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Read on for the key Talking Points from Round 24. <\/p>\n
BELLAMY\u2019S HUGE PRAISE FOR COATES AS STORM SNAP PANTHERS STREAK<\/p>\n
Craig Bellamy labelled Xavier Coates the greatest winger he has ever seen after he led the Storm to a 22-18 victory over the Panthers in a golden point grand final rematch. <\/p>\n
Coates finished with 229 metres, four tackle busts and two brilliant tries as well as a freak try assist for Joe Chan\u2019s crucial second half try. <\/p>\n
Coates made one of the game\u2019s best wingers Brian To\u2019o look pedestrian at times in a stunning display that wasn\u2019t lost on his coach. <\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think I have ever coached anyone as good as Coates in the air,\u201d Bellamy said. <\/p>\n
\u201cWith all due respect to blokes like Greg Inglis and Matt King and a few guys I played with, I don\u2019t think I have ever seen a better winger that Xavier Coates. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe just comes up with the big plays and he came up with another big one tonight.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was nearly a carbon copy of last week, but he put his foot out and then tonight he just stayed in. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe just keeps on coming up with big plays every week and it is not as if he just hangs back and waits for the big plays. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe does a whole heap of work as well, so he is one hell of a player.\u201d <\/p>\n
Xavier Coates was superb against the Panthers.Source: The Daily Telegraph<\/p>\n
Harry Grant was the hero for the Storm at the death after earning a penalty to deny a match winning field goal from Nathan Cleary, before scoring a try at the other end of the field in golden point. <\/p>\n
Grant was criticised for milking the penalty, but he believes it was a penalty every day of the week under NRL rules and urged people to focus on the quality of the contest from both sides. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think maybe the idea would be to look at Penrith because they have been in a fair few contests where they have kicked field goals and have a look at their setups,\u201d Grant said. <\/p>\n
\u201cWas there no one in front of Nathan. Maybe if they want to look at that they are well aware of that being a penalty. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not sure. Maybe that\u2019s something to look at, but a lot of attention will go to that, but it doesn\u2019t need to. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe attention should go to what a quality contest it was, how good they played and we were underdogs and had a fair few players out and we turned up. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe attention will go towards that call, but why does it have to? That was a good game. We all looked forward to a tight contest.\u201d <\/p>\n
Storm snap Panthers win streak in EPIC | 02:54<\/p>\n
RED-HOT TIGERS FIND THEIR IDENTITY<\/p>\n
It has been a tumultuous year off the field, but on field, things are now clicking for the Tigers.<\/p>\n
They dominated Manly on Sunday to make it two straight and have now won four of their last six games. <\/p>\n
In fact, they are still technically in the finals hunt, even though it\u2019s extremely unlikely as they\u2019ll need to win their last three games and hope for several other results to go their way. <\/p>\n
Given they\u2019ve collected three straight wooden spoons, to even be in contention this late in the season is a big win for the joint venture club.<\/p>\n
Coach Benji Marshall hasn\u2019t given much thought to a finals push. He just want his side to finish the season with a bang.<\/p>\n
Marshall is proud of his side, but what he\u2019s most buoyant about is that he feels the Tigers have now found their identity.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m excited,\u201d Marshall said in the Tigers\u2019 post-game press conference.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a coach, I\u2019ve probably learned the most in the past couple of weeks about our team that I have throughout my whole career. <\/p>\n
\u201cOver the last couple of weeks, we\u2019ve found what works for us . . . our style and the way we need to play.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jarome Luai and Benji MarshallSource: FOX SPORTS<\/p>\n
Marshall explained what he meant by the Tigers\u2019 \u201cstyle\u201d when pressed by a reporter.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve always had effort and we\u2019ve competed in most of our games this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut it\u2019s about putting together our footy smarts, the way we want to play, and putting it onto the field.\u201d<\/p>\n
With several new players at the club this season, there have been some growing pains no doubt.<\/p>\n
There have been several tough losses and low points, especially around the time Lachlan Galvin left the club to join the Bulldogs.<\/p>\n
Unfairly, Marshall copped plenty of criticism, which resulted in team leaders Jarome Luai and Api Koroisau going into bat for his coach.<\/p>\n
Speaking of Luai, the playmaker has done an excellent job of steering this team around the park and getting the most out of some of the Tigers\u2019 strike weapons.<\/p>\n
His output hasn\u2019t gone unnoticed by Marshall. <\/p>\n
\u201cJarome has come from a winning system and he has a lot of good input into the way we want to play,\u201d the Tigers coach said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re still growing as a coach and a captain. I thought over the last two weeks in particular, it\u2019s been the most he\u2019s given to us on the field.\u201d<\/p>\n
