All eyes were on Lachlan Galvin as he ran out in front of Tigers fans at Leichhardt Oval and he, and his teammates, delivered in a big way.
Meanwhile, Selwyn Cobbo was impressive at fullback for the Broncos while Wayne Bennett and the Rabbitohs have a selection headache on their hands.
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Read on for all of the Talking Points for Round 8!
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GALVIN’S IMPRESSIVE RESPONSE IN TIGERS THRILLER
Winning solves everything. Just ask the Wests Tigers.
The embattled Tigers put a fortnight from hell behind them with an epic golden point win over the Sharks on Sunday night that Matty Johns says should put the Lachlan Galvin saga to bed.
Galvin was dropped after knocking back the Tigers’ extension offer worth more than $5 million before his camp issued the club with a legal letter amid accusations of bullying.
The 19-year-old earned a recall against Cronulla and starred in his comeback match and told Fox League after the game that he just wanted to “do the team proud”.
Galvin was expected to receive a hostile welcome from his own fans at Leichhardt Oval but the Tigers faithful instead largely got behind their polarising five-eighth.
“I thought today he showed a lot of what he’s about, he was always going to get a bit of Bronx cheer early in the game but he set up a try early which would have eased his nerves,” Johns said.
“For club and player, you’d hope all this legal stuff can just drop away now.
“The Tigers are in a position to play finals football, they have to give up the self sabotaging and just get on with the football.
“If Galvin is there for the next 18 months, great. If he’s not, don’t worry about next year, just worry about the present.”
NRL premiership winner Bryan Fletcher echoed the sentiment and backed the Tigers to break their 14-year finals drought.
Benji proud of “special efforts” | 04:35
“The Lachie Galvin thing, nobody will talk about it anymore because that’s what winning does,” Fletcher said.
“For a 19-year-old kid and all the pressure he’s been under, hopefully the Wests Tigers now can see that they’re a chance of making the eight for the first time in a long time so I’m hoping that we can just get behind and hopefully the Tigers play semi-final football.”
Nathan Hindmarsh added: “I thought Galvin was great today, that try-saver on Hazelton under the sticks just before full-time was a pearler. It was good to see the Tigers get a win after all the s**t they’ve gone through and everything that’s been said about the club. They’d be relieved.”
Tigers teammate Adam Doueihi, who kicked the winning penalty goal in golden point, revealed the past fortnight had “rattled” Galvin.
“He was really good, he’s a kid that’s probably been a bit rattled over the past few weeks and I really do feel for him the way he’s been bombarded with the media and all the outside noise but inside our four walls we really do have high respect for the kid,” Doueihi said.
“I get on really well with him, he’s a really down to earth kid that just loves playing footy.
“You could see that tonight the way he came out and just owned the game and still put his plays on is a credit to the kid himself and I’m glad he was in our team today.
COULD COBBO’S FULLBACK CAMEO CREATE GOOD HEADACHE FOR MADGE?
It’s no secret that the Broncos’ record isn’t flash without Reece Walsh, so they entered a clash with the unbeaten Bulldogs on Thursday night as clear outsiders.
In Walsh’s absence, Broncos coach Michael Maguire turned to Selwyn Cobbo to wear the No. 1 jersey.
Cobbo is coming off a down season in the centres with Maguire shifting the talented 22-year-old back out to the wing.
The switch has seen Cobbo return to some of his best form, which gave Maguire confidence he’d do a job at fullback.
He did more than that, setting up a try, running for 122 metres and recording three tackle busts during Brisbane’s upset win over the Dogs.
Fox League’s Michael Ennis says the move to fullback “unlocked” Cobbo.
“He’s been impressive tonight, the Brisbane fullback,” Ennis said.
“Stepping in for Reece Walsh, he’s been busy.
“He’s shown some great skill. His physicality to start the year, the way he’s returned the ball on the wing, after moving from the centre back out into that wing position has been great I think.
“He’s been in great form, but tonight at fullback, it’s really unlocked his movements.”
Importantly, Cobbo didn’t try to overplay his hand, making just the one error and not missing a tackle
That was the aspect which impressed Broncos legend Justin Hodges the most given Cobbo was replacing a completely different player in Walsh, who is one of the most exciting players in the NRL but is known for trying to do too much.
Hodges said Cobbo provided just what the Broncos need, implying he might be the better option at fullback over Walsh.
“I think that’s what they need. No disrespect to Reece, obviously we love the way he plays but sometimes he can be a little bit erratic and I don’t think we need it,” Hodges said on The Late Show with Matty Johns.
“We have so many dangerous players in the Broncos outfit and I think Selwyn just did his job tonight.
“He didn’t try and get too creative, he didn’t try and draw and pass he just took his medicine at times when he had to.
