Roosters coach Trent Robinson’s side delivered a message to the remaining finals contenders with a strong performance in Round 24.
The Broncos showed they aren’t going to make the same mistakes as last year with Reece Walsh proving to be the club’s pivotal figure.
Meanwhile, the Eels are staring down the barrel of an unwanted record.
Read below for all the talking points out of Round 24!
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 >>>
WRITE OFF ROBBO AT YOUR PERIL
Roosters coach Trent Robinson has issued an ominous warning to the rest of the competition just one month out from finals.
“They haven’t called time on us yet,” Robinson declared after his side beat the Dolphins 30-14 on Saturday night to keep their finals hopes alive.
It was a second straight win for the Roosters whose season looked over last month when they sat 14th after Round 20 with a 7-10 record.
But the pre-season premiership favourites are hitting form at the business end of the season, just as they did last year when they finished sixth on the back of eight straight wins.
The Tricolours currently sit two points outside the eight in 11th and with games left against the Eels, Tigers and Rabbitohs – Robinson declared his side are “definitely still in contention.
“It’s the first time in a while that we’ve won two in a row, we’ve started to attack better,” he said.
“Our defences for the most part has been really holding us there and now we’re starting to put some tries back to back, so we’re still in the fight.
“We just have to keep going. There are a couple of things that need to happen for us but they’re also probably that they will happen so we’ve just got to keep fighting and keep picking up victories.
“Next Friday we go again against Parra and we’ve got to get a win.”
Roosters skipper James Tedesco said his side are playing differently to how they were at the start of the season.
“The first half (against the Dolphins) wasn’t smooth and at the start of the year we probably would have dropped our heads and not come up with points,” he said.
“But I feel like we turned it around on the run and started to score some points and I think that’s probably the difference between now and the start of the year where if we didn’t score points early we’d drop our heads.
“The past month or so we’ve had that belief we can create opportunities and score points and we did that well in the second half.”
RIVALS MUST ‘THINK OUTSIDE BOX’ TO BEAT PANTHERS
Sea Eagles coach Anthony Seibold has warned no side will beat the Panthers this year unless they “think outside the box”.
Penrith are top of the table on the back of a seven-game winning streak as they chase the first premiership three-peat in the NRL era – and first since the Eels in 1983.
But they didn’t have it all their way against Manly last Thursday night after Seibold devised a left-field game plan to try and rattle the reigning premiers.
Seibold said there was no point in getting in an “arm wrestle” the Panthers after the Sea Eagles kicked early and chanced their arm in attack.
They coughed up tries from an intercept and after brazen move to kick on the first tackle backfired badly – and those scores proved the difference in the 24-12 loss.
“If we just tried to come here and arm wrestle the Panthers, well they’ve been clearly the best at that type of game for a couple of seasons,” Seibold said.
“We made five line breaks to their three so we threw the ball around, we used our weapons, a couple of things came off and a couple of things didn’t, there was an intercept there, we did a return serve on the kick and missed our job on the chase there and they scored so there’s 12 points right there.
“So we handed them a couple but we had to go down swinging and I was really proud of the guys.
“There was a dubious call or two on two of their tries and we were going for broke with the intercept and the return serve kick.
“We had to think outside the box. It was frustrating because we felt like we did enough to win.”
Fox League asked Seibold if believes Manly provided the blueprint for beating Penrith.
“It worked for 40 or 50 minutes, didn’t it,” Seibold said.
“Like, it worked, it disrupted them the way we defended, the way we attacked sirupted them.
“But we weren’t good enough tonight to do it for the full 80 minutes. And to beat them, whoever can beat them, have got to come up with a tactical plan and they’ve got to execute it for 80 minutes.”
Storm star Cam Munster labelled the Panthers the “benchmark” of the competition, delving deep into what his side needs to do to reach their level.
The Storm lost 26-6 to the Panthers last week, with Munster seeing first hand what sets the defending premiers apart from the rest.
“We need that consistency. We were in the game for 15 minutes (against the Panthers),” Munster said immediately after his side’s bounce back win over the Raiders.
“They’ve been the benchmark for the last three years. Their middle forwards do an outstanding job for them and they just don’t give you an inch
“You got to take your opportunities against them and if you don’t the score can really blow out.
“I thought that game was a lot closer last week but it just shows how diligent and mentally strong they are with the ball. They are always in sync so you got to make sure you are on your game and if you aren’t on your game you’ll see a blowout score like last week.”
