Panthers halfback Nathan Cleary returned from his five-week suspension but showed no signs of cobwebs as he destroyed the Eels in an absolute masterclass.
Parramatta will be sweating on the fitness of Mitchell Moses after he went down following a nasty concussion.
Ricky Stuart’s Raiders are flying after a historic win in Melbourne has them on the cusp of a third preliminary final in four years.
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Valentine Holmes wrote etched his name into Cowboys folklore with an epic 43-metre to sink the Sharks in golden point.
Souths superstar Latrell Mitchell had the last laugh a week after copping boos from supporters of his former club in a match that saw a record seven sin bins.
Read on for all the key Talking Points from finals week one.
CLEARY’S ‘FIVE STAR’ RETURN
There were a lot of curious eyes on Panthers halfback Nathan Cleary in his return from a five-game suspension. There were concerns that he’d be a little rusty coming off so much time on the sidelines – even club legend Greg Alexander said an extended stint “can be a worry.”
But the superstar No.7 produced a near perfect performance that steered the Panthers to a 27-8 win over the Eels and book a spot in a preliminary final.
Cleary’s bombs caused headaches for the Eels, while his short kicking game and passing game set up two crucial tries.
Fox League’s Michael Ennis called it a “five-star performance” after Cleary’s boot wreaked havoc on the Eels – particularly Waqa Blake, who dropped to Cleary bombs and let another one bounce.
“It was Nathan Cleary’s night, a five-star performance from him,” Ennis said.
“His kicking game was first class, he really gave Waqa Blake an unhappy night with all those floating kicks and on the back of that he came up with some wonderful moments. His try assists – he had three of them – but the try assist for Dylan Edwards and the moment Mitchell Moses left the field broke the spirits of the Eels.
“It was a wonderful performance from the Panthers and a real statement in terms of going back-to-back. But boy, oh boy did Nathan have a night out.”
Alexander agreed that Cleary’s boot stole the show – and won the game for Penrith.
“The range of kicks that he put in tonight – grubbers, chip kicks across the field, the towering torpedo bombs and the floating bombs – the fact that he was able to really isolate Waqa Blake and forced some errors out of him and the Eels,” he said.
“I think there was 10 errors, they just couldn’t get themselves out of their own end and that just gave Penrith the field position. They were just slick enough on occasions to score the tries.”
MOSES CRUCIAL TO EELS’ CHANCES
The Eels are in real trouble if halfback Mitchell Moses fails to recover from a nasty concussion in time for their elimination final.
Parramatta were right in the contest against the Panthers at home on Friday night, right until their star Moses went down.
The visitors were trailing Penrith 13-8 when Moses got his head in an awkward position while trying to tackle Viliame Kikau in the 60th minute.
The unfortunate accident changed the course of the game and the reigning premiers ran out comfortable 27-8 victors.
Moses was the Eels best player and kept his side in the contest with superb kicking game which forced two dropouts in the opening seven minutes.
Brad Arthur’s men lost all their shape when his son Jake came on to replace Moses and it’s almost impossible to progressing without the first choice No. 7.
Arthur is hopeful Moses will return this weekend but conceded his selection options were at the mercy of the doctors.
“His health is the main priority,” Arthur said.
“But we’ve got a seven day turnaround and he’s pretty important to us.”
Moses doesn’t have a history of concussions and will be expected to play considering Cameron Murray lined up for Souths on Sunday night.
However, Murray’s concussion appeared far less severe than the tackle that floored Moses.
“Moses in all sorts of strife for Parra” Fox League commentator Andrew Voss as the halfback briefly lay motionless on the turf.
“He got his head down so low there. He was almost face down to the ground when he made the tackle.
“This is a big moment, a sad moment to see the Parramatta No. 7 on the ground.”
Moses walked off the field and Arthur said after the game that “he remembers everything” and “seemed all right” in the sheds.
RICKY’S RAIDERS FLYING
Canberra became the first team in NRL history to beat the Storm in Melbourne five straight times with a gutsy 28-20 win on Saturday night.
Ricky Stuart once again took the chocolates against his former Raiders teammate and legendary Storm coach Craig Bellamy.
The Green Machine have now won seven of their past eight games and are one win away from a third preliminary final in four seasons.
It’s an incredible feat considering Stuart lost his halfback Jamal Fogarty (MCL) on the eve of the season for the 12 weeks and then hooker Josh Hodgson (ACL) went down for the year just six minutes into their first game.
It saw Canberra struggling with a 2-6 record after Round 8 and languishing in 14th place on the ladder.
But Fogarty returned and their season slowly started to turn around. Stuart’s men now won 13 of their past 17 games.
The Raiders haven’t won a premiership since 1994 – when Stuart was the halfback – but they’ll now be daring to dream of replicating the 2017 Cowboys who made the decider from eighth.
“You talk about coaches that warm to the occasion, particularly with semi-finals, and coaches that emulate the sort of attitude or person that is the coach,” Corey Parker said.
“Ricky Stuart has his team taking it personal, they have that mentality of it’s us versus the world, they bind together and really rally for each other. They pull you down into the trenches.”
Parker said that when he played Melbourne in his career, he at times would “fall into the trap” of “respecting them too much”.
But the Raiders weren’t overawed by the occasion and now face the Eels for a spot in a preliminary final.
“Ricky gets the Raiders to go down and they don’t respect Melbourne and that really irritates them,” Parker said.
“They take them on,” added Gorden Tallis.
“I don’t think they’re afraid to play Melbourne where I think a lot of guys go there and respect Melbourne… the Raiders go and back themselves.”
Cronk was one member of that Melbourne machine and even he was in awe at what the Raiders have achieved in recent years.
“That performance was top-shelf, that was simply outstanding,” he said.
“You cannot do anything but tip your hat to Ricky Stuart. To be able to get that reaction, that bond, that confidence, the ability to scrap but also back yourself with the ball in hand.”
POOR DEFENCE ENDS STORM’S SEASON
Melbourne’s season was on somewhat ground on a two-game losing streak heading into finals and another inconsistent performance ultimately ended it.
Storm coach Craig Bellamy was at a loss to explain his side’s defensive woes after losing 28-20 against a resilient Raiders side.
Melbourne conceded 17 points per game on average this season, but they allowed the visitors to run in five tries on Saturday night.
“In semi finals or finals games, letting the opposition score 28, they scored a couple of soft ones too,” Bellamy said.
“Ones that over the last couple of weeks, we’ve been defending well. A couple in the first half were soft as butter. That was disappointing.
“At stages we defended well but again, I don’t know where those tries actually have come from. Our defence let us down for that. Like I said, it’s disappointing.
“It’s been a hard year and a long year with the injuries that we’ve had and a few other things happening. I thought the guys did a good job to finish where we’ve finished, but just to go out on that performance, especially defensively, was disappointing.”
The defeat marked the final Storm game for fan favourite Brandon Smith who leaves for the Roosters, Jesse and Kenny Bromwich, and Felise Kaufusi, who will all join Wayne Bennett’s Dolphins.
“They’ve been tremendous for us, all of them,” Bellamy said.
“Jesse and Kenny have been since 2008, that’s a long time, and they’ve done a lot for our club.
“For me, I’m so disappointed today. It’s more about for them, I think they deserved to go out on a better note than that.
“But like I said, they’ve done a wonderful job for us here. Felise has come here and followed his two brothers here. He’s been here longer than them, but he’s turned into a State of Origin and an Australian player during that time. The other three have played for New Zealand.
“They’ve done a lot of great things for our club and they’ve done some really great things for themselves since they’ve been here in rep teams. Like I say, it’s just disappointing we’re sending them out on this note.”
VAL HOLMES’ GOLDEN BOOT
Cowboys star Valentine Holmes has been hailed as the NRL’s “best centre” after icing the game against his former club in the first week of finals.
The $1 million star who won a premiership with Cronulla in 2016 came back to haunt his old teammates, slotting a 40-metre field goal in the 92nd minute to hand victory to the Cowboys.
Todd Payten’s side now have a week off and will face the winner of the Eels and Raiders clash.
Holmes played a starring role throughout the Pointsbet Stadium epic, recording 134 running metres, 12 points, a try assist and a line break assist.
In the process, he became “public enemy number one” in the Sutherland Shire.
“They love Val in the Shire, or they used to… he might be public enemy number one around the Shire after this,” Fox League’s Yvonne Sampson said.
“But we haven’t seen the consistency and the elite touch from Val, probably since 2016.”
Fox League’s Corey Parker cast his mind back to pre-season, when pundits were highly critical of Holmes’ shift to the centres.
With the emergence of Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow as the Cowboys’ long-term fullback at the time, Holmes million-dollar salary came under the microscope.
But after a stellar Origin series and consistent performances under Todd Payten, the Queensland gun has dispelled any doubts and earned high praise.
“He has been exceptional, the game’s best centre for mine, alongside Joey Manu,” Parker said.
“Where he started the season, to where he finished it has been a complete build.
“There was plenty of heat on Val surrounding where he was going to fit in the side, but he has made that centre spot his own.
“He has been incredible, incredible for what they were able to do both defensively and offensively.”
