Kieran Foran issue exposed, NSW woes deepen: Good, bad and ugly of NRL round 14
Some important questions were answered, while major issues emerged in a drama-charged round.
😃 The good: Broncos looking like the real deal in 2023
😔 The bad: Titans struggle without Kieran Foran
😡 The ugly: Blues Origin woes compounded
Broncos flex their premiership muscles
Sometimes in life, you've got to be cruel to be kind. Late last season – after his Broncos side had been ripped a new one by Parramatta to end their finals campaign - Kevin Walters tore into his players in an uncharacteristic but warranted spray.
He labelled them "soft" and questioned whether they had what it took to be NRL players. Walters' side had been in the top four at round 19 but missed the finals on the back of six losses in their last seven games.
That dressing-room speech was a line-in-the-sand moment for the Brisbane coach. He knew he was gone if he didn’t get things right this year, so dialled back on the nice bloke persona to adopt a more ruthless approach.
No more short-cuts, excuses or soft options. Brisbane currently sit equal first on the table after overcoming the Warriors and Sharks in two of the game's hardest away trips over the past fortnight.
And they did it smack bang in the middle of the State of Origin series kicking off, where five of their players were involved. Four of them - Thomas Flegler, Payne Haas, Reece Walsh and Patrick Carrigan – backed up after Origin I and played lead roles in completely shutting down Cronulla.
No short-cuts, excuses or soft options. With their three byes still to come, the Broncos are already assured a finals spot.
The one-time premiership powerhouse hasn't won the title since 2006. This side is their best chance in more than a decade to break that drought.
Gold Coast rudderless without Kieran Foran
Kieran Foran's return to this Gold Coast side can’t come quickly enough. Teams know if they stay in the contest long enough, the Titans will fold quicker than one of those sun chairs on Main Beach.
A schoolie on Happy Hour cocktails has more stamina. Foran is the one who provides them with drive and direction when the compass goes astray – and he was badly missed as the Titans went MIA against South Sydney on Saturday night.
Leading the Bunnies 12-0 early and 22-16 at the break, Gold Coast decided it was job done. They were right in this game but, as is their way, clocked off in the second 40.
The lack of resistance, fight and composure was alarming. That makes it five times this season the Titans have led at halftime only to fade from view.
Foran has been given two weeks' R and R to rest his battered body before returning to duty. But it shouldn’t all come down to the Kiwi veteran, who turns 33 next month, to lead the way.
There are other senior payers who need to aim up and have dig for a full 80 minutes.
NSW misery goes from bad to worse
Can things get any uglier for the NSW Blues? Humiliated by Queensland in Origin I, key figures and commentators spent the ensuing days ripping each other apart over Brad Fittler's selections and the tactics employed on the night.
It even contributed to the Johns brothers' ongoing feud, although they could be fighting over the colour of cabbage for all we know. Skipper James Tedesco has been under the hammer and responded with a five-star performance for the Roosters against Canterbury.
But even that produced more in-fighting, with the Teddy cheer squad declaring the champion back to his best while the anti-Teddy brigade argued a big game against lowly opposition in a club game proves little. And, just when you thought things couldn't get any worse, Nathan Cleary goes and tears a hamstring against the Dragons and is out of Origin II and possibly the entire series.
Cue more debate over who replaces him. The obvious move is to shift Nicho Hynes from the bench to the starting line-up.
Hynes will have plenty to prove after his late cameo in game one proved a disaster – albeit after being put in the unfamiliar right centre position - but is it the best move for a Blues side in a must-win situation before a parochial Suncorp Stadium crowd? A very good case for the return of Adam Reynolds is being presented and it makes sense on a number of fronts.
It also ensures the arguments continue to rage south of the border.
Sign up to our newsletter and score the biggest sport stories of the week.
