SNAPSHOT OF ROUND 11 NRL ACTION
PLAYER OF THE ROUND: Jarome Luai. Just as Nicho Hynes appeared to be closing in on the NSW State of Origin jersey, Luai had his best game in recent memory for Penrith. He had a hand in three of the four tries that established a 24-0 halftime lead against the Sydney Roosters, and then nabbed his first four-pointer of the season to help close out Friday’s 48-4 demolition job.
QUOTE OF THE ROUND: “If you’re going to go changing interpretations around like that, it’s just crap. You can’t change interpretations week to week.” Canberra coach Ricky Stuart was not happy prop Corey Horsburgh was sin-binned for shoving Ryan Matterson, when only a week earlier a similar action from South Sydney No.1 Latrell Mitchell went unpunished.
TALKING POINT: The NRL is still struggling to find consistency between the way the hip-drop tackle is policed on field and the way it is sanctioned by the match review committee (MRC). On Thursday, Brisbane forward Pat Carrigan found himself sin-binned for a shot at a critical juncture in the loss to Melbourne but avoided scrutiny altogether from the MRC the next day.
STAT THAT MATTERS: St George Illawarra talisman Ben Hunt became the 47th man to reach 300 first-grade games when he took the field against North Queensland, and the second player born in the 1990s to achieve the feat. Canberra centre Jarrod Croker (297) and Manly halfback Daly Cherry-Evans (293) are set to be the next men inducted into the exclusive club.
MAGIC MOMENT: In only his fourth first-grade game, stand-in Warriors five-eighth Ronald Volkman played through a compound fracture in his finger against Canterbury and ended up scoring the try that sealed victory when he kicked through the line for himself. The four-pointer was his first as an NRL player.
CASUALTY WARD: Eels – Shaun Lane (hamstring); Rabbitohs – Tom Burgess (back), Jed Cartwright (concussion); Roosters – Jared Waerea-Hargreaves (pectoral), Joey Manu (ankle), Sam Walker (knee); Broncos – Adam Reynolds (neck); Panthers – Spencer Leniu (testicle); Sharks – Siosifa Talakai (neck); Warriors – Ronald Volkman (finger), Sea Eagles – Josh Aloiai (shoulder).
UNDER PRESSURE: The Sydney Roosters have scored only one try in each of their last two games, both coming once a positive result was already out of reach. Only the Wests Tigers have averaged fewer points across the opening 11 rounds of the season, and things aren’t about to get any easier with Joey Manu, Sam Walker and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves facing time in the casualty ward.