It’s the most mixed of bags this week for the Team of the Week.
Some games – we’re looking at you, Melbourne and Brisbane – weren’t worth much at all, while others, notably the Wests Tigers’ win over Canterbury, were definitive.
It’s reflected in the team, which features some unusual faces alongside the TOTW favourites. It’s possible that we’ll do one of these without Blayke Brailey and Terrell May, but it’s unlikely.
But Oryn Keeley? Mat Feagai? Jeral bloody Skelton? Yep, they’re all in. Here’s the full XIII.
1. Reece Walsh (Broncos)
It’s hard to mark anyone too highly playing against Souths at the moment, as their injury crisis lends a slight FA Cup Third Round character to every match.
But Reece Walsh can only beat what is in front of him, and like Homer taking on the kids in a Power Plant design contest, the fullback beat their brains out.
Walsh picked up a try late on, well deserved after four assists for others. Moreover, he did it all off just 8 runs, proving that, for all the eye-catching speed, Walsh is best as a passer. Let the man chuck the ball and see what happens.
2. Ronaldo Mulitalo (Sharks)
Ronaldo is fast becoming one of the NRL’s premier grubs – and that’s a positive thing. Winding up opponents is part and parcel of the game, if you can back it up, and the Sharks winger is doing that more and more these days.
Mulitalo was far too good for the Cowboys, who could barely touch him in the first half as the winger crossed for two tries.
3. Matt Timoko (Raiders)
Saturday was not a good day for the Raiders, who finally lost after nine straight wins, but it was a good one for centre Matt Timoko.
He’s been, by his own standards, quite quiet during the winning streak, but has roared back in recent weeks.
On a day where St George Illawarra did very well to shut down the Canberra edges, they never controlled Timoko, who topped the metres and scored twice.
4. Mat Feagai (Dragons)
You could take your pick from either Dragons centre for this side: Mat Feagai was all creativity, whereas Moses Suli was a yardage battering ram.
Seen as he got the points that won the match, we’ll take Feagai. The Dragons scored twice, one of which he scored and the other he set up for Corey Allen.
5. Jeral Skelton (Tigers)
The Tigers’ revenge mission wasn’t just against Lachie Galvin. Jeral Skelton was also up against his former club, and left more than a few marks on his ex-teammates.
The winger scored twice and took 14 tough carries in a mudbath at CommBank Stadium, but it was without the ball that he impressed.
Skelton is fast moving into the rarified air of Steve Matai and Jorge Taufua as far as hard-hitting wingers are concerned, showing a knack for timing his moment to lay out opponents.
He made just one tackle on Sunday – but what a tackle it was, flying out of the line and hitting his target.
6. Sam Walker (Roosters)
The Roosters are infinitely better with their halfback in the side, and never more so than in the wet.
Walker’s combination of short kicking and attacking flair is perfect for bad conditions, where moments of magic – and the confidence to create them – make all the difference.
He came away with assists on all three tries that the Chooks scored, but perhaps more tellingly, sent a message to incoming half Daly Cherry-Evans that the job of chief creator will be hard to take in 2026.
7. Nathan Cleary (Panthers)
What more can you say about Nathan Cleary?
His two-point field goal would be a career highlight for anyone else but him or Latrell Mitchell, but for Nathan, it’s just another magic moment in a litany of them. When the ball came to him, there was no doubt it was going over.
Even before that, it had been a standout performance. Cleary managed three line break assists, two of which became tries, creating what should have been an easy win for the Panthers. It wasn’t, but as per usual, when they needed pulling out of a hole, the halfback was there too.
8. Terrell May (Tigers)
Just for a change, it’s Terrell May in the team of the week. It’s repetitive at this point, but how could he not be?
May topped the tackle count again and would have topped the metres too were it not for Adam Doueihi’s two interceptions. When it came to hard yards, nobody did them better. Of course, that’s been the case all year.
9. Blayke Brailey (Sharks)
The Brailey renaissance continues with another stunning performance to lift the Sharkies past North Queensland in the mud on Sunday afternoon.
The run was less prominent than in previous weeks, with just three scoots in the match, but he more than made them count: each was worth more than 10m and two resulted in tries.
If Cronulla are going to do anything this year, it’ll come down to whether Brailey can continue this rich vein of form against better sides in more important matches.
10. Lindsay Collins (Roosters)
The Roosters prop was everywhere on Saturday night, putting in one of his best showings of the season in a gritty win over Manly.
It was the sort of performance that doesn’t spring off the stats sheet, but which everyone alongside him would have noticed. Collins made a solid 31 tackles and just 57m, yet seemed to work in perpetual motion in the middle, shutting down gaps and forcing the play elsewhere.
Perhaps most tellingly, in a game where pretty much everyone had an error to their name, Collins did not make a single one.
11. Isaiah Papali’i (Panthers)
Once one of the NRL’s most devastating running backrowers, Ice has been something of a utility man for the Panthers this season.
He’s split time across the bench, middle and edge, using his low centre of gravity and motor to help his side.
The week was a textbook example: he got 73 minutes playing a bit of everything as Liam Martin came off the bench, managing a huge 55 tackles and 14 carries, as well as further 8 runs where he didn’t get the ball.
12. Oryn Keeley (Dolphins)
The Dolphins, as long as they have existed, have made a bit of an art-form out of repackaging cast-offs – and Oryn Keeley is the latest in line.
The backrower was touted for big things at Newcastle, but barely got a sniff in first grade over two years before leaving.
It took him a while at Redcliffe, too, but since breaking into the side late last year, he’s barely been out of it when fit.
That’s paying off big time now, with Keeley stepping up after an off-season injury to cement his reputation as one of the better young forwards around. He was among their best in Auckland, scoring a vital try, running for over 100m and making a huge 34 tackles.
13. Adam Doueihi (Tigers)
The Tigers lost a halfback, yet somehow have found two as necessity became the mother of invention. Adam Doueihi was playing in the centres three weeks ago at Manly, but was forced into halfback after a shocking first half left Benji Marshall scrambling for options.
Now, he’s playing half in the 13 jumper and, despite Jarome Luai and Api Koroisau’s presence, is pretty much their most influential player.
Against Canterbury, the Lebanese international was superb: he scored a breakaway, set up another and kicked well to lead his side to a well-deserved victory.