NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Sport / League / NRL

NRL: NRL Round 5 redux

NZ Herald
2 Apr, 2017 07:41 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Jared Waerea-Hargreaves offloads against Manly. Photo / Getty Images

Jared Waerea-Hargreaves offloads against Manly. Photo / Getty Images

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Round 5 has been a round of upsets - well a few at least. Most people didn't see the struggling Bulldogs tipping up the Broncos back on Thursday night to open the weekend.

The heavy rain and slippery conditions were certainly a leveler but the Dogs pack laid a strong platform and under pressure Josh Reynolds delivered a big performance.

Manly backed that up a night later when they defeated the previously unbeaten Roosters to the surprise of many. The Sea Eagles were tipped by most to miss the playoffs this season as they undergo a rebuild but based on their three straight wins that might need reconsidering.

The Warriors got a vital win over the Titans while the Dragons continue their hot start to the year with another win.

Kiwi Watch
Roosters enforced Jared Waerea-Hargreaves tried his best to almost single-handedly lift his side past the Sea Eagles on Friday night. Fellow prop Dylan Napa was injured early and Waerea-Hargreaves was one of the best on the park but wasn't able to help his side win.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The same can't be said of Martin Taupau, who was equally as impressive for the Sea Eagles. If Taupau can keep his discipline he looms as a key player for the Kiwis ahead of the mid-year test.

Sam Kasiano provided some big go-forward for the Bulldogs in wet conditions as they upstaged the Broncos. He seems about as fit as the big fella gets and turned his best showing of the season this week. He too might find himself in the frame for a bench spot.

Jason Taumalolo returned with a bang in Round 5. Photo / Getty Images
Jason Taumalolo returned with a bang in Round 5. Photo / Getty Images

Jason Taumalolo returned from a two-game suspension to run for over 200m for the Cowboys as they picked apart the Rabbitohs. This is nothing unusual for Taumalolo, who made a habit of it last year as he claimed the Dally M Medal as the game's best player.
Jordan Rapana was dangerous again for the Raiders and is a certainty for a wing spot in the mid-year test should he stay healthy.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Best Performance
There are a few candidates but the Cowboys looked as good as anyone with the return of Taumalolo and fullback Lachlan Coote. They have so many points in them and danger men all over the field. The loss of prop Matt Scott hurts but with Taumalolo healthy and youngster Coen Hess improving each week the Cowboys will be a major contender this year.

Dylan Walker was the player of the week. Photo / Getty Images
Dylan Walker was the player of the week. Photo / Getty Images

Standout Player
Dylan Walker has been a frustrating player to follow through his short NRL career. A standout in the NYC he made an immediate impact with the Rabbitohs in his rookie season and earned a Kangaroos jumper in his first year. But he failed to kick on after that, ran into trouble last off-season with a prescription pill incident and made the move to Manly. He had a disappointing season in 2016 but was the player of the round as he tore the Roosters apart. He has all the skills and if he plays somewhere near that level each week the Sea Eagles should find themselves in contention.

Key Moment
It is hard to go past the Warriors last try as Shaun Johnson laid on a lovely short ball for Ryan Hoffman to run into a gap and score the match-winner. It is scary to think what the week would have been like had the Warriors not won that match and that single play may well be a massive turning point in the side's season.

The Warriors celebrate Ryan Hoffman's try. Photo / Getty Images
The Warriors celebrate Ryan Hoffman's try. Photo / Getty Images

Controversy
It was a weekend pretty free of controversy to be fair but former Warrior Konrad Hurrell's late scratching before his return to Mt Smart Stadium with an ankle injury robbed fans of seeing him try and prove a point to those that ousted him from the Auckland club. He sat in the stands and would have been confident at halftime but had to see hopes of a win slip away in the second spell.

Discover more

Warriors

Foran confirmed to make Warriors debut

02 Apr 03:08 AM
Warriors

Foran leads Warriors to gutsy victory

02 Apr 06:01 AM
Warriors

'No issue' after Foran stopped at airport

02 Apr 05:37 PM
League

Bitter blow for Benji Marshall

02 Apr 06:52 PM

Team of the Week
1.Jack Wighton (Raiders)
2.Jason Nightingale (Dragons)
3.Dylan Walker (Sea Eagles)
4.Joseph Leilua (Raiders)
5.Suliasi Vunivalu (Storm)
6.Josh Reynolds (Bulldogs)
7.Daly Cherry-Evans (Sea Eagles)
8.James Gavet (Warriors)
9.Cameron McInnes (Dragons)
10.James Graham (Bulldogs)
11.Josh Papali'i (Raiders)
12.Sam Thaiday (Broncos)
13.David Klemmer (Bulldogs)
14.Martin Taupau (Sea Eagles)
15.Jason Taumalolo (Cowboys)
16.Aiden Tolman (Bulldogs)
17.Jordan Rapana (Raiders)

Josh Reynolds was back to his best. Photo / Getty Images
Josh Reynolds was back to his best. Photo / Getty Images

Power Rankings
1.Storm (+1)
2.Cowboys (+1)
3.Roosters (-2)
4.Sharks (0)
5.Dragons (+1)
6.Sea Eagles (+1)
7.Panthers (-2)
8.Raiders (+2)
9.Broncos (-1)
10.Eels (-1)
11.Rabbitohs (0)
12.Bulldogs (+3)
13.Titans (-1)
14.Warriors (+2)
15.Knights (-2)
16.Tigers (-2)

Save

    Share this article

Latest from NRL

Warriors

Understrength Panthers stun Warriors

21 Jun 07:34 AM
Warriors

Ex-NRL player says family threatened after 'dog shot' on Warriors fullback

20 Jun 04:58 AM
Warriors

'Reason why the Warriors are doing well': Slater praises Capewell after monster Origin effort

18 Jun 11:00 PM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from NRL

Understrength Panthers stun Warriors

Understrength Panthers stun Warriors

21 Jun 07:34 AM

The Panthers have beaten the Warriors in their first trip to Auckland in six years.

Ex-NRL player says family threatened after 'dog shot' on Warriors fullback

Ex-NRL player says family threatened after 'dog shot' on Warriors fullback

20 Jun 04:58 AM
'Reason why the Warriors are doing well': Slater praises Capewell after monster Origin effort

'Reason why the Warriors are doing well': Slater praises Capewell after monster Origin effort

18 Jun 11:00 PM
State of Origin: Underdog Queenslanders set series alight

State of Origin: Underdog Queenslanders set series alight

18 Jun 05:37 PM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP