Industree Group Stadium: If South Sydney need an insurance policy for when Latrell Mitchell gets set to sit out a week or two for his Canberra squabble, at least they have Blake Taaffe.
The Rabbitohs lost their opening trial match against Manly 30-28 in Gosford on Friday night, but Taaffe showed his class.
Blake Taaffe cuts through the Sea Eagles’ defence in Gosford.Credit:NRL Photos
Mitchell spent the night in jail for an incident with good friend Jack Wighton last weekend, but based on recent penalties handed down by the NRL – think Brisbane’s Payne Haas having his white shoes stepped on by teammate Albert Kelly – the pair are expected to be miss a couple of weeks.
Taaffe is in the box-seat to wear the No.14 jersey now Kodi Nikorima has joined the Dolphins. But he can also play fullback, and was even mentored by Mitchell in the position during the run to the 2021 finals while Mitchell was suspended.
Taaffe was a threat against the Sea Eagles on several occasions with the ball and scored a great second-half try. He had a decent following in the stands given he grew up in the area. The locals turned up in decent numbers for the February action, and are sure to be out in force next Friday for another double-header featuring Newcastle, Parramatta, the Roosters and Warriors.
Another standout for Souths was their other regular first-grader, Davvy Moale, who punched through plenty of work and looks set to take his game to another level.
There was a lot to like about Manly with Cooper Johns making the most of his hit-out in the halves. Fullback Jake Toby, crowned Blacktown’s NSW Cup players’ player, also had a sound night.
Souths and Manly’s blowout was much more entertaining than the earlier game when Cronulla downed Newcastle 28-16.
The fans who came to watch Newcastle recruit Jackson Hastings would have left being impressed by another No.7, Cronulla rookie Niwhai Puru. Puru, a 21-year-old who moved from the Panthers over the summer, was given the call-up into the Sharks halves after Braydon Trindall was a late addition to the Indigenous All Stars.
And Puru made the most of his opportunity to impress coach Craig Fitzgibbon with some nice touches, a try assist and a booming left boot. Another bonus is his goal-kicking ability. Puru will not feature in the early rounds, but he at the very least he will provide some nice depth in the halves behind Nicho Hynes, Matt Moylan and Trindall.
Niwhai Puru was a standout in the halves for Cronulla against Newcastle.Credit:NRL Photos
Fitzgibbon said of Puru: “He did really well, backs himself, he took the game on and was aggressive. It was a big ask for a kid. Daniel Atkinson was great, too. He hasn’t been playing fullback and only had a couple of training sessions there.
“I thought Niwhai was particularly strong, kicked well and not scared to make plays. I liked what he was about [before we signed him], Penrith had a stockpile of good young halves … I felt like he was the right fit for us, we had a chat, he was keen to come, he’s still learning, but I like the way he backs himself.”
Hastings started in the Newcastle halves with Tyson Gamble, and looked more than comfortable in the halfback role. He will be so much better when he is paired with Kalyn Ponga, who will play against the Eels next week despite concerns over his calf earlier in the week.