“When you have guys like Reynolds, Ben Hunt and obviously that forward pack, you just let them do the work and chime in when you need too.”
Broncos blow away Bulldogs in the rain | 01:49
‘OUTSTANDING’ BOLTER ‘IN THE MIX’ FOR BLUES?
The race for NSW’s fullback jersey has largely been discussed as a race between two: incumbent Dylan Edwards and former long-time Blue James Tedesco.
But could Storm speedster Ryan Papenhuyzen be forcing his way into the conversation, if not for the fullback jersey at least a spot on the bench?
Former Blues adviser Greg Alexander reckons so, lauding Papenhuyzen’s performance in Melbourne’s win over South Sydney over the weekend and declaring he should be “in the mix” for selection.
“Outstanding,” Alexander said of Papenhuyzen, who had 134 metres, a try and tackle bust in the 24-16 victory.
“I know it’s getting around the time of talking about State of Origin… he’s in the mix. I think if Ryan Papenhuyzen was to play Origin it’d be off the bench.
“At the moment, (there is) Dylan Edwards and James Tedesco. But Ryan Papenhuyzen’s club form for Melbourne has been outstanding… overcoming the injuries he’s had, what a super-human effort it’s been from him and playing as well as he is, he’s as important as any one of the big four.”
It may be hard for Papenhuyzen to crack the bench given the job Connor Watson did in the super-sub role for the Blues last series, although you can’t rule anything out with a new coach in Laurie Daley.
“He’s not overly big for a fullback’s size but he just seems to bust through tackles and his goal-kicking has been really good as well,” added former Broncos coach Kevin Walters.
“I mean, it’s one thing to be one of your main playmakers but to take on the goal-kicking duties as well, he’s done a great job there. He’s been very valuable to the Storm.”
Storm extend 26-year Bunnies streak | 03:03
SOUTHS OVERCOMPLICATING LATRELL DILEMMA AMID SLUMP
Here is some free advice for Wayne Bennett and the Rabbitohs, don’t overcomplicate their selections, in order to get the best out of Latrell Mitchell and the team.
Souths’ slumped to their third straight loss since Mitchell returned from injury in a win over the Roosters and he has played centre, five-eighth and fullback in those four games.
The 24-16 loss to the Storm left people wanting more from Latrell, who failed to grab the game by the scruff of the neck and now he is looking at a suspension that will further delay the momentum of his and Souths’ season.
Mitchell had 75 metres from nine runs, one tackle busts, one offload, one linebreak assist, one tackle, one missed tackle and one penalty conceded against the Storm, which is nowhere near enough involvement for Souths to succeed.
While injuries haven’t helped Souths this year, they have enough troops to cover for the losses, but the most important thing is playing players in the positions that best suit the team.
Jack Wighton might want to play centre and Mitchell might want to play fullback, but Jye Gray’s emergence means that is not possible with Cody Walker sidelined for a month with a calf injury.
Souths have a world class centre in Mitchell who should play centre, while they have Wighton, who has played most of his career at five-eighth and should be in the No.6 jersey while Walker is injured.
And they have a young fullback in Gray, who is all heart and effort and can set the tone for the side on both sides of the ball at fullback as he did early in the season.
Don’t overcomplicate things by trying to turn players into something that they are not when they can easily just slot into the positions they built their careers on and thrive in them.
Greg Alexander believes the kicking duties Mitchell took over from Walker prevented him from focusing on his most dangerous asset, his running game against the Storm.
“I think the fact that he was kicking all night and that he had that job to do, almost took his mind off what else he needed to do for Souths,” Alexander said.
“Run the ball Latrell. Just get the ball and run it like Jack Wighton does.
“Jack just runs and takes it on and takes it upon himself to run the ball and he will crash into defenders and every now and then he will burst out the other side. Latrell just needs to do that, get busy for your side.”
Mitchell was an excellent fullback in Souths’ teams in past years, but this is a new young side and touching the ball nine times at fullback is not enough for their highest paid player.
Alexander believes Mitchell isn’t involved enough from the fullback position and Gray should be the No.1.
“The argument about Jye Gray playing fullback and Wayne has always said Latrell is his fullback and how can you argue with that, but a player like Jye Gray who makes 25 runs a game and then you get Latrell who has made eight or nine,” Alexander said.
“Sometimes the eight or nine is not enough. Latrell will often do eight or nine runs and come up with two try assists and a try, but that doesn’t happen all the time.
“Sometimes you have just got to roll your sleeves up and go, you know what? The best thing I can do for my team is get the ball in my hands as much as possible.”
Michael Ennis believes Mitchell has to go back to the future and dominate as a centre like he does in Origin for Souths to get their season back on track.
“It looked like during the set at times he was thinking about getting to the kick, as opposed to getting himself involved and imposing himself on the game,” Ennis said.
