Kiwi NRL Stocks Round 15
Stocks Up
Kieran Foran - Class, what we got form Foran against the Wests Tigers was all class. It's been a tough year for Foran and it doesn't look like it'll get any easier but scoring a try and having a hand in assisting two others will help put him at ease.
Ligi Sao - Manly have struggled all season but a bright spot has been Sao who came off the bench for 39 minutes of action and put up some big numbers. 114 metres, two tackle busts, 24 tackles, two offloads and a try, that's a nice effort off the bench.
Peta Hiku - I don't want anyone to sleep on how damn good Hiku is every week, so he'll be here unless he has a shocker. Playing at centre, Hiku had 109 metres and four offloads.
Jordan Rapana - Who knows how the arrival of Joey Leilua will impact Rapana's playing time but he continues to churn through the metres and tackle busts. Against the Cowboys, Rapana had 171 metres and seven tackle busts with three line breaks, which will give Ricky Stuart a few few headaches.
Ben Matulino - 205 metres in 55 minutes of footy, bazinga.
Raymond Faitala-Mariner - We got to see what this young backrower is capable of against the Titans with six tackle busts and over 100 metres running the footy.
Shaun Johnson - Showing off his running game was one aspect of an impressive performance for the Warriors but Johnson showed great control, which is a key duty as they halfback and one that we hadn't seen much of from Johnson.
Curtis Rona - Another week, another try. I'm actually unsure if he'll stop scoring tries.
Dallin Watene-Zelezniak - A very solid showing from DWZ again in the fullback spot. He ran for 205 metres with two tackle busts and two offloads and he's showing that he can definitely do a job anywhere in the backline.
Elijah Taylor - 60 tackles against a big Doggies pack, ouch.
Carlos Tuimavave - He's not playing the house down, but Tuimavave does look like he's getting better each with in the halves for the Knights.
Daniel Levi - The young kiwi hooker came off the bench and looks to be a benefactor of Chad Redman's departure from Newcastle to the Gold Coast.
Gerard Beale - Finally we're starting to see Beale make the most of his size and footwork and he's been far more involved recently. He had a solid showing against the Knights, a vast improvement on his early season form.
Jesse Bromwich - A disgustingly epic game from Bromwich against the Broncos saw him run for 234 metres and make 29 tackles. Disgustingly epic, but exactly what we've got to expect from him.
Nelson Asofa-Solomona - This dude looks like a handful and he could make the bench spot his own if he keeps this up. He only played nine minutes but was very busy and ran for 52 metres in that short time span. If he can hold that bench spot, the Storm will have a bruising impact off the bench with NAS and Felise Kaufusi both looking the goods.
Shaun Kenny-Dowall - Oh we sleep on how good SKD has been over the years.
Siosiua Taukeiaho - This dude just doesn't stop impressing and took it up a notch against the Dragons. 51 minutes was enough to give him 190 metres and an average off 11.17 metres per carry #yikes
Stocks Down
Frank Pritchard - Went quiet after a few big games with 53 minutes of action and 77 metres running the footy.
Sosaia Feki - Yanked to make way for Ben Barba, Feki could find himself struggling for game time as the Sharks try to fit in a bunch of fullbacks. Unfortunate because Feki hasn't done much wrong.
Sam Tagatese - While Feki could be a bit confused about having to make way for Barba, Tagatese must have done something to piss of Shane Flanagan as his minutes have decreased this season.
Alex Glenn - The Broncos didn't have much ball and Glenn had even less of the ball. Running for 67 metres, Glenn's stocks have taken a minor slip.
Benji Marshall - It was a tough night for Marshall, a blip on the radar as they say.