NRL Team of the Week: Parra trio, England stars and Dragons dynamos all in

Here’s how the sausage is made. When you’re picking a team of the week, there are often stellar showings in some positions and none in others, so you fit them in where you can.

Isaiya Katoa won the game for his side on Friday in one of the comebacks of the season, only for Mitchell Moses to star on Monday in the same role.

Max King was exceptional for the Dogs, but so was Toby Couchman, leaving Terrell May, who could get picked every week, high and dry.

Let’s not even start on Leka Halasima, the backrower of choice for the Warriors, in a week where Hudson Young and Viliame Kikau dominated, or Scott Sorenson, whose flick pass was as good as they come.

Less about who didn’t make it, however. Here’s out Love Rugby League NRL Team of the Week.

Dylan Edwards (Panthers)

It wasn’t that people had written off the incumbent Kangaroos fullback, more that he had been forgotten about amid the general rubbishness of the Panthers so far in 2025.

They snapped their losing streak on Saturday with victory over the Roosters – thanks in no small part to the performance of their superstar at the back.

This was vintage Edwards: starting sets, finishing moves. He topped the metres by a massive distance and iced two key passes to put Paul Alamoti over at the corner for vital first half tries, before scoring one of his own after the break.

Tyrell Sloan (Dragons)

Tyrell Sloan is much maligned. Legions of Dragons fans and multiple coaches haven’t really know what to do with a player who is clearly very talented but isn’t really a fullback or a winger, but also isn’t anything else.

Sloan has a laundry list of flaws defensively, but in attack, he can change games decisively. His pace and elusiveness, combined with a chaotic streak and expertise in broken play, make him a handful whenever he turns it on.

Thursday was one of those nights, as Sloan destroyed Manly, turning half chances into tries in a way that, frankly, most of the rest of his teammates never looked like doing.

There were still three errors in there, because that’s what he does, but that’s part of the deal. Sloan keeps getting picked, because even though it’s hard to fit him in, no coach will leave him out for long.

Seb Kris (Raiders)

The Raiders are all about effort areas, and as an emblem of that, few are better than Seb Kris. The centre has been played across the backline and, while he rarely does anything spectacular, he’s a model of consistency in a side that can blow hot and cold.

His counterpart on the other side, Matt Timoko, tends to get the plaudits for his bustling, tackle-breaking style but Kris has kept on keeping on.

This week saw him push 10m per carry, make 135m and cross the line too. Few will notice, but Ricky Stuart will.

Herbie Farnworth (Dolphins)

The England international’s stellar form continues, and where he goes, the Dolphins follow. Herbie is playing at a higher level than the average centre in the NRL, taking responsibility to roam from his position and create havoc wherever he can.

Farnworth averaged 10m a run, broke nine tackles, scored a try and generally stuck it up Melbourne – but even more than that, he was the inspiration to his teammates, showing a level of leadership that will have Shaun Wane salivating ahead of the Ashes at the end of the year.

Josh Addo-Carr (Parramatta)

The Foxx is something of a forgotten man, relegated from a perennial Premiership contender at Melbourne to a cellar dweller with Canterbury, who he then left the second they got good again.

At Parra he had a delayed start due to suspension, but since getting into the team, Addo-Carr has impressed.

His double against the Tigers took him to six tries in six appearances, and these two were vintage Foxx: a fast finish at the corner that few could have made, then a breakaway where he shut the gates on the defence to turn a half break into a certainty.

Between, Addo-Carr also filled in at fullback and produced a superb trysaving interception. It was magic stuff from one of the most exciting, loveable players in the game.

Mitchell Moses (Parramatta)

OK, so Moses actually played halfback but there was no standout 6 this round and he absolutely had to go somewhere.

On return for his first game of the year, the halfback kicked the Tigers to death, laid on multiple tries and even saved one, even though on another day it might have been penalised more heavily as he did so with a high tackle.

Moses is the difference between Parra running last and, if not making the finals, at least not embarrassing themselves regularly. Getting him fit and keeping him there while everyone else works out their role under new coach Jason Ryles is the only thing the Eels should worry about.

Isaiya Katoa (Dolphins)

This was the Tongan’s best week in first grade in his 51st game at the age of just 21. Redcliffe were staring down the barrel of a hiding at the hands of Melbourne, but Katoa showed maturity well beyind his years to kick and control his side back into contention.

