Super League round 11 saw some huge wins for teams such as Wakefield Trinity, Wigan Warriors and Hull KR, so it’s no surprise that they dominate the team of the week.
That said, there is one man in the squad who was on the losing end of the result this week, highlighting how good his performance was.
St Helens overcame Huddersfield Giants to start the round off before Friday’s game of the week saw Wigan beat Leeds quite comfortably, though their 24-4 win paled in comparison to Wakefield’s 58-10 demolition of Catalans Dragons.
Saturday’s three games saw Castleford see off York, Warrington beat Toulouse and Hull KR hold off Leigh in a classic, before the Robins’ counterparts Hull FC lost to Bradford Bulls on Sunday.
We’ve picked out the best performers from the round and put together our Super League round 11 team of the week.
Super League Round 11 Team of the Week
FB: Phoenix Laulu-Togaga’e (Castleford Tigers)
After a shaky debut against his former club Hull KR, Laulu-Togaga’e stood up brilliantly against York with the full-back making well over 200 metres in a performance that offers plenty of encouraging signs for the future.
WG: Josh Charnley (Leigh Leopards)
Whilst he came out on the wrong side of the result, Charnley continues to prove that he is still an elite winger and his score on the weekend moves him just four tries shy of the Super League record held by Ryan Hall.
CE: Waqa Blake (Bradford Bulls)
Featuring for the first time since rivals round when he picked up a knee injury, Waqa Blake made an immediate impact on his return as he scored, assisted, and made over 140 metres in a brilliant performance.
CE: Toby King (Warrington Wolves)
In his contract year, Toby King is giving Warrington plenty of reasons to keep him around with his two tries in the south of France the latest reasons. The veteran centre also made over 120 metres and a whopping nine tackle busts.
WG: Joe Burgess (Hull KR)
Statistically, Joe Burgess had a poor game with just 32 metres but if you actually watch his performance then he was brilliant. His defensive efforts were top-notch on more than one occasion but his late strip of Lachlan Lam ultimately helped save the game for the Robins.
HB: Jake Trueman (Wakefield Trinity)
The England shouts keep growing for Jake Trueman and rightly so as he scored a try and registered three assists in Wakefield’s demolition of Catalans Dragons.
HB: Jack Farrimond (Wigan Warriors)
Whilst Farrimond was brilliant going forward, adding another try to his tally, it was his defensive work rate that earned him his spot, particularly in light of the fact he was going up against Maika Sivo. Somehow, the young half won that battle as he had one of his best games to date.
PR: Caius Faatili (Wakefield Trinity)
A prop scoring a hat-trick, need we say any more? Faatili was brilliant off the bench for Trinity and he had a 15-minute period where he was simply unstoppable. When he is in that mood, he’s a top five prop in Super League.
HK: Tyson Smoothy (Wakefield Trinity)
Yet more love shown for Wakefield with Tyson Smoothy selected over Harvey Smith for this one and he backed it up with two assists, 34 tackles and more generally a commanding pace that helped Trinity dominate the second half.
PR: Tom Amone (Hull KR)
Against his former club, it’s fair to say that Tom Amone had the best game of his Hull KR career to date. A tally of 41 tackles and 90 metres saw him stand out in the Robins pack with Willie Peters hopeful he will take that form into the Challenge Cup Final.
SR: Junior Nsemba (Wigan Warriors)
Another man who is hitting peak form ahead of the Challenge Cup Final is Junior Nsemba with the second-rower approaching his career-best form, following last year’s slight dip. Destructive as a ball-carrier and hitting hard in defence, Nsemba was a nightmare that Leeds could not handle.
SR: George Hirst (Castleford Tigers)
Castleford went through adversity against York Knights but their pack stepped up and George Hirst was one of those who impressed, scoring a try but more importantly making 37 tackles in a gritty showing.
LF: Oliver Partington (Wigan Warriors)
He may not be as flashy as some signings but Oliver Partington is making a strong case to be the signing of the Super League season, especially since Matt Peet put the faith in him to be the starting loose forward. Shoehorned into the second-row earlier this season, it didn’t fully click, but Partington is flying in his natural position and 44 tackles highlight how important he was on Friday night.
