Daly Cherry-Evans better get stuck into the tackling pads this week.
After a less than memorable debut for the Roosters, where DCE looked every bit his 37 years in the 42-18 shellacking by the Warriors, the veteran playmaker can expect another avalanche coming his way when the Roosters take on Souths on Friday night.
After watching the rejuvenated Rabbitohs race in 40 points of their own against the Dolphins, it’s safe to say that the Bunnies now have the game’s most lethal left edge.
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In fact, I’d go further and argue it has the potential to be the most dangerous attacking combination we’ve seen play together in the NRL for years.
With Cody Walker pulling the strings, Souths now have David Fifita and Latrell Mitchell playing outside the mercurial five-eighth.
Fifita played the full game up until his late sin binning (which by the way was an absolute joke) to finish with 20 runs for 142m (probably the most work we’ve seen from the former Titan in years).
Meanwhile, Latrell was back to his menacing best in his move to the centres, scoring two tries along with five tackle busts and a line break in his nine runs for 102m.
Add to that Alex Johnston who is now just one try away from equalling Ken Irvine’s all-time record, while pocket rocket Jye Gray was popping up everywhere from fullback.
That’s without even mentioning the impact Cameron Murray’s ball playing will have on the Rabbitohs going forward.
There is no question the Bunnies have room for improvement, especially defensively.
But going on what we saw in the opening round, they are going to be a force in this competition if their big guns stay fit.
As for the Roosters, the jury’s out, because they were nowhere near what most expected when ambushed by the Warriors.
Robbo on controversial 11-2 pen count | 05:58
And it would be especially concerning for Trent Robinson watching some of DCE’s defensive efforts.
While most of the pre-match focus centred on how DCE and Sam Walker would combine in attack, DCE missed two crucial tackles that led to tries, while failing to clean up a kick that led to another.
No doubt the partnership with Walker will grow as the season rolls on.
But the question still needs to be asked if the DCE experiment will ultimately implode on the Roosters?
They are a team that always pride themselves on being tough defensively, but too often in recent years this has been a part of Cherry-Evans’ game that has let him down.
It was always going to be a controversial call bringing in the Manly veteran to take the spot of young local Hugo Savala, who did such a good job last year.
It’s fair to say DCE now has a point to prove when the Roosters take on their arch enemies who will have a target pinned on the 37-year-old.
WHINGING ROOSTERS NEED TO PULL THEIR HEADS IN
Still on the Roosters, and yes, they copped some tough calls in Auckland.
But they also made a stack of mistakes, and it was their discipline and attention to detail that mostly let them down.
Which brings us to the constant whinging led by James Tedesco and Sam Walker relating to 50/50 calls that dead-set went overboard.
I’ve never seen a ref change his decision once it’s made.
And standing up in their face and complaining usually just makes it worse.
Maybe the Roosters need to cut down on their own mistakes before they start blaming the ref in future.
‘STUNK OF A GRAND FINAL HANGOVER’
What the Broncos dished up against the Panthers in front of a packed home crowd at Suncorp should have alarm bells ringing — because it stunk of a grand final hangover.
And anyone who wants to say it is only round one — and this is just another unfair bash-up on Michael Maguire — should go back and watch the game again.
Because the reigning champs played like strangers to be kept scoreless in a 26-0 shutout in what can only be described as an embarrassing start to their premiership defence.
And while the club will continue to deny it, the smoke that was billowing a month ago from Payne Haas’ bombshell move to Souths still lingers over the NRL’s biggest brand.
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And it has the potential to unravel in the weeks ahead if whatever it was that forced Haas to want to leave so soon after winning a premiership is not addressed.
Because after they take on Parramatta this Thursday, the match after that is against the Storm in Melbourne.
And if the Broncos don’t pull up their socks against the Eels, it could get ugly very quickly if they then turn up with the same attitude against the Storm.
While Haas was easily the Broncos’ best again — churning through 14 runs for 106m (the only Bronco forward to bust the 100m barrier) ) it’s hard to think of many, if any, others who walked away with their reputation intact.
