#1 Storm - 10 points (prev #1)
Another week another win for Melbourne overcoming a spirited Tigers team. Got their completion rate up to 80%, significantly decreased their missed tackle stats from last week with just 16 and ran for 1410 metres. The Storm remain easily the most prolific attacking side in the competition with 142 points and averaging 5 tries per game. All of the "big three' are firing. Cooper Cronk continues to be tied for the NRL lead in both line break assists and try assists. Cameron Smith is one of only 5 players in the NRL to have already eclipsed 200 tackles and is third in total points, while Billy Slater is second in line breaks along with 4 tries and 4 try assists.
#2 Rabbitohs - 10 points (prev #2)
Just an ever so slightest step behind come the Bunnies who joined the Storm on 10 points notching up their 5th win of the year. It wasn't easy for the Rabbitohs with a missed Warriors conversion being the difference but the Bunnies record over the ditch in recent times had been very lacklustre, the 2013 unit rectified that. Souths remain in second in both tries and points, averaging 25.4 per game, largely on the back of Nathan Merritt who has amassed 8 tries already, once again striving for NSW to finally give him a chance. The big test comes this week as the two undefeated giants clash, for all of the Bunnies early success, they aren't quite looked as in the same way as Melbourne are, this is their chance to lay claim to being the best team at this stage of the competition.
#3 Sea Eagles - 8 points (prev #3)
Some expected the Sea Eagles vs Bulldogs clash would finally mark the arrival of the Dogs in 2013, but Manly had different ideas unleashing an 18-0 first half barrage en route to a comfortable 20-6 victory. Despite the players they are missing, the Dogs still possess a big strong pack, but Manly ran right over the top of them for 1607 metres. Jorge Taufua has developed into one of the most lethal strike weapons in the competition sitting second in the NRL with 7 tries and leading all players with 8 line breaks while Matt Ballin continues to rack up huge tackle numbers, his 48 against the Dogs seeing him up to 217 on the year, third in the comp. Manly remain a clear first in defence, allowing just 36 points, an average of 7.2 per game while also being fourth in points scored.
#4 Roosters - 6 points (prev #6)
Lead 16-0 at the half but blew it in the second to fall by 2 points to the Raiders. The Roosters first half clean sheet saw them eclipse over 200 straight minutes without conceding a point, going back to round 2. Despite the loss, the Roosters continue to look a group capable of remaining amongst the upper echelon of the competition. They've scored the 5th most points and tied for second in points conceded with just 66. James Maloney has really found himself at home, leading the NRL in points, 5 line breaks, 4 line break assists and he's finding a great balance with Mitchell Pearce with a 44-40 split in kicks in play. The Roosters lead all teams with an average of 6 line breaks per game.
#5 Titans - 6 points (prev #4)
A dreadful week all up for the boys from the Gold Coast. They lost five-eighth Aiden Sezer late to injury leading to a reshuffle with Greg Bird slotting into the halves. The Titans seemed to be doing OK with a 12-10 HT lead including a exceptional effort from halfback Albert Kelly for a try. Unfortunately for the Titans, they'd proceed to be blown away 22-0 in the second half and Kelly would leave the game with what looked a very concerning knee injury. They maintained an 80% completion rate and had just 9 errors, but were unable to stop the Broncos trampling them for 1540 metres. The Titans now will be sweating on the health of both halves who have been integral to their strong start to the year.
#6 Knights - 6 points (prev #5)
Another favourite who couldn't get across the line in round 5, the 19-16 3 point margin suggests the Knights were right in it, but an 80th minute score try the Knights made that score somewhat misleading. The Knights made good metres with 1408 but dropped below 70% completions which generally is a fast track to defeat. The Knights remain among the highest scoring teams in the league sitting in third with 24 per game lead by Akuila Uate already on 7 tries and Jarrod Mullen may well have put his name into Origin contention with a string of fantastic kicking performances, currently with 15 more kicks in play than any other player. The Knights however will need to start performing away from home if they are to cement themselves as contenders.
#7 Broncos - 4 points (prev #10)
A big statement game at just the right time for Brisbane bouncing back after two straight losses to topple the Titans. The Broncos seemingly always get up for this clash and this time was no different as they put 6 tries on one of the better defensive sides in the competition, the Broncos will be feeling pretty good after going very close against Melbourne the week prior and now picking up a very strong win here. The shift of Corey Norman to fullback and Josh Hoffman to the wing is starting to look like a great decision as the two continue to find their footing in new jerseys, Norman has 4 try assists and 3 line break assists, Hoffman 5 tries and 5 line breaks. Ben Hannant has really lifted his game to help fill the void of injured Josh McGuire with 183 tackles along with 77 hit ups.
#8 Dragons - 4 points (prev #12)
With so much inconsistency among the bottom half of the competition, the Dragons join only Manly, Melbourne and South Sydney as teams who have won both games the last two rounds as the Dragons followed up a win over the Sharks with a win over the Knights despite losing fullback Gerard Beale halfway through the contest. These are two pretty nice scalps for the Dragons who had been struggling greatly over the first 3 rounds. The Dragons completed their sets well at 80%, put up some strong metres with 1485 and made only 8 errors. They remain one of the poorest attacking sides despite the exploits of Jason Nightingale who has 4 tries 4 linebreaks and 9 offloads, but Jamie Soward is starting to find his form and the Dragons are playing intelligently with some good structure.
