Recap and review NRL action as it happens as Rugby League Writers hand out Round 2 scores and grades for all 16 teams.
While not every game of every round throughout the 2023 NRL season is hyped up as a blockbuster, there is always something to take away from the 80 minutes.
Here, we’re summing up every game before digging into the biggest moments of the round on Monday and Tuesday.
Note: The grades are relative. NRL results don’t always paint an accurate picture of what happened on the field. An A grade for The Dolphins in 2023 will look a lot different to an A for, say, the Penrith Panthers. It’s a moving scale for each team as expectations and goals change throughout the year.
Thursday
Penrith Panthers 16 def. South Sydney Rabbitohs 10
Penrith Panthers: B
It all looked very 2022 for the Penrith Panthers. They didn’t play with quite the same fire in attack without Viliame Kikau and Apisai Koroisau, but the consistency in their carries, strength in defence, patience with the ball and belief in the game plan remains. Penrith didn’t score the points they probably should have given their early dominance. Still, they didn’t panic and were rewarded with two tries on either side of the break. The overreactions to a disappointing Round 1 performance were fun, but the jokes are over now. Penrith is already inching towards their best, and despite losing two key figures over the summer, will be towards the top of the NRL ladder all season.
South Sydney Rabbitohs: C
The South Sydney Rabbitohs did well to absorb an early onslaught of classic Panthers footy. The home side surged up the field with the ball and rushed in defence to play with ascendancy throughout the opening quarter. A Latrell Mitchell try-saver kept the scores at 4-0 before conceding a heartbreaker on the stroke of halftime. Another dominant period to start the second half allowed the Panthers to build a 16-0 lead. Souths finished well to add some respectability to the scoreboard; well-deserved after hanging in the game at times most other opposition would crumble. However, too many errors (13) and penalties (7) made things too difficult across the 80 minutes as Souths lacked the game-breaking moment that would make it a contest.
Friday
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 30 def. Parramatta Eels 26
Parramatta Eels: C+
Parramatta came flying out the gates thanks largely to J’Maine Hopgood around the ruck. The young lock forward did Cameron Murray things as he tipped Reagan Campbell-Gillard into a hole on the line before throwing a late offload that led to Maika Sivo scoring in the corner. The Eels dominated the middle in the early stages but allowed Cronulla to claw their way back when the starting forwards subbed. Brad Arthur’s bench rotation will be scrutinised again this week. Still a fair team performance overall but handling errors in crucial moments crueled any chance of a comeback. Clint Gutherson was another standout, popping up everywhere as Parramatta searched for the miracle play. They looked likely on both edges in the dying stages but again, poor handling was the difference.
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks: B-
It wasn’t pretty but Cronulla achieved what they couldn’t last week to come out on top in a seesawing contest. Brave to fight their way back after conceding two early tries. Braydon Trindall picked out Bryce Cartwright twice in defence to get Cronulla back into the game, and Will Kennedy ran away with it from there (three tries, 183 running metres). Got good production from their bench which allowed Blayke Brailey to carve up around the ruck as fatigue set in. Looked clunky in attack at times but the class of Kennedy and Ronaldo Mulitalo was enough to turn half chances into points. A tough win.
Preview: The Evolution of Talakai & the Sharks left edge
Brisbane Broncos 28 def. North Queensland Cowboys 16
Brisbane Broncos: A-
The Brisbane Broncos, like last week, laid the platform through the middle to allow their long list of attacking players to find points. Reece Walsh stood out in his first game for the club. He displayed some very encouraging signs down the left edge, particularly in the way he holds the space before throwing the pass. Or not throwing the pass. Unlike last season, Walsh didn’t throw the speculator. He kept hold of the ball for the Broncos to maintain possession and fire another shot. As a result, the Broncos managed to absorb a strong Cowboys start to end up dominating possession and piling up points on the back of it. Finishing up with 59% possession and with over 500 more running metres, the Broncos were rewarded for hanging in throughout a tough grind to start. If they’re prepared to do the hard work through the middle every week, they have the fire power out the back to be a top team this NRL season.
North Queensland Cowboys: C-
A well-worked Jeremiah Nanai try got the North Queensland Cowboys off to a flier but they ultimately lacked the quality up the field to build on the early points. Another individual Nanai effort gave them a sniff at 22-16 behind with seven minutes to play. However, the 59% possession the Broncos played with in the second half caught up with the Cowboys in the end. A tired attempted Jason Taumalolo tackle led to the line break that iced the game for the home side. The effort of the Cowboys can’t be questioned. They looked comfortable in the grind for the first 30 minutes before conceding two tries shortly before halftime. Their efficiency in attack is where they struggled and will be a point to work on in the coming weeks.
Preview: Reece Robson’s Kicking Game
MORE: 2023 – Year of the hooker?
Saturday
Sydney Roosters 20 def. New Zealand Warriors 12
Sydney Roosters: B+
A scrappy win. Carried an horrific injury toll into this game and then lost Brandon Smith midway through the first half. Jake Turpin was a valuable contributor from the bench. He held up markers smartly to bring his forwards onto the ball and help Easts to dominate the middle-third (+300m net yardage). Halves Luke Keary and Sam Walker were effective on the back of this momentum, passing teammates into holes at the line around the ruck. Keary’s combination with Joseph Suaali’i is one to watch out for – they roamed the field on a few occasions and looked likely each time. Overall still lacking some polish in attack to waste three or four scoring opportunities in the backfield, but still did enough to win – something they couldn’t do last week. An improved performance.
