Is the fear factor surrounding the Roosters in recent seasons a thing of the past?
The Roosters have one of the best winning records in the NRL over the past decade but have been way off the boil in the early rounds of 2022.
A shock, heavy loss at home to the Knights in round one, followed by a fair win over a horribly out-of-form Manly and Friday night’s crushing defeat to Souths has left Roosters coach Trent Robinson with plenty of questions and few answers.
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There were thoughts that this could be a transitional year for the club after losing a host of experience in the shape of Boyd Cordner, Jake Friend and the Morris twins (all retired), Isaac Liu (Titans) and Matt Ikuvalu (Sharks).
But the Roosters still have plenty of stars in their line-up and few would have thought they would be sitting near the bottom of the ladder at this early stage of the year.
A major cause of concern against the Rabbitohs was the poor performances of some of their big guns.
Superstar James Tedesco had possibly his worst game for the club, while usually reliable defenders Joey Manu and Victor Radley missed 11 tackles between them.
Eels continue winning run
Have the Storm become the Eels’ ‘bunnies’?
Beating Melbourne once is a mighty achievement – the Eels have now won the last three games in a row against the Storm machine.
No team in the NRL can boast that sort of record against Craig Bellamy’s men in recent seasons and the feat makes a mockery of critics who say the Eels can’t win big pressure games.
The Storm went into the home game as firm favourites and several times they looked like they would take the points – especially after Ryan Papenhauzen’s last-gasp try that took the game into extra time.
But the Eels held their nerve and full marks to Ray Stone, who must have been exhausted but was the one player to chase Mitchell Moses’ field goal shot that hit the post, picking up the crumbs to become the Eels’ unlikely hero.
Panthers unearth boom rookie
There were a few people at Penrith who were worried when the club lost both Paul Momirovski and Matt Burton from the crack backline of premiership-winning squad.
But not Ivan Cleary. Why? He knew what was coming through the ranks – a kid called Izack Tago.
The 19-year-old local junior got a taste of top grade footy last season but has come into his own this year, producing his best game in top company in the 38-20 win over the Knights on Saturday.
Tago scored two tries, set up two more and ran for over 100 metres in a brilliant attacking performance.
The kid looks like he has something special – and will delight Panthers fans for many years to come.
Ilias steps up in Rabbitohs’ win
No one would have pleased Souths coach Jason Demetriou after his first win as a head coach more than young half Lachlan Ilias.
Ilias wasn’t brilliant in the huge local derby against the Roosters – but what he did do was show he can handle the pressure of a big game.
Plenty of people – including myself – believe the Rabbitohs made a massive error by letting captain and playmaker Adam Reynolds pack his bags and leave for the Broncos.
But Ilias showed he is the future with a tidy game, giving his outside men time and space and having a hand in a couple of tries.
Dragons disappoint again
One of the things that shows the character of a team is its ability to come back from behind – and at the Dragons there is clearly a problem in that regard.
Thursday night’s loss to Cronulla was the 28th straight time the Dragons were held to nil at halftime and went on to lose the game.
The Sharks led 18-0 at the break and never looked like losing at the Dragons’ fortress in Wollongong.
Even when Cronulla had two men in the sin bin in the final couple of minutes, the Dragons couldn’t score in a very disappointing performance.
Sharks enforcer grabs chance
It hasn’t been an easy journey to first grade for Siosifa Talakai – but the tank-like Sharks forward is making the most of it now.
A Souths junior, 24-year-old Talakai struggled to make the grade at the Rabbitohs and Panthers, re-inventing his game with the Newtown Jets in 2019 before being given a chance at Cronulla.
The powerful forward was a regular in the Sharks pack last season and was outstanding in the win over the Dragons on Thursday night.
Talakai played the full 80 minutes – 50 in the forwards and 30 in the centres – and scored one try and created another.
“He is really doing a great job for us,” Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon told me over the weekend.
Schneider inspires amazing comeback
The halfback cupboard at Canberra looked pretty bare when George Williams was sent back to England early last season – and it cost the Raiders a finals berth.
Fast forward to 2022 and things are looking good. The club signed Jamal Fogarty from the Titans and when he went down hurt, teenager Brad Schneider was tossed into the fray.
The youngster has only played a couple of first grade games but was a key figure in Saturday night’s remarkable comeback 24-22 win over the Titans.
Schneider only got a run because Fogarty was injured but made the most of his chance, playing a major role in the remarkable fightback win over the Titans.
The Raiders looked dead and buried, down 22-0, before mounting their spirited comeback.
And it was Schneider who created the final try for fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad with a clever grubber kick and then coolly landed the pressure conversion to give the Raiders their epic win.
Cowboys on the rise
Before a ball was kicked this season, Todd Payten was a man under the pump. When the Cowboys lost their opening game against the Bulldogs, some critics were already calling for his head.
But over the past two games, the Cowboys have shown they are among the most exciting teams in the NRL – thanks to Payten giving youth a go.
Young guns like Jeremiah Nanai, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Tom Dearden and Griffin Neame have looked great and the controversial decision to move Valentine Holmes to the centres has proved a master-stroke.
Big wins over the Raiders and Broncos have the Cowboys flying high – and they have to be considered dark horses for a finals berth.
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