“One of Luai’s best for us!” | 05:10<\/p>\n
TUPOU MOVES TO FOURTH ALL-TIME AS ROOSTERS UPSET BULLDOGS <\/p>\n
Daniel Tupou moved past Steve Menzies into fourth all-time on the tryscorers list after a brilliant hat-trick as the Roosters upset the Bulldogs 32-12. <\/p>\n
Tupou had 121 run metres, two tackle busts, an offload, a linebreak and three brilliant finishes both in the air and on the ground to keep the Roosters finals hopes alive with their third straight win. <\/p>\n
Tupou now has 182 tries behind only Billy Slater (190), Alex Johnston (209) and Ken Irvine (212) ahead of him and he could finish second all-time by the time he retires. <\/p>\n
Roosters coach Trent Robinson paid tribute to Tupou\u2019s selflessness and skill as a finisher. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re all cheerleaders for Tupes, more so than himself,\u201d Robinson said. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey had a pretty clear game plan to stop Tupes tonight, so it\u2019s not only just putting the ball down over the line, it was pretty tight there. Both teams were defending well and Tupes had to work hard for both those first two tries. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey had a defensive system that they wanted to play on him, and he had to work that out, and adapt around it, and he did and that\u2019s the quality of a winger as well. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou know he\u2019s good in the air, but I thought he did really, really well in that and then also to combine that with the back-field carries, to take over another humble legend in Beaver and pass it on to Tupes to go into fourth. It\u2019s a pretty nice bloke to take over. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think I was lucky enough to coach Beaver, and the old back-rower has gone back to fifth, but he\u2019ll be happy for Tupes I know that.\u201d <\/p>\n
Daniel Tupou passed Steve Menzies into fourth all-time.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
The Roosters celebrated Tupou\u2019s milestone and Robinson believes he is a pioneer in the air that Xavier Coates has followed in recent seasons. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe just celebrated the fact of him going into fourth and also just the way he does it,\u201d Robinson said. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe art of his craft that he gets to put into practice. I think he\u2019s one of the best wingers of all time, and he\u2019s certainly the best Polynesian winger. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think he\u2019s really led the way there and he\u2019s the sort of the first guy, I know Xavier Coates is doing a really, really good job on that, but I think Tupes has been the first guy that\u2019s really owned the air in this game for over a decade. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think he\u2019s the one that sort of led the way. I don\u2019t even know how many high ball catches, I think he would have to be number one in obviously being fourth. <\/p>\n
\u201cBut he has changed the shape of defence as far as the way that the high ball catch, he\u2019d have more high ball catches than any other person in the game by an absolute mile. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe always seems like he\u2019s sitting behind somebody, but I know he\u2019s definitely at the front of that cue when it comes to that part of the game.\u201d <\/p>\n
The Roosters next face the Eels as they aim to break into the top eight and no one will want to face them in the sort of form they have been in lately. <\/p>\n
Ciraldo hints at changes after big loss | 06:22<\/p>\n
GRAY SOUTHS\u2019 SAVIOUR AS BENNETT\u2019S MEN AVOID SPOON WITH EELS UPSET<\/p>\n
Wayne Bennett is set to avoid the first wooden spoon of his career after Jye Gray produced a masterclass to lead the Rabbitohs to an upset 20-16 victory over the Eels. <\/p>\n
Gray was in everything for Souths to finish with 200 run metres, five tackle busts, two linebreaks, a linebreak assist and a try assist, but it was his work in defence to come up with three try-savers that won Souths the game. <\/p>\n
Cooper Cronk was full of praise for Gray\u2019s stunning defensive display. <\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like Jye Gray needs a standing ovation or something for what he delivered for South Sydney tonight,\u201d Cronk said. <\/p>\n
\u201cWithout his performance, Parramatta win the game. I counted three genuine try saving tackles in that second half. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe is the smallest player on the field, but he has the biggest heart.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have got to give credit to Souths with the injuries that they have had at different stages, their care factor, their defence, their toughness and ability to just keep turning up.<\/p>\n
\u201cTonight was a big performance and just shows that spirit that South Sydney has.\u201d <\/p>\n
Cronk was particularly in awe of a last ditch Gray tackle to deny Isaiah Iongi a match winning try in the final minutes. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou can talk about skill and athleticism, but when you underpin it with effort like this, it\u2019s the reason why Souths keep fighting despite being dismantled by injuries,\u201d Cronk said. <\/p>\n
Jye Gray was superb for SouthsSource: Getty Images<\/p>\n
\u201cThe last try-saver on Iongi was literally on the line. That is a try for all money, probably draw with Lomax getting a kick to win it. <\/p>\n