New Zealand Warriors: C
A frustrating performance from the Warriors. Exceptional to defend their line for extended periods in both halves as ill-discipline gifted Easts attacking field position. Showed great resilience to repel an improving Roosters attack and keep themselves in the contest until the final minutes. Unfortunately, poor handling errors in crucial moments saw the Warriors waste most of the opportunities they earned for themselves. Injuries to Ford, Nicoll-Klokstad and Curran certainly didn’t help what was a clunky attack at times, but the Warriors will still feel this is a game they let slip. Marata Niukore had a big second stint after going off early with a HIA. He can become a real feature of the Warriors attack.
The Dolphins 20 def. Canberra Raiders 14
The Dolphins: A
Another brave showing from the NRL’s newest franchise. Navigated the best part of 20 minutes with a man in the bin and had just one player on the bench for most of the second half. Ill-discipline on both sides of the ball continued to gift Canberra cheap field position but the Dolphins limited their back-to-back errors and absorbed the pressure smartly with some superb goal-line defence – a hallmark of Wayne Bennett coached sides. Earned the right to still be in the contest with five to go and had the class to win the big moment. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow impressed again. His positional play at fullback was a standout in defence, while Sean O’Sullivan played to the wet conditions expertly in attack. The Mastercoach is working his magic.
Canberra Raiders: C-
Canberra won the early stages as Jack Wighton got heavily involved in good ball. They worked effectively through the middle of the field and made the most of their field position to cross for a classic wet weather try when Wighton roamed to the right edge. They then shifted the ball effectively following a late Corey Horsburgh offload to score again through Nick Cotric. Despite Canberra dominating possession (53%) and completions (82%) they couldn’t turn their territorial advantage into more points. Had multiple chances to extend their lead in the second half but an underwhelming attack was repeatedly turned away by a compelling Dolphins defence. A tough way to lose by conceding in the 78th minute. Just like last week, Canberra kept themselves in the fight but just couldn’t land the winning punch.
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 26 def. Melbourne Storm 12
Melbourne Storm: C-
A very uncharacteristic performance. Were rattled when conceding an early try and never quite worked themselves back into the game. The class of Cameron Munster was missed in the key moments but Harry Grant and Jahrome Hughes were both productive enough for Melbourne to find points, if they were good enough. Lacked the cohesion in the spine to move the ball from coast to coast and couldn’t push their way through a brave Bulldogs defence. Still completed highly and had their share of possession but were beaten by the better team tonight. We won’t see Melbourne miss 50 tackles very often. Shoutout to Hughes and Eli Katoa who almost triggered an unlikely comeback – this is a combination to look out for.
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs: A
A complete turnaround from their Round 1 form. The Bulldogs chanced their arm in both yardage and good ball from the kick-off, injecting pressure and fatigue into Melbourne’s defensive line. Second-phase play killed the Storm as Canterbury compressed the middle before shifting smartly to the edges. Matt Burton looked good playing on both sides of the ruck. He and Kyle Flanagan moved the ball smartly in attack with Jake Averillo and Jacob Kiraz the main strike weapons out wide. Backed up an impressive offensive display with some resolute defence as Melbourne threatened a comeback. A great first win for coach Cameron Ciraldo.
Preview: Melbourne Storm Searching in Yardage Sets
Sunday
Wests Tigers v Newcastle Knights
Wests Tigers: F
There is no other grade for it, really. At home following a hyped-up preseason and with the oppositions best player going down inside a minute (and arguably their second-best player going off 13 minutes later), the Wests Tigers still couldn’t get it done. 17 errors, 44 tackles inside the opposition 20-metre line, 25 minutes against 12 men, 6 points. Tim Sheens will be struggling to take any positives out of that one.
Newcastle Knights: A
We hadn’t sat down for a minute before the chaos of this match started. Kalyn Ponga, so often the key to any Newcastle Knights success, couldn’t get through a single tackle before leaving the field with a head knock. Here’s hoping for some good news about the Knights five-eighth during the week. Jayden Brailey (concussion) and Tyson Frizell (ankle) will be hoping for good news, too. Neither finished the game. Nor did Jacob Saifiti who was sent off for a high shot with 15 minutes to play. Still, the Knights – Jackson Hastings, in particular – found enough points to claim an incredible victory. Hastings provided the Knights with what the Tigers lacked so often in this game – composure and control. He played a gutsy pack around the field. The Saifiti brothers and Leo Thompson deserve a lot of credit for their work in the middle. While the quality of the performance isn’t anything to write home about, the effort on display sets them up well for the rest of the NRL season.
St George Illawarra Dragons v Gold Coast Titans
St. George Illawarra Dragons:
A roller coaster first half. At one moment, Jack Bird is getting beaten with ease from marker for the Titans to score. Shortly after, Tyrell Sloan is darting out from dummy half and splitting David Fifita at second marker and Isaac Liu at A to set Jacob Liddle up to score. One try turned into two. Two into three. And somehow, the Dragons entered the sheds with a 16-12 lead. The points kept coming in the second half. Most notable is Blake Lawrie’s try. Not because the big unit predicted it would come at training, but because Bird threw the pass. Middle service is an area the Dragons have struggled in recent years and his involvement in good ball is encouraging. From there, a dominant Dragons middle laid the foundations for victory. Key stats: 55% possession, +461 running metres, 9 line breaks.
Gold Coast Titans:
We’ve seen this movie with the Gold Coast Titans a few times before. They play well for periods, but can’t keep it up for long enough to keep the pressure on. Some AJ Brimson brilliance put the Titans on the front foot. Sam Verrills scored an excellent individual try from dummy half to extend the Gold Coast lead. However, 20 good minutes isn’t enough to win at this level. Tanah Boyd’s kicking game will be talked about during the week. He struggled with the boot which didn’t help the Titans hold their lead or claw back the deficit. Tino Fa’asuamaleaui stood out in a Titans side that finished 461 metres behind the Dragons with 113 metres and a try of his own. A captain’s knock in a losing effort.