Power Chooks
Wests Tigers went into Friday night’s fixture with the Roosters 4-and-4 and with the scalps of the Bulldogs, Dragons, Titans and Eels. They’d run the Warriors, Rabbitohs and Dogs close and put 22 on the Raiders (before conceding 30). Young punks Tim Simona, James Tedesco, Mitchell Moses and Luke Brooks were running free like the buffalo and Pat Richards was launching abominations from space. And their forwards – Aaron Woods, Keith Galloway and Martin “Kapow” Taupau, among other brutes – were running hard and rugged lines off evil schemer Robbie Farah. And they went into this fixture a bit over a coin toss odds. And the Roosters flogged them. Belted them. Owned them like slaves in less enlightened times. Powerful forwards set a platform, outside backs ran at speed, and halves auditioned for Origin. The Roosters haven’t been far off in recent weeks and a win was in the mail. But to so dominate the Tigers in all facets, it bodes well for the Bondi boys and ill for the rest of the premiership. These Chooks are the testing material.
Penrith: overs
In Brisbane, Penrith weren’t disgraced going down 8-5 to the Broncos while waiting on the return of Brent Kite (round 15), Peter Wallace (12), Elijah Taylor (10), Josh Mansour (15), James Segeyaro (indefinite), Dean Whare (indefinite), Jamie Soward (10), Adam Docker (indefinite) and Ben Murdoch-Masila (14). Jamal Idris is gone for the job lot but the Panthers still look a very tasty $17 chance with bookmakers and you’d suggest those who use the share-market as a form of gambling would be buying Panthers’ options at this low mark. Because last year they went all-but with a motley crew. With their full complement on deck Penrith can beat anyone.
Viking slays Titans
Say it each week but Blake Austin can really play. High energy and hot feet, and he’s just out there playing. Well, duh? What else would be doing? Well, some players, particularly halves, can tie themselves in knots, and paralyse through analyses. Analysis. One of them. But Austin is playing with freedom, and he’s killing them. His coach Ricky Stuart has set him free. He’s said: Do what you do. Stuart believes in playing to his team’s strengths. He won’t institute the Cowboys’ game plan because he doesn’t have Johnathan Thurston. What he does have is Ragnar Lothbrok who’s style of play is bull-at-the-gate. And he’s playing out of his skin and with another MOTM against the Dragons next week could even bolt into Blue. The Titans? Ryan James threw himself about like angry man-bison but did nothing particularly useful. And he had a few mates doing nothing particularly useful. The Titans didn’t really show up, weren’t interested in defence and were thus handed their bottoms.
Dugan
One run by Josh Dugan was probably enough to tip Laurie Daley towards uniting the Dragons custodian with a blue jumper, if Daley was ever really in doubt. Ten minutes left and down by six with the Dragons needing something, Dugan set off on a 60-metre dash featuring short-arms fends and pace and swerve and monster steps off both feet. Never saw Graeme Langlands but read enough about the great man’s footwork and old boys will tell you his step was 10 yards wide. But it’s hard to imagine it was better than Dugan’s offerings in this instance. (Chill, Dragon People, I’m not saying Dugan is “New Chang” just that it was a Chang-esque run.) And for mine Daley, who picked Dugan last year in the centres, such was his desire for the tattooed hill-billy’s input, will pick Dugan in the one. And while Matt Moylan is my pick because I enjoy watching him run, I wouldn’t mind James Tedesco ripping off his hot-footed party moves, even from the wing. And Brett Stewart … is good. Is good. But J.Dugan is seasoned, maggot-hard and runs like a hairy goat. And his dash set the Dragons on a 10-minute Bunny attack. They couldn’t crack the green-and-red machine in a tight one. But Dugan’s dash gave them the chance.
Elsewhere…
Andrew Fifita and Shaun Johnson showed fine human movement to light up a dirge of a game at sweet home Remondis. Johnson’s step, particularly, the angles on that thing would confound scholars of high maths. In Townsville five-eighth-cum-full-back-cum-five-eighth Michael Morgan looks a very tidy and fleet-footed unit and won a game for his team on a relatively off-night for his captain who did however ice the game with a field goal. And at Brookvale Oval and Pirtek Stadium a pair of champion full-backs in Brett Stewart and Billy Slater showed that class is permanent and form temporary, and that the pair know the way to the try-line as hunting dogs know a good fruity scent. Melbourne remains well in this premiership hunt while Manly … well, you still can’t write them off. Consider: despite being last on the ladder they’re only one win out of the eight. True story. Check it out.