BRONCOS’ TURNAROUND COMPLETE
This time last year the Broncos were flogged by the Eels 53-6 in a result that ultimately sealed their finals fate
Brisbane fell away badly at the end of last season, losing five of their final six games to fall from fourth to ninth on the ladder and they inexplicably missed finals.
But fast forward to last Friday night and they turned the tables on Parramatta with a thumping 54-10 victory.
The win has almost certainly cemented the Broncos a top-two finish this season and it was emphatic proof Kevin Walters’ men won’t be making the same mistakes twice.
“This is the same line-up as what it was last year, throw Reece Walsh at the back. He has made an enormous difference and become one the best players in the comp,” Greg Alexander said on Fox League.
“Talking about this Broncos side over the last couple of years, they’ve got this fantastic young forward pack, they’ve got all the ingredients to be a great side.
“I guess this year is just the revolution of that side … there’s a lot of players who have improved.
“You go back to Round 1 when they beat the Panthers in Round 1 at Penrith. We spoke about their defence that night and said, ‘Well, that’s resilience. That’s exactly what they’ve been working on over the off-season.’
MORE NRL NEWS
RAIDER RETIRES: Legend Croker calls time on illustrious NRL career
TRANSFER WHISPERS: Panthers’ golden opportunity to re-sign Luai
BIG HITS: Knights and Dogs’ nervous wait as Dogs ‘diabolical’ exposed
BIG HITS: Storm’s ‘statement’ win as big switch pays off; Raiders in finals fight
‘DELIVERED UP CRAP’: Ricky storms out of presser over embarrassing Raiders
“We know they can score points, but defensively they were up for the challenge in Round 1 against the Panthers, and that will be the key to them either making a Grand Final or winning a comp, their ability to defend for 80 minutes.
“Defensively, they’ve got the second-best record in the competition. You don’t have to have the best defensive record in the competition to win a competition. You don’t have to have the best.
“If you know you can score points, that somehow build resilience defensively, and as the season goes longer, you get more confidence defensively, and then by the time you hit the big one, you’re ready to go.
“(The Broncos) have got attack everywhere, we saw that tonight. Ten tries, they can attack everywhere. I think this Broncos side would have a defensive performance in them to get to a Grand Final, to win a competition. That’s where they will evolve to over the next six, seven weeks.
“They’re just such a threat with the ball.”
TIGERS’ HALVES REPLACEMENT UNDER THEIR NOSES
The Tigers are desperately searching to fill their halves partnership for next season and have hit the market to replace the outgoing Luke Brooks and injured Adam Doueihi.
Tigers powerbrokers have reportedly acquired the services of former Raider Aiden Sezer who will reportedly sign a one-year deal ahead of the 2024 season.
Manly rookie Latu Fainu has also joined the club and Jayden Sullivan is reportedly set to put pen to paper on a four-year deal to make the switch from the Dragons.
But what if the perfect candidate was at the club all along?
Playing the role of five-eighth alongside Brooks, Daine Laurie starred under Tim Sheens in a loss to the Warriors.
The 24-year-old was the Tigers’ best in the first half and set up two tries within two minutes, putting both Starford To’a and Brooks through to score.
He also crossed for a four-pointer of his own and kept his side in the game against an in-form New Zealand side on home territory.
Laurie has only featured eight times this season and was exiled to reserve grade in place of Jahream Bula at fullback before his return in the halves.
Laurie’s future was up in the air until July, when it was announced he would return to the Panthers — the club he made his NRL debut at.
With Jack Cogger leaving for the Knights, Laurie will become the club’s halves replacement and left Tigers fans wondering what could have been in Round 24.
“Tigers fans cheering for Daine Laurie at the moment, so are Panthers fans at the foot of the mountains,” Warren Smith said.
“He is going to be a fair back-up, of course they have lost Jack Cogger to the Knights… Laurie will be good back-up to Cleary and Jarome Luai… and he can play fullback.”
WALSH SPECIAL FROM THE START
Reece Walsh was sensational in attack again in the Broncos’ thumping 54-10 win over the Eels on Friday night and finished the game with a try, six tackle busts, two linebreaks, five linebreak assists and 109 running metres.
Rugby league great Greg Alexander revealed he knew Walsh was going to be great from the moment he first watched him play.
