Are two back-to-back grand final defeats the reason behind Melbourne\u2019s uncharacteristic form slump?<\/p>\n
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Read on for the key Talking Points ahead of Round 7. <\/p>\n
DRINKWATER DILEMMA AS COWBOYS ON VERGE OF TOP FOUR<\/p>\n
North Queensland Cowboys vs. Manly Sea Eagles, Thursday @ 7.50pm <\/p>\n
The Cowboys are winners of four straight and on the cusp of the top four.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a fair feat given a month ago, the pitchforks were out for Todd Payten after two losses to start the season.<\/p>\n
There have been several players who have been outstanding during their four-game streak, notably Jaxon Purdue and Scott Drinkwater but more on them in just a bit. <\/p>\n
One name who has probably flown under the radar is the club\u2019s $1 million man Jason Taumalolo. <\/p>\n
The veteran prop has dealt with a few injury setbacks in recent years with Payten electing to manage Taumalolo\u2019s minutes.<\/p>\n
That decision has reaped rewards in 2026, with Taumalolo among the game\u2019s best props this season, producing several game changing second stints. <\/p>\n
Over the past four weeks, Taumalolo is averaging 170 running metres per game.<\/p>\n
Cooper Cronk, who shared the 2016 Dally M award with Taumalolo, says the gun forward\u2019s fitness levels have been key to the Cowboys\u2019 success.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought maybe the way that the game changed in terms of possession and restarts might have affected someone like Taumalolo,\u201d Cronk said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I think he deserves a huge rap, because he\u2019s obviously fitter than he\u2019s ever been. There was probably a part where he\u2019s at his best through 2016 when he won the Dally M that he was playing long minutes and still delivering. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think Todd Payten\u2019s now worked out the secret sauce, playing for a certain period, getting him off and then getting him back on to do the same thing. He is influential in the way the Cowboys are playing at the moment.\u201d <\/p>\n
The Cowboys could live to regret letting Scott Drinkwater leave.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
Drinkwater has been the Cowboys\u2019 most talked about player of late with his future up in the air. <\/p>\n
With the Cowboys re-signing gun junior Purdue on a long-term deal, Drinkwater has been told by club brass that he\u2019s been given permission to leave at the end of this season. <\/p>\n
Drinkwater is under contract until 2027 but the expectation is the Cowboys want to shift Purdue to fullback next year.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a move that surprises both Cronk and Matty Johns.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m really surprised by that. Every time that Purdue and Drinkwater work in combination, they look terrific. I\u2019m really surprised they\u2019re going to allow Scotty Drinkwater to go,\u201d Johns said.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo be fair, Drinkwater was probably part of the problem at the start of the year \u2026 errors and defensively. But I\u2019ll tell you what, he\u2019s part of the reason why the Cowboys are on fire at the moment, too. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s hard to argue with. Across the past four games, Drinkwater has recorded three tries and seven try assists. <\/p>\n
Teams like the Dragons and Bears are interested but Cronk believes that the fullback will only thrive in certain systems.<\/p>\n
\u201cA dangerous player is someone who has got a point to prove. And if he is being moved on, he\u2019s put his name in the shop front window because he\u2019s playing really well,\u201d Cronk said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I think Drinkwater needs to be selective of where he goes. He is a type of guy that if he gets forward momentum with some good halves \u2026 if he\u2019s on the back foot trying to come up with those plays \u2026 he needs to go to a club where he\u2019s going to have athletic players to complement what he\u2019s already doing, like the Cowboys.\u201d<\/p>\n
Broncos young guns ready to fire | 01:45<\/p>\n
GRAND FINAL HANGOVER AFFECTING STORM AMID UNPRECEDENTED SLUMP<\/p>\n
Canberra Raiders vs. Melbourne Storm, Friday @ 6pm <\/p>\n
The Storm go into a clash with the Raiders, who have been one of their bogey sides in recent years in the worst form slump of Craig Bellamy\u2019s career.<\/p>\n
The Storm looked like title favourites after beating the Eels (52-4) and the Dragons (46-20) to start the season, but they haven’t won since. <\/p>\n
Narrow losses to the Broncos (18-14) and the Cowboys (28-24) were followed by thrashing by the Panthers (50-10) and the Warriors (38-14), which has seen them slide from the top four to the bottom four inside a month. <\/p>\n
Despite the key losses of Eliesa Katoa and Xavier Coates and some defensive issues on the edges, the Storm still have a roster many teams would die for. <\/p>\n
Storm legend Cooper Cronk feels the hangover from two straight Grand Final defeats can\u2019t be underestimated. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou look at the Melbourne Storm and I don\u2019t think there\u2019s anything physical wrong there,\u201d Cronk said on Matty and Cronk. <\/p>\n
