{"id":327644,"date":"2023-09-01T02:37:37","date_gmt":"2023-09-01T02:37:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/?p=327644"},"modified":"2023-09-01T06:01:58","modified_gmt":"2023-09-01T06:01:58","slug":"real-struggle-rocks-star-stuck-in-fishbowl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/?p=327644","title":{"rendered":"'Real struggle' rocks star stuck in 'fishbowl'"},"content":{"rendered":"

For nine of the 17 teams, the 2023 NRL season is about to be over.<\/p>\n

And as we\ufeff approach finals it's time to start reviewing how the year has unfolded.<\/p>\n

Wide World of Sports' The Mole \ufeffruns his rule over the best, and worst, player transfers of the season.<\/p>\n

LIVE UPDATES:<\/strong> All the scores and action from the US Open day four<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

READ MORE:<\/strong> Insane crowd breaks record at women's volleyball game<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

READ MORE:<\/strong> Gould's meeting revealed after player takes leave<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

2023 BEST BUYS\ufeff<\/h2>\n

Reece Walsh<\/strong> – has transformed the Broncos from a team with potential to a definite premiership contender. Plenty of good fullbacks in the NRL, but he's been the pick of the bunch in 2023.<\/p>\n

\"Maroons<\/p>\n

J'maine Hopgood<\/strong> – You can't keep them all, and Penrith didn't want to lose him, but the talented forward has been a great buy for the Eels, adding a touch of finesse to their pack and some big hits in defence.<\/p>\n

Jeremy Marshall-King<\/strong> – when fit, as good as any hooker in the comp and was largely responsible for the Dolphins' great start to the season.<\/p>\n

Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow<\/strong> – in just a few months has gone from a fringe first-grader at the Cowboys to a superstar at the Dolphins and one of the most popular players in the game. Speed and evasive skills make him a special talent.<\/p>\n

Marata Niukore<\/strong> – the Warriors have lacked a real hard edge in their pack in recent years, and the former Eels forward has provided it in spades. A big reason behind the Warriors' spectacular run.<\/p>\n

Stream the NRL premiership 2023 live and free on<\/strong><\/em> 9Now<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

\"Mundine<\/p>\n

Luke Metcalf<\/strong> – had to wait for his chance at the Warriors after moving from Cronulla but is now a real danger man in the team's attacking arsenal and has taken some pressure off veteran Shaun Johnson with his playmaking skills.<\/p>\n

John Bateman<\/strong> – fans at Wigan were doing handstands when he left the club to join the Tigers – he's forced them to eat their words. In a difficult season for the club, he's been a shining light.<\/p>\n

Api Koroisau<\/strong> – like Bateman, hasn't let the Tigers' lack of success get to him and has kept playing the wonderful attacking football that made him such a key man at Penrith in recent years.<\/p>\n

Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad<\/strong> – after an injury-plagued final year at Canberra, he's bounced back to his best at the Warriors and been a reliable last line of defence and super attacking weapon.<\/p>\n

Eliesa Katoa<\/strong> – Craig Bellamy can pick them, and this tall, long-striding back-rower has gone from a kid with potential at the Warriors to a game breaker at the Storm. One to watch in the finals.<\/p>\n

Greg Marzhew<\/strong> – picked up from the Titans in a player swap early in the season by the Knights, he's proven a handful in every game with his bullocking runs. Close to the line, he's been virtually unstoppable.<\/p>\n

Reed Mahoney<\/strong> – It hasn't been easy going from grand finalists Parramatta to the Dogs, but Mahoney has handled the transition well and been among Canterbury's best every week.<\/p>\n

\"Star<\/p>\n

Jamayne Isaako<\/strong> – a touch of Wayne Bennett magic has resurrected this winger's career and to be among the NRL's leading tryscorers and pointscorers in a team that won't play finals footy is a remarkable achievement.<\/p>\n

Tom Gilbert<\/strong> – another player handpicked by Bennett and recruitment guru Peter O'Sullivan who has excelled at the Dolphins, proving himself a real forward leader.<\/p>\n

Jackson Ford<\/strong> – could barely get a game at the Dragons – now he's among the first picked at the Warriors every week. Knows how to hit a hole and has the pace to convert half breaks into tries.<\/p>\n

2023 WORST BUYS<\/h2>\n

Brandon Smith<\/strong> – six months ago I thought this guy would be THE buy of 2023, but a mixture of injuries, adapting to playing hooker full-time, moving to the Sydney fishbowl and the poor form of those around him has made it a real struggle. The good news? Since coming back from a broken thumb, his form has improved.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Josh Hodgson<\/strong> – signing a player coming off a knee reconstruction is always a risk, especially when you expect him to be your starting hooker. The transition to the Eels was hard for Hodgson\u2026 and then injury struck again.<\/p>\n

Charlie Staines<\/strong> – a proven performer at Penrith, he was expected to be a big signing for the Tigers but it never happened and he battled to hold his place in a lowly team.<\/p>\n

Oliver Gildart<\/strong> – the Dolphins got it right with most of their recruitment, but the Englishman's poor form with the Tigers should have given them a clue. He didn't see out the season and is back in the UK.<\/p>\n

James Tamou<\/strong> – a classic case of a good player going one season too long. In his defence, Tamou was also signed for his presence and off-field experience to help the young Cowboys forwards, but as a player, he was a step behind the pace.<\/p>\n

\"James<\/p>\n

Ken Maumalo<\/strong> – The Titans took a punt on the tall Kiwi winger after he finished as the Tigers' top tryscorer last season. But injuries and age caught up with Maumalo and he failed to play a game for the club.<\/p>\n

Anthony Milford<\/strong> – has been an enigma all his career but when the Dolphins missed out on many of their first-choice picks, they went for him. Dropped in the pre-season because of a poor attitude, he's played a handful of games but only shown glimpses of his best.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For nine of the 17 teams, the 2023 NRL season is about to be over. And as we\ufeff approach finals it's time to start reviewing […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":327646,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/327644"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=327644"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/327644\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":327651,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/327644\/revisions\/327651"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/327646"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=327644"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=327644"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=327644"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}