Sign up now!!!<\/a><\/p>\nPayten: ‘Really disappointing’ | 04:08<\/p>\n
WHY $900,000 WARRIORS EXILE IS A \u2018GREAT LUXURY\u2019<\/p>\n
Warriors vs North Queensland Cowboys, Sunday June 21 @ 2pm<\/p>\n
The Warriors are in a pretty enviable position at the moment when it comes to their halves stocks.<\/p>\n
While there was a slight hiccup against Cronulla last weekend, the playmaking duo of Chanel Harris-Tavita and Te Maire Martin have been steering the ship nicely since Tanah Boyd suffered a season-ending ACL injury.<\/p>\n
So much so, that $900,000 half Luke Metcalf has been kept out of the team.<\/p>\n
Of course, it\u2019d be naive to think that Metcalf\u2019s impending early exit from the club doesn\u2019t have a little bit to do with Andrew Webster\u2019s decision, but in the same breath, Martin and Harris-Tavita haven\u2019t done anything for the second-placed Warriors to justify a demotion either.<\/p>\n
Metcalf was superb in the NSW Cup last week and for this Sunday\u2019s clash against the Cowboys, has been named on the six man bench in jersey No. 20. <\/p>\n
However, there\u2019s no reason why Webster should change what\u2019s working for now according to Fox League\u2019s Braith Anasta. <\/p>\n
Instead, Metcalf should be used in a \u2018break glass in case of emergency\u2019 role. It\u2019s a wonderful luxury for a team who is set to be finals bound.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve shown that they\u2019re fine with Te Maire Martin and Chanel Harris-Tavita,\u201d Anasta told foxsports.com.au. <\/p>\n
\u201cTo have that kind of arsenal off the bench or just sitting and waiting for an opportunity is great depth. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re not going to change anything at the moment because they\u2019re going so good. It\u2019s great to have Luke there and Luke could play a pivotal part in the final series. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a great luxury to have him there but I don\u2019t think they\u2019ll be picking him ahead of those two.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a hard one for Metcalf because when he returned, he was returning from an ACL injury. He wasn\u2019t 100%. You\u2019d like to think by this time now or when he comes back heading into finals, he will be. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019ll be a good problem to have.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luke Metcalf will be forced to wait. (Photo by Darrian Traynor\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
Metcalf returned from a serious knee injury in Round 4 and played in just two games before picking up a hamstring strain.<\/p>\n
He was then sidelined again. While out of action, he negotiated an early release from his deal and signed with the Dragons from 2027.<\/p>\n
That came after the emergence of Boyd, who the Warriors see as the club\u2019s long-term half. Instead of committing to a move to five-eighth, Metcalf decided he wanted to head back to Australia.<\/p>\n
For that reason, many believe Webster has been holding Metcalf out. While he admitted he did until the contract saga was finalised, the Warriors coach says that at the moment the talented playmaker will have to earn a first grade spot.<\/p>\n
\u201cLuke is a world-class player. He got injured when he finally made his return to the side. Then with the contract saga, it\u2019s taken a little bit more time to get him back and now he\u2019s playing NSW Cup,\u201d Webster said on SEN Radio.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019ll give himself an opportunity (in first grade) if he keeps playing well and putting pressure on the halves.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s exactly what we want. We want players in form and playing well because we have seen how quickly injuries can happen.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf gets his opportunity this year and forces his way into the team or through injury, we know he\u2019s a quality player and he\u2019ll make the most of that chance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Confusion over BIZARRE shot clock pen | 00:44<\/p>\n
DOES RICKY NEED TO PULL THE TRIGGER ON RAIDERS CHANGE?<\/p>\n
Melbourne Storm vs Canberra Raiders, Sunday June 21 @ 4.05pm<\/p>\n
It was a sad sign of the times when Raiders coach Ricky Stuart lamented his side as \u2018predictable\u2019 in attack following last week\u2019s loss to the Parramatta Eels.<\/p>\n
The question is, what now for last year\u2019s minor premiers?<\/p>\n
In his post-match press conference, a visibly dejected Stuart praised his player\u2019s improved effort levels before admitting their attack was stale in the 15-12 defeat.<\/p>\n
Pressed further on the matter, \u2018Sticky\u2019 said: \u201cThere\u2019s some parts of our game that we\u2019ve got to fix, we\u2019ve got a lot of players who are very young in their footy careers.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s simple, it will be a simple fix because it\u2019s not our style.\u201d<\/p>\n
The inference in Stuart\u2019s last comments is open to interpretation, however former playmaker Luke Keary believes fullback Kaeo Weekes and halfback Ethan Strange will be central to a Raiders\u2019 attacking overhaul. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re seeing Kaeo Weekes and Xavier Savage, guys like that who were unbelievable last year, they\u2019re just not at that level that they were,\u201d Keary said as guest host on Fox League\u2019s Matty and Cronk this week.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Raiders spent what felt like an eternity in the Eels\u2019 red zone, with 36 tackles in their opposition 20 and only two tries to show for it. Admittedly, the Raiders were without much of their strike power for the Parramatta game with Ethan Strange and Hudson Young both on Origin duties.<\/p>\n