\u201cJye Gray might have just won the game with one tackle along with Tallis Duncan.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is probably the smallest player in the competition, but his heart is huge.\u201d<\/p>\n
Braith Anasta questioned if Gray holds the No.1 jersey when Latrell Mitchell returns. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt begs the question do you leave him at fullback and Latrell Mitchell in the centres?\u201d Anasta asked. <\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d Cronk said. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think the way you are structured with injuries you just get all your best talent on the field. <\/p>\n
\u201cLatrell Mitchell is a moments player and probably the best moments player in the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis best position is fullback, but they can\u2019t move too many other people around. I think Gray is a fullback and let Latrell play centre.\u201d <\/p>\n
Kevin Walters agreed Gray has a mortgage on the Souths\u2019 No.1 jersey going forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cLatrell last week against the Titans seemed to be enjoying himself in the centres and had a big impact on the game,\u201d Walters said. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think if you are Wayne Bennett you are keeping Jye Gray in the No.1 jumper.\u201d <\/p>\n
Wayne’s great reaction to spoon question | 04:10<\/p>\n
SHARKS\u2019 TITLE HOPES TAKE MASSIVE HIT AFTER INJURY BLOW<\/p>\n
The Sharks were able to return to form with a thumping of the Titans, but the result came at a massive cost with inspirational skipper Cam McInnes suffering a suspected ACL injury.<\/p>\n
20 minutes into the contest, McInnes looked frustrated when he was forced off the field.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon indicated post game that his captain\u2019s season is likely over, but challenged some of his other senior players to stand up in McInnes\u2019 absence.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not looking good,\u201d Fitzgibbon said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI tell you what it will be, it will be a chance for someone else to step us as a leader.\u201d<\/p>\n
McInnes isn\u2019t a player who will break the game open.<\/p>\n
Nor is he a player who will set up or score three tries a game, but his role on this Cronulla team is invaluable as a fellow middle forward and former Blues teammate Isaah Yeo noted.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe amount of clean up work he does for that group, but obviously intangibles, the leadership. You can see how deflated Fitzty was talking about his captain,\u201d Yeo said on Fox League\u2019s Super Saturday.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust shows the mark of the person, possible ACL and he\u2019s still the one leading the line speed after it\u2019s just happened.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fitzgibbon will be hoping that McInnes\u2019 injury will galvanise this team heading into the finals. <\/p>\n
However, one expert says it might be too much for the Sharks <\/p>\n
\u201cHe is one tough dude and I feel like he\u2019s the heartbeat of the Cronulla Sharks,\u201d multiple premiership winning halfback Cooper Cronk said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen they play well and defend well, he is everything that brings it together.<\/p>\n
\u201cCraig Fitzgibbon held it well together but I\u2019ll find it hard to back the Sharks from here without the inspirational middle forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s key to exactly what they want to achieve defensively.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cameron McInnes is set to miss the rest of the season with a serious knee injury.Source: FOX SPORTS<\/p>\n
HOW WALSH FOUND THE BALANCE<\/p>\n
Broncos fullback Reece Walsh has been rocks and diamonds this season.<\/p>\n
The superstar No.1 has lit up games with scintillating performances, but equally has shown his hand too much and been unable to stamp his mark on contests.<\/p>\n
But against the Dolphins? He struck the perfect balance.<\/p>\n
The 23-year-old needed to stand tall after Brisbane were hit with a wave of injuries a week earlier, with Adam Reynolds, Selwyn Cobbo and Ezra Mam all sidelined.<\/p>\n
So Michael Maguire was counting on Walsh to get it right, alongside the new halves pairing of Ben Hunt and Billy Walters who were very impressive in their side\u2019s win.<\/p>\n
For skipper Pat Carrigan, Walsh\u2019s display against the Dolphins was one of his best, assisting three line breaks, scoring one try and also assisting another.<\/p>\n
\u201cTonight he really got the balance right. He\u2019s done some really special things for him, but at the end of the day, we just need Reece to be Reece Walsh.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s actually really calm out there, talking really well to the boys, and I think that instilled a lot of confidence in him, but that was a big play (his second half 40\/20).<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a hard taskmaster on himself, but I think he found that balance tonight and he was a massive for us.<\/p>\n
“Worst performance in a long time” | 06:57<\/p>\n
\u201cAll that back five, to be honest. You know, the way that Deine and Josiah started our sets was pretty special too, so when those boys are doing that for us, I think it makes it a lot easier for us middles.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carrigan also explained that Walsh\u2019s decision-making will always be the part of his game that he needs to develop.<\/p>\n