The Broncos only completed at 62 per cent, while they also came up with 38 missed tackles, 16 errors and lost the penalty count 8-2.
In comparison, the Panthers deserve huge credit for what was a classy and clinical performance.
On the back of superb leadership from Nathan Cleary, Isaah Yeo and Dylan Edwards, the development of some of the Panthers younger guns was also there for all to see.
MADGE MUST STOP MAM MIND GAMES
Maguire should also give himself an uppercut for the bizarre decision to bench Ezra Mam.
While Mam was brilliant playing off the bench in the grand final, he was coming back from a hamstring injury at that point.
But to start Ben Hunt in the halves ahead of Mam this time round was just the perfect example of a coach trying to fix something that wasn’t broken.
By the time Mam got on the field in the 30th minute the Broncos were down 10-0, and the Panthers were never going to let them come charging back like they did in last year’s prelim final.
Why did Ezra Mam come off the bench? | 08:38
It didn’t help that grand final hero Reece Walsh failed to deliver in his head-to-head battle with Edwards.
While Walsh finished with seven runs for 44m, Edwards was enormous clocking up 20 for 198m that included a try.
No one expects Walsh to play every game like he did towards the end of last season.
In saying that, Walsh needs to find a way to reduce the gap between his best and worst, which was the secret to his success late last season.
EELS GUILTY OF READING OWN HYPE
Another side who better stop reading their own hype is Parramatta, and it will be fascinating to see how the Eels respond to their disastrous 52-4 loss to the Storm.
They were absolute rubbish in the middle, and on the back of no momentum the new halves combination of Mitchell Moses and Jonah Pezet really struggled.
It didn’t help that they showed no respect for the ball with too many loose turnovers and the inability to get to their kicks making it impossible to go toe-to-toe with a Melbourne outfit who have now won 24 straight round one clashes.
Now Parra take on a Broncos side who themselves will be fired up after a terrible first-up performance.
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If the Eels are to have any chance of bouncing back they need Moses to be at his brilliant best against the Broncos.
But for Moses to star, he needs the forwards at least holding their own, while the rest of the team must play with a hell of a lot more discipline and patience.
While I love the free-flowing attack Jason Ryles encourages the Eels to play, history shows that it’s not the type of football that has proven successful early in the season.
You are not going to compete, let alone beat, the better teams with a 67 per cent completion rate.
STORM’S BIG THREE FIRE BACK AT CRITICS
After all the off-season debate about whether back-to-back grand final defeats would have the Storm heading for a fall this season, they have come out and silenced their critics with a phenomenal first round effort.
I was one of many who thought they Storm would struggle to go to the next level this season, while I also had the Eels in my top eight on what they did at the backend of last year, along with their trial form.
But what the Storm showed in one impressive 80-minute performance is that the ‘Big Three’ of Harry Grant, Jahrome Hughes and Cameron Munster have other ideas.
In particular, Grant’s effort was enormous.
Put all the great hookers of the last 40 years up against what Harry produced in this one and none of them on their best day would have outplayed him here.
Benny Elias, Steve Walters, Danny Buderus, even the Storm’s own Cameron Smith.
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While Smith is still the best there’s been, he could never bring a crowd to their feet like Grant can do when he gets going on the back of momentum.
The Storm had plenty of others who impressed.
Jack Howarth was tremendous in the centres, young Sua Fa’alogo looks anything but overawed at the challenge of taking over from Ryan Papenhuyzen, while the big boys in the middle made their mark.
Big Stefano Utoikamanu finished with 19 runs for 203m. Not a bad response after his grand final to forget.
Throw in Joe Chan who gave Jonah Pezet hell to show he can stand up in the absence of the injured Eli Katoa.
While Tui Kamikamica (16 runs for 150m) was big off the bench to make his own statement about why Melbourne won’t miss Nelson Asofa-Solomona as much as most thought they would this year.
SANDERS SHOWS RAIDERS MADE RIGHT CALL
Well, I guess that settles the debate about whether Ethan Sanders is ready to replace Jamal Fogarty this year.
