James Graham goes public with startling claim about Kalyn Ponga incident: Good, bad, ugly of NRL Round 22

😃 The good: Des Hasler challenging Cameron Ciraldo for coach of the year

😔 The bad: Josh Aloiai in hot water over another social media post

😡 The ugly: Kalyn Ponga incident in Knights' loss to Panthers

Des Hasler or Cameron Ciraldo for coach of the year?

Five rounds out from the end of the NRL regular season, Canterbury's Cameron Ciraldo is rightly favoured to win Dally M coach-of-the-year. But there's a dark horse, with more than a few runs on the board, pushing through the pack to make a late bid.

Gold Coast mentor Des Hasler is producing miracles at a franchise renowned for burning and churning through coaches. Most of us expected it would take years – if it happened at all – for Des to turn the Titans into a force.

Luckily, Hasler doesn’t listen to us dummies. The Titans are one the form teams of the competition, winning five of their last six. They've come from behind to beat Brisbane and the Dolphins in the past fortnight and sit two wins outside the top eight.

Remember, this is a team operating most of the season without Tino Faasuamaleaui and AJ Brimson. And they lost their first six games. Since then they've won nine from 13 – including the astonishing 28-point win over Brisbane on Saturday - and are bringing fans along for the ride.

Cbus Stadium suddenly has a pulse as the locals find something to cheer about after years of mediocrity. The Titans have probably left their run for the finals too late but they are having a major say in who will be there come September.

Remarkably, Hasler has only won the coach-of-the-year gong once in his decorated 20-plus year career, sitting equal with the likes of Neil Henry, Kevin Moore and Brian Smith. For a two-time premiership winner and four-time grand finalist, it doesn’t sit right.

Josh Aloiai's inflammatory social media post about Parra rival

Here's a free tip for Manly's Josh Aloiai: Give the Instagram a rest and let your footy do the talking. For the second time this year, the Sea Eagles prop finds himself in hot water over an inappropriate post.

This one targeted Parramatta's Joe Ofahengaue. Ofahengaue was cleared by the match review committee of using a "squirrel grip" on Warriors winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak.

But Aloiai had already made his mind up minutes after the tackle, screenshotting the incident and writing: "Joe doing what he does best….grub" As we mentioned, Aloiai is no stranger to Insta drama.

Earlier this year he apologised for liking a post suggesting Latrell Mitchell was the "biggest sook (and) always plays the racism card". Aloiai claimed it was all an accident.

"I saw a post from Latrell, and I was going through it when I accidentally liked a comment as I was scrolling," he explained after removing his like. "When I was made aware of this, I immediately deleted it. If anyone saw it, I would like to say that it was certainly not intentional at all."

Aloiai also took a not-too-subtle shot at Corey Parker after the Brisbane great declared NSW and Manly backrower Haumole Olakau’atu should have received a six-week ban for his role in the wild Origin sideline melee. Pictured with Manly teammates Gordon Chan Kum Tong and Toff Sipley in a front of a sign featuring Olakau’atu behind bars with the hashtag #Free Shmole, Aloiai tagged Parker and posted "shuuuush".

Manly management is aware of the Ofahengaue post and plan to have a quiet word with Aloiai this week. They are not impressed. There's a surefire way to avoid any confusion and controversy over social media posts. Leave your phone in the holster.

James Graham calls out glaring truth after Kalyn Ponga incident

James Graham spoke for thousands of fans as he watched a repay of Izack Tago's hit on Kalyn Ponga at a crucial stage in the tense Penrith-Newcastle game. The tackle, which clearly hit the Knights superstar in the head, was deemed worthy of a penalty but there was no send-off or even sin bin.

With the game very much in the balance, Newcastle would have fancied their chances against a 12-man Panthers. Tigers centre Justin Olam – controversially dismissed for a high shot on Thursday night - must have been shaking his head in disbelief.

Graham told the Triple M audience: "It just feeds into the narrative that teams at the lower end of the table get the rough end of the stick." It's hard to mount an argument based on the Olam-Tago comparison, although the NRL will no doubt find a way.

It's all about consistency. And, at the moment, there is very little of it.

Check back in every Monday throughout the NRL season for Adam Lucius' 'Good, Bad and Ugly' column.