Innholdsfortegnelse for 2019 - Finals Week 2 i Big League Weekly Edition

THE focus leading into last week’s game against the Sharks was how the Sea Eagles would cope without key forwards Martin Taupau, Joel Thompson and Curtis Sironen, and while it sounds sacrilege, they didn’t need them. Addin Fonua-Blake did the work of four men against a Cronulla pack brimming with representative talent, singlehandedly dominating the opposition to propel Manly into the second week of the finals. His raw numbers were phenomenal – 23 carries for 187 metres, seven tackle-breaks and a try – but it was his second stint which changed the momentum of the game and confirmed his status as one of the game’s best big men. “He’s one of the best props in the world,” hooker Api Koroisau told Big League. “He’s playing amazingly at the moment and…

After making your NRL debut in Round 6, you’ve gone on to play 12 first grade games including last week’s qualifying final against South Sydney. This year must be a dream come true for you… It’s been unbelievable, I keep having to pinch myself. At the start of the year I was hoping to play just one game but to be able to play so many has been unreal. I’m definitely not taking this opportunity for granted. When you scored your first NRL try against the Titans in Round 20, you seemed pretty excited. Can you share what that moment meant to you? I was carrying on a little bit, but to score a try a try in the NRL, especially next to the lads we have at the Roosters,…

IT was the greatest jolt to the game that rugby league has had to endure in the past century and it took root 25 years ago when the machinations that would become the ‘Super League War’ started taking shape – with no-one anticipating the damage it would inflict on the sport. The casualty ward was extensive: hundreds of millions of dollars wasted, fractured relationships, two competitions going head-to-head in 1997, fans walking away from the game, trust between colleagues being lost and, eventually, established clubs dying or merging. Yet innovations from the News Ltd-funded Super League still exist today: the video referee, referees ‘wired’ with their comments broadcast live, a grading judiciary system, a World Club Challenge, a night grand final, a Nines tournament and golden point extra-time (first used…

BARRING an 11th-hour backflip, Api Koroisau will never run onto Lottoland in a Sea Eagles jersey again. But thanks to a stunning 28-16 upset win over the Sharks in the first week of the finals, the livewire hooker will have lifelong memories of a venue that was almost deemed unsafe after asbestos was found on the hill. Koroisau will return to the foot of the mountains in 2020, but for now his sole focus is on Manly and the task ahead as they look to extend their dream run against the Rabbitohs on Friday. The future is just that, and as long as he can still hear Eagle Rock in the background then the rest doesn’t matter. “It actually didn’t go through my mind – only when other people mentioned…

SEA EAGLES  FEARLESS leader Daly Cherry-Evans produced one of the finest captain’s knocks of his career to keep Manly’s season alive, and he knows he’ll have to back it up this week against a South Sydney side that is reeling following a heavy loss at the SCG. The Sea Eagles halfback was outstanding from start to finish in the big win over Cronulla with two try assists, two line-break assists and a five-star performance with both feet as he kicked the Sharks into submission. Few gave the Sea Eagles a chance, and the skipper admits that drove him to succeed. “We had a lot of people out who have played a big role in our team, who have brought a lot of leadership to help this season,” he said. “With…

ST GEORGE Illawarra forward Teuila Fotu-Moala (pictured) created some unwanted NRLW history earlier this week when she was charged for a crusher tackle on Lavinia Gould following Sunday’s 16-12 loss to the Broncos. The club’s decision to challenge the grading of the charge was a ground-breaking moment for the game, with the Dragons recruit fronting a three-person panel at Rugby League Central on Tuesday night. While the marketing campaign for the NRLW in 2019 has centred around female players being truly incomparable, it’s now being asked whether the judiciary system needs tweaking given the brevity of the women’s four-week competition. In this case the game is using the same match review system as the men’s format – which, isn’t necessarily a bad thing when you’re citing foul and dangerous play…

Q Was it a case of you missing your opportunities last week? A You can’t take anything away from the Roosters. They were outstanding. They out-enthused us, they ran harder than us, they tackled harder than us and their energy was ferocious. The message for us was to salvage anything we could in the second half and to turn the screws a little bit on the way we wanted to play the game. I thought we did that and that gave us a bit of confidence heading into this week’s game. Q How important was that second-half fightback heading into this week? A It was important to show some effort. The game was over and there was no way of coming back, but we created a lot of momentum in…

