Stocks Up

Shaun Kenny-Dowall: I'll keep buying SKD stocks until the Roosters wing stops breaking tackles with freakish ease. SKD not only breaks tackles (7 tackle busts vs Bulldogs) but when he's breaking tackles with such regularity and he's as involved as he usually is, SKD is a nightmare out on the edge. 16 carries for SKD with 157m along with 3 offloads, it's just that SKD's efforts aren't coming in a winning team.

Sio Siua Taukeiaho: The reason I loved Taukeiaho's game against the Doggies was because it came with him back starting at lock, where he does his best Jason Taumalolo impression, perhaps the best Jason Taumalolo impression in the NRL. Taukeiaho played 49 minutes and had 17 carries for 178m; high involvement in only 49 minutes and averaging over 10m per-carry.

Melbourne Storm Kiwi Gang: Kevin Proctor and Tohu Harris were solid against Brisbane, very solid and got through their usual dose of graft and skill. Proctor had his moment, running a beauty of a line off of Cooper Cronk and more than anything, this dynamic Storm performance came with Proctor and Harris on either edge, keep an eye on this as they settle back into their core roles with the Storm running hot.

The standouts for Melbourne though were the Bromwich Bros Inc. Jesse Bromwich was his usually phenomenal self, running for 190m off 17 carries in just 64 minutes and making 33 tackles in the middle of the field. No Broncos forward had more than 137m folks and the bloke who had the most metres (Corey Parker with 137m) had 18 carries, 1 carry more than Jesse; Jesse dominated the middle of the field ... against the Broncos.

Most notably, Kenny Bromwich stood up and played what I considered to be his best game of the season. Jordan McLean came off after only 13 minutes and it was Kenny who came on in the middle of the field, offering his mobility, power and skill as the Storm ran rampant through the middle. Kenny had a beautiful little pass to Jesse that led to a try and was busy with 15 carries and 138m in 48 minutes. Keep an eye on Kenny as he's different to the Storm's other forwards and offers a unique skill-set that keeps the Storm funky.

Bodene Thompson: Another dynamic effort from Thompson on the right edge for the Warriors against Gold Coast. Thompson had 14 carries, 137m, 3 tackle busts and 41 tackles, with the headline feeling I get when watching Thompson at work is just how effective he is. Every time Thompson gets the footy, you know something positive is going to happen and he can do a bit of everything; he doesn't just run a good line and he can cut back inside, put a fend on, run over the top of someone etc. 

Ben Matulino: Simmering away for the Warriors has been Matulino and he's doing a fine job coming off the bench, adding some serious impact to the Warriors' middle. Matulino played 58 minutes and had 15 carries for 140m with 36 tackles and there's an intensity to Matulino's carries that makes him a nightmare to stop. He's athletic and uses that to wind up, get to the line and then dent the line.

Shaun Johnson: Consider this another nod to SJ7's MVP ability. 6 tackle busts, 2 offloads, 2 line breaks and 116m off only 7 carries tell a story but Johnson's MVP ability is more noted within the context of the game. The Warriors weren't playing at their best, nor were they playing crap but they stuck in that game against the Titans long enough to give Johnson a moment and Johnson doesn't need too much time and space to break a game open. That's MVP ability, when the game is on the line, Johnson stood up and snatched the chance.

Sosaia Feki: He's back! The Feki was huge for Cronulla against Parramatta with a few tries, 16 carries, 191m and 3 tackle busts, hopefully this is enough to seal Feki's spot on the wing for the Sharks. The issue is that the Sharks basically have six outside backs for five outside back spots and Gerard Beale looks to have a centre spot locked down, so now we're just rooting for Feki to really seal a wing spot over the Aussie blokes. Feki is a beast, trust me, he just needs to stack up these sort of performances.

Jordan Rapana: It was a weird display from Rapana against Newcastle as he spent much of it off the field, had a few moments of crazy niggle and then won the game thanks to pure effort and desire. Rapana chased up a field goal attempt and luck went his way, it's the sort of play that we wouldn't expect from too many players - even though we like to think every player would do it - but the enthusiasm that Rapana plays with means he's one of the few players who I'd expect to make that play. 

Jason Taumalolo: Against the Rabbitohs, Taumalolo didn't put up his biggest numbers but he was still a beast and rolled out his usual dose of efficiency. In 51 minutes he had 14 carries with 143m which is over that 10m per-carry mark and Taumalolo also had 4 tackle busts and an offload. Interestingly, Taumalolo put Sam Burgess well and truly in the shade, I'd go as far as saying that Taumalolo landed a few heavy blows on the NRL greatness of Sam Burgess. Burgess played 67 minutes and had 13 carries for 98m, but this is about Taumalolo's speed and footwork which is what the NRL is all about now and Burgess has neither. Burgess is tough, he's big and he's everywhere but he's not as dynamic, keep an eye on that. Taumalolo is the new prototype.

Martin Taupau: What do Taumalolo, Taukeiaho and Taupau have in common? They're all powerful runners with a splash of footwork. Taupau is back in the middle for Manly and he's rolling up and down that field, leading Manly with barnstorming carries as he did against the Dragons. He only played 42 minutes but he had 182m from 18 carries with 3 offloads, which means in 18 carries, Taupau makes 10m with each carry.

Again, that's the Taumalolo/Taukeiaho/Taupau blueprint and I'm frothing at the mouth thinking about TTT in the Kiwis.

Stocks Down

Raymond Faitala-Mariner: After moving across the ditch from the Warriors, Faitala-Mariner filled holes in the Bulldogs forward pack and he's still very much filling holes. I can't see Faitala-Mariner featuring in a full-strength Doggies pack, especially with Asipeli Fine getting a nod ahead of him and Faitala-Mariner only got 7 minutes against the Chooks. I'm interested in how much game time Faitala-Mariner gets as the season moves to the back straight, when the Doggies are nearing full health and the games grow in importance.

Kodi Nikorima: Tough night for Nikorima on home turf as injury forced Corey Oates from the field and Nikorima was initially moved to the wing, before slotting in at fullback on defence. Unfortunately for Nikorima and the Broncos, a juicy battle between Oates and Suliasi Vunivalu turned into a nightmare with lil' Nikorima lining up against the Fijian beast. That didn't go down well and it was a knock on Nikorima's value as a true utility; he's a slick hooker/half, not much of a winger.

Leeson Ah Mau/Russell Packer: Ok, so all the kiwi Dragons were reasonably average with Jason Nightingale well below par with only 62m from 10 carries and Benji Marshall a non-factor (not the best when you're playing for a contract). Once again, as was the case at the start of the season when the Dragons were in a almighty slump, it starts with the lack of oomp through the middle and neither Ah Mau or Packer offered any of that as starting props. Ah Mau had 8 carries and 70m in 34 minutes, Packer had 69m from 10 carries in 38 minutes and neither offers much power, nor do they offer much funk and they don't play big minutes. The Dragons won't win much with Ah Mau and Packer playing like this.