Round 22 saw the Penrith Panthers climb inside the all-important top 8 and the Dragons fall out for the first time all season. The Raiders kept their season alive with a big win over the reigning premiers while the Warriors hit rock bottom with a shocking loss at Newcastle.
KiwiWatch A couple of veteran Kiwi wingers made a case for inclusion in the World Cup squad with strong performances - Bryson Goodwin for the Rabbitohs and Jason Nightingale with the Dragons. Martin Taupau was a standout once again as Manly got back to winning ways while Panthers second rower Corey Harawira-Naera was impressive as well. Brothers Dallin and Malikai Watene-Zelezniack both turned in good games in the battle between the two. In a worrying sign for coach David Kidwell Warriors stars Kieran Foran and Issac Luke were poor against the Knights.
The Raiders kept their season alive. Photo / Getty Images
Best Performance The Broncos thumped the Titans and the Sea Eagles got a good win against the Roosters but the best all-round performance was Canberra's win over the Cronulla Sharks in Sydney. Tipped by most to be a title contender this season, the Raiders have endured a disappointing campaign and haven't been close to living up to the hype. But they pushed form to one side as their big forward pack finally carried the side forward and beat up the defending premiers. They will still have their work cut out making the playoffs but if they can string a few performances like that together they could yet threaten a September run.
Standout Player I'm going to cheat a bit here. How about we just say the Trbojevic brothers? They were phenomenal yet again as Manly snapped their two-game losing streak to solidify their top eight spot. Tom was dangerous with ball in hand while Jake carried strongly and hit harder in defense. These two are going to be stars at all levels for the next decade.
Tom Trbojevic is having a terrific season. Photo / Getty Images
Key Moment The second try the Knights scored against the Warriors. Issac Luke and Sam Lisone made no attempt to get themselves in a position to make a tackle only 10 minutes into the game. It was the glaring example coach Stephen Kearney talked about in the post-match press conference when he said some players weren't trying. Neither should be in the side this week.
Controversy Another week and another coach blows up about the refereeing. This time it was Cowboys coach Paul Green. Is Green right? To a degree - the quality of refereeing is sub-standard but for him to blow up like he did on a night where his side was clearly out-played is not a good look. He should be hit with a $10,000 fine. Some coaches need to learn when to pick their fight with officials.
Paul Green wasn't happy with the refereeing in the Cowboys v Storm game. Photo / Getty Images
Team of the Week 1.Tom Trbojevic (Sea Eagles) 2.Corey Oates (Broncos) 3.Will Chambers (Storm) 4.Tyrone Peachey (Panthers) 5.Josh Addo-Carr (Storm) 6.Tui Lolohea (Tigers) 7.Mitchell Moses (Eels) 8.Junior Paulo (Raiders) 9.Josh Hodgson (Raiders) 10.Martin Taupau (Sea Eagles) 11.Angus Crichton (Rabbitohs) 12.Elliott Whitehead (Raiders) 13.Mitch Barnett (Knights) 14.Kodi Nikorima (Broncos) 15.Jake Trbojevic (Sea Eagles) 16.Jack de Belin (Dragons) 17.Nathan Brown (Eels)