The Storm have a hangover from two straight grand final losses.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
\u201cCoach is great. They\u2019ve arguably got three of the best players in the game in Munster, Hughes and Grant. <\/p>\n
\u201cDefensively, there\u2019s some questions around that at different stages, but Craig Bellamy knows a defensive game plan. <\/p>\n
\u201cCompletion rate, they\u2019ve got the best completion rate in the competition, so it\u2019s nothing physical in what I\u2019m seeing.\u201d <\/p>\n
Cronk warned that players could be second guessing themselves and their approach after losing two grand finals in a row. <\/p>\n
\u201cI lost a couple of Grand Finals and I second-guessed myself the following year,\u201d Cronk said. \u201cLuckily enough, I managed to win off the back of it. I think if you lose two Grand Finals, subconsciously, do you start second-guessing yourself around does this actually really work? \u201cWhat I\u2019ve been doing for the last year, individually and collectively, can we do this again? <\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s going to take Melbourne Storm, not necessarily to throw everything out, I think they\u2019ve got to double down on what they\u2019re good at, be stoic enough to say, \u2018Yes, this is good enough\u2019, and be better at delivering their performance. <\/p>\n
\u201cI just can\u2019t see it any other way other than the pressure or the hesitation of losing two Grand Finals is playing a part in something.\u201d <\/p>\n
Manly stars flying high under Foran | 01:39<\/p>\n
BULLDOGS REVEAL BLUEPRINT TO BEAT PANTHERS<\/p>\n
Dolphins vs. Penrith Panthers @ 8.05pm<\/p>\n
The Panthers have gone from talk of an unprecedented undefeated season to vulnerable in the space of a week, after the Bulldogs exposed some weakness in their game. <\/p>\n
The Panthers were in ominous forum, but were bullied and beaten by the Bulldogs in a convincing 32-16 shutout. <\/p>\n
Blaize Talagi was badly exposed in defence missing six tackles as the Bulldogs\u2019 back-rowers made four of the team\u2019s eight linebreaks in the five tries to three upset. <\/p>\n
Cooper Cronk feels the Bulldogs have given the Dolphins this week and every other team the formula to beating the best side so far this season. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think Cameron Ciraldo\u2019s showed the blueprint of how to beat Penrith,\u201d Cronk said on Matty and Cronk. <\/p>\n
\u201cIn its real simple form, the line speed of the Dogs\u2019 middle forwards was outstanding. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhen Penrith got in trouble last year, they struggled to get over the advantage line and the Dogs forwards\u2019 line speed met them at the advantage line and didn\u2019t get them to get that forward movement. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey just were fit, fast, and when they\u2019ve defended really well the Dogs, this has been their blueprint. <\/p>\n
Nathan Cleary was rushed by the Bulldogs, which affected his passing game.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
\u201cOn the flip side of it, when they\u2019re attacking, they used their back-rowers really well, so if you want to attack Penrith, the best defensive team, you better have powerful back-rowers to attack their halves.\u201d<\/p>\n
As a result of the Bulldogs\u2019 relentless line speed, Cronk noted they \u201cforced\u201d the Panthers and Cleary in particular to \u201cnot pass the ball when they wanted to\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou hardly ever see that. They are up on the ad line,\u201d Cronk said.<\/p>\n
\u201cGo watch some vision of when Penrith got in trouble last year. We were talking about them going sideways and doing a lot of drop-off plays, which allowed the defence to stop them on the advantage line if they read it. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhereas now they\u2019ve been a bit more direct, not so many drop-off plays, trying to take advantage of that forward momentum, but what the Dog did, they stopped it. <\/p>\n
\u201cTheir line speed and fitness just to go up and back, up and back, and still have impact in their defence was the key to their win.\u201d<\/p>\n
Drinkwater to leave + Foran to stay on? | 26:02<\/p>\n
DEBATE ON LATRELL\u2019S FUTURE AFTER SHOCK SOUTHS CALL <\/p>\n
South Sydney Rabbitohs vs. Dragons, Saturday @ 5.30pm<\/p>\n
Entering this contest, there\u2019s plenty of attention and heat on the winless Dragons \u2026 and rightly so, as Red V coach Shane Flanagan sits on a ticking time bomb.<\/p>\n
However, another intriguing subplot leading into this game is South Sydney\u2019s decision on who will replace fullback Jye Gray. <\/p>\n
Many expected Latrell Mitchell to be the obvious choice given he\u2019s played most of his career at the back. Instead, Wayne Bennett went off-Broadway. <\/p>\n
Bennett has turned to Matt Dufty, a former Dragons fullback who hasn\u2019t been seen in the NRL since 2022. <\/p>\n
Dufty spent four seasons in the Super League before moving back to Australia at the end of last year. <\/p>\n
Signing a NSW Cup deal with the Bunnies for this season, Dufty\u2019s excellent form in ressies coupled with the Gray injury has opened the door for the 30-year-old to return to the NRL.<\/p>\n
Bennett says Dufty has performed with a chip on his should and has impressed all the right people at Souths this season.<\/p>\n
