NRL News Review Round 7

Roosters - Got their first win, and must be hoping for confidence from it. A grinding win full of enthusiasm. Not sure if they have turned the corner just yet.

Dragons - In a hole still, too many injuries and Richie Rich has compounded things with his Mundine like spray.

Wests Tigers - Back on track, a very impressive performance over the Bulldogs. Week off help cleared their heads. Look good. Back to 6 points after horror start.

Bulldogs - Totally inconsistent, only limped home against Parra the week before and failed to improve. Players look to be clocking off and relying on others to perform. SBW not his brilliant best and Ogre was quiet against his arch enemy Bryce Gibbs.

Broncos - Another case of the dropsies. A really poor effort from Brisbane - need a quality halfback urgently as only getting punch from Lockyer and Hunt - need direction and confidence.

Melbourne - Their first impressive win, the machine rolls on. Slater was explosive in some of his tries and showed his pure speed on several occasions to burn the Broncos. Too good.

Panthers - Worst game by any team this year. Simply woeful. Hard to imagine them playing this bad again. No effort and butterfingers disease. Matt Elliott must have concerns after this performance. Maybe it's not a harmonious camp at the Panthers right now?

Canberra - Surprised all, and jagged a nice away win. A team that plays for each other and put in a massive effort this week. Costigan was back and tough in the forwards and Carney again carved up the opposition. Could be a nice springboard for them - getting the away win.

Cowboys - Reinvigorated! Back to their old selves and dynamic in attack and defence. Frustrated Manly and had the game sown up with 20 mins to go. Confirmed they can win without Webb and O'Donnell.

Manly - Stiffled in attack as they have been for most of this year, defence was good considering the skill of North Queensland. Probably only a speed hump for the Manly boys, Ox needs more game time and will improve combinations in the weeks ahead.

Rabbits - Were set to win another game, but snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. An old Rabbit habit. Hopefully Taylor will nip that in the bud. A mediocre performance from the Bunnies and the Warriors probably deserved to win. Passion of Kidwell was missed in this game.

Warriors - Getting an away win is huge for these guys. They will really take confidence from this win. A gritty fight back after many, many video ref knock backs. The Warriors should have have 20+ points on the board had in not been for mystifying Video Calls. Witt played a great game and the forwards as always - dominated. Look the goods this year.

Eels - Smacked badly, hard to read too much into it - as the Eels had 8 players infected by a virus and lost several players to injury and virus hours before kick off. Will dent their confidence and injuries from this game will be a worry. Moi Moi hurting the knee may see him out for a few weeks. Finch was below par this week and needs to find form fast for himself and the team.

Titans - Preston had the game of his life and his team-mates followed. A dynamic attacking force and limited errors saw the Gold Coast rack up near 65% possession in period 1. A fluid effort that saw Rogers find form, with Webster and Petersen cementing their spots in the side.

Cronulla - Have been impressive in defence all year, but dropped their bundle last night. Went missing and got touched up by a young Knights side. Inconsistency hurting them, as is their ability to win away from home. Jury still out on this Ricky Stuart coached side

Knights - A gutsy win and showed they can do the job without Johns. Brian Smith seems to be fitting in well and the youngsters are gunning for spots. As Smith said, I think they are a few weeks off their very best - but should be winning the close ones in the weeks ahead. Watch this space.

Round 5 review:

Eels: 3 wins now, a nice roll - big names starting to produce. Halves still not 100%. Injury's low, and will look forward to Dogs this week.
Penrith: Very inconsistent, side to side attack and edge defence suspect. Need discipline badly.
Broncos: Purely a confidence issue, so many stars. They'll come good. Bennett going stale at one place for so long, need new blood in coaching ranks.
Titans: Roller coaster men again got the win. Attacking confidence has arrived for them. Preston still shakey in defence tho, depth still a concern after wkend injuries.
Saints: Tried hard, too young to contend. Pushing the pass too much. Improved defence. With the Roosters going bad, it's taking the heat off the Saints. Will improve.
Melbourne: Played average and again got the win. Defence still solid, attack was disorganised and too many gift penalties given away.
Manly: Plenty of heart, building nicely. Impressive patience. Need more tries tho, looked lost in attack in patches / kick happy.
Bulldogs: Poor showing, off night. Credit must go to Manly for some mistakes. Also struggling for size and speed out wide.
Warriors: Nice win, still the very underrated. Strong at home and top defence. Forwards are best in league at present.
Cowboys: Little off their best, tho still a top 4 side. Injuries hurting them, Thurston getting targeted in defence more has hurt. Important few rounds for them coming up.
Knights: Continue to surprise. Playing an interesting style, carefree even under B.Smith. Backs paving the way. Inconsistency their Achilles.
Souths: Lost their way a tad, maybe relaxing slightly. Faced some tough referee calls. Expect a big game against Cowboys this week. Tip them.
Wests: Look lost in attack, no cohesion. Defence is ok; but Moodie finding it tough this year. Morris might not be the option at half.
Sharks: Played ok, but just didnt have the firepower to put the Tigers away. Improving and learning combinations. Forwards need to muscle up, Thommo and Bird doing it alone.
Canberra: Different team at home. Carefree attack netting points. Soft on line defence, and suspect under high balls. Also a team on the improve. Carney will be the next big thing.
Roosters: Can't take a trick. I've never seen such bad luck, balls bouncing the wrong way for these guys. When they get monkey off back will string wins together. Anasta in form but no support.