Of his five try assists, four were off the boot and all showed the variety of Katoa’s kicking. There was a dink that dropped a yard short of the line for Jack Bostock, a steepler that allowed Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow to win a content, a grubber in behind for Kodi Nikorima and a bomb that proved to hot to handle and fell kindly for Herbie Farnworth.

Even better was the assist from hand, a beautifully delayed pass that drew in Jahrome Hughes then put Connolly Lemuelu over where the gap had appeared.

Max King (Bulldogs)

The NRL’s longest try drought ended on Good Friday as Max King scored for the first time in 80 games, with the forward laughing after the game about how much fans had been abusing him for his lack of points scoring.

He could laugh about it because everyone knows just how much else he brings to the side. This was another week where King topped the metre count, with a stunning 223m from 26 carries, 83 of which were post-contact.

That’s huge numbers for a middle forward at any club, but even more impressive for a guy in a Bulldogs side that isn’t exactly massive in the centre of the park. The Dogs are built to be agile, prioritising line speed over bulk, but in King, they’ve found someone who can do both.

He’s England-qualified as well, and has already put his hand up for the Ashes. Then again, Origin might get in the way – on current form, King will get a Blues jumper.

Blayke Brailey (Cronulla)

Cronulla have built a team around the idea that it is harder to get into their lineup than it is to get out of it. They evolve very slowly.

This is a consistent bunch and their most consistent figure is Blayke Brailey.

Last year, nobody played more minutes in the entire NRL, which is amazing in itself and doubly so when you realise that plenty of teams don’t expect their hooker to last 80 minutes in the middle, let alone play it every week of the year.

Consistency is not a value that lends itself to team of the week, but this week saw the Sharkies rake go above and beyond his usual distribution and tackling, turning in two try assists alongside his regular mountain of work, so gets an inclusion and overdue recognition.

Toby Couchman (Dragons)

The Dragons won on Thursday night almost in spite of themselves, dominating field position in the first half but often failing in attack before holding on just about long enough in defence to keep Manly at bay.

Though the halves didn’t create a massive amount, they were put in position to play by the dominance of Toby Couchman in the middle.

He battered the front door in for his side, consistently winning the floor, then bashed Manly up without it, with a massive 50 tackles in the front row.

It was a poor game between two sides lacking polish, so the winner was always likely to be the team who rolled the sleeves up furthest. Couchman ensured that it was the Dragons who did that best.

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Hudson Young (Raiders)

The Love Rugby League Team of the Week is fast becoming the Hudson Young Appreciation Society, as the Raiders backrower seems to make the cut every week.

His performance in the victory over the Titans might well have been the best of the lot in a stellar season: Young topped the run chart, came second in the metres, made 26 tackles and, of course, scored twice.

Nobody scores more from the back row, nobody gets to more kicks, nobody forces more turnovers. NSW would be mad not to pick Young for Origin.

Viliame Kikau (Bulldogs)

The Bulldogs backrower returned after an injury absence and seemed set on making up for lost time. Kikau’s defence was brutal, lining up Souths players and letting them have it, first physically and then with a gobful afterwards.

Jack Wighton was the one copping the bulk of it, seemingly spending half the match looking up at the Fijian wrecking ball shouting abuse at him. It was all in the spirit of fun, of course, and tremendous television.

Look at Kikau’s stats and they don’t stand out, but that’s never really been his game. It’s all about moments, game-changing interventions in both attack and defence. Friday afternoon was full of them – just ask Wighton.

Luca Moretti (Parramatta)

A bench forward who got sin-binned might be a strange option, but then again, Parramatta are doing something strange with their middle rotation.

J’maine Hopgood wears the 13 but only plays it for a small portion of the game, with Dylan Walker coming on as a link man and a succession of other interchange forwards taking on the yardage.

Moretti was the best of the lot, bringing a huge amount of aggression to wrest control of the game away from the powerful Tigers pack, and even if it did spill over into a push-and-shove with Sunia Turuva that saw both sat down, the impact it had on the game was telling.

For what it’s worth, the same role could have also gone to Sam Tuivati, who laid out Jack Bird then ran over him for a try, or Walker himself, who added plenty when he came on. Moretti did it most and for longest, so he gets out nod as a symbol of the collective.

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