SHARKS’ SILVER LINING
Cronulla may have let a golden opportunity slip, but they’ll take some beating this weekend if halfback Nicho Hynes has anything to say about it.
Hynes produced four linebreak assists and three try assists and was denied a fourth against the Cowboys on Saturday night in a superb showing for the beaten home side.
Corey Parker noted the ease at which Hynes and Matt Moylan picked apart the Cowboys at times.
“Down the left hand side the Sharks found a bit of joy,” Parker said.
“Again it was through their playmakers Moylan and Hynes. Moylan out the back a nice little lead run there from Talakai and he finds Hynes to Mulitalo who sums things up beautifully and goes back inside to Kennedy.
“It is a humdinger 18-18 at the break.”
This little set play was so precise,” Tallis added.
“It broke the Cowboys down easy on the edge and there was Kennedy as all good fullbacks are back on the inside.”
Cooper Cronk was in awe of some of the skills on show and Hynes was top of the pile.
“Six tries in the first half,” Cronk said.
“The intensity, the contact and the skill and execution is some of the best we have seen in 40 minutes this year.
“Hynes had four linebreak assists and three try assists.
“He was excellent in a beaten side.”
LATRELL GETS LAST LAUGH
Rabbitohs fullback Latrell Mitchell was relentlessly booed by Roosters fans a week earlier but on Sunday night he had the last laugh.
Mitchell helped orchestrate the 30-14 upset to eliminate their arch rivals and a book a semi-final against the Sharks on Saturday.
The 25-year-old set up a try against his former club and booted 14 points to complement a linebreak and two linebreak assists.
“It’s an emotional one, it’s been a few years (since I left) and situations went on, but I worked really hard on myself to get myself to this moment,” Mitchell said on Fox League.
“I’m really grateful for what happened and what’s about to happen and I’m thankful for the crowd staying back.
“Just the hurdles I’ve had to jump, the resilience I’ve (shown). I’ve been bashed down 10 times and I got up 11, and it’s all worth it when you’ve got the support and I know it’s there and it outweighs the bad and I’m very grateful.”
The were a record seven sin bins in the heated clash and Mitchell scored his try when Souths were down to 11 men.
Mitchell was binned against the Roosters a week earlier in a match the Rabbitohs lost, but they won the one that mattered.
“I’m glad I wasn’t one of them this week,” Mitchell said.
“The emotion of that game was just through the roof, last week it was for the first 20 minutes and this one was the whole 80.
“Two proud clubs and you’re going to get those moments, it’s about how you control it and luckily enough there was no serious injury.”
Souths now face the Sharks on Saturday and victory will earn them a trip to a fourth straight preliminary final.
TEDDY INJURY COSTS CHOOKS
The moment star fullback James Tedesco left the field for a HIA proved pivotal in the Tricolours’ elimination finals loss.
Rabbitohs prop Tom Burgess struck Tedesco high, which forced the Roosters No.1 off for a mandatory head knock assessment.
“Roosters star man, off, mandatory 15 minutes,” Voss said.
“Tedesco has been caught high there by Burgess, he’s got him across the chops and he’s wobbly, more drama.”
Fox League’s Matt Russell initially announced Tedesco had passed his HIA, but later said he had “regressed” and wouldn’t return in a “huge moment” according to Fox League’s Greg Alexander.
“The bench originally said he had passed his HIA, he had met his protocols but he has regressed, he is out of the game, James Tedesco is out of the game,” Russell said.
“That is huge news,” Alexander said.
“Quite remarkable,” Voss said.
Fox League’s Corey Parker believed the loss of both Tedesco and backrower Angus Crichton forced a reshuffle that allowed Souths’ lethal left edge to pounce for all five the Rabbitohs tries.
Alex Johnston scored a double, and Isaiah Tass, Jai Arrow and Latrell Mitchell also recorded four-pointers down the left-hand side.
“When the Roosters lost Tedesco and Crichton, that Rabbitohs left edge was just too lethal in the end,” Parker said.
Roosters coach Trent Robinson also said that having to shuffle his spine after the loss of Tedesco cost his side dearly.
Demetriou’s spine of Ilias, Walker, Mitchell and Cook remained unscathed and allowed the Rabbitohs to stay consistent.
Meanwhile, Tedesco’s omission forced a big reshuffle with young gun Joseph Suaalii being thrust into a baptism of fire.
“Teddy going off and having that change, we had Kevin on the bench, which ended up being a really important one for us,” Robinson said in the post-match press conference.
“And then Tupou gets injured before half time… and you have the sin bins and you have to move around that.
“I guess the key was keeping the spine in order, which they did really well, Walker and Latrell were awesome.
“We had our opportunities, we lost the game through not controlling the physicality… and also not being able to execute.”
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