Kiwi NRL Stocks Round 16
We see you Simon
Stocks Up
James Fisher-Harris: A return for one of my favourite young kiwi forwards as Fisher-Harris came back from injury and was slotted straight back on to the bench. He didn't do anything special, it's more the fact that he did slot straight back into the NRL and this not only shows the sort of player Fisher-Harris is, but what the Panthers think of him.
Benji Marshall: It's going to take a lot for Marshall to push his Dragons up into the top-8 and solidifying his NRL future, but he did what he needed to do against a weak Newcastle side. Marshall played a dominant role in play-making with 35 touches to Gareth Widdop's 27 touches and Marshall finished with 2 try assists, 4 line break assists and 3 tackle busts. This is what the Dragons need and it's exactly what Marshall needs to show his possible suitors.
David Fusitua: A late move to fullback only allowed Fusitua to flex his muscle as the Warriors fullback and you'd be silly not to note how good a fullback Fusitua is. There were the subtle hands that set up Blake Ayshford, but I'll put Fusitua's work in context to Ben Barba who was Cronulla's fullback and is apparently back to his best. Fusitua had 40 touches, Barba had 26. Fusitua had 22 carries, Barba had 9. Fusitua had 197m, Barba had 104. Fusitua is not only a big, powerful runner of the footy but he's also heavily involved and has natural instincts that remind me of when Greg Inglis was at his best at fullback for the Rabbitohs.
Issac Luke: As long as Luke is running the footy, the Warriors will have a chance in any game and against Cronulla, Luke ran 10 times for 98m with 2 tackle busts and an offload. How Luke does that while also making 41 tackles is pretty damn impressive.
Ben Matulino/Albert Vete: These two come as a package because Vete started in Matulino's place with Matulino coming off the bench and offering plenty of impact. Vete had 14 carries for 117m with 4 offloads in 37 minutes while Matulino put in a big shift, playing 57 minutes and he had 17 carries for 161m. Both stood up emphatically with Jacob Lillyman playing less minutes.
Simon Mannering: Yeah, he did have a brain snap in holding Jayson Bukuya back but Mannering was the rock in the middle of the field as he led the defensive effort of the Warriors. Mannering made 69 tackles and when you're making that many tackles with golden point footy thrown in for good measure, you're bound to miss a few (4) but what stood out for me was that Mannering made 10 one-on-one tackles. That's the most from this game, with Blake Ayshford and Thomas Leuluai making 4, while Jack Bird and Chad Townsend made 6 for Cronulla.
Mannering made 10 one-on-one tackles in the middle of the field folks, tidying up all that shit #StreetSweeper.
Curtis Rona: With Brett Morris making his return, Rona slid into centre as he has done previously and he did a fine job with 116m off 11 carries, a try assist, 2 tackle busts and an offload. There's been constant noise about Rona's future with a possible move back to rugby union, back to Perth apparently on the cards but if Rona is playing the sort of football then he's going to be forcing the hand of the Bulldogs.
Sam Kasiano: In only 25 minutes, Kasiano scored a few tries, ran for 115m off 10 carries and he had 4 tackle busts, 2 offloads and 2 line breaks. This is exactly the sort of impact that Kasiano can offer and when he's doing so, the Doggies seem to have a never-ending group of huge forwards who can do so much more than run hard.
Jordan Rapana: Nothing new here from Rapana, with the Cook Island international returning to the Gold Coast where he made his NRL debut and running for 104m from 13 carries. 6 tackle busts which is everyday business for Rapana, he and Joey Leilua combined for 10 tackle busts.
Ava Seumanufagai: There are many kiwi forwards who get the headlines around these ways, so I'm always happy to point out Seumanufagai as one of the most impressive low key kiwi forwards of the season. Coming off the bench, Seumanufagai played 41 minutes and had 13 carries for 129m against a strong Storm forward pack.
Jason Taumalolo: Repeat after me ... thou shall not sleep on Jason Taumalolo. In 62 minutes against Manly, Taumalolo took the most carries of any forward from either team with 16 and as he tends to do, Taumalolo averaged more than 10m per-carry with 181m and 8 tackle busts. Most carries, most metres and most tackle busts in this game for Taumalolo and he continues to be the best No.13 in the NRL.
Stocks Down
Jason Nightingale: Minor bump down for Nightingale as he moved back to the wing, making way for Josh Dugan's return and Nightingale suffered a drop in production as a result. He was still busy with 14 carries but he only made 89m and only had a single tackle bust, nothing dramatic just a drop for Lord Nightingale.
Nelson Asofa-Solomona: Despite rolling through his standard dose of blockbusting runs (25mins, 5 carries, 55m, 2 tackle busts), Asofa-Solomona injured his leg and will be out of action for a number of weeks. Just as Asofa-Solomona was really starting to establish himself as a consistent force in the NRL, he's suffered a minor setback.
Elijah Taylor: Playing a fair chunk of his 80 minutes against the Storm at hooker, Taylor threw a few horrible passes out of dummy half and didn't really do himself any favours. This isn't Elijah Taylor's fault, more so the fault of his coach Jason Taylor and as long as Elijah Taylor is playing hooker instead of lock, his stocks will drop and the Tigers will struggle.
Lewis Brown: After featuring heavily throughout Manly's slump, Brown has been relegated to the bench and despite playing 40 minutes, Brown could only manage 5 touches and 2 carries. Brown still holds great value as a utility who can fill a hole where ever Trent Barrett needs him to, but he's not offering a whole lot of impact