Stocks Up

Jordan Kahu: After slipping back on to the wing for Brisbane, we've seen Kahu put his best foot forward and showcase similar form to what we saw from him last season. Kahu bagged a double against the Chooks, taking 13 carries for 139m with a tackle bust and line break thrown in for good measure which will see Kahu feature heavily in the Finals.

Jared Waerea-Hargreaves/Sam Moa: The work of a few of our key Roosters - even though the Roosters' season was over a long time ago - has been a pleasure to watch and that's led by Waerea-Hargreaves doing the dirty work up front. There was no Sio Siua Taukeiaho in the middle with Moa starting at lock and both were as busy as they were powerful as Waerea-Hargreaves took 18 carries for 170m and Moa took 15 carries for 132m with a couple tackle busts and offloads. Both are gunning to make the Kiwis squad and the finished the season on the right note.

Joseph Manu: We've seen Manu before this season and after a mere glimpse at his work, it's easy to spot that he's a gun. What was interesting here was that Manu started at centre which is his preferred position in Under-20s and while Manu did slip out to wing to cover for Latrell Mitchell, he still managed 101m off 12 carries and 2 tackle busts. It's a pity we won't get to see Manu play Finals footy, he could be a smokey for the Kiwis squad though if Stephen Kearney is feeling adventurous.

Jason Nightingale: Watching the Dragons this season has been a bit of a mission, at least we've got the gypsy to make it more pleasurable. Nightingale was at his prop-like best against Newcastle and rolled through 17 carries for 209m, with a try assist, 9 tackle busts, 3 offloads and 5 line breaks, throw in another nice performance from Taane Milne and the Dragons right edge saved the day for us kiwis.

Jason Taumalolo: Standard performance from Taumalolo up against a strong Titans forward pack and it even felt as though Taumalolo took his foot off the gas a wee bit with the Finals in mind. Taumalolo had 16 carries for 151m with a tackle bust and 2 line breaks as he went about his usual plan of attacking the area behind the ruck, using his speed to bring the ruckus.

Kiwi Storm Gang: Melbourne sent a clear message to their challengers with a good win against Cronulla, the product of another dominant display from their Kiwis forwards. It's also important to note that this came without Nelson Asofa-Solomona adding his size and offloading ability to their middle, it wasn't really needed. Jesse Bromwich churned out 117m off 14 carries with 5 tackle busts, 3 offloads and a line break for a try while younger brother Kenny rolled through 123m off 13 carries in just 35 minutes. Tohu Harris was also solid with 115m off 13 carries in 80 minutes and we were graced with the return of Kevin Proctor - just in time for the Finals - and Proctor put up 66m off 11 carries in 70 minutes.

Jordan Rapana: Standard pre-Finals warm up for Rapana as he casually went through 12 carries for 189m with 7 tackle busts and 2 line breaks which gave him a try. The regular season is over folks and blokes still don't know how to tackle J-Rapz.

Joseph Tapine: Also on the scoresheet for the Raiders was Tapine and he's been a low key beast for the Raiders all season, coming off the bench and adding some serious footwork/power on top of the power of their starters. Tapine had a decent stint on the field, playing 42 minutes and took 9 carries for 85m with an offload and a line break assist as well.

Issac Luke: Gotta shout out one of the Warriors' best players all season as he finished his debut Warriors season off in style. Luke played 71 minutes and had 12 carries for 89m with 2 try assists, 2 tackle busts, 3 offloads and 2 line break assists in a game which he flexed his play-making muscles.

Manu Ma'u: Returning to Auckland, Ma'u was another who capped off his season strongly. Ma'u played 80 minutes and had 15 carries for 137m with a tackle bust and 2 offloads, which is about as standard as it gets for Ma'u. Now we wait to see if Ma'u will still be an Eel next season.

Suaia Matagi: Rest assured that Penrith are in the top-8 because they have a forward pack that can at least maintain parity with the beastly forward packs around the NRL, thanks to blokes like Matagi. We've seen this for just over a month now with Matagi only playing around 40 minutes (if that) but oozing efficiency with his carries, getting Penrith on the front-foot. Matagi had 11 carries for 107m in 41 minutes and he's gonna have to repeat the dose against the Doggies this weekend.

James Fisher-Harris: Usually Fisher-Harris gets through about 8 carries/70m in his 80 minutes on the Panthers right edge, against Manly though he had 13 carries for 104m in 74 minutes. I'm wondering/hoping that this is an example of Fisher-Harris feeling comfortable with life in the NRL and gearing up for the Finals.

Stocks Down

Curtis Rona: We don't really need to concern ourselves with the work of Rona, as he's off to Super Rugby next season. Rona was however part of a outside backs group for the Bulldogs that didn't feature anyone besides Will Hopoate taking more than 9 carries and in today's NRL, that's not gonna end well. Rona had 9 carries for 60m in 80 minutes as the Bulldogs got touched up by the Bunnies and it'll be interesting to see what Rona and subsequently the Doggies serve up in the Finals.

Leivaha Pulu/Agnatius Paasi: Against the Cowboys, Pulu and Paasi were powerful with their carries and I've got no complaints regarding their work carting the ball up field. What the Titans clearly need though is offloads and a splash of razzle dazzle as their backline moves are pretty average and there's a lack of cohesion in how they attack - Pulu and Paasi have the ability to spark their attack. Pulu had a tackle bust and Paasi had 2 offloads, which is alright and all, it's just that the Titans need more to beat quality teams.

Kiwi Tigers: With their season on the line, the Tigers forwards were steamrolled by Canberra and that didn't reflect too well on the likes of Sauaso Sue, Josh Aloiai, Elijah Taylor and Ava Seumanufagai. Taylor had 1 carry for 6m in 59 minutes of action, Sue was alright with 9 carries for 78m without being dominant and Aloiai averaged 10m per-carry but only had 4 carries in 56 minutes. Seumanufagai was only given 28 minutes on the field, which meant only 6 carries. Sue, Aloiai and Seumanufagai had the size and power to trouble the Raiders forwards, they just didn't get enough footy.