Check it out for yourself if you don’t believe me – the Dolphins and the Wests Tigers are equal top of the ladder with only points differential separating them. But so are four other teams. A further seven teams sit just one win back. So all is not as it seems.
Round 4 showed us that the Roosters may be strong against lower ranked teams but struggle against the class of sides likes the Panthers. So there’s a way to go yet at Bondi before we get too excited. The Rabbitohs finally won but, in quality, it looked like a game between 14th and 16th – which is exactly what it was. No great cause for celebration there for the Rabbitohs while it was an opportunity lost for the Dogs. The Broncos played some great footy in the wet to inflict a first loss of the season on a surprisingly disjointed Cowboys outfit, Tom Dearden excepted. The Dragons fooled us all again with their good win over the Sea Eagles who had a bad case of dropsy after a good start. You won’t see Turbo play that poorly again for a decade! The Dolphins looked classy after a slow start but the Titans are definitely wooden spoon favourites. The Sharks took a while to get going but then the Raiders simply handed them the game with a horribly inept performance. Then, in the coup de grace of the round, the Wests Tigers snuck home over the fancied Eels. That was the good news story of the weekend.
Round 5 has a few games that will tell us a lot more about several clubs. Brisbane meet their bogey team Melbourne tonight. The Storm seem to have some mental hold over the Broncos but, on current form, you’d have to say that Brisbane might finally break the strangle hold this time around. Yes, they’re a bit understrength but that didn’t bother them against the Cowboys. The Storm get some important troops back but how quickly will it all gel? I’ll go with Brisbane to continue their good, Reynolds-inspired form.
Friday footy sees the Bulldogs at home to the Roosters where the vibe tells you it will be the Roosters all the way. Not a lot to say about this one. Just put your money on the Roosters. The later game is one of those with a lot riding on it. The Knights have been there or thereabouts so far but lack that last bit of ‘it’ to put opponents away. Competitive but not convincing. The Dragons are anyone’s guess. Can they do it on the road? I don’t think so. I’ll be on the Knights.
The Rabbitohs host the Warriors on Saturday afternoon but I still can’t get on the Bunnies. Yes, they won last weekend but it was not good footy. By contrast, the Warriors are all energy, hustle and bustle. I think they’ll run all over Souths to the extent that it could be embarrassing. The Warriors for me. The twilight game will tell us what Manly are made of when they meet Penrith at Brookie. The Sea Eagles can’t play that badly again, surely, but do they have what it takes to go with the relentless Panthers? I think not. The latter are just too good in almost every position and as a team. Penrith for me. In the late game, technically a top-of-the-table clash, the mercurial Dolphins are at home to the surging Wests Tigers. (Generous descriptions, I know.) Experience and finishing ability will decide this one and it’s the Dolphins who are superior in both areas.
The Cowboys play the Titans on Sunday afternoon and there will be no respite for the struggling Gold Coast boys once the Cowboys let loose. It could be a massacre. Cowboys by plenty! The last game of the round is probably the most important in many ways with two premiership points, credibility and self belief on the line for both teams. After a pounding on the training paddock this week, both the Raiders and the Eels should be rearing to go. I’m tipping that this will be a nail biter until Gutho or Fogerty conjure up something in the final minutes to get their side home. I know that home ground advantage isn’t worth a whole lot these days but it might be that little something, aided by the Green Army, that gets the Raiders home.
The Sharks have the bye.
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About Ian Hauser
A former teacher with a (very) modest sporting CV enjoying his retirement years. A Queenslander through and through, especially when it comes to cricket and rugby league. Enjoys travel, coffee and cake, reading, McWilliam's Cream Apera and a glass or three of wine. Footy Almanac's Thursday online editor who moonlights as a hobby editor.
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