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NRL Round 25 Hits and Misses: Inconsistency is consistent

This week we saw some inconsistency in dealing with head shots, some brilliance from Adam Reynolds, awful errors from a dismal Rabbitohs side, and an outstanding individual try from a Titans winger.

Read on as we take a look back over some of the biggest hits and misses.


MISS

Consistency is difficult when you allow officials to use discretion

There has been much said about the officiating of head shots over the weekend, with some players sin binned and others allowed to stay on the field. The biggest call came when Bulldogs captain Stephen Crichton made solid contact with the head of Warriors star Roger Tuivasa-Sheck. Tuivasa-Sheck stood up to play the ball, wobbled about, and was held up by Bulldogs hooker Reed Mahoney. He was assessed by the trainer and left the field before failing his HIA. The bunker reviewed the incident and decided that Crichton should be placed on report, but that a penalty would suffice. Crichton has since been charged with a Grade 2 Careless High Tackle and faces a week on the sideline.

Warriors coach Andrew Webster was less than impressed when he spoke about the incident at fulltime.

"I think we've got a big part to play in it [the loss] but I'm struggling to understand how a shoulder can go into Roger's head and the bunker's got ages to see it in a critical time of the game and then we lose Roger and we've got to reshuffle all our team," Webster said.

"And I just don't see the consistency one little bit around that. Roger will miss next week now and couldn't come back and their player goes on. That's it.

"I just think they need to know what they're doing, personally. I just don't think they know. I don't think they understand because the wording around what they say just isn't clear. It's hard."

Other players across the weekend were sin binned for similar offences, with Cameron Murray and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves both sent to the bin and placed on report for high shoulder contact.

All anyone wants from the system is consistency. When you have match officials trying to determine mitigating circumstances and the forcefulness of impact you open every incident up to personal interpretation. Either you sin bin everyone who makes contact with the head, or you leave it all to the match review committee to sort out.


HIT

Reynolds is vital to the Broncos' chances

In the second half of the Broncos' victory over the Eels, we saw just how much Adam Reynolds means to Brisbane. First he broke the 18-18 deadlock by pressuring the Eels into throwing an awful pass, which he then snapped up before running away to score next to the posts.

Next he put up a bomb which Maika Sivo couldn't handle. The ball bounced back to Reynolds, who picked it up and ran until he realised he couldn't get the pass to his supports as the Eels scrambled in defence. He deftly dropped the ball onto his boot and put through the perfect grubber kick which bounced up into the hands of the pursuing Kotoni Staggs.

In two flashes of brilliance, Reynolds had turned the game and kept the Broncos' slim hopes of playing in the finals alive. His periods out of the side through injury could ultimately prove to be the reason the Broncos' season fizzled, after their grand final appearance the year prior.


MISS

Back-to-back kick-off fails sum up Rabbitohs season

The Rabbitohs might not have had much to play for, and it seems pride wasn't all that important for them either. After taking a 12-6 lead, thanks to a determined try to Jack Wighton, the Rabbitohs switched off.

Firstly they allowed a try to Knights centre Dylan Lucas, and then sent the kick-off restart too close to the sideline, where it was caught by a Knight with his foot cleverly placed in touch. Three minutes later, Dane Gagai crossed to break the deadlock and, almost unbelievably, Souths centre Fletcher Myers sent the kick-off restart even further into touch on the full. Back-to-back kick-offs out on the full is an absolute coach and fan killer.

It didn't do much good for the Rabbitohs' morale either. The Knights would cross for two tries to Jack Cogger before the Rabbitohs would trouble the scorer again, by which time they had already secured another miserable loss to add to their 2024 collection. Super coach Wayne Bennett is going to have to work some miracles when he arrives for 2025.


HIT

Brilliant individual try by Titans winger

The Titans may have lost another game, this time to the Roosters, but they fought hard throughout. Among their highlights was one of Alofiana Khan-Pereira's three tries which came in the 27th minute of the game. In a brilliant individual effort, Khan-Pereira took a long pass on the bounce inside his own 10 metres before beginning a mesmerising run to the try line.

Firstly he stepped inside the initial Roosters defender and took off downfield. With his support players covered, he stepped inside James Tedesco, leaving the champion fullback sprawled across the turf. Slowing his run to step Tedesco allowed Roosters winger Dominic Young to catch up with him, but he simply shrugged the England international's attempted tackle off, before burning him in a race to the try line. It brought some joy to the Titans fans who have been disappointed by a season that initially promised so much.


MISS

Dragons defence not worthy of a shot at the finals

The Sharks scored a try five minutes before halftime which summed up the game and proved a heavy blow to the Dragons' hopes of playing finals football.

Deep on the attack the Sharks passed the ball out to winger Samuel Stonestreet. He was flatfooted, only five metres out from the try line, but there were three Dragons defenders in front of him and nothing really on. He summed up the situation, stepped past the first defender and then lowered his frame to power into the biggest of the three Dragons, Tom Eisenhuth.

The impact was so forceful that the Dragons' lock reeled out of it backwards, cannoning into his teammate and allowing Stonestreet to simply drop to the ground. His short, powerful run had seen him over the line when he landed. You simply cannot defend your try line by standing still on it, waiting for the attackers to come to you.


HIT

Rabbitohs fan-designed jersey jars, but in a good way

South Sydney ran out wearing a strange looking variation of their world famous jersey, which was apparently designed through a fan poll. The red and green hoops were still there, but they were separated by back hoops. Most jarringly the sponsorships were printed in a mustard colour.

There was a military camouflage feeling to the colour scheme and after the initial shock, it actually felt visually pleasing. It didn't help the Rabbitohs in their efforts to defeat the Knights, but we just might see a new variation of the random Souths fan popping up at venues around the world.


MISS

Suaali'i injured throwing himself in front of Titans truck

It was a tough moment for Joseph Suaali'i, faced with a rampaging David Fifita, he threw himself into the tackle and came out of it second best. At first glance it appeared as though Suaali'i might have knocked himself out as his head appeared to be in the wrong place, collecting Fifita's hip, but as he sat up, he clutched at his arm in obvious agony.

Suaali'i left the field and took no further part in the game, his season in grave doubt.