The energetic fullback flies into plays, but at times can be erratic when attempting to complete the final pass \u2014 which at times does hurt the Broncos.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that\u2019s always the growth for him, but in saying that his mindset\u2019s always to take the game on and that\u2019s why we love him, that\u2019s why we love playing with him,\u201d Carrigan said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a special player. He works hard at those sort of things at training and he\u2019s reaped the rewards for that tonight.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just need Reece to be Reece and we can all support each other and that\u2019s where we\u2019re going as a team.\u201d<\/p>\n
Speaking to Code Sports<\/a>, Walsh also responded to the criticism of his form this season.<\/p>\n\u201cIt\u2019d be pretty easy for me to shy away and not want to put my hand up,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel if I ever did that, it\u2019d probably be dishonour to myself to let someone else do that and just sit back and not chase the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve just got to keep working on my process, doing my job and I\u2019ll take whatever criticism it is if I\u2019m trying to be the best teammate I can.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
O’Brien talks where Knights fell apart | 03:50<\/p>\n
SPOON IN REACH FOR KNIGHTS<\/p>\n
The Knights have shown fight in weeks prior to Round 24.<\/p>\n
But that grit and desire in their performance seemed to have evaporated in the second half and now they are well and truly in a battle for the wooden spoon.<\/p>\n
Newcastle have just a two-point buffer on the Titans with three games remaining in what have been poor campaigns by both respective teams.<\/p>\n
The Knights face the Broncos, Sharks and Eels \u2014 a tough stretch of fixtures.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Gold Coast have the Warriors, Dolphins and Tigers. A three-game stretch you could argue is easier than their rival\u2019s.<\/p>\n
If the Knights\u2019 performance against North Queensland was anything to go by, they could in for a tough few weeks.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was just one way traffic and it could have been a lot worse for the Knights,\u201d Matty Johns said on Fox League.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Cowboys blew two or three tries.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, league legend Bryan Fletcher added: \u201cThe defence was not great, both of these teams have had pretty ordinary years.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s getting worrying, the spoon is well within the Knights reach.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Adam O\u2019Brien, he explained in the post-match press conference that his side will simply be focusing on finishing the season on a high.<\/p>\n
But from there, it remains to be seen if he stays as the club\u2019s head coach in 2026, with reports surfacing the club are preparing to buy him out of his contract.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s what we spoke about in there, we lack some confidence. We lack, no so much belief, I think you find when you\u2019re having a season like we are having,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou get to a point in the middle of the week where you train yourself into some confidence then when things go amiss and you bomb a couple of tries, it\u2019s just our confidence and belief is eroding.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt wasn\u2019t that long ago, similar personnel were out and we played against some top four teams and pushed them to golden point.<\/p>\n
\u201cWent right down to the wire against the Roosters, that\u2019s not that far away.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut in our last two performances, we want to win so badly that we want to skip to that and everything is looking so difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cotter speaks on Indigenous round | 06:14<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tigers fans and Benji Marshall alike have something to get \u201cexcited\u201d about with the club rediscovering their identity.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":75869,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[568],"tags":[58418,64,63,7618,58414,8089,11096,13485,36261,58420,37304,49982,13495,4492,58415,58416,12412,4466,761,762,158,4583,58413,58419,85,58417,7663,11089],"class_list":{"0":"post-75868","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nrl","8":"tag-o-look-pedestrian","9":"tag-au","10":"tag-australia","11":"tag-cameron-ciraldo","12":"tag-carbon-copy","13":"tag-craig-bellamy","14":"tag-daniel-nuttall","15":"tag-darcie-mcdonald","16":"tag-dragons-coach","17":"tag-freak-try-assist","18":"tag-golden-point","19":"tag-grand-final-rematch","20":"tag-greg-inglis","21":"tag-joe-chan","22":"tag-mark-st-john-john","23":"tag-match-winning","24":"tag-matt-king","25":"tag-melbourne-storm","26":"tag-national-rugby-league","27":"tag-nationalrugbyleague","28":"tag-nrl","29":"tag-shane-flanagan","30":"tag-snap-panthers","31":"tag-snap-panthers-streak","32":"tag-sports","33":"tag-storm-snap","34":"tag-talking-points","35":"tag-tom-sargeant"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75868","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=75868"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75868\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/75869"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=75868"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=75868"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=75868"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}