Round 4 NRL Review

Well a tough round to pick and we missed a few upsets this week; this is how we saw your team perform this week:

Rabbitohs: Occasion got to them, too much hype. Kidwell will be missed but big Joe will be a handy fill-in. Just a minor speed bump.
Bulldogs: Building nicely now, with two back to back wins. Cutler seems a real find. Shifty and Utai will find it hard pinning spots down.
Roosters: Not too many nice things to say here; except: Toupo, Mini and Wing. Everyone else needs to improve. Long year.
Broncos: Weren't brilliant, but got the money. Will improve as focus moves off them. Eastwood really stepping up.
Knights: Threw the game away after starting so well. Better forwards effort. Losing Joey will give them a hangover for a few weeks. Mullen will step up.
Storm: Good enough to win when playing poorly. Ruck defence a little patchy and King is not faultless in line defence. But still the best team in the NRL.
Eels: Finally clicked in attack after forwards stepped up. Need halves cohesion. Blake Green needs a spot.
Raiders: Went from hero's to zero's in a week. Capable of beating most, but consistency is the next challenge. Zilman needs positional work in D.
Tigers: So unlucky yet again, haven't played a bad game in 2007, yet find themselves win less. The Tigers really need a big bopper - forwards too light.
Cowboys: A la Storm, playing poorly at times but still have the talent to win games. Injuries killing them; Webb now O'Donnell.
Sea Eagles: Amazingly still unbeaten after never really setting the world on fire in any games. Should have scored more points with 60%+ possession against NZ. Orford and Menzies will take Eagles to another level.
Warriors: Rock solid defence, very unlucky this week. Must secure an away win to gain assurance in 07. Going ok.
Panthers: Most inconsistent team so far; playing like premiers one week, then has beens the next. Playing a style much like Warriors of yesteryear, flamboyant and risky.
Titans: Surprised everyone, forward pack dominating and creative backs. Still a little bit of an enigma. Meyers went well.
Sharks: Controlled the game for 80 minutes, strong showing - Bird is amazing right now, agressive and hard to stop. Might get on a roll, face hapless Tigers this week.
St George: Uh Oh - bad signs here. Usual injuries killing them, but losing confidence which is rare for the Red Vee. Missing Bailey badly.

Round 3 NRL Wrap-Up

Well what a feast of Rugby League was served up in Round 3 of the NRL. We had two golden point cliff hangers on Friday night with the Eels and Panthers sneaking home.

Eels: Finally saw some luck fall their way. While no where near their best, a strictly refereed game by veteran Steve Clark - saw thousands of penalties given. This stop-start type of game suited the Eels much more than the Tigers. The Eels will gain some confidence from this win, and will need it as they face the newly fancied Raiders side this weekend.

Tigers: Played well in patches, with impressive attack sequences - albeit with poor final pass options. Their discipline will need a massive overhaul this week, on and off the field. Will be happy to get Paul Whatuira back into the side - but they face a massive task in taking on the Cowboys. They will need to hone their wrestling skills and stop the speed of Thurston and the Bowen boys or it's shut the game for the game and makes their first win seem so much further away.

Penrith Panthers: Some hot attacking play over the past two weeks has seen the Panthers bury the Dogs and just clip the Broncos. Lacking a little ball control and patience, the Panthers seem to be developing well under Matty Elliott. Their defence is improved on last year and the new guns - Peter Wallace, Michael Gordon and Michael Jennings all looking to be viable future options for the club.

Brisbane Broncos: Simply amazing that last years premiers are winless after three rounds. Surely last weeks last second loss would kill any inkling of confidence. The Broncos look to be structured well in attack and defence but have dropped plenty of ball and lacked the usual discipline expected from a Bennett coached side. Lucky for the Broncos they face the wooden spoon specials, the Roosters this week. A perfect remedy for any side out of form.