But what was most alarming to Keary, commentators and fans present at the Canberra-Parramatta game was the Raiders\u2019 attacking structure \u2013 or lack thereof. <\/p>\n
Should Ethan Strange switch sides? (Photo by Mark Nolan\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
\u201cI couldn\u2019t believe on the weekend being at the stadium Kaeo Weekes didn\u2019t run past the black dot,\u201d Keary said. \u201cHe was on the left side out of yardage and everything. He needs to be on-ball. He needs to be able to play with Ethan Strange on the left, play with Ethan Sanders on the right. He needs to be moving across the field.\u201d<\/p>\n
The fix, according to Keary and co-host Cooper Cronk, is Ethan Sanders. The 22-year-old half is currently on-ball on both sides of the Raiders ruck in attack, but Cronk felt a more effective arrangement would be to have Strange controlling left side attack, and Sanders right, with Weekes roaming between.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you\u2019ve got one eye on ruck speed and one eye on organising players, you miss everything downfield which is your first opportunity to run,\u201d Cronk explained. \u201cI would, with their season on the line, move Ethan Strange back to the left side. He looks way more comfortable (there).<\/p>\n
\u201cI know it\u2019s about the kicking game and things like that but put Sanders on the right, Strange on the left with Hudson Young, get some familiar relationships going again and see if that sparks something.\u201d<\/p>\n
Keary echoed Cronk\u2019s sentiments, especially while Sanders is developing his game and confidence. Ultimately, he believes the move will help Sanders develop as a playmaker and get the Raiders back to a similar position as last year \u2013 where Manly-bound Jamal Fogarty was calling the shots.<\/p>\n
\u201cStrange and Weekes are their two most potent attacking players,\u201d Keary explained. \u201cThey don\u2019t play together because Sanders is in the middle. He\u2019ll get to a stage in his career where he\u2019ll be able to do that but I think they need to flip them and let Weekes play with both.<\/p>\n
\u201cRicky said it in the press conference, they\u2019re just not there. They\u2019re predictable with the ball. I think Ethan Sanders is going to be a really good first-grade halfback. I think what they\u2019re asking him to do is a lot.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you have to go back and forwards from side to side, it\u2019s very hard to actually look up and go, \u2018What\u2019s in front of me and how many numbers and how do I play this?\u2019. You\u2019re constantly looking sideways going, \u2018Is Kaeo in the right spot? Is Daine [Laurie] in the right spot? Where are my centres? What play am I doing? Organising middles\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anasta: “The Raiders have been terrible” | 01:27<\/p>\n
\u2018HE\u2019S NOT THAT GUY\u2019: THE REALITY FOR DCE, ROOSTERS<\/p>\n
Sydney Roosters vs Cronulla Sharks, Sunday June 21 @ 6.15pm<\/p>\n
In the wake of last week\u2019s loss to the Dolphins, Trent Robinson called on the leaders in his playing group to stand up. <\/p>\n
While fielding a seriously undermanned line-up due to State of Origin commitments, the Roosters still had plenty of experience in the form of Daly Cherry-Evans, Angus Crichton and even former NSW Blues front rower Spencer Leniu that they could turn to. <\/p>\n
The expectation, not specifically from Robinson, but externally was that Cherry-Evans in particular would stand up to lead the young Roosters. <\/p>\n
Instead, while he got through a bulk of the kicking and touched the ball plenty, he didn\u2019t have much of an impact as the Dolphins coasted to a 48-10 win. <\/p>\n
But NRL 360 host Braith Anasta told foxsports.com.au the expectation should not have been there in the first place that Cherry-Evans would single-handedly carry the Roosters to victory like he may have done earlier in his career when he was in his prime.<\/p>\n
Quite simply, Anasta said Cherry-Evans is \u201cnot that guy\u201d anymore despite the Rooster bringing the veteran in ona deal worth a reported $600,000 a season.<\/p>\n
That doesn\u2019t mean he can\u2019t execute his role for the Roosters when they are full-strength. Rather, it just means when the Roosters are down troops during the Origin period, Cherry-Evans can\u2019t be counted on to step up in the same way that once would have been the standard during his Sea Eagles days.<\/p>\n
Daly Cherry-Evans is not that guy anymore. (Photo by Hannah Peters\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it (the loss) showed on the weekend where DCE is at in his career. He\u2019s not that guy,\u201d Anasta said.<\/p>\n
\u201cDCE is the guy that will get a job done and will play to a game plan and execute that game plan and work with Sam and Teddy and Reece Robson and use his years of experience in executing under pressure and in the big games and all that. That\u2019s why he\u2019s there. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt would be great if he played out of his skin and secured them some wins at the time that Origin players are out but I don\u2019t think that\u2019s him anymore. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not why they brought him there. We\u2019ve kind of seen that throughout the year when he\u2019s just played quite simple and combined well with Sam and he\u2019s fine and executed a really effective and great kicking game, they\u2019ve more than likely won games. <\/p>\n
\u201cBut he\u2019s not going to be that guy who sets up three or four tries and has a game that he just owns and wins it for them. I don\u2019t think that\u2019s going to happen. <\/p>\n
