NRL Round 4 Team of the Week: Penrith, Wests and Broncos stars in redemption-themed squad

What’s better than a good redemption story? About six of them, because that’s what we had this week with comebacks from injury, suspension, dejection and rejection aplenty.

This weekend was played out among sheets of Sydney rain, so perspiration often topped inspiration, but rugby league is like that at times.

As ever, we’re garlanding, hat-tipping and giving flowers left, right and centre to the best of the NRL this weekend. Here’s your Love Rugby League team of the week.

Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad (Warriors)

The Wahs have maximised workmanlike at times, and nobody epitomises that more than Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad. This is a bloke that the Raiders consigned to reserve grade, but has been reborn back home in New Zealand.

As a fullback, CNK probably lacks top end creativity but what he does bring is reliability and effort. He rarely makes mistakes, trucks the ball in time and again, covers ground defensively and starts sets well.

In the weekend’s win over the Wests Tigers, Charnze topped the metres and made zero errors. His 25 runs was seven more than any of his teammates. It wasn’t spectacular, but it was so important.

Lehi Hopoate (Manly)

One of the reasons Manly were so reluctant to offer Daly Cherry-Evans a new deal was their desire to tie down Lehi Hopoate long term.

It’s understandable. He looks a million bucks at the age of just 20, either on the wing, where he started on Sunday, or at fullback, where he finished after Tom Trbojevic went off injured (again).

Lehi scored, topped the metre chart, laid on a try and generally toyed with Parramatta on Sunday. It’s amazing to think that he has just started and, crucially, is still growing. Once Hopoate fills out, he can be anything.

With Turbo out for a few weeks minimum, he’ll take the 1 jumper. It’s his long-term now, as well, as Trbojevic will almost certainly move to the halves when DCE leaves.

Bronson Xerri (Bulldogs)

This weekend saw Bronson Xerri return to the Shire for the first time since leaving the Sharks in disgrace following a positive drug test.

He probably couldn’t have scripted a better return. Xerri dominated his edge, scoring twice as part of a statement Canterbury win.

There was a little bit of feeling in it, too: the centre shushed the crowd, who had been giving him dog’s abuse.

Sharks fans might say that they have every right to, as the drug ban was entirely Xerri’s own fault. The man himself won’t care.

Gehamat Shibasaki (Broncos)

There’s always a few redemption stories each year, and 2025’s might well be Gehamat Shibasaki.

He’s 27, on his fifth contract and fourth club (he started at Brisbane and has come back), sixth if you include a stint in Japanese rugby union. Across that, he’s managed around 35 appearances in eight years.

Shibasaki got a second chance and won his spot the old-fashioned way: got a trial deal, crushed the preseason, made himself undroppable. He’s keeping Deine Mariner, one of the Bronx’s best youngsters, out of the team.

That all came together against the Dolphins, where he topped the metres, scored twice and busted the most tackles on the field. It’s a proper feelgood story.

Brian To’o (Penrith)

This is slightly personal, but worth inclusion. I was at Thursday night’s clash – actually the first time I’ve ever been to Homebush as a punter, following roughly 500 visits as a journo – shepherding two Canadians through their first ever game of rugby league.

Most of that was helping them to understand the rules, but one player required no explanation: Brian To’o. The white-helmeted winger was immediately identifiable both from headgear and impact.

Despite Penrith’s defeat, To’o was consistently brilliant, charging into tackles, breaking through, challenging defenders.

Footy nerds will care than he made over 200m with ball in hand, averaging more than ten per run, and that came despite leaving the game ten minutes early with a hamstring injury.

Even a rookie Canadian, however, could see that he was awesome.

AJ Brimson (Titans)

Everyone knows that AJ Brimson is a good player, but it’s been a struggle trying to work out exactly what sort of good player he is.

Like much of the Titans, the sum of his parts tends to be lower, wracked by inconsistency and a general feeling like there’s more in there, if only someone could find it.

Performances like Friday night’s are a perfect example. Brimson has been unleashed this year, playing with the 6 on his back but with a licence to do pretty much whatever, injecting himself into the game with this trademark enthusiasm and penchant for chaos.

His first try was all effort, crashing onto a short one like a forward, and his second pure opportunism, returning a dropped ball to the house.

If you give a guy like Brimson a free rein, he can wreak havoc. For now, that’s what Des Hasler has done, and it’s working.

Jake Clifford (Cowboys)

There’s been chat about Jake Clifford departing North Queensland for the Super League for a second time, but on the strength of his showing against Canberra, they’d be mad to let him leave.

