Maire Martin, Thomas Flegler and Corey Jensen, whilst Dally M hopeful Ben Hunt will be on Origin duty and will not play for the Red V. Hunt’s absence, however, opens the door for local junior Jayden Sullivan to don the seven jersey in a move that has many of the Dragons faithful excited. Sullivan has yet to establish himself as a first-grader, despite displaying some electric qualities as both a half and a hooker in his 10 NRL games. He will line-up in the halves alongside Junior Amone for the first time in the top-grade, who he played juniors with and won the 2019 SG Ball Grand Final alongside. A deceptively strong half with a quick pair of heels, Sullivan will have the opportunity to show off his game management skills this weekend against what is still a formidable Brisbane outfit. Over his past five full games of reserve-grade, he has scored three tries, assisted on six, made five line breaks and 17 tackle breaks and averaged over 109 metres per game. The Dragons have won their past five against Brisbane and have scored over 37 points on average across that stretch. Corey Oates, meanwhile, has scored eight tries over his past seven games in what has been a big period for the experienced winger.

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