By CASEY O’CONNOR
ROUND five of the NRL has been overshadowed by the appalling actions of Bulldogs players and fans. There was nothing “Good” at the end of Friday night’s game as tempers boiled over on and off the field in disgraceful scenes. The fallout from Friday night’s game will have far reaching consequences. There are major injury concerns for the Bunnies. Greg Inglis aggravated an ongoing knee complaint. Adam Reynolds has a knee injury, Isaac Luke and Glenn Stewart both suffered concussion. They can be added to several key Bunnies already in the casualty ward.
The Bulldogs will be without their captain James Graham, David Klemmer while the Canterbury hooker Michael Lichaa could also be in trouble for his spray at the referee during the Dogs brain explosion. All in all, a shameful end to the game.
Officials and fans will be hoping round six gets off to a better start when Brisbane and the Roosters go head to head at Suncorp and Cronulla host Newcastle at Remondis.
Brisbane has strung together four wins on the trot and are looking stronger with each game as Anthony Milford settles into the saddle at Red Hill.
Milford looked more at home against the Titans and broke his duck for his new side, scoring a double as Brisbane claimed a 26-16 win. The Broncos defence was rock solid and will need to be when they host the Roosters. The Roosters looked more like plucked ducks than minor premiers against a resilient Cronulla side searching for their opening win of the season.
The only Roosters player to stand up in attack was Roger Tuivasa-Scheck. Captain Mitchell Pearce summed the situation up saying his side was disappointing across the board. The Broncos can expect a smarting Roosters to turn up at Suncorp.
In a close game, the Broncos should get home. Latest news from the stable is captain Justin Hodges should be fit to play.
The Sharks and Newcastle go head to head in the second game Friday night.
The Sharks may have turned a corner with a win over the Roosters. They have unearthed an up and coming star in rookie Jack Bird who scored two tries and laid on another for fellow rookie Valentine Holmes. Newcastle was looking for five on the trot but had a miserable night against the Dragons. Playing for the inaugural Alex McKinnon Cup the Knights were disappointing. Adding to the pain for Knights fans Beau Scott looks to be in trouble with ankle ligament damage.
Judging by their last start performances, you would have to think the Sharks would have too much bite.
Parramatta was another to have their bubble burst in round five. Like many other clubs, the Eels are struggling with injuries. With most of their backline sidelined, they struggled but led 6-4 before a series of errors handed the Tigers a series of chances which they capitalised on.
The Titans may not have got the points against Brisbane but lost no admirers and are not far from a win. If the Titans can improve their completion rate, they will trouble the Eels.
The Warriors were once again not without their chances against Melbourne and again they were their own worst enemies as poor ball handling skills proved costly. They must rectify that part of their game if they are to beat a young Tigers side brimming with confidence in round six. The Tigers took their opportunities late in their game against the Eels. Veteran among the young Tigers side, Pat Richards lit up a dour game with some sensational individual play as the Tigers bit back late. They will prove a handful in ANZ.
On Saturday night, the bedraggled Manly Sea Eagles take on Penrith. A poor start to the season and internal issues are translating to disappointment on field. Manly has been hit savagely by injuries, but looked lethargic and devoid of options and far from the heavyweights we are used to seeing. Their opponents this weekend, the Panthers are coming off another Thurston masterclass. It was not that the Panthers were that bad on Monday night more that Thurston was again brilliant. They should atone for that loss with a win here.
Ricky Stuart was talking up his team’s win over the Manly in Albury and while winning form is good form they face a tougher task when they host Melbourne. In an exciting game against the Warriors, skipper Cameron Smith added another record to his already impressive war chest when he became one of only five players in history to record 200 NRL wins.
The old form of Slater Cronk and Smith were seen at their very best, but it was the brilliance of Koroibete who iced the winning cake for the Storm.
Slater is under an injury cloud, however, you would expect Melbourne to go home with the points.
At ANZ on Sunday, the Dragons will be breathing fire as they take on the wounded Dogs. The Dogs will be without some of their fire power. The Dragons are playing good football. At the start of the season, no- one could have predicted that the Dragons would have conceded six points in their past 200 minutes of football. A loss here would be another major upset.
Round six wraps up with a block buster between the Cowboys and Bunnies at ANZ. The Bunnies hung in and some think got the rub of the green against the Dogs. It was not the premiership-winning performance we expected. The Cowboys looked committed against the Panthers and have their season back on track. JT got plenty of accolades for another great game but the performance of Matt Scott, James Tamou and Jason Taumalolo was outstanding. If they take that form to ANZ, they will beat the Bunnies who have their share of injury woes.
Casey’s tips
Broncos
Sharks
Titans
Warriors
Panthers
Storm
Dragons
Cowboys