“When Latrell Mitchell imposes himself on the game, there is no doubt it puts an enormous fear in the opposition.
“When you have Jack Wighton doing what he is doing and then you throw in Latrell doing what Jack does and what Latrell can do.
“If you think back to that second State of Origin last year, that was exactly what Latrell did. Physicality, he intimidated his opposition. He carried the ball with venom. He was so hard to handle.
“That’s what I felt Souths needed tonight. And that then inspires teammates and brings other people up to another level.”
Latrell binned for BONE-RATTLING shot! | 00:42
‘WHAT WAS THAT?’: TENSE MOMENT EXPOSES ‘LOST’ KNIGHTS
There was moment in Friday’s loss to the Warriors that summed up Newcastle’s attack.
Trailing 20-6 and desperate for answers, Kalyn Ponga went down the right edge and fired a ball in the direction of centre Dane Gagai.
The problem? The Warriors defence stood in a straight line and read it perfectly, with two defenders closing in on Gagai and crunching the Queensland representative, who spilled the ball and appeared to mouth “what was that?” at his fullback from the ground.
Warren Smith called it a “hospital pass if I have ever seen one” in commentary, while Michael Ennis later singled it out in his post-game analysis an one of “multiple moments” over the last five weeks that prove the Knights are “playing frustrated”.
“They look down on confidence. They’re playing frustrated and they look frustrated,” Ennis said.
“There was a moment where Kalyn Ponga went into the line today, threw a cut-out pass to Dane Gagai who was heavily marked and Dane just looked at Kalyn like, ‘What was that?’. “There is frustration in their attack, you can see it. He’s trying to create something. That’s one moment I’m singling out but there’s been multiple moments over the last five weeks where frustration is starting to set in.”
Knights coach Adam O’Brien admitted as much in his post-game press conference, telling reporters the team is “down on confidence”.
“No doubt,” he added.
“Some of it is some personnel. We’ve got some young guys out there with our experienced guys missing. Some confidence and connection stuff.
“If it was an easy answer, it’d be fixed by now.”
Instead, the Knights are still searching for answers after dropping a fifth-straight game having been outscored 124-36 during that period.
Ponga, meanwhile, has now failed to score a try in nine consecutive games — the longest streak of his career, while he has two tries in his past 18 appearances.
Greg Alexander said the Knights have “completely lost their way” in attack.
“There has long been a thought that if Kalyn Ponga isn’t scoring tries or setting tries up, it doesn’t happen for Newcastle and that’s exactly what’s happening,” he added.
“Kalyn has gone through a bit of a dry spell over the last five weeks… finding it hard to create chances and beat defenders. So, all of a sudden, the points have dried up.”
Ponga’s lack of effectiveness in attack has had a flow-on effect on Newcastle’s outside men too, with Kevin Walters singling out Bradman Best as the biggest casualty.
“Best is one of the best centres in the game,” Walters said.
“We haven’t seen any of that from him this year.”
Knights ALARMING attack problems | 03:55
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ONE WORD EXPOSES PROBLEM WITH NRL CRACKDOWN
Adam O’Brien joined Wayne Bennett and Ivan Cleary as the latest NRL coach to voice his concern over the consistency of the league’s crackdown on high tackles, declaring it is a “hard game for these boys to play at the moment”.
And the Knights coach has plenty of support from former Brisbane Broncos coach Kevin Walters, who took issue with one word in the NRL’s interpretation of the crackdown.
“I hear the word intent get used a lot,” he said.
“If you don’t go into a tackle with intent as a defender you’re in trouble. You get bumped off, you get pushed out of the way and the coach is saying, ‘Well, hang on mate. You’ve got to go into the tackle intent’.”
O’Brien, meanwhile, argued that fatigue was a major factor in the spate of high tackles and that the NRL was “cracking down on accidents” which would be hard to rub out of the game.
It is a point both Michael Ennis and Greg Alexander made after Friday night’s game between the Knights and Warriors, which saw two players sent to the sin bin in the first five minutes.
“It’s been a very confusing period,” Ennis said.
“People will sit there from the administration and say, ‘It’s not confusing. Don’t hit people in the head’.
“But it’s the level of force. We’re now hearing referees use the language of moderate force, light force… the Niukore one, that’s just minor force. If anything, that’s a penalty.
“You should not be losing a player for 10 minutes in the sin bin. It has such a significant impact on the result. It might not be in those 10 minutes, but it’s the fatigue that puts in… somewhere in the contest.”
O’Brien SLAMS sin bin crackdown chaos | 08:21
Alexander went on to break down the actual tackles themselves, singling out the fact that often they are a result of one player “going in low” and the ball carrier “bending over the top” of that player.
The result, Alexander said, is the ball carrier falling forward into the shoulder of the third defender.