“Round 7, 2021 against the Melbourne Storm at AAMI Park – I remember watching Reece Walsh and thinking, ‘my god’,” Alexander said on Fox League.
“He set up two tries against the defending premiers, he was playing for the Warriors, and I went, ‘Wow, that is something special there’.
“We’re two years down the track, he’s gone back to the Brisbane Broncos. He’s a threat every time he touches the ball.
“He drags players in because of the threat of his speed, he’s got a great passing game. He very quickly has become one of the best players in the competition.
“But the signs were there two years ago at AAMI Park. A couple of try assists, a try I think he scored on debut. I marvel at what he did in his debut game in Melbourne.
“Tonight he played with the defence, and that’s what he does. He threatens that much.
“When he threw that lop pass for the try off the scrum, there was five Parramatta players within a two-metre radius of him because he just sucked them all in with the threat that he possesses and that he presents to the defensive line.”
Cooper Cronk echoed the sentiment and said he would have “loved” to have played alongside Walsh.
“He is absolutely electric,” Cronk said.
“How many times he beats the front defenders through footwork and speed and acceleration. On top of that, he goes looking for work, and then on this play here, his ability to be a gambler and throw risk and don’t worry about the situation, just go all in on a play. It’s beautiful to watch.
“The Brisbane Broncos are humming and that combination of Adam Reynolds and Reece Walsh is just really good to watch.”
Walsh did also make five errors but Broncos coach Kevin Walters said it was his ability to reflect on his mistakes which makes him great.
“Walsh had a bit of a mixed game tonight but he’s pretty electric at the back when he gets the ball,” Walters said.
“He had some really good moments but again there’s parts in his game that he’s already reflected on, he should’ve taken better options. If we can get that even better, it makes us even more dangerous.”
THE NEXT BIG CALL DES HAS TO MAKE AFTER TITANS’ $15M COUP
They have locked down David Fifita and Tino Fa’asuamaleaui long-term. They have a premiership-winning coach in Des Hasler on the way too.
As Greg Alexander put it on Fox League, the Titans have decided Fifita and Fa’asuamaleaui are the “future” of the club. But they are only two players.
There is still a roster to build around him, with serious question marks hanging over the team’s long-term spine and one player in particular — Jayden Campbell.
Campbell, who was initially named to play fullback on Friday night, shifted to five-eighth in the second half after veteran playmaker Kieran Foran was forced off the field with a rib issue.
It spoke to the versatility that makes Campbell such a valuable player and yet that very strength of his has also at times held the 23-year-old back from consistent minutes in the NRL.
Often included on the Gold Coast’s bench as a ‘Mr Fix. It’, Campbell is clearly ready for a more prominent role and where exactly he fits is a key question Hasler must answer in 2024.
“His last five weeks have been incredible,” said Michael Ennis.
“I’ve said it all season, he is far too good and he’s proven it the last five weeks, to be riding the bench or coming in as a replacement player if someone gets hurt. Jayden is a genuine NRL fullback and he’s proven it.
“That will be my most intriguing decision from Des Hasler over the pre-season at the start of next year, just what he does with Brimson and Campbell. It’s so significant what he does.
Get all the latest NRL news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now!!
“I’ve loved Campbell’s loyalty and the fact his father played such a significant role there in their early days and he’s grown up there… but he cannot go through another season like this where he spends half the year coming off the interchange bench or not playing. He’s too good.”
The Titans looked set to experiment with Campbell at fullback to end the season after moving AJ Brimson to centre ahead of their game against the Warriors last week.
An injury to Brimson though saw those plans scrapped, although it will remain a topic of discussion heading into the off-season.
“It will be interesting to see what happens with Jayden Campbell and just where Des ranks Campbell,” Alexander said.
“Does Des want Campbell to play fullback or does he want AJ Brimson to play fullback? Now AJ Brimson was picked in the centres last week before he was a late withdrawal.
“If Jayden Campbell can’t play starting football at the Titans, I’d be looking to jump ship. He is a starting fullback in my eyes and in a lot of eyes… it will be interesting. He’s tough, he’s talented.”
That toughness stood out in defeat against Cronulla on Friday night, with interim coach Jim Lenihan full of praise for Campbell’s physicality in defence.
“I actually thought he went OK. Physically he was probably our best player, the smallest bloke on the team,” Lenihan said.