Q Congratulations on the win. Though Brisbane offered little resistance, are there positives you can take out of the game ahead of the trip to Melbourne? A It was a great performance and the big thing to take out of it is our defence, the way we kept them to nil. We’ll need to go to another level this week, especially down there against an experienced team that’s been in the finals for years. It’s a big task, so we’ll go back and look at the tape and see what we need to fix and work on. Q The screaming catch for the opening try, the brutal hit on Jake Turpin – you’ve been in great form for weeks now. Does the excitement revitalise you in the big games? A…

NEW ZEALAND will play host to an NRLW fixture for the first time as the Warriors welcome St George Illawarra at Mt Smart Stadium this week. The Warriors got their campaign off to a flying start last week as they stunned the Roosters on the back of an inspiring performance by halfback Charntay Poko. Another win will put them in the box seat for a grand final appearance, but they missed out last season after winning their first game. The Warriors will be eager not to let that happen again, and celebrate their first home game with a win. Tipped to win the competition after a big signing spree in the off-season, the Dragons were downed by Brisbane in their first game last week. They could be all but eliminated…

WYNNUM Manly advanced to the preliminary finals with a four-point victory against Redcliffe at BMD Kougari Oval in Brisbane last Sunday afternoon. The Seagulls raced out to a 14-0 lead after 28 minutes following tries to Edene Gebbie and Kalolo Saitaua. However the Dolphins weren’t going down without a fight as they turned it in the second half. Wearing jersey No.25, interchange player Harrison Smith bagged a try directly after the break to reduce Redcliffe’s deficit to eight points. Wynnum Manly hit back through a try to Kelly Tate before Jamil Hopoate and Josh Beehag crossed for the Dolphins, setting up a tense finish to the sudden-death clash. The Dolphins had 15 minutes to find a winning try to keep their season alive, but after missing a couple of chances,…

South Sydney have won five of their seven finals matches played at ANZ Stadium. Melbourne have won just two of their past five home games. Storm captain Cameron Smith requires two goals to become the first player to kick 100 goals in finals. Canberra have lost their past three home games. Parramatta’s Mitch Moses has scored 200 points in an NRL season for the first time in his career. Canberra’s 12-10 victory over the Storm was the club’s lowest winning score in a finals game. This is the first year since 2015 that the NRL minor premier has lost in the first week of the finals.…

THE FIRST week of the finals was truly the most rugby league way to start a premiership campaign series for 2019. Not only did we have upsets, incredible scorelines, superhuman efforts and excellent tries, but a bizarre injury to Raider Joey Leilua and an unfortunate referee howler rounded out an incredible few days. I know plenty of long-suffering Raiders and Eels fans who are over the moon, but it was the Sea Eagles’ victory over the Sharks that had me most impressed (just a little bit more than another stunning performance by the Roosters). I said on the Big League Podcast last week that while I was tipping the Sharks, it would be most Des Hasler-like for the severely depleted Manly team to jag a win and continue on their…

FRANK Endacott believes his calming influence can help rescue Mate Ma’a Tonga’s teetering post-season campaign – despite uncertainty around the availability of their stars. After a blow-up between the TNRL board, coach Kristian Woolf and the players resulted in Woolf’s sacking, Endacott answered an SOS from the Tongan hierarchy. The legendary former Kiwis mentor is set to lead Mate Ma’a Tonga into Tests against Great Britain and Australia, while ex-Titans coach Garth Brennan will be at the helm for the World Cup Nines. “Because of the circumstances, they just needed someone who could settle everyone down and bring them together,” Endacott told Big League. “There’s no way I’d take sides. I’m a coach, not a politician. I just want everyone getting on, because if you’re going to succeed as a…

8. Graham Wilson (1962) NSW second-rower Wilson shaped as a trump card for Newtown in its preliminary final with Western Suburbs, but the 23-year-old was sent off after an incident with Magpies forward Kel O’Shea in just the 13th minute. O’Shea, a veteran of 20 Tests for Australia, suffered a bad head gash following a flare-up with the Bluebags tyro, who was marched after referee Col Pearce realised the seriousness of the Wests skipper’s injuries. The Magpies powered to victory and a second-straight grand final berth. Wilson later toured with the 1963-64 Kangaroos. 7. Greg Pierce (1978) Cronulla successfully qualified for its second grand final via a major semi win over minor premiers Wests, but the result was soured by the send-off and subsequent suspension of captain Pierce. The incumbent…

