Almanac Rugby League – 2022 NRL Round 5: How far Penrith?

 

We’re a month into the 2022 NRL season and already it’s tempting to instal the Penrith Panthers as unbackable favourites to win successive titles given the almost contempt with which they have dismissed their opponents to date. It is at least another month before they come up against genuine finals contenders in the Eels, Storm and Roosters in consecutive weeks. Perhaps we should hold fire until then.

 

Round 4 of the competition offered a possible insight into how the rest of the year will unfold. Several pretenders were exposed, a few of the usual suspects showed us that they’ll be in it come September, and the gap between top and bottom looked like the Grand Canyon.

 

The Titans v Tigers match was about as bad as it gets – just awful! The comic finale showed just how cruel the game can be and I actually felt a bit sorry for the Tigers who fought their hardest all year and then were undone at the death by a twist of events you couldn’t possibly script. One thing is for sure – neither of these teams will play in the finals.

 

The Sharks continued to show great improvement in dismissing the Knights with ease and are now genuine finalists. The jury is out on the Knights who have the personnel but not the consistency at this point. Meanwhile, the Warriors remain the ‘feel good’ story of the league and who couldn’t have liked their enthusiasm on Saturday afternoon? But the Broncos, after two eye-catching wins first up, are in danger of losing their way and reverting to old bad habits. Reports of fights between their players off the field can’t be helping their cause. With the Roosters and Panthers up next, they could be well off the pace very soon.

 

DCE has his mojo back, Turbo hit top form and Manly are looking to kick start a bit of a run. With the Knights and Titans in the next two weeks, the Sea Eagles could establish themselves in the mid to upper level of the table. Their only problem is covering Turbo who is out for about a month. The Raiders have a bit of a problem getting their act together on a week to week basis and face the Storm and the Panthers in the next three weeks. Warning lights are flashing! The Roosters belted the Cowboys and look like the side they should be given their personnel – top four coming up again. The Cowboys, perhaps, flattered early on to deceive their fans once again. Mid-table at best and unlikely finalists.

 

The Storm blitzkrieged the poor Bulldogs and each side confirmed its place in the overall scheme of things. The Eels also confirmed their ongoing top six credentials while the Dragons looked very ordinary and have the Rabbitohs and Roosters in the coming weeks. The Eels look top four while the Dragons face another year in the lower half. And the Rabbitohs? Played well for about 15 minutes against the Panthers but, ultimately, were very firmly put in their place.

 

Round 5 gives a couple of the teams mentioned unflatteringly above an opportunity to reshape their place in the competition. The Knights and Sea Eagles meet tonight in Newcastle. The home side simply must win to have any credibility as a force this year as Manly are hardly table toppers. If the Knights can’t beat them, especially now that TT is out, then what hope have they got against the big guns? Manly will be looking to consolidate after a good win last week. A loss will throw doubts over their campaign prospects for the same reason – if you can’t beat the middle teams consistently, how can you hope to be a serious threat?

 

The Warriors host the Cowboys and I expect the NZ lads to get the job done against an outfit that, historically, doesn’t travel well. But, hey, who knows which Cowboys mentality will roll up on the day? I’d love to see the men from the north go well but I can’t find too much enthusiasm for them in my bones. By contrast, the Warriors are everyone’s second favourite team given their commitment to making the league work over the last two (and now three) seasons. But can they string a couple of wins together in succession?

 

The Broncos have got under the skin of the Roosters more often than not in recent seasons and they’ll be hoping to do it again tomorrow night at Suncorp. Alas, I can’t see its happening and I fear a drubbing by a Roosters outfit that now seems to be motoring along rather well – in no small part thanks to the in-form Luke Keary. Manu and Tedesco are back to their best, running at will behind a forceful pack.

 

The Raiders simply have to beat the Storm to stay in the hunt and to reassure themselves that they are still a force. But after the way the Storm belted the Bulldogs, it will be a big ask for Ricky Stuart’s lads. The men from Melbourne have the opportunity to go on a good run over the next month apart from a meeting with their bogey side the Sharks before they encounter Penrith in mid-May.

 

South Sydney take on the Dragons with both looking to bounce back after lacklustre efforts last time out. The Rabbitohs look the more likely and they certainly have the talent. Perhaps it’s a case of what’s going on between their ears at the moment. One thing is for sure – Cameron Murray can’t do anything more than he is already after yet another lion-hearted effort against the Panthers. ‘Hook’ doesn’t seem to be able to find his best combination at this stage and so the Dragons are likely to continue to struggle.

 

The Titans host the Eels and form suggests one way traffic at Cbus Super Stadium on Saturday night. Mitchell Moses and Dylan Brown were in great form against the Dragons and if they can sustain their efforts, then the Eels will win this one running away. The Titans are a frustration – they have the cattle but lack those finer touches and combinations that would turn promise into fruition.

 

The Sharks should gobble up the Tigers on Sunday afternoon. Cronulla is emerging as the dark horse of the competition and have a good run over the next month which could have them well entrenched in the top six, even top four by the time they encounter the Roosters late in May. For the Tigers it looks like another bleak day.

 

Finally, the Bulldogs host the powerful Panthers and I fear a blowout given their respective form and recent results. The Panthers have so many attackers on the move on any given play with options left, right and centre – literally! And their defence is as good as any. Yeo is a great leader and with Cleary easing back into things, the sky is the limit. The Bulldogs will try hard but that’s about where it will end.

 

So my winners this week are the Sea Eagles, Warriors, Roosters, Storm, Rabbitohs, Eels, Sharks and Panthers.

 

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About Ian Hauser

A relaxed, Noosa-based retiree with a (very) modest sporting CV. A loyal Queenslander, especially when it comes to cricket and rugby league. Enjoys travel, coffee and cake, reading, and has been known to appreciate a glass or three of wine. One of Footy Almanac's online editors who enjoys the occasional editing opportunity to assist aspiring writers.

Comments

  1. Learned a lot from this article! Keep up the amazing writing.

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