Ranking each win or loss on their merits, the SENZ League team of play-by-play caller Sam Hewat, plus experts Blake Ayshford and Anthony Gelling have tallied up the points following Round 6 of the NRL.
Here's how they saw each matchup:
Roosters def. Knights 22-20
If not for a first-half injury for Kalyn Ponga, the Knights may well have won this game.
The Newcastle fullback was clearly struggling in the first half, with at least two of the Roosters tries coming from the star number one being out of the play. He recovered for the second half and the Knights were able to claw their way back into the contest.
Joey Manu was the standout for Sydney breaking the all-time NRL record for run metres with a mammoth 370m.
Blake Ayshford: Roosters (1) Knights (0)
Anthony Gelling: Roosters (1) Knights (0)
Sam Hewat: Roosters (1) Knights (0)
Storm def. Bulldogs 16-14
When Ryan Papenhuyzen went over in the second minute following some very dodgy Bulldogs defense, it looked like it could be a bloodbath in Melbourne.
But Canterbury stuck in it and Josh Addo-Carr nabbed a hattrick as a scrappy game ended in a narrow loss for the Bulldogs.
Had Burton hit his kicks, it may have been a different result entirely, but the Bulldogs completed at just 69%. The Storm really should have put them to bed given the superior completion rate and a number of other key metrics, but a win is a win – we just feel sorry for the headsets in Craig Bellamy’s coaching box.
Blake Ayshford: Storm (1) Bulldogs (0)
Anthony Gelling: Storm (1) Bulldogs (0)
Sam Hewat: Storm (1) Bulldogs (0)
Broncos def. Dolphins 28-14
A big blow for the Dolphins in the Battle of Brisbane, with star Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow coming off the field just twenty minutes in the game.
The Broncos showed they didn’t need Adam Reynolds to get them through, as Reece Walsh ran the show at the back in his first return since injury.
The Dolphins position on the ladder was definitely over-inflated given the difficulty of opposition played in the first few rounds, and they were finally found out by a Brisbane team that desperately needed that win without Reynolds.
They still have plenty to work on in 2024, but can take solace that both Reynolds and Payne Haas are still to come back.
Blake Ayshford: Broncos (2) Dolphins (0)
Anthony Gelling: Broncos (2) Dolphins (0)
Sam Hewat: Broncos (2) Dolphins (0)
Warriors & Sea Eagles draw 22-22
The One NZ Warriors had absolutely no business drawing that game at Go Media Stadium on Saturday, down by 16 points within the first 25 minutes.
Somehow, they managed to get back into the game, and a controversial call on Shaun Johnson at the stroke of full-time meant the game went to golden point extra-time where no team was able to step up and nail the game-winning points.
Manly will be the disappointed ones in all of this, but they genuinely look like a top-four team in 2024.
Blake Ayshford: Warriors (1) Sea Eagles (1)
Anthony Gelling: Warriors (1) Sea Eagles (1)
Sam Hewat: Warriors (1) Sea Eagles (1)
Magic Shaun Johnson opens up Manly's defence like the Red Sea! 🤩#NRLWarriorsManly pic.twitter.com/wSwS2Hlk2U
— SENZ (@SENZ_Radio) April 13, 2024
Eels def. Cowboys 27-20
Yet another big blow for the Cowboys whose 2024 season continues to yo-yo.
The Eels and Brad Arthur were under a lot of pressure following consecutive losses to the Tigers and Raiders, but without Mitchell Moses they stepped up big time at CommBank.
The Cowboys were on the charge in the final ten minutes, but a field goal from Daejarn Asi, who has struggled to get regular first-grade playing time, meant the Eels sealed the deal.
Blake Ayshford: Eels (1) Cowboys (0)
Anthony Gelling: Eels (2) Cowboys (0)
Sam Hewat: Eels (1) Cowboys (0)
Sharks def. Rabbitohs 34-22
Despite a 12-point loss, you could argue that’s perhaps the most spirited performance from the Rabbitohs in 2024.
Without Latrell Mitchell, and so much speculation surrounding coach Jason Demetriou’s future, on paper this should have been an absolute blowout from Cronulla who were fresh off a bye.
But credit to Cronulla for avoiding an upset and putting the foot down when needed. At the end of the day, it was a result that accurately reflects where Souths are at right now.
Blake Ayshford: Sharks (2) Rabbitohs (0)
Anthony Gelling: Sharks (2) Rabbitohs (0)
Sam Hewat: Sharks (2) Rabbitohs (0)
Dragons def. Tigers 24-12
Let’s be honest, this was not a pretty game to watch - it was symptomatic of two teams battling at the bottom of the NRL ladder.
Try scoring opportunities blown, ill-discipline, errors, and perhaps the worst performance of the season so far for the Tigers.
Zac Lomax stole the show for the Dragons and will be solely missed by the Red V, but like the Storm, they should really have piled on more points given the frailties on show from the Tigers.
Blake Ayshford: Dragons (1) Tigers (0)
Anthony Gelling: Dragons (1) Tigers (0)
Sam Hewat: Dragons (1) Tigers (0)
Raiders def. Titans 21-20
A scintillating finish to Round 6 as the Canberra Raiders sunk the Gold Coast Titans in golden point, thanks to a Jamal Fogarty field goal.
The Raiders number seven has taken a real leadership role in 2024 and lifted Canberra far above the expectations placed on them to start 2024.
It must be said, the Titans produced one of their best performances of the year, particularly on defense - they made 151 more tackles than Canberra, and had excitement machines like Matt Timoko, Ethan Strange, and debutant Chevy Stewart running at them all night.
Gold Coast also lost fullback Jayden Campbell towards the end of the match when they needed a game-breaker. Another loss for the Titans, but at least Des Hasler has some positives to take away.
Blake Ayshford: Raiders (1) Titans (0)
Anthony Gelling: Raiders (1) Titans (1)
Sam Hewat: Raiders (1) Titans (1)
SENZ League Rankings after Round 6:
- Panthers (1st previous week)
- Warriors (2)
- Broncos (5)
- Sea Eagles (4)
- Storm (3)
- Sharks (8)
- Raiders (7)
- Cowboys (6)
- Roosters (9)
- Eels (11)
- Dolphins (10)
- Bulldogs (13)
- Tigers (10)
- Knights (14)
- Dragons (15)
- Rabbitohs (16)
- Titans (17)
HOW IT WORKS
Each week, our NRL experts award points to each team for their performance over the weekend while also taking into account difficulty of opposition, playing at home/away, injuries etc. Points are generally awarded in the following manner:
0 points: Poor performance in a losing effort.
1 point: Good performance in a losing effort, or disappointing effort in winning effort.
2 points: Good performance in a winning effort.
3 points: Strong and dominant performance in a winning effort.
4 points: Exceptional performance in a winning effort.
At the end of each round, the points are tallied and teams are adjusted up and down accordingly. For teams on a bye, they will receive one point from each expert.