Big NRL issue in urgent need of fixing; Turbo fears grow in Origin headache: Talking Pts

Payne Haas was one of a number of players charged over hip drops again in Round 8, while the Titans blew an unlosable game.

Meanwhile, Manly and Blues coach Brad Fittler will be sweating on the fitness of Tom Trbojevic after the star fullback was injured again.

Read on for all of the big talking points out of Round 8.

Watch every game of every round of the 2023 NRL Telstra Premiership Season LIVE on Kayo Sports. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >

TITANS BLOW IT AS UGLY ACHILLES HEEL EMERGES

The Titans looked like a premiership contender in the first half against the Dolphins only for their Achilles heel to rear its ugly head in an all-time fade out in the second half.

The Titans led 26-0, but their horror defensive record came back to bite them as they conceded 28 unanswered points to turn a near certain win into an unfathomable loss.

Matty Johns believes the Titans were guilty of trying to defend their lead rather than continue to play footy after dominating the first half.

“Sweet baby Jesus 28-26 the Dolphins over the Titans, 26-0 the Titans led and were flying and then were beaten,” Johns said on Sunday Night with Matty Johns.

“It is one of those things and I know it is easy to say, but when you get 26 points clear and you walk in there at half-time you have just got to keep playing.

“We have all learnt the lesson that if you try to defend a lead it is very dangerous.”

Bryan Fletcher believes the Titans have a mental issue in terms of defence after being burned so many times in the past.

“The Titans have one of the worst defences in the competition,” Fletcher said.

“When the Dolphins got those two tries in the second half mentally that is what let the Titans down because they have been here before and they have let big leads go.

“They have got to get that through their head and not get spooked.”

Nathan Hindmarsh believes the Titans leadership need to step up when they are in match winning leads to help ice the game.

“That comes down to your leadership,” Hindmarsh said.

“You have got to try and bring the team together and just calm everyone down.”

A dejected Titans coach Justin Holbrook admitted his side’s capitulation was just not good enough, particularly given how well they were playing.”

“I’m extremely disappointed,” Holbrook said.

“We came out ready to go and got a terrific lead and then just completely got dominated in that second half.

“We got camped down on our try line and then did a few reckless things ourselves and it cost us.

“That is the area we have got to fix because we put ourselves in a great position and then during the game we are getting things wrong.

“It is going to be a collective effort from the whole team to turn it around because we just can’t have that.

“We have got to change momentum when things aren’t going our way. We are very good when they are and we couldn’t do it.”

DOUBTS PERSIST OVER TRBOJEVIC’S FITNESS AS ORIGIN LOOMS

Manly might be keen to keep a lid on Tom Trbojevic’s latest injury scare and fair enough, but there is no doubt he is below his peak fitness and there are doubts he can get there in time for Origin.

Trbojevic went off with a groin injury in Manly’s win over the Tigers and while the club were quick to play down the concern, the fact is Turbo is nowhere near the fitness levels of his Dally M Medal wining campaign in 2021.

That was the same year Trbojevic won Man of the Series for the Blues and it remains to be seen if he can reach peak fitness in time for a potential Blues recall.

Matty Johns believes Trbojevic is so important to Manly’s premiership aspirations, but he clearly wasn’t right against the Tigers before going off in the second half.

“Every side has got someone who is crucial to their campaign and for Manly that is Tom Trbojevic,” Johns said on Sunday Night with Matty Johns.

“At the moment there are a lot of nervous fans out there and certainly Anthony Seibold would be.

“You saw him pull up with a groin injury against the Tigers. I presume he will have some scans and see how serious it is.”

Nathan Hindmarsh questioned if the latest Trbojevic injury was coming, with the Manly star looking ginger and tentative at times in most games this season.

“Have we been kind of waiting for this to happen?” Hindmarsh asked.

“We have been watching him the last eight weeks and it doesn’t look like he is at his fastest or at his best.

“He doesn’t look like he wants to stride out.”

Former Blues centre Josh Morris believes Trbojevic is only running at about 70 per cent of his capacity.

“The first game of the season he really didn’t look like he was at full pace,” Morris said.

“Then the week after he looked really good, but since then it almost looks like he is running at 70 or 80 per cent.”

Johns agreed Trbojevic is struggling for confidence to test his full speed in light of his injury history.

“I thought he was really good against the Storm last week, but with groin injuries and particularly with hamstring injuries you can see at times he hasn’t got the confidence to squeeze,” Johns said.

Even a 70 per cent Trbojevic is a handful, but it remains to be seen if Brad Fittler or even Anthony Seibold can keep picking him below peak fitness before the risk of another serious injury becomes a reality.

WIGHTON COULD BE SOUTHS’ MISSING TITLE LINK

Jack Wighton could be the player to take Souths over the top in their bid to win a first title since 2014 after years of near misses.

Souths beat the Panthers 20-18 in a Round 8 thriller, but it is Penrith who have haunted the Rabbitohs in the big end of season games in recent years.

