NRL Team of the Week: Dolphins dominate as Sharks trio also star

On the back of a club record win, it’s not surprising that Dolphins dominate this week’s top team.

Then again, two of our Phins have been up almost every round this year, with Herbie Farnworth again leading the way and Isaiya Katoa looking like the best young player in the comp.

They’re joined by another mainstay, Addin Fonua-Blake, and while we don’t get Payne Haas – he’s at Origin – we do get another member of his family for a Team of the Week debut.

There might have only been five games, but there were plenty of standouts. Let’s get into it.

1. James Tedesco (Roosters)

The Roosters’ win over Newcastle was drastically low on quality, but the game’s two best moments flowed from the veteran fullback.

It was he who slipped Salesi Foketi through to get his side on the board in the second half, then Tedesco again to kick for Siua Wong’s winner. In between, he topped the metre count, because of course he did.

2. Jack Bostock (Dolphins)

Scoring four tries is always going to get you into the Team of the Week, but Bostock earned just for the manner of the fourth.

As he sprinted away from the Cowboys’ defence, he managed to count out 1, 2, 3 and 4 on his fingers while motoring to the line – almost certainly a first for NRL showboating.

Sure, it was a great performance and deserves all the flowers for that, but sometimes you just have to recognise a cool move when you see one.

3. Billy Smith (Roosters)

Stopping Newcastle’s attack is on the lower end of NRL tasks, but you still have to put in the work.

While they’re fecund a lot of the time, Dane Gagai is generally the spark – just ask Manly, who he ripped apart last week.

Billy Smith gave him no chance. The big centre smothered Gagai for the whole game and, in the process, kept the score close enough so that when his own side found some footy, they could win the game with it.

4. Herbie Farnworth (Dolphins)

A staple of these teams, the Burnley Meninga has now scored in eight straight for the Dolphins – even if this week’s entry did involve Kodi Nikorima passing the ball to him over the line.

Does it still count? On a moral level, probably not, but as they say in the North West – it’s in the paper now.

Of course, he deserved everything he got. Farnworth’s winger scored four outside of him, two of which were assisted by the centre, and there was another casual 11 tackle breaks. He’s now top of the NRL for that particular metric, and it’s not hard to see why.

5. Alofiana Khan-Pereira (Titans)

Alofiana Khan-Pereira was more pop gun than AK to start the year: he was ineffective, then injured, then ineffective again.

For many – including the legions who have him in various fantasy teams – it was a big letdown. On his day, AKP is a proper flyer and one of the best in the comp to watch, but he struggled to get into games.

Not anymore. The Titans winger has scored four in two now, and all of them in characteristic style. High pace, little regard for himself, all evasion and stepping.

Manly saw both, with one try aimed at the corner and another against the grain, with Khan-Pereira too fast and too elusive for the Sea Eagles sliding D.

6. Brayden Trindall (Sharks)

Brayden Trindall’s kicking strategy wasn’t exactly rocket science on Thursday night. He aimed one at Tyrell Sloan, the Dragons winger panicked, so Trindall aimed the rest of his kicks in the same direction.

It’s smart footy to keep punching the bruise, and by the end, Sloan was black and blue. The five eighth scored twice and assisted another, dominating with the boot and steering his Sharks away from a problematic first half to an easy win in the end.

7. Isaiya Katoa (Dolphins)

The best thing you can say about Isaiya Katoa is that he’s playing next to Kodi Nikorima, who is a decade older than him, and yet is the senior man.

It’s a great dynamic for the Dolphins. Katoa plays with maturity beyond his years, doing all the soft power stuff so that Kodi can play off the cuff.

It’s not that the Tongan halfback doesn’t have a bit of that too. Few halves offload more or better, and his ball-playing looks like that of a man who spent a lot of time watching Nathan Cleary coming through.

This was another day where only one try assist went in his column, but almost every try came from his involvement. Katoa the facilitator at his best.

8. Addin Fonua-Blake (Sharks)

Another appearance for TotW regular Addin Fonua-Blake, who didn’t so much hit the benchmark 10m metres per run average as obliterate it, carrying 170m off 15 charges.

Moreover, he did that without a line break, meaning they were all straight up carries into the meat of the defence, a tale also told by the huge 78 post-contact metres in that 170m.

Chuck in a few offloads and 38 tackles and you’ve got yourself another appearance in the Love Rugby League 13. For AFB, it’s about his ninth of the year so far.

9. Blayke Brailey (Sharks)

Cronulla seemed to have spotted something about the Dragons’ ruck defence, and unleashed their dummy half to make the very most of it.

Blayke Brailey isn’t known as the greatest running hooker around, but he made hay throughout on Thursday night: 87m from just seven runs, including two line breaks, one of which led to the opening try. Oh, and he topped the tackle count too.

It was a stellar start and, while Cronulla drifted in the middle of the game, Brailey brought control late, which sparked a comeback and, eventually, a comfortable win.

10. Salesi Foketi (Roosters)

The Roosters rookie merits inclusion just for his try, which was one of the funniest of the year. We’re not laughing at the prop here, either – quite the opposite.

The way that Foketi managed to bound onto an offload from James Tedesco and then step Knights fullback Fletcher Hunt like prime Brad Fittler was surreal, like a watching a sped up tape.

The boring stuff was great, too. Foketi broke the 10m per run barrier, the benchmark for yardage – even excluding the line break – and hit 24 tackles in his 49 minutes.

That extra effort for the try will come up in video at the Roosters. They love a push support, and know that every offload needs someone to be there to catch it. Foketi getting around the footy enabled Tedesco to throw it, and from there, magic happened.

11. Dylan Lucas (Knights)

Newcastle had few bright spots against the Roosters, but unquestionably their young backrower was the brightest.

In a side that doesn’t really attack, Lucas offered a constant threat on the edge, breaking the line and making things happen outside of him.

Much like Kai Pearce-Paul on the other side, Lucas is filled with promise that is currently slightly hidden by an overly conservative tactical plan.

The hope will be that, with another poor attacking showing collectively, there might be a change of strategy that gets more ball in the hands of their edge forwards.

12. Viliame Kikau (Bulldogs)

It wasn’t a vintage game on Sunday afternoon as the heavens opened at Homebush, but that didn’t stop the Bulldogs playing their footy.

That was exemplified by Kikau, who managed six offloads from 17 carries, one of which set up a try, in a barnstorming performance.

He’s been a little on the quiet side as other Doggies have taken the limelight, but this was a timely reminder of just how destructive the Fijian can be.

13. Klese Haas (Titans)

It’s hard being the other Haas, knowing that whatever you do, your brother is always going to be the main man.

With Payne in Origin camp, Klese came to the fore with one of his best games in the NRL. In the absence of Tino Fa’asuamaleaui in the 13 role, Haas dominated the Manly middles, breaking five tackles while making 29 of his own without a miss.