#9 Cowboys - 4 points (prev #11)
I'll jump right back on the Cowboys bandwagon after they had a clear point to prove dishing out a 30-0 flogging of Penrith. Penrith leak more points than anyone, but 30-0 is still a very emphatic victory. There's no question that the Cowboys posses a fantastic roster and I don't doubt they'll make the top 8 once they get back on track and this type of win was just the type they needed to get their tails up. Thurston and Bowen are both tied for the most try assists while Scott and Tamou have 149 hit ups combined. The Cowboys sit 9th in points for and 8th in points against, real middle of the pack stuff, but the current table allows for teams to get back up the ladder pretty quickly if they can string a couple together.
#10 Tigers - 4 points (prev #9)
The Tigers put on a very clinical effort but joined the list of teams to fall victim to Melbourne. They completed 82% had 10 errors and missed 20 tackles which was a good effort, but couldn't match the Storm for fire power. Once again the Tigers struggled more metres while their opposition stomped on them, the Tigers are not a big team and it's becoming a familiar trend to see a large difference in metres made between them and their opponents. Robbie Farah made 51 tackles against Melbourne and is tied for the NRL lead in try assists, line break assists along with leading the NRL in tackles reflecting the fantastic, dynamic player that he is. Farah is really wearing his heart on his sleeve as he always does, leading from the front.
#11 Eels - 4 points (prev #14)
If there was ever a game for this Eels group to get up for, it was this contest against Cronulla, celebrating the life of Jon Mannah and competing for the Jon Mannah cup. In an emotional, physical contest, the Eels put on a performance that lacked in pizazz but was high in heart as they went home 13-6 winners. The Eels completed 90% of their sets, ran for 1427 metres and made only 6 errors, in the second half they completed 18/19. This was a huge game for the Eels for a number of reasons and they came through after 3 straight losses. Now they'll need to address a defence that has been the fifth worst in the NRL and maintain the commitment that had been lacking in weeks prior.
#12 Sharks - 4 points (prev #7)
Back to back losses for the Sharkies now who have generated the second lowest points total in the NRL. In the first first weeks the Sharks seemed to really embrace the drama that had surrounded the club amongst the doping scandal, taking that drama and using it to motivate them on the field. But over the last couple of weeks, the exhaustion of the mental gymnastics that Sharks have had to endure has looked to take its toll and while Gallen has managed to don a thong and ride his motorbike through town for charity, the Sharks on field performances are crumbling. They once again showed very poor ball control with just 67%, just 52% in the second half. The Sharks were supposedly looking to lighten the load on Gallen this year, but he's the only player in the NRL with over 100 hit ups, his 111 puts him 24 above the next closest player.
#13 Raiders - 4 points (prev #16)
It's been a very rough start to the season for the Raiders, struggling on the field and dealing with issues off the field, but the Raiders made a huge statement picking up a win over the very hot Roosters. Down 16-0 at the half, the Raiders looked likely to be the next team to be blanked by the Chooks, but a 4 try second half explosion from the Raiders saw them pick up a 24-22 victory for the biggest upset of the round. Once again Shaun Fensom was very busy, making 41 tackles taking him to 218 on the year, the second most in the competition. A lot for the Raiders to work on, the second most points conceded and the fourth least scored, but you have to start somewhere if you are going to turn it around and this was a great way for the Green Machine to do it.
#14 Warriors - 2 points (prev #15)
The Warriors chalked up yet another loss but deserve to hold their head high after once again falling by just 2 points, agonizingly close to handing the Rabbitohs their first loss of the year. 1399 metres saw them outdo the Bunnies but 41 missed tackles is far from acceptable and they sit second worst in that category with 140. The Warriors were boosted by the return of Russell Packer and this week will regain the services of Dane Nielsen. Rookie centre/winger Ngani Laumape is starting to generate a lot of excitement, making 120 metres and scoring a try in the Warriors losing effort. After their dreadful start, the last two weeks for the Warriors have seen a lot of positives, but they'll need to start kicking on and getting some wins if they want to make something of the season.
#15 Bulldogs - 2 points (prev #8)
The benefit of the doubt is over for the Doggies for now. They still await two huge names in James Graham and Sam Kasiano along with the suspension of Krisnan Inu, but with Barba and Pritchard back, the Dogs now need to get their season in gear but they offered very little against Manly, failing to score until the 72nd minute which was far too late. I still believe this team will make the 8, but they need to start winning games to justify being ranked any higher. The positive for the Bulldogs is the strength of schedule they have endured. Their 4 losses have come against the Melbourne, Manly, South Sydney, North Queensland, that's 3 of the top 4 teams, that group combined has won 16 out of 20. That's some very tough games they have gotten out of the way.
#16 Panthers - 2 points (prev #13)
A 30-0 drubbing to give the Panthers 4 losses in their last 4 games, no wins since round 1. They continue to hold the highest missed tackle count in the NRL averaging 33 missed per game and this has contributed to the Panthers being the worst defensive team in the comp allowing an average of 28 pointers per game. The Panthers have shown that they can score points, sitting in eighth for points scored, but only Melbourne has scored enough points to compensate for how many the Panthers have allowed. Penrith fans looking for a positive need look no further than winger Josh Mansour who had 166 metres and 4 offloads in the Panthers big defeat. Mansour is fifth in the NRL in hit ups and first in offloads with 17, unfortunately there's not a whole lot he can do on his own.
@WellsNorthShore
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