\u201cSo he\u2019s just got to play his role and get the best out of the guys around him. When the big guns aren\u2019t in, they can just sneak away with a victory somehow.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fortunately for the Roosters, last week\u2019s game against the Dolphins is the only one that will be without their Origin stars, with the Tricolours otherwise having a bye in Round 18 ahead of Origin III.<\/p>\n
They will, however, need Cherry-Evans and the rest of the club\u2019s senior players to stand up as the returning Origin representatives work their way through what is a challenging period.<\/p>\n
That is especially true for Sam Walker, who was criticised for his underwhelming performance against the Storm after Origin I, with Cherry-Evans playing a key role there in passing on advice on how to handle the added workload and pressure.<\/p>\n
‘Conflicting’ Robbo & DCE face the music | 06:16<\/p>\n
DEBUNKING \u2018RIDICULOUS\u2019 HYNES MYTH<\/p>\n
Sydney Roosters vs Cronulla Sharks, Sunday June 21 @ 6.15pm<\/p>\n
They are the numbers that veteran journalist Dean Ritchie described as \u201cfairly alarming\u201d.<\/p>\n
Without star halfback Nicho Hynes, the Sharks actually have a 10-2 record since 2024 while their record with him in the line-up during that period is 32-23.<\/p>\n
\u201cClearly he is an elite player and will be there when he comes back for their charge for the finals but those stats are fairly alarming.\u201d Ritchie said on NRL 360 this week.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes Braydon Trindall step up into a role that suits him more and he thrives when Nicho is not there?\u201d<\/p>\n
Trindall certainly didn\u2019t look like he was lacking confidence when he nailed a two-point field goal to get the Sharks home on the weekend against the Warriors, and after an inconsistent start to the season Cronulla has strung a few wins in a row recently without Hynes in the picture.<\/p>\n
But do those numbers tell the full story?<\/p>\n
Not really. <\/p>\n
Brent Read said any suggestion the Sharks are a better team without Hynes is \u201cridiculous\u201d, and looking into the further context behind those wins without him paints a far more complicated picture.<\/p>\n
That starts out with the fact the Sharks were a very good regular season team in 2024, with or without Hynes.<\/p>\n
But specifically looking at all the games they have won without Hynes since 2024, starting out with the win over Melbourne, the Storm were missing Jahrome Hughes that night.<\/p>\n
Then when they beat the Broncos without Hynes, all their outside backs ran for over 150 metres, which gave Trindall a solid platform to play off. <\/p>\n
Their next win without Hynes came against the lowly Tigers, and Apisai Koroisau was also binned in that game. <\/p>\n
Nicho Hynes is expected to return from a calf injury.Source: News Sport Network<\/p>\n
Moving on to the win over South Sydney. Cody Walker was binned, while the Rabbitohs also entered that game in 15th. <\/p>\n
Both Hynes and Trindall were missing the win over the Titans, while Phoenix Crossland was binned in the victory over the Knights which saw Daniel Atkinson kick the game-winning field goal.<\/p>\n
Granted, Jesse Ramien was actually binned in their final game without Hynes in 2024 against the Dragons, but on a whole that season there were plenty of extenuating circumstances to suggest those numbers aren\u2019t just a black and white example of Hynes getting in the way of Trindall. <\/p>\n
As for their three wins this year without Hynes against the Sea Eagles, Dragons and Warriors, Trindall starred in the victory over Manly, but he is a great foil to Hynes when healthy. <\/p>\n
Hynes brings much-needed organisation and control to Cronulla when playing alongside Trindall, who is often more of an instinctive player.<\/p>\n
There have been plenty of question marks over their partnership in the past few years, and if the Sharks fall short again this year they may have to reconsider whether this is the pairing to get them over the line.<\/p>\n
But for now, the club\u2019s record alone without Hynes doesn\u2019t seem to paint a complete picture.<\/p>\n
That doesn\u2019t necessarily mean the commentary around the Hynes-Trindall partnership will go away though, as former premiership-winning five-eighth Luke Keary pointed out.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s (Trindall) their main guy. Even when Nicho\u2019s there, when he\u2019s in control he does 90 per cent of the kicking for them. He\u2019s a genuine ball-player,\u201d Keary said on NRL 360. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s hard because Nicho is meant to be the main man. He is paid to be the main man. They\u2019ve got to figure it out, because their next step is making a grand final.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Raiders\u2019 season is on thin ice, so an NRL great has urged Ricky Stuart to make positional…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":746432,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[568],"tags":[64,63,761,762,158,85],"class_list":["post-746431","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nrl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-national-rugby-league","tag-nationalrugbyleague","tag-nrl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/746431","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=746431"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/746431\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/746432"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=746431"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=746431"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=746431"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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