FERGO STEPS UP WITH FUTURE CLOUDED
Blake Ferguson is playing for his future – and the veteran winger may have secured himself a new deal with the Eels with a strong showing against Newcastle in yesterday's sudden death win.
Fergy wasn't perfect – he made a couple of errors – but the plusses far outweighed the minuses.
The former Blues winger is a big-game player – yesterday was his 14th finals match and he has bagged 12 tries in those games.
His two tries yesterday – which came after he sustained a painful leg injury in an illegal tackle – were crucial moments in the Eels' gritty win.
Rugby union beckons Fergy – but he may have earned himself one last tilt at the NRL with his efforts yesterday.
WELCH'S INCREDIBLE FINALS FEAT
Christian Welch is yet another of Craig Bellamy's amazing success stories and he led the way in the forward exchanges in the win over Manly.
The tall forward scored a try and ran for 151 metres – the most of any forward on the park – and more than four of Manly's starting pack – Josh Schuster, Haumole Olakau'atu, Jake Trbojevic and Karl Lawton – combined.
The Queenslander is one of the NRL's big improvers in 2021 and his fearsome charges and no-nonsense defence are a major reason the Storm are hot favourites for back-to-back titles.
TURBO HELD TO INSANE STANDARD
It speaks volumes for Tom Trbojevic's class that he was roundly criticised for his performance in the Sea Eagles' loss to Melbourne.
Sure, he wasn't at his best – but a lot of that can be put down to the Storm's total forward dominance and Manly's high error rate.
Despite having little field position, Trbojevic ran for 188 metres – clearly the most of any Manly player.
Had he got more room to move down the right end of the field, he may well have caused the Storm more problems than he did.
Watch for Turbo to bounce back against the Roosters next week.
ICE COLD TEEN DOES IT AGAIN
Rugby league players are notoriously poor at kicking field goals – but don't try telling that to Roosters 'super sub' Sam Walker.
The 19-year-old landed his third one-pointer of the year when he came on late in the gripping clash with the Titans on Saturday night.
The teenager who wasn't supposed to play NRL this season – but was thrust into the hot seat by the Roosters' injury crisis – has now won three matches for the club with his radar right boot.
Without him, the Roosters' season would be over – and his boldness typifies the wounded Roosters' fighting spirit as they stay alive in the premiership race.
REYNOLDS ADAPTS GAME WITH NO LATRELL
Adam Reynolds is renowned as one of the best general play kickers in rugby league – but the veteran Rabbitohs half has had to change his game in the wake of Latrell Mitchell's absence.
Never known as a great runner of the football as halfbacks go, Reynolds adapted his game in fine style in his team's upset win over Penrith.
The Broncos-bound halfback ran the ball 16 times – probably as many as in any game in his career – making just under 100 metres.
The Rabbitohs are missing Mitchell's power game – but with Reynolds and Cody Walker both running the ball with purpose, they led the way for a memorable 16-10 win.
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.