Gallen fights on His footy career may have come to an end, but that doesn’t mean Paul Gallen will be lost to the game. The retired Sharks skipper hopes to remain with the club in an off-field capacity; an area he believes the Sharks have been lacking compared to other teams. He will also continue his media commitments with Channel Nine and stay involved with a couple of businesses outside of rugby league. His sporting career is also set to continue, with Gallen keen to get in the ring again, although he couldn’t reveal who his next opponent would be. “I’ll get in the ring for sure, probably at the back-end of this year and maybe next year,” he said. “There are a couple on the horizon but I can’t…

THEY’RE the right-edge quartet who have only played three games together, but Mitch Moses, Manu Ma’u, Waqa Blake and Blake Ferguson loom as the awesome foursome who can make the Eels the real deal in the finals. While most of the focus has been on try-scoring machine Maika Sivo on the other side of the field, Parramatta’s right flank has been quietly building their combinations and could hold the key ahead of Saturday’s game against the Storm. The Eels were unstoppable across the park in their record-breaking 58-0 demolition of the Broncos at a raucous Bankwest Stadium last week but they’ll need to lift several gears against the minor premiers, who’ll be stinging following a last-gasp loss at home to the Raiders. FOLLOWING MOSES Moses was superb in the rout,…

A QUICK note on the standalone fixture at Mt Smart Stadium on Sunday – and what a game we have on our hands! The Warriors were Round 1 winners and looked mighty impressive against a Roosters outfit that struggled to score points out wide. Halfback Charntay Poko looked a class above every other player on the paddock. Meanwhile, the Dragons must win to keep their grand final hopes alive. If we see a repeat of the same results this weekend then we’re headed for a Broncos-Warriors clash in the final round, followed by a grand final clash between the two clubs a week later. Given the unpredictably of the competition, something suggests there’s more twists and turns to be told yet.…

ROUND 17, 2019 ANZ STADIUM RABBITOHS 21 D. SEA EAGLES 20 Adam Reynolds was the hero of the as the Rabbitohs survived a couple of 50-50 calls to eke out a narrow win on home soil. The South Sydney halfback set up his side’s first two tries, kicked two valuable penalty goals and then potted the winning field goal at the death as they claimed victory – despite being outscored by four tries to three. Manly counterpart Daly Cherry-Evans was equally impressive with a couple of try assists while centre Moses Suli was involved in a couple of controversial plays which led to tries. Damien Cook was a colossus for the Bunnies just days after his State of Origin heroics at the same venue with a whopping 53 tackles. The…

ROUND 9, 2019 SUNCORP STADIUM STORM 64 D. EELS 10 Much like this week’s encounter, the Magic Round meeting between these teams saw the Eels riding high after a big win and the Storm stunned after a shock loss – which made the result even more unexpected. The Storm began their frenzy 12 minutes in, with Cameron Munster jinking through the line, and Dale Finucane went over between the posts soon after. The Eels hit back through recruit Shaun Lane to restore faint hope, before two tries in the 10 minutes before half-time put the Storm back in control. It took less than five minutes after the break for the misery to continue, with Curtis Scott’s full-field effort summing up the game as the Eels fell off tackles and looked…

INSPIRATIONAL skipper Sam Burgess is back for South Sydney in a huge boost for the Rabbitohs after they were smashed by the Roosters in week one of the finals. The Englishman missed the game due to suspension and his absence was felt as the defending premiers ran riot through the middle in a frightening display at the SCG. Wayne Bennett’s men were blown off the park in a blistering first half but saved face in the second half to limit the damage. The second-half result ensured they at least have some momentum heading into Friday’s showdown with the Sea Eagles. “If that game blew out then it wouldn’t have been good for our confidence at all, so to go out there and be 6-4 in the second half (was important),”…

