5 Big Things: Everything we learned in NRL Round 11

Round 11 saw a tonne of action with several sides making moves up the ladder and others looking to survive extended periods with their stars watching from the sidelines. Here are 5 Big Things we learned from Round 11.

Brisbane’s outstanding five weeks

The Brisbane Broncos are in the midst of their first five-game unbeaten streak since May 2017 after storming home against the Newcastle Knights to win 36 points to 12, despite missing skipper Adam Reynolds. Selwyn Cobbo came up with another astonishing display, crossing for a pair of tries, running for a game-high 224 metres from 15 carries, making three line breaks and nine tackle breaks. The teenage standout has put a shaky start to 2022 behind him and has firmly leapt into Origin consideration for the Maroons, who are in search of winger to pair with Storm flanker Xavier Coates. Payne Haas and Patty Carrigan have been superb up the middle-third of the field for Brisbane, with the two combining for 38 carries, 340 run metres, and 78 tackles with just one miss in their Thursday night win. Debutant Ezra Mam showed plenty of promise filling in at halfback for the injured Reynolds, finishing the night with a pair of try assists, 114 run metres, 18 tackles and a line break. Brisbane will look to extend their win streak to six this Friday night when they face the Titans at Suncorp Stadium.

Crushing Trbojevic blow

The Manly Sea Eagles’ two-point loss to rivals Parramatta was compounded by the crushing news that superstar fullback Tom Trbojevic is expected to miss the remainder of the season recovering from shoulder surgery after dislocating it on Friday night. Whilst the 25-year-old was still in the process of recapturing the indescribable form he displayed in 2021, it is hard to understate just how a big a blow it is for a Manly side who now find themselves out of the top eight. The 25-year-old scored 28 tries and assisted on 28 in just 18 games last season en route to a maiden Dally M Medal. Few players in rugby league history reached the peak that Trbojevic did in an outlier 2021 season, with Manly and NSW now frenetically searching for replacements. Whilst Manly have found ways to win without their star number-one in recent times, their attack lacks the potency needed to compete with the top sides and, whilst Reuben Garrick has proven to be a neat replacement, Trbojevic’s positioning and clean-up work at the back is difficult replicate. The Sea Eagles currently sit 10th on the ladder at 5-6 and will need to string together some wins to stay in touch with an improving top eight. Their season is far from over, but the Trbojevic news may just prove too much to overcome for a team who was already some margin short of their best football.

The Cowboys!

How ‘bout them Cowboys. Beating any Melbourne side is cause for celebration but beating them by 30 points is near parade-worthy. The Cowboys have now won eight of their 11 games and sit just for-and-against points outside of the top two. They have now won six on the trot and are eyeing the scalp of premiership-frontrunners Penrith in Penrith on Friday. Granted Melbourne were without Ryan Papenhuyzen and Jahrome Hughes, but for North Queensland to beat them as convincingly as they did was wildly impressive; seeing the Storm appear as deflated as they did on Saturday night is an extremely uncommon sight. Stoic hooker Reece Robson bagged a try and a try assist to go along with 34 tackles en route to a trio of Dally M points, whilst edge forward Tom Gilbert pressed his claim for a potential Maroons jumper with a 141-metre, 35-tackle effort, in which he also scored his second try of the season. Head coach Todd Payten has completely reinvigorated his side and is repaying the decision-makers up in North Queensland who put their faith in him. Saturday night wasn’t all perfect for the Cowboys, however, with Jason Taumalolo and Kyle Feldt both picking up injuries that will keep them out for several weeks.

Canberra beginning to find form

After a difficult start to the season which saw them plummet to 15th on the ladder after seven weeks, the Canberra Raiders have racked up three consecutive wins and are now within reach of the top eight. The Raiders celebrated club legend Josh Papali’i’s 250th first-grade game with a 32-12 win over South Sydney in Dubbo on Sunday. The Raiders were led by Joseph Tapine’s game-high 189 run metres from 19 carries and 33 tackles without a miss, whilst hooker Tom Starling laid on a pair of tries and made 30 tackles off the bench. Canberra also welcomed star five-eighth Jack Wighton back from suspension, as he finished with a try assist and 114 run metres. The Raiders have managed to fight their way back into the top eight picture thanks in no small part to their elite front-row pairing of Papali’i and Tapine, as well as some flair in their back five courtesy of Matthew Timoko, Nik Čotrić, and Jordan Rapana. Ricky Stuart’s men will face Parramatta on Sunday in Canberra before facing the Roosters in Origin-affected Round 13.

Dally M race heating up

The race for the NRL’s highest individual honour is beginning to heat up after a week which saw several stars come up with game-changing performances. Panthers stalwart Isaah Yeo still leads the race on 17 points, however, Dragons skipper Ben Hunt and Sharks recruit Nicho Hynes are sitting just a point behind him. Storm maestro Ryan Papenhuyzen and Eels conductor Mitchell Moses are also not far off the pace on 15 points. Sea Eagles captain Daly Cherry-Evans, Broncos saviour Adam Reynolds, and Roosters teammates Sam Walker and James Tedesco are also within striking distance. Round 12 will be the final week that votes are made public, with results from the final half of the season kept confidential until the top gong is awarded in the lead-up to the Grand Final. The next six-week period will be crucial for those vying for the honour, with Origin commitments potentially affecting those atop the leaderboard. Yeo is currently the only non-spine player in the top 10, which is a testament to his phenomenal play and the system that the Panthers have put in place. Tedesco is the only player mentioned with a Dally M Medal to his name, whilst Walker has the opportunity to become the youngest player in NRL history to win it.

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