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.