The Rabbitohs have made five straight preliminary finals and one grand final since 2018, but have failed to get over the premiership hump, with the Panthers often the team to end their title dream.

Wighton is set to leave the Raiders after knocking back a $4.4 million four-year deal from Canberra to pursue his dream of winning a title before he hangs up the boots.

Matty Johns believes Wighton’s future will be decided by the Rabbitohs and the Dolphins’ bids for his services.

“Word went around that Jack Wighton was going to sign with South Sydney on a four-year deal,” Johns said on The Late Show with Matty Johns.

“But James Hooper reported he caught up with Wayne on Thursday to see what the Dolphins had to offer.

“Apparently by all reports the Dolphins will match the Canberra offer of $4.4 million for four years.

“Hoops spoke to the Dolphins and they confirmed they caught up with him.”

However, Johns believes Souths are better placed to win a title in the next four years than the Dolphins, which could put them in the box seat in the race for Wighton’s signature.

“If I had to pick a side, my gut feel is that he will be at Souths,” Johns said.

“He apparently is meeting with Souths on Friday.

“My gut feel is that he is at a point in his career where he is best suited to play in and around the middle with his speed and mobility and know how.

“If I was Jack and I’m not going to stay at my home town club and I’m leaving then I go to South Sydney. It is a great club.”

Gorden Tallis agreed Souths are the better choice if Wighton wants to win, but revealed his wife’s close links to Brisbane could give the Dolphins, who have more money to offer a real chance.

“I know that his wife is from Brisbane and the Dolphins are desperate for a big signing,” Tallis said.

“I think he would suit that. But if he wants to win a competition you would say Souths.

“They say he is really good friends with Latrell Mitchell and Cody Walker. He is going to go there and play centres. Is that a kick in the butt for him?

“Then they say Cody leaves after two years and then he can play No.6. Of course if you want to win a competition you would go to Souths.”

Bryan Fletcher can’t see the Dolphins having a better chance than Souths to win a title, but still feels Bennett may be the drawing card that lands Wighton.

“The fact that he wants to leave Canberra is about winning a premiership, but I don’t see the Dolphins winning a premiership in the next three or four years,” Fletcher said.

“But I think he will go to the Dolphins. A bit of Wayne magic.”

Get all the latest NRL news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now!!

THE BIGGEST ISSUE IN THE GAME

The biggest issue in the game reared its ugly head multiple times in Round 8 and the focus narrowed on hip drop tackles after the Broncos and Eels’ clash.

Ezra Mam and J’maine Hopgood were binned for hip drops, while Payne Haas was lucky to not follow them after injuring Eels forward Reagan Campbell-Gillard.

Mam and Haas were subsequently hit with one game suspensions if the duo took the early guilty plea.

The trio of tackles sparked a heated debate and Fox League’s experts called for a “black and white” ruling to be made.

Rugby league legend Greg Alexander, who played 265 first grade games, believes the hip drop started injuring players when multiple defenders began tackling at once.

“There would’ve been 1000 accidents over the last 50 years where players have just ended up on the backs of legs,” Alexander said.

“It wasn’t until around 2019 and 2020 where we saw the three-man tackle with the hip drop coming in as the third man… It was an intentional lift of the body and legs. That was the tackle where everyone went ‘that’s not right.”

He also believes in some cases players are simply attempting to drag the attacker down.

“Now we’re into this, little players being dragged along doing their best and ending up on the back of the legs of bigger players,” Alexander added.

A hip drop tackle currently results in an automatic sin bin and speaking on Triple M, Adam Reynolds said the playing group agree there is a “duty of care”.

However, the veteran halfback also made it clear no player is intentionally attempting to injure their opponent and officials are “overreacting”.

“Anytime they send it upstairs you think the player is going to go to the bin,” Reynolds said.

“There’s an over-reaction on it. Sometimes attackers and defenders can get caught in awkward positions and come down funny.

“It’s not always the attacker that gets caught in awkward positions, the defender can be as well.

“Last night was harsh on both teams. The one from Hopgood, there was no malice in that, likewise on our side.

“There’s never any malice from any player. There’s a duty of care amongst us players to look after each other. Remember, it’s a contact sport.”

Alexander also emphasised the hip drop isn’t a new tackling technique and in the past, players weren’t sin binned.

However now, the NRL has set a precedent and won’t be able to “backtrack”.

“I don’t know if there is one (solution) – and I don’t know how you backtrack now,” Alexander said.

“So what do they say: ‘Hang on the sin bin is getting ludicrous, how do we peel it back and get to where we were last year?’ This isn’t a rush of players now having a new way to tackle people.”

Legendary hooker Michael Ennis also signalled how he thinks the NRL will be encouraging players to tackle their opponents.

He thinks the simple legs tackle is set to make a comeback.

“I think a couple of weeks ago we look at it and go ‘that’s a bit tough’ … from what we’ve seen the last couple of weeks, that is a sin bin offence. It might look light, but that’s where the game’s going,” Ennis said.