“Accident, accident, accident,” continued Alexander, who added that the NRL could fine the players “thousands and thousands of dollars” or “send them off” and it still wouldn’t reduce the amount of accidental high tackles.
“Because it’s a contact game,” he said.
“You can’t stop physics and positioning and momentum for tackles. I can understand the coaches’ frustration… Adam O’Brien is 100 per cent right.
“No one coaches players to go out and hit players in the head. No one means to do it. They’re accidents… if we just stick to this, it will become a game of never 13 players on the field.”
Craig and Cam weigh in on Latrell bin | 08:27
Ennis, meanwhile, said fans are “getting confused” with the inconsistencies between the punishments on the field and being handed out by the match review committee.
“You see last night Marcelo Montoya — accident. Viliame Kikau makes a strong tackle which spins Piakura and that’s just an accident,” he said.
“Now the Bulldogs lose Marcelo Montoya who today, after the match review committee looked at it, don’t fine him. Yet you look at the game last week where Viliame Kikau hits Campbell Graham flush in the head and there’s no sin bin that week but he gets a $1,800 fine. “Davvy Moale in that same game hits Viliame Kikau directly in the head. No sin bin but he gets hit with a $1,000 fine the next day. Last night we saw a bloke lead with his knee into the head of an opponent and now he’s facing a lengthy suspension with no sin bin.”
SMITH’S CROWNING PERFORMANCE
Roosters five-eighth Sandon Smith isn’t concerned about the club’s interest in departing Manly halfback Daly Cherry-Evans and he delivered a statement performance in Round 8.
Last month, Roosters coach Trent Robinson admitted he was interested in signing the premiership-winning playmaker.
“I try not to buy into it too much,” Smith said of reports linking DCE to the Roosters.
“You see it all over social media and stuff these days, but I can only control what I can control, and that’s playing good footy, training hard and working hard.
“I just try to control the controllables.”
Smith did just that on ANZAC Day.
He scored a first half double against the Dragons, ran for 164 metres, broke the line three times and also tallied a try assist in what was his best NRL display to date.
The 22-year-old is contracted to the Roosters until the end of the 2026, being seen as the club’s long-term halves partner for superstar halfback Sam Walker.
Smith stars as Rooster smash Dragons! | 02:54
However, Cherry-Evans’ arrival could see Smith resigned to a role on the bench for the duration of the current Sea Eagles No.7’s potential new deal.
“I haven’t thought about an (extension) but I know that this is my home,” Smith added.
“The people in the building – the belief they show me when things are up and down – they constantly tell me to back myself and go and play the game they know I can play.
“It’s home.”
As for his turn of form against the Dragons, Smith explained it simply came down to confidence.
“I’ve just got to keep believing in myself,” he said.
“Credit to Robbo and Teddy and the whole playing group because they constantly show their faith and belief in me. That helps me to dig deep and keep working hard to be a good player.”
Rugby league legend Michael Ennis also heaped praise on Smith, who proved the linchpin in what was an important Roosters win.
Had the Tricolours gone down, Robinson’s outfit would have been running last, currently still having a worse for and against than the current 17th placed Panthers.
“We’ve marvelled on what Sam Walker has been able to do on this day in years past. But today, it was Sandon Smith who was absolutely stunning,” Ennis said.
“He was everywhere and came up with some great moments.”
PHINS’ UGLY FADE
“Bizarre”.
That was how league legend Matty Johns summed up the Dolphins’ Round 8 performance.
Kristian Woolf’s men were running riot in front of the GIO Stadium crowd, scoring an impressive five tries.
Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow and Herbie Farnworth both strolled over after breaking Canberra’s right edge apart, while Daniel Saifiti and Jamayne Isaako also added points.
Then to close out the first half, Jake Averillo finished off what was a wildly impressive team try as it looked like the 17th franchise were set to run away with a win.
Instead they conceded five second half tries and failed to fire a shot, not tallying a single point after the 39th minute.
“One of the most bizarre games I’ve seen,” Matty Johns said.
“The Dolphins first half was just about the best half of football I’ve seen them play.
“Their second half was a complete and utter bludger.”
Bryan Fletcher backed up Johns’ comments, saying: considering what the Dolphins did last week against Melbourne“.
Woolf “disappointed” with big collapse | 06:51
The Dolphins’ Round 7 victory over the Storm marked what was shaping to be an impressive resurgence after losing their first four games.
Woolf’s outfit responded in a big way with wins over the Titans and Panthers before their best performance to date against the Storm.
That win showed they are a finals contender.
Equally, their display against the Raiders left much to be desired and now the NRL newcomers are sitting in 12th, while a win could have seen them as high as seventh.
However, for Eels icon Nathan Hindmarsh, their first half display showed they can cut it with the best.
“The Dolphins came out and shocked them a little bit with how forceful they came out and played,” Nathan Hindmarsh said.
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