Bulldogs: The Dogs won without being great in Round 3. Getting a grinding win under their belts against the Gold Coast Titans. Shrek is playing the house down, and he obviously wants his new contract badly. Will be happy to get Shifty back in the halves to assist with cohesion in attack. Will grow an extra leg each week

Souths: Well the Bunnie bandwagon rolls on. Simply stunning Rugby League from the new NRL powerhouse. The Irvine try was pure excitement as they turned it on against a shoddy Sharks side at Toyota Park. The previously staunch Cronulla defence instilled by Ricky Stuart was goneski's - as the Sharks leaked like a beachfront house in the Solomon Islands. Souths are gaining massive momentum and will be up for the big Dogs clash this week. Willie v Kidwell / Asotasi will be champagne stuff.

Roosters: Hard to find any positives here. Did look to give up against the Sea Eagles. Never looked to test in attack. Have some good kids coming through in Kenny-Dowell and Pearce but some old heads need some spark. Some of the older bridgade here at the Roosters have become very 1 dimensional and are easy pickings for opposition defence lines.

Cowboys: The North Queensland boys kept their slick style up against the Dragons, and even without Jason Smith - looked to constantly break the line. Thurston is simply in a world of his own and unmatched in the NRL at present. The Cowboys did however go to sleep in the second half and lacked discipline. Some cracks for other teams to work on: O'Donnell is a firey chracter and in a 'timebomb mode' much like Danny Williams for Melbourne some years ago, it's only a matter of time until this guy kills someone. If sledged, might prove useful to opposition. Thurston is also the centrepiece of the attack - stop him and you go a long way to slowing the machine.

Raiders: Well Well, everyone's tip for the spoon. Neil Henry must be drinking champagne from his ACT Spa Room at present. The young lads from Canberra turned it on last night against the Knights. Not only beating them well, but some of the tries laid on looked like the Green Machine from yesteryear. Mullins and Daley eat your heart out stuff. Be interesting to see how they build on this. Forwards were rock solid, Logan and Costigan were downright scary and smashed the Knights around. In the backs, Zilman and Chalk were elusive and safe and of course Dobson ran the whole circus around very well. Watch with interest.

Manly: The good old Silvertails have been winning, but winning ugly. Haven't really hit top gear year yet and other teams must be weary when they do. Monaghan has been brilliant for the Eagles and basically deserves credit for getting them 2 of the 3 wins. Lyon still finding his feet. Once Orford, Menzies and Matai back - look out! Only fault may lie in the forwards - Rose prone to dropping the pill and others may lack agression.

Warriors: Tasted only their first loss of the year, but played Melbourne at the Graveyard. A very hard ask of any Rugby League team. Will lick their wounds and hopefully bounce back. Big question mark remains over their ability to travel. If they can get comfy with flying everywhere, then we'll see them in the top 8 if not top 4. Should be a good clash against Manly at Brooky - will test Warriors ability to sleep away from home again.

Titans: Still a few questions marks over the new boys. Some cracks appeared in their behaviour on the weekend, with Minichiello giving away some silly penalties. Need some more options in the forwards. Bailey carrying the team on his back. Face a tough task this weekend against Penrith at CUA stadium. In their games, they have been chasing points for a lot of the game - if they can get a leg up early, might see them play a more natural style. Rogers needs more involvement, as younger players will need his guidance and experience.

Cronulla Sharks: Some real concerns for the Sharks in the last two weeks. Throwing a lead away against the Titans and then throwing everything away against the Bunnies. Got burnt in all departments against the Rabbitohs. Need to rectify their defence and reduce pressure on Kimmorley. Dykes was missed. Simmon's wasn't the answer at fullback. Carney showing good signs but needs some support. Playing at home to the Saints this week, a good chance to find some form against the young Dragons.

St George Illawarra Dragons: The Dragons fought hard late against the Cowboys and some good signs were seen from Ritchie Rich Williams and the young brigade. Simply outgunned by the Cowboys with a more experienced and dangerous roster. Will get better with more game time, but face a desperate Sharks outfit at Toyota Park this weekend.

Knights: Big speed hump last night in Canberra - got railroaded by the young brigade that is Canberra. Will recover as Johns gets more ball time, Mullens and Gidley relaxed too much knowing Joey was back. Forwards lacked punch, and Davico was the wrong option up front. Brian Smith will be cooking up a masterplan for taking Melbourne down this week.

Melbourne: Not a lot to say here, the Melbourners keep doing everything right. Slater and Co keep pulling rabbits out of hats and every cog in the Melbourne machine is performing at their Rugby League peak. Have plenty of depth and their only concern is boredom as they win every game on their way to the finals. Big one this week against the Knights.