The halfback returned to the team last week, replacing highly-rated rookie Thomas Duffy, and has added much needed calmness to a side that can lack it at times. With Clifford in control, Scott Drinkwater is able to be more creative and Tom Dearden can prioritise his running.

Not that Jake can’t do that either: he danced through the Raiders for a try, then outjumped Kaeo Weekes for another and grabbed an assist for Robert Derby as well.

Sitili Tupouniua (Bulldogs)

Sitili Tupouniua was a backrower at the Roosters, but since moving to Canterbury, has been recast as a prop.

Based on the start of the season, it’s a call that has paid off.

He’s not the biggest, but has exactly what the Dogs want, which is line speed and aggression. Not that Tupouniua doesn’t muscle up, however. Where once he was known as a strike runner, now he’s a hard-nosed defensive weapon.

He smashed Toby Rudolf – not easy task – and that was just one of several dominant defensive exchanges. One right at the end went a bit over the top and might earn him a sit down next week, but even that showed the sort of intent he played with from minute one.

More than that, however, it was the repeat efforts to get in the Sharks face time and again.

Cory Paix (Broncos)

Cory Paix might only be the second most heartwarming redemption arc at the Broncos, but his story is also worth mentioning.

The hooker was a bit part player under Kevin Walters in the Grand Final year of 2023, but didn’t feature in the run-in and, in 2024, failed to get on the field at all in the NRL.

A new coach came in and mysteriously the incumbent hooker Kevvie’s son Billy Walters, didn’t get picked anymore. Who could possibly guess why?

Paix has bided his time, played well in the Queensland Cup and was about to go to Canberra before Ezra Mam’s ill-fated late night drive.

Kept around through circumstance, he’s now on the bring of a new deal and a long-term spot in the team.

Paix brings what Walters lacked – and what, for hookers at least, is uncoachable. He’s got craft, deception and nous. He knows when to go and when to pass, how to move markers and control tempo.

We saw that against the Phins with his try, sending the defence for a hot dog before sliding in. It was heartwarming stuff.

Terrell May (Tigers)

The Tigers didn’t get the result on Sunday in Campbelltown, but for Terrell May, that wasn’t through lack of trying.

The prop played the full 80 in the front row, taking a mammoth 19 runs in the middle and making 48 tackles. It was Stakhanoviste stuff from the Samoan international.

A prop going without an interchange is pretty rare, but May is currently averaging 69 minutes per match through four rounds and topping the whole league for metres made among forwards.

It’s bonkers that the Roosters let him go, given their travails, but the Tigers have hit the jackpot.

Jaydn Su’A (Dragons)

A wet afternoon at Kogarah? An upset in the offing? Step forward Jaydn Su’A. The second rower was everything good about the Dragons in their win over Melbourne, all effort, intensity and aggression.

This was always going to be a game where St George Illawarra needed to survive defensively, but few would have expected the onslaught in the first quarter, which was played exclusively at one end.

Eli Katoa hit some great holes, but Su’A closed them up. With the ball, the Samoa international generated offloads and won the ruck, generating almost half his metres in post-contact. It was a near-perfect wet weather performance.

Keaon Koloamatangi (Souths)

Sometimes in rugby league you like to see a big man smash a line – stop sniggering at the back – and few hit ‘em better than Keaon Koloamatangi.

At his best, he’s a rampaging ball-runner with a step as well as a killer kick chaser. We got all that on Thursday night against Penrith, with Keta scoring once from a kick and again from a barge.

Keaon has the skills and the size – he was in the middle for much of last year, but has run in the halves for Mate Ma’a Tonga – but Wayne Bennett challenged him to lose kilos in the off-season and regain his agility to go with the muscle.

Based on his start to 2025, the hungry summer is paying off big time.

Tino Fa’asuamaleaui (Titans)

In a weekend of redemption arcs, Tino Fa’asuamaleaui strolling under the posts to seal victory for the Titans at the Roosters was a pretty good one.

This was their first victory over Easts in Sydney for over a decade, and for Tino, confirmation that he is back as one of the best forwards in the game.

Granted, the Roosters defence would be laughed out of a park touch footy game, but the line the Gold Coast lock ran and the menace with which he ran it did plenty to dissuade anyone from getting in his way.

Fa’asuamaleaui is captain and talisman at the Titans, their best player and leader. He holds together a group that, politely, needs a fair bit of glue. They need him more than anyone – and at the moment, he’s showing up big time.