Matt Dufty was last seen in the NRL in 2022 for the Bulldogs.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
\u201cI think he\u2019s pretty pleased with himself,\u201d Bennett said. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe came back, nobody wanted him, he was trying to get a club, he turned up here, he was friends with [assistant coach] Ben Hornby, and we thought he could be good for us.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s been playing really well. Reserve grade is a pretty high standard. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s really fit, he\u2019s trained well, so it won\u2019t be an issue.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe also played with us in the trials and went well. He\u2019s energetic, he\u2019s good.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Bennett and the Bunnies\u2019 coaching staff have all the confidence Dufty will do a job in Gray\u2019s absence, the decision to keep Mitchell out of fullback is a touch puzzling. <\/p>\n
Given the club literally needed to chase an NRL exemption for Dufty to play, are Mitchell\u2019s days of playing fullback at Souths numbered?<\/p>\n
According to foxsports.com.au\u2019s Paul Crawley they are, who noted a couple of lapses from Mitchell when he replaced Gray against the Raiders last weekend.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think right now you can play Latrell at fullback,\u201d Crawley said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe does some wonderful things but he can also cost you. <\/p>\n
\u201cHis runs back out of trouble, well he is getting the ball and passing it to the wingers. Jye Gray is half his size, runs back like a bull out of a gate. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think Latrell needs to pick his act up.\u201d<\/p>\n
HIGH FLYING TIGERS OUT TO PROOF BRILLIANT START IS NO FLUKE<\/p>\n
Wests Tigers vs. Brisbane Broncos, Saturday @ 7.35pm <\/p>\n
Heading into Round 7 the Wests Tigers are equal first on the ladder with the Panthers as they look to end the longest finals drought in the NRL stretching back to 2011. <\/p>\n
Their 42-22 victory over the in form Knights saw them win their fourth game from five starts with a 20-16 loss to the Rabbitohs their only defeat this season. <\/p>\n
However, a look at their draw so far shows they have beaten the Cowboys (44-16), the Warriors (32-14), the Eels (22-20) and the Knights. <\/p>\n
While the Warriors and the Knights were in the top four when they beat them the Tigers and the Eels were well out of it and they have had one bye, so there are bigger battles ahead. <\/p>\n
It leaves fans wondering is this fast start an anomaly of the draw or is Benji Marshall\u2019s side a genuine top four team and premiership threat in 2026? <\/p>\n
The Daily Telegraph\u2019s Brent Read feels the Tigers are trying to keep a lid on the hype, but warned with every mounting victory they are proving themselves the real deal this season. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got to keep our feet in the ground because it\u2019s only been six rounds, but the signs are so promising, I think they are here to stay,\u201d Read said.<\/p>\n
Bulldogs premiership winner Braith Anasta agreed the Tigers are a genuine top four hopeful and the way they have been beating teams with their brilliant attack both at home and away should put the rest of the NRL on notice. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve been phenomenal and I don\u2019t think it\u2019s a fluke,\u201d Anasta said.<\/p>\n
Adam Doueihi has the Tigers flying.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re here, they\u2019re playing great footy and the best is ahead of them. Yes, they are going to have some challenges as the year goes on and they play some high-quality teams. <\/p>\n
\u201cBut just the style they are playing, their enthusiasm, their teamwork.\u201d<\/p>\n
Broncos legend Gorden Tallis noted the Tigers have improved their defence markedly, but they are also learning how to win on both sides of the ball. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve won with their attack, they\u2019ve won with their defence, so they\u2019ve found different ways to win which hasn\u2019t been the Tigers of old,\u201d Tallis said. <\/p>\n
However, the Tigers have a tough run of games against the Broncos, Raiders, Sjharks and Storm in the next four weeks and The Daily Telegraph\u2019s Dean Ritchie warned, we have been down this road before. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m happy the Tigers are doing well,\u201d Ritchie said. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a breath of fresh air in rugby league. But can we not get too carried away. We\u2019re six rounds in. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve accepted 15 years of mediocrity from this side. All I\u2019m saying is after five games this year, I\u2019m not prepared to act like this is their year. I\u2019m not convinced. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve down this path before with the Tigers, I hope they do well. I haven\u2019t (seen them play like this) for a while, but they\u2019ve had patches throughout those 15 years where they have been above expectation. I\u2019m just not getting as excited as other people.\u201d <\/p>\n
However, if the Tigers can beat the defending premiers this week at home and the Panthers lose to the Dolphins in Darwin, they will be outright first on the ladder and people will have to start taking them seriously sooner or later. <\/p>\n
