Panthers worried about struggling superstar

Panthers officials are quietly concerned about the form of strike weapon Viliame Kikau heading into the pointy end of the season.

Kikau needs to be at his best for the Panthers to match Melbourne and the other teams near the top of the ladder but in recent weeks, it hasn't been happening for the big man.

In his last two outings, Kikau has missed five tackles and conceded five penalties before a hamstring injury forced him out of round 15.

Kikau has scored six tries in his 14 games this season, but has made just six line breaks and only produced one try assist – modest stats for a marquee player in a team that has had such a wonderful winning run.

Maybe he has been carrying the hamstring injury for a while and the rest last round and in Origin weekend will do him good – but the coaching staff will be wanting a big lift in form in Friday night's massive local derby against the Eels at Bluebet Stadium.

KNIGHTS MOVE TO LOCK IN BENCH WEAPON

It's been a mixed season for the Knights – but one of the big success stories has been energetic back-rower Brodie Jones.

An unknown last year when he debuted, Jones has been among the NRL's most improved players this season and rival clubs have taken note.

The 23-year-old back-rower is fast becoming one of the most effective bench players in the NRL, turning matches with his enthusiasm and drive.

Jones is off-contract in a few months and has attracted some nibbles from rival clubs.

But Knights coach Adam O'Brien has labelled Jones a "keeper" and expect the busy forward to put pen to paper on a new deal in coming weeks.

SON OF STORM CULT HERO SIGNS WITH TITANS

The son of former Storm cult hero Marcus Bai has signed to play with the Titans next season.

A rangy 16-year-old lock, Aston Bai captained Marymount College to win the Gold Coast Titans Schools Cup last weekend.

The Titans have had their eye on the youngster for some time and have signed him in their pathways program as a development player.

Dad Marcus is still a legendary figure in Melbourne, where he played nearly 150 games for the Storm, scoring many spectacular tries.

But the PNG Test star also began his top grade career on the Gold Coast, playing one season with the then Chargers before being snapped up by the Storm.

RULE CHANGE SPARKED MULITALO ORIGIN FARCE

The Ronaldo Mulitalo Origin farce last weekend only came about because of a rule change by the NRL in recent years.

The rule concerned originally stated that a player was eligible for a certain state if "they resided in their state before turning 13".

It was just a few years ago that the cut-off age was 15 – which would have made Mulitalo eligible to play.

Why did the NRL change the rule?

Because it was concerned by the flood of youngsters from New Zealand and other Pacific islands coming across hoping to make their mark on the game.

In those junior age groups, the Polynesian kids are typically bigger, stronger and faster than Aussie youngsters.

So after a string of complaints from coaches and parents, the age was brought back to 13 in an attempt to stem the tide of Islander kids coming into the NSW and Queensland junior league systems.

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