The match-clinching performance of the young Canberra halfback in the golden point win over Manly just confirms why Ricky Stuart always had enormous faith in this 22-year-old.
And it also puts in perspective why the Raiders didn’t want to re-sign Fogarty on the same three-year deal Manly was willing to give the now 32-year-old.
How that works for the Sea Eagles moving forward, with young hotshot Joey Walsh waiting in the wings, we will have to wait to see.
But for Canberra, the future is now.
Raiders survive thrilling Manly comeback | 03:26
And the former Parramatta junior could not have been more impressive after not only finishing with the match-winning field goal, but he also scored a vital second half try with a clever show-and-go.
Sanders’ kicking game was also better than good, and he defended strongly on Manly’s man mountain Haumole Olakau’atu.
What was just as impressive is how Sanders never attempted to overplay his hand to prove a point early.
But when the opportunities presented themselves, he just so calmly took them like he had ice in his veins.
While Sanders had only three runs for the game, the way he backed himself to throw that dummy and go for that vital second half try just oozed confidence.
Then for the field goal he showed the type of composure the Raiders would have killed to see Fogarty have in the heartbreaking finals loss to Brisbane last year.
Ricky doesnt hold back after GP win | 06:21
TURBO STILL MANLY’S NO 1
As for any debate about Tom Trbojevic playing fullback this season, Manly’s new skipper put that to bed in a hurry.
Even allowing for the disappointment of a golden point loss, it was just great seeing Turbo back playing injury free and with confidence.
They now take on the Knights at Brookvale this Sunday.
What a match up it promises to be when Turbo goes head-to-head with Kalyn Ponga who was outstanding in the Knights’ win over the Cowboys in Vegas.
UNDERRATED WARRIORS COMMAND RESPECT
Tanah Boyd might be only keeping the Warriors’ No.7 jumper warm for Luke Metcalf.
But if Boyd keeps up the form he showed against the Roosters it’s going to give Andrew Webster something to think about when Metcalf returns from injury.
Another performance that really stood out in the Warriors’ win was the effort of Roger Tuivasa-Sheck who finished with a knockout victory over Mark Nawaqanitwase.
The leadership of James Fisher-Harris was also inspirational, while Jackson Ford (22 runs for 162m) doesn’t get near the respect he deserves playing in the middle.
TRINDALL AND HYNES STAR, BUT THERE’S ONLY ONE MAIN MAN AT THE SHARKS
Even though Braydon Trindall is locked up until the end of 2028, the 26-year-old continues to show why his $650,000-a-season contract is a bargain alongside the $1 million-a-season his halves partner Nicho Hynes is earning.
In fairness, Hynes was also terrific against the Titans finishing with two tries.
But there is no question who the Sharks’ main man is now with Trindal scoring a double and setting up four more in the 50-10 thumping.
It was fair dinkum like watching Joey Johns in his prime the way Trindall cut the Titans to shreds at will.
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I wrote last week that I didn’t think the Sharks had it in them to go to the next level with this halves partnership.
But going off what we saw in the opening round, Trindall and Hynes have both returned with a point to prove.
Yet as impressive as they were against the hapless Titans, they now need to double down against Nathan Cleary’s Panthers in Bathurst this Saturday.
Running up 50 points against the Titans is one thing.
But how they back it up against the Panthers will tell us exactly where the Sharks’ halves are when it comes to their development over the summer.
ANOTHER NEW COACH, BUT SAME OLD TITANS
We can’t finish without sending out a message of sympathy to Josh Hannay who just got his first real taste of what life is like as the Gold Coast Titans head coach.
After all the talk during pre-season how the Titans had turned the corner after the exit of Des Hasler, the same old Titans still turned up to play.
You could only feel sorry for Hannay as he sat in his coaching box and watched the afternoon unravel.
It’s about time the Titans players took some accountability and stopped blaming coaches for what is wrong at this club.
Hannay: ‘Isn’t going to define us!’ | 07:06
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