Titans duo sign MONSTER NRL deal | 01:49
WHAT’S THE MATTER PARRAMATTA?
Parramatta looks set to become the first club since the Cowboys in 2018 to make the grand final then miss finals the following season.
The pundits said 2022 was the final year of their premiership window and the critics look to have been proven correct after a 54-10 loss to the Broncos on Friday night.
The Eels simply never got going this season after losing their first three games and they sat 15th after Round 5 with a 1-4 record.
They recovered to sit sixth after Round 18 but have gone off the boil over the past month, losing three of their past four games.
They sit two points outside the top eight and still have a bye, but to play finals they’ll need to beat the in-form Roosters and Panthers and without halfback Mitchell Moses who is out for the season with a fractured jaw.
NRL premiership winner Mick Ennis believes it’s a combination of roster turnover and injuries and suspensions which have hurt the Eels this season.
“It has been a strange old year for Parra,” Ennis said on Fox League.
“The injury to Shaun Lane, who was so significant to them last year, and already losing (Isaiah) Papali’i and Reed Mahoney and Marata Niukore out of their side form last year.
“When they lost Lane early, I think through the trial period, that was a blow for them. They’ve had periods of the season without (Reagan) Campbell-Gillard, without Dylan Brown, who was suspended. They’ve had a lot of key players out at different stages of the year.
“They missed the start, winning only one of their opening five games, and tried to play catch-up. It’s been difficult.
“After a scoreline like tonight, they now sit with the Cowboys and South Sydney, who are far superior in terms of for and against, so they’re going to have to win their next two games against the Roosters and Penrith, and win convincingly to even be a chance of playing finals, without Mitchell Moses.”
LATRELL SAYS RABBITS READY TO PEAK AT RIGHT TIME
Souths star Latrell Mitchell says his side are primed to make a late season and finals charge after overcoming a hectic Origin period and brutal travel schedule.
The Rabbitohs weren’t convincing in a 26-14 win against the Dragons, but banked a crucial two points to sit eighth on the ladder at the completion of Round 24.
With a favourable for and against and a bye in tow, one win from their final two games should be enough for Souths to play finals footy.
Mitchell praised his side after the Dragons win to overcoming the Rabbitohs’ recent travel, which has included trips to Tamworth, Perth and Cairns in the last three weeks.
“We worked really hard. Last week was a bit of a disappointment, going to Perth, five and a half-hour flight, spent the week there,” Mitchell told Fox League.
“I know it’s a hard life it might sound like, but at the end of the day, you know, we didn’t get the result that we wanted, but we worked really hard this week. Had a few days off refreshed, got on the plane, came back up here to Barlow Park and put a performance on for the crowd.”
The star fullback says the external noise around his side’s underwhelming season doesn’t cop much coverage at Souths HQ.
“I think honestly people are writing us off again … you get off the Origin break, you get injuries, you know, prime example, but at the end of the day, there’s no excuses,” Mitchell said.
“We’re working really hard here and it’s always every team in the competition. We show up every day to give our 110 per cent best every day and people don’t see the behind the scenes stuff.
“We’re working really hard, but look at the end of the day it’s rugby league, it’s the game we love. We come back bigger and better next week and we’ll keep progressing and we got Newcastle, so now let’s focus on now.
“There’s a million opinions out there, there’s a million of them. At the end of the day what matters is what’s inside Heffron Park walls and what happens there and our little small community, our team, our love for each other. That’s what’s going to progress. That’s what’s going to work. That’s what’s gonna get us over the line at the end of day.
“We don’t care about the outside noise, we just focus on what’s inside.”
Mitchell is three games back from a lengthy lay off with a calf injury, steadily reaching full fitness with each performance.
When asked how the calf injury, Mitchell said he was fit and playing 80 minutes, but preferred to look ahead to the rest of the season.
“I reckon the only calves I’ve got are the ones on the farm .. I’m fit, finished 80 minutes there so I’m going alright,” Mitchell said.
“It’s time to reflect on obviously the last few weeks, and we’ve still got a few games to go – Newcastle, bye and into the big game at the end.
“We’re progressing really nice. We just want to keep working on ourselves, making sure that we’re playing our style of footy and at the end of the day, that’s what’s enjoyable, watching Souths play, the best they can do.”
There’s no doubt the Rabbitohs can challenge anyone on their day, but despite the recent excuses, they need to find some more form quickly otherwise 2023 will be a lost season.
