Stocks Up

Jordan Kahu

Leading into this season, I had wondered whether we might see the skillful Kahu slot in at centre. Brisbane coach Wayne Bennett had other ideas however, putting Tautau Moga (once a young phenom) at centre with Kahu on the flank and the lad from Petone still managed to showcase all his class from the wing. Kahu only had 48m off 10 carries and making big metres isn't what he's about; sublime finishing, the skills of a half and he has now made himself a certain selection with his goal-kicking. 

Nelson Asofa-Solomona

We haven't seen NAS in a while and he settled right back into his block-busting bench work in just 11 minutes of action. That doesn't sound like a bloke who has his stock on the rise but when you take 7 carries for 53m with 3 tackle busts in those 11 minutes, you're offering the definition of impact.

Siosifa Talakai

After making his debut last season, Talakai has started the season in the centres for the Bunnies and made the most metres from the most carries of any Rabbitohs player. Sam Burgess had 13 carries for 95m, while Talakai had 18 carries for 134m and most notably for Talakai he's got his foot in the door for a starting spot nice and early.

Elijah Taylor

Not really required to cart the footy up (2 carries for 27m), Taylor started the season exactly how the Tigers need him to in leading them for tackles with 44. I was hyped for Taylor to show his attacking ability, but with the Tigers running rampant against the Bunnies with creativity across the park, Taylor has to tie up the middle of the field and do his best to lead the Tigers defensively.

Russell Packer

52 minutes, 16 carries for 146m. If Packer is churning out those kinda numbers on a near-weekly basis then the Dragons are going to be creep up the ladder as some sort of dark horse. Last season Packer was largely a non-factor, so for him to start this season in such brutal fashion is a great sign for Dragons fans.

Jason Taumalolo

70 minutes, 22 carries for 259m with a game-high 8 tackle busts. That's breakfast for Taumalolo and he averaged 11.63m with each run which is pretty damn scray if you ask me.

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck

80 minutes, 19 carries for 217m, 1 try-assist, 7 tackle busts. You already know that we've the two certified 200m beasts in the NRL and nothing makes me happier than seeing both Taumalolo and Tuivasa-Sheck show off their best work in round one. Funnily enough, the both make most of their 200m around the ruck/in the middle of the field, it's just that one is a middle forward and the other is a fullback.

Suaia Matagi

Parramatta's new recruit stepped into a starting role and immediately showed what he's going to offer the Eels this season #grunt. Last season Matagi came off the bench for limited minutes with Penrith and gave the Panthers big metres with limited carries, earning him a promotion with the Eels and in 46 minutes Matagi had 15 carries for 135m. It felt as though Matagi could have been pigeon-holed as an impact forward, so for him to start and play over 40 minutes is a fine effort.

Stocks Down 

Alex Glenn

I'm curious to see how Glenn's season with Brisbane pans out after Sam Thaiday and Matt Gillett started the season as if they had a point to prove. The ran with vigour (4 tackle busts each) and sparked some of Brisbane's attack, plus they played big minutes which doesn't leave too much room for Glenn. Also working against Glenn here is the depth that Brisbane have in their top-tier for middle forwards with Tevita Pangai Junior, Herman Ese'ese and Jai Arrow all juggling minutes. Glenn's versatility will come in handy throughout the season though, that's for sure.

Jesse Bromwich

An injury in round one ain't ideal for the big leader of Melbourne's Kiwi Storm Gang. He could sneak back into action soon though.

Josh Aloiai

Named on the bench with Sauaso Sue starting, Aloiai only played 23 minutes with Sue and Chris Lawrence both playing the whole game. How or where Aloiai fits in after establishing himself on the Tigers' right edge last season will be a #KiwiNRL story to keep tabs on.

Peta Hiku

A fractured eye socket will keep Hiku on the sidelines for up to a month and on top of that, his Panthers sucked. Hiku got his chance on the wing, but Dallin Watene-Zelezniak and Josh Mansour will return at some point and the Panthers are also well stocked for centres so I'm not sure where Hiku will fit in once he returns from injury.

James Fisher-Harris

Similar to Aloiai, Fisher-Harris is an up and coming young kiwi forward who only managed 20-odd minutes in round one after his breakout season in 2016. Fisher-Harris had made a name for himself on the right edge for Penrith, but Bryce Cartwright and Issah Yeo both rolled through 80 minutes on the edges. We got to wait and see where Fisher-Harris fits in as the season continues, the dramas surrounding Cartwright could be a blessing for Northland's finest though.

Kevin Proctor

Not the best start to Proctor's tenure with the Gold Coast as the edge forward only played 40 minutes with 2 carries for 17m. This is a strange one for me because it's important to point out what Proctor has done down in Melbourne and in that regard, he might not ever live up to the 'big recruit' tag. Proctor never dominated the stats with Melbourne and instead ran tight lines off Cooper Cronk's hip, opting for efficiency as opposed to stacking up big numbers. Proctor has Ash Taylor to work off and as that combo develops, we should start to see Proctor have greater low key impact.