AS good as Melbourne have been all season, they now find themselves in a do-or-die semi final clash with Parramatta this Saturday. The Storm have been the benchmark all year, losing just four times in the regular season, but it means little if they can’t get the job done this weekend. The Raiders were brilliant last Saturday at AAMI Park and showed the Storm are beatable in this year’s finals series. Melbourne are so dangerous when they win the first week of the finals, and they usually don’t lose a home preliminary final – however they won’t get a chance for that this season following last week’s loss. The Melbourne side is flooded with talent all across the park, however they’ve struggled with consistency in the halfback role since the…

IF there’s one player who doesn’t ever want to let his team-mates down, it’s Josh Addo-Carr. The Storm flyer is one of the most passionate players in the game and would do anything to get a win for his team. The man called ‘The Foxx’ has once again shown his brilliance throughout the 2019 season and is one of the reasons Melbourne claimed another minor premiership – but even the best players make mistakes. Unfortunately for Addo-Carr, his rare blunder came at a crucial stage of last Saturday night’s qualifying final against Canberra – and it cost his side victory. With the game on the line and Melbourne holding a four-point advantage, the representative winger put his hand up for a tough carry out their own end, which he normally…

It was an attacking display for the ages, the biggest finals win ever and the worst loss ever inflicted upon Brisbane – but the stat that should give Parra fans the most hope ahead of the trip to Melbourne is the fact in a team including Payne Haas (pictured) and David Fifita, not one Bronco was allowed more than 100 metres in attack. It was an outstanding defensive display they’ll need to build on this week to stop the Storm.…

ANZ Stadium Friday 7.50pm Form: The Rabbitohs hit the finals with the momentum of three wins behind them but they were exposed by the Roosters in their opening play-off game. Injuries and suspensions left the Rabbitohs vulnerable and the Burgess twins were rusty after lengthy lay-offs. The return of Sam Burgess and Dane Gagai should make a difference and players who were forced to play out of position are expected to resume their usual roles. The Sea Eagles caused a boilover last Saturday when their inexperienced outfit toppled the finals-hardened Sharks at Lottoland. Just when it appeared that the Sea Eagles would limp out of the play-offs amid an injury crisis, they surprised almost everyone but themselves with their spirited effort. History: These teams have a storied history in finals…

AAMI Park Saturday 7.50pm Form: Successive losses to the Raiders at AAMI Park have scarred the Storm, who were not expecting to take the ‘hard road’ through the play-offs considering their lofty achievements through the regular season. The last-ditch defeat last Saturday caused a hasty re-evaluation; instead of planning a week’s break, the Storm are now faced with a knockout semi final. For their part, the Eels are riding high after their record-breaking defeat of the Broncos last Sunday and while the performance at Bankwest will promote confidence, memories of their last encounter with the Storm will ensure their feet remain firmly planted. History: The Eels’ defence was shredded by the Storm during this year’s Magic Round. Melbourne ran 11 tries past them in a 64-10 drubbing, which wasn’t a…

THERE’S a lot riding on this one for both the Broncos and Roosters in this 2018 NRLW Grand Final rematch. Defending premiers Brisbane prevailed 14-4 in their grudge match against the Dragons last week, and a win against the Roosters will all but secure another grand final berth. Meanwhile, the highly-fancied Roosters were stunned by the Warriors last week and will be desperate to bounce back. The Broncos remain undefeated since the NRLW began, but will be battered and bruised after last week’s fiery affair. They came from behind to upset a Dragons side littered with ex-Broncos players, with plenty of big hits and emotion along the way. Meanwhile, the Roosters will be determined to overturn last year’s grand final result, particularly after their first-up loss. The Tri-colours will take…

THE first week of the Jersey Flegg finals delivered a number of intense contests, and the second week was more of the same, with both sudden-death semi finals going to extra time. After an excellent regular season, minor premiers Cronulla have suffered the ignominy of a straight-sets exit from the finals series after losing to South Sydney, who scored amid confusing circumstances in the final minute of regular time. Sharks players were in the midst of celebrations after taking an opposition kick dead, but a penalty after the siren gave Souths the chance to draw level at 30-all at the end of extra time. Angus Ernst kicked a field goal to hand the Sharks the lead once more, but a brilliant offload by Rabbitohs back-rower Matthew French to a barnstorming…