Tied 1st – Tigers blast past Knights | 03:11<\/p>\n
TOUGH TASK FACING RYLES AMID \u2018SURPRISING\u2019 EELS DEFICIENCY<\/p>\n
Parramatta Eels vs. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, Sunday @ 4.05pm<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been a tough season for the Eels for many reasons. <\/p>\n
Injuries have been brutal, with several starters out for at least a couple of months, including Bailey Simonsson, J\u2019maine Hopgood, Jonah Pezet and Isaiah Iongi.<\/p>\n
Play on the park has been poor. While there have been a couple of good wins, they\u2019ve lost four of six with two of those defeats being by 26 points or more.<\/p>\n
Defensively, they are porous. Across their six contests, the Eels are conceding 37.7 points a game. <\/p>\n
It is the leakiest start in Parramatta\u2019s history, and the third-most points conceded by any side through the first six matches of a season in the NRL era (since 1998). <\/p>\n
In fact, the Eels are at risk of posting their worst-ever defensive season, surpassing the 31.4 points per game they conceded in 1995.<\/p>\n
The Eels are on track for their worst season defensively in 31 years.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a figure that\u2019s simply too big and given it\u2019s happened under the watch of Ryles, a sharp defensive mind, is hard to fathom.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir defence surprises me because Rylesy come from the Roosters and the Storm so defence to him means a lot. I know that,\u201d Braith Anasta said on NRL360.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe would pride himself on that so he has a lot of work to do because their defence has been poor all year, even when they had a full strength side. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s something that needs to be fixed. He\u2019d be devastated with the way they\u2019ve started defensively. <\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think the attack is going to be a problem but the other side needs to be fixed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Unfortunately for the Eels, things don\u2019t get easier this weekend. <\/p>\n
While the Bulldogs\u2019 attack sputtered to start the year, they looked dangerous when putting 32 on the previoulsy unbeaten Panthers last week. <\/p>\n
If the Dogs are able to hold that form, it will be another long 80 minutes for Parra fans.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Bunnies made a surprising call at fullback and it\u2019s sparked an interesting debate about the future of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":609257,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[568],"tags":[246132,8300,64,63,296170,9421,296177,296169,4428,118613,7618,4532,10288,11101,8089,11096,28814,194228,164629,163969,296173,296175,38426,72681,296171,4612,30193,11288,199213,111752,47999,296174,32759,1809,147322,39262,4484,252311,4601,4746,4466,296176,761,762,2613,4495,764,158,4598,73369,52764,296168,296167,159,296172,4523,4439,85,48011,79312,7663,777,22317,4515,36854,29646],"class_list":{"0":"post-609256","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nrl","8":"tag-advantage-line","9":"tag-andrew-jackson","10":"tag-au","11":"tag-australia","12":"tag-back-rowers","13":"tag-benji-marshall","14":"tag-bogey-sides","15":"tag-brilliant-start","16":"tag-brisbane-broncos","17":"tag-broncos-legend","18":"tag-cameron-ciraldo","19":"tag-canberra-raiders","20":"tag-completion-rate","21":"tag-cooper-cronk","22":"tag-craig-bellamy","23":"tag-daniel-nuttall","24":"tag-dean-ritchie","25":"tag-defensive-game-plan","26":"tag-defensive-issues","27":"tag-defensive-team","28":"tag-drop-off-plays","29":"tag-fans-wondering","30":"tag-finals-drought","31":"tag-fitness-levels","32":"tag-genuine-top","33":"tag-gold-coast-titans","34":"tag-gorden-tallis","35":"tag-grand-final","36":"tag-grand-final-hangover","37":"tag-grand-final-losses","38":"tag-grand-finals","39":"tag-high-quality-teams","40":"tag-hughes","41":"tag-injury-crisis","42":"tag-injury-setbacks","43":"tag-jason-taumalolo","44":"tag-kieran-foran","45":"tag-line-speed","46":"tag-manly-sea-eagles","47":"tag-mark-st-john","48":"tag-melbourne-storm","49":"tag-mounting-victory","50":"tag-national-rugby-league","51":"tag-nationalrugbyleague","52":"tag-new-zealand-warriors","53":"tag-newcastle-knights","54":"tag-north-queensland-cowboys","55":"tag-nrl","56":"tag-penrith-panthers","57":"tag-premiership-threat","58":"tag-premiership-winner","59":"tag-re-signing-gun-junior","60":"tag-relentless-line-speed","61":"tag-rugby-league","62":"tag-scotty-drinkwater","63":"tag-sea-eagles","64":"tag-south-sydney-rabbitohs","65":"tag-sports","66":"tag-storm-legend","67":"tag-straight-grand-final","68":"tag-talking-points","69":"tag-todd-payten","70":"tag-try-assists","71":"tag-wests-tigers","72":"tag-worst-form-slump","73":"tag-young-stars"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/609256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=609256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/609256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/609257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=609256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=609256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=609256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}