“The game has evolved into that where you can get beaten for footwork and strength – then all of a sudden, as that player accelerates through to and you end up behind the player and you’re trying to bring them to the ground.

“I think the game wants you to use your arms to slide down in that old conventional tackle and wrap your legs.”

The NRL will likely take a concrete stance on what does and doesn’t constitute a hip drop tackle after the conclusion of Round 8.

But for now, fans and players alike are scratching their heads.

JURY OUT ON BULLDOGS HALVES SWITCH

Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo pulled a big switch ahead of his side’s Round 8 clash, shifting Matt Burton to halfback instead of his natural five-eighth role.

Ciraldo said he wanted his marquee man to ball in hand more often, hoping to spark the Bulldogs’ lacklustre attack.

As it stands, Canterbury-Bankstown have only scored more points than the Tigers and Roosters with 127.

However, Ciraldo thought his team were “dangerous” at different points despite going down 33-20 against the Sharks.

“I thought we looked good at times, I thought we looked dangerous, every time we got the ball in Matt’s hands we looked dangerous,” Ciraldo said.

“We are still a work in progress there. The spine has played eight games together so we are still trying to work it out and we are missing some players.

“I thought it was an improvement in the last couple of weeks.”

Burton also echoed his coach’s opinion but explained his team lack the killer blow.

“I just wanted to get the ball in my hands a bit more, I thought we just lacked in periods of the game when we could have gone after it,” Burton said.

Ciraldo’s late switch could signal a shift in the halves, with Burton’s halves partner Kyle Flanagan under pressure.

There were rumblings young gun Karl Oloapu was set to make his NRL debut in Flanagan’s place, however Ciraldo decided against unleashing the 18-year-old.

Rugby league supremo Phil Gould poached the promising playmaker from the Broncos, paying a $500,000 transfer fee to secure his services.

Flanagan’s current contract expires at the end of the 2023 season and the Bulldogs have reportedly made attempts to move the halfback on in the past.

The 24-year-old’s contract is reportedly worth $450,000 per-season and the Belmore-based club could use those funds to hit the open market to find a suited halves partner for Matt Burton.

If Ciraldo perseveres with Burton’s halfback switch long-term, Gould could go after a five-eighth.

However not many suitable players are available for 2024 and Oloapu could be the Bulldogs’ best option.

Across the NRL, playmakers Shaun Johnson, Jayden Nikorima, Kaeo Weekes, Adam Clune and Jack Cogger are without a contract for 2023.

Meanwhile, Tigers outcast Daine Laurie’s contract also expires and the former Panther played as a five-eighth during his junior career.

MORE NRL NEWS

‘CAN’T REMEMEBER’: Bennett’s classic reply to half-time question amid record win

BIG HITS: ‘Comeback for the ages’ — Star’s ‘bizarre’ day in Dolphins’ 25-year first

BIG HITS: Holmes answers ‘challenge’ in Cowboys win; Ponga ‘dangerous’ in return

PONGA ‘CONFIDENT’ IN RETURN – BUT IS QLD JERSEY STILL HIS?

Who will be running onto Adelaide Oval with the Maroons no.1 jersey in State of Origin Game 1? That is one a burning question for Queensland fans.

It appears to be a race in two between the incumbent Kalyn Ponga and Broncos fullback Reece Walsh, who has been in electrifying form in 2023.

Ponga would have been Winx-like odds at the start of the season to retain his spot, but his worrying pattern with concussion has again reared its ugly head and he’s missed five games.

That, coupled with Walsh’s outstanding start to the year, and the gap between the pair’s chances for the Maroons fullback jersey has become smaller.

Ponga returned for the Knights on Saturday and came off the bench, playing 53 minutes in the loss 18-16 loss to the Cowboys.

Understandably hesitant in his opening few minutes, he steadily stamped his mark on the game as it progressed.

In the second half alone, Ponga recorded 72 running metres, three tackle busts, two line break assists and a try assist.

Walsh, meanwhile, did his Origin hopes no harm, playing a key role in Brisbane’s 26-16 win over the Eels on Friday night.

Fox League’s Mal Meninga and Cooper Cronk both said post-game that they were impressed with Ponga’s return.

“He grew as the game went on and you could see he became more and more confident,” Meninga said.

“When they needed him he became more involved.

“He’s hard to contain when he’s running, just look at his movement, he’s got great feet and speed and puts defences under pressure, much like Reece Walsh.”

“He was hesitant just before half time that but after that his touches, his impact, his adrenalin, played a big part in their comeback,” Cronk added.

“He’s in a very good spot for someone who has had a bit of time off.”

Meninga said Ponga “will only get better” after that hit-out, which he will, as he gets more minutes into his leg after a sideline stint.

When it came to if he should hold his spot in the Origin side, Cronk was emphatic in his support for Ponga.

“Absolutely no hesitation for Origin,” he said.

“What he has done at that level and for that Queensland jersey is elite.”