Melbourne Storm centre Marion Seve returned from an eye injury on Sunday sporting a new look — sports goggles — in the North Sydney Bears’ win over the Knights.
Seve suffered an eye injury while playing for the Storm’s New South Wales Cup feeder side back in Round 16 and with the club wanting to take a conservative approach to his recovery and return he was required to wear protective eye wear.
However that didn’t stop him from having a blinder (no pun intended) with Seve bagging a hat-trick, getting two linebreaks, five tackle busts and 209 running metres. He also made 21 tackles with no misses.
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It wasn’t such a happy return for Roosters second-rower Nat Butcher though. The 28-year-old returned from a MCL injury for the Roosters’ NSW Cup side but only lasted nine minutes after re-injuring the same knee in a tackle.
It’s a cruel blow for Butcher, who was sidelined for three-and-a-half months with the injury with a training incident adding an extra six weeks on top of his original return date.
It’s been a big few days for Warriors winger Ed Kosi. He scored all three of his side’s tries in their 14-all draw with the Dragons in Saturday’s top-of-the-table clash. Then on Monday it was announced that he had signed with the Rabbitohs on a two-year deal.
Kosi also racked up four linebreaks, six tackle busts and 117 running metres in the game which (technically) ended the Warriors’ 14-game winning streak.
Despite only getting one point from the result, the Warriors are still in the box seat for the minor premiership, with the Dragons sitting second, seven points behind them.
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Cody Ramsey was busy for the Dragons, setting up two tries, while Ray Faitala-Mariner was also impressive with 138 running metres and 27 tackles — one miss.
The Raiders have won three on the trot following a statement performance against the Magpies, who they lost to in Round 18.
Second-rower Noah Martin scored three tries in the first 17 minutes of the game and went on to also finish with three linebreaks, seven tackle busts, 93 running metres and 25 tackles and one miss in the 58-18 win.
Trey Mooney also impressed with a game-high of 170 running metres and 33 tackles — one miss. It was a timely performance given it was reported last week that he has been given permission to talk to rival clubs for next season.
Canberra’s halves dominated the game with Adam Cook scoring 18 of the 58 points via nine goals from 11 attempts. He also set up four tries and had three linebreak assists as well as 19 tackles with no misses.
Young gun Ethan Sanders, who is expected to get first shot at halfback when Jamal Fogarty departs, finished with three try assists, two linebreak assists and a linebreak.
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Fresh off the bye, the Eels smashed a depleted Rabbitohs outfit 52-4 with Bailey Simonsson bagging a hat-trick. Simonsson also set up a try, had four linebreaks, seven tackle busts and 20 runs for 195 metres — the most of any player on the field.
The 27-year-old is a month into his return from a foot fracture and did force his way back into the NRL side, only to be dropped a fortnight ago when Will Penisini returned.
The versatile Jordan Samrani was impressive with 145 running metres and 12 tackles — no misses. Samrani, who made his NRL debut in Round 2, has played mainly in the outside backs this season but his last two games have been in the second row.
Wiremu Greig was rock-solid on both sides of the ball, finishing with 125 running metres and 24 tackles — no misses. The 25-year-old has cracked the 100-metre mark in all but three of his 13 appearances this season in NSW Cup and has finished six games with no missed tackles.
The Eels’ halves were also busy with Ronald Volkman setting up two tries, while Lorenzo Talataina particularly impressed with a try, two try assists, a linebreak and 91 running metres all while on NSW Cup debut.
Talataina is a graduate of the Eels’ SG Ball Cup side and was crowned the competition’s Player of the Year after helping steer the club to a grand final appearance.
With a few more performances like that, the teenage playmaker might put himself in the mix to replace Dylan Brown next season along with Joash Papalii and Dean Hawkins.
The Bulldogs-Jets clash ended in an 18-all draw after a few failed field goal attempts. Mawene Hiroti continued his red-hot form at fullback for Newtown, finishing with two tries, two linebreaks, 12 tackle busts and 179 running metres.
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Meanwhile, a couple of players tipped for bright futures impressed for the Dogs. Cassius Tia — who can play in the halves or at centre — scored a try, had two linebreaks, nine tackle busts and 159 running metres.
And 19-year-old forward Logan Spinks — who is on a development deal and will join the Top 30 in 2027 — finished with a try, a linebreak, four tackle busts, 159 running metres and 25 tackles, three misses.
Finally, it was a big day out for a bunch of Roosters forwards in their 20-12 win over Manly. Taylor Losalu, who made his NRL debut in Round 1, finished with 138 metres, five tackle busts and 15 tackles — no misses.
Veteran prop Makahesi Makatoa topped the metre count for forwards with 180, while second-rower finished with a team-high of 42 tackles. And Blake Steep was busy on both sides of the ball with 121 running metres as well as 35 tackles — one miss.
29-year-old outside back. Fetalaiga Pauga blew everyone off the park though with his 22 runs for 224 metres — 83 of those post-contact.
