NRL Team of the Week: Rabbitohs, Melbourne stars named with English duo

Sometimes, you just have to accept that the good guys are very good. 

Some big hitters returned to the NRL for Round 5 and two, Nathan Cleary and Latrell Mitchell, immediately set to work reminding everyone what they have missed. Cameron Munster, who has played but often underwhelmed, was also right back in form.

In Parramatta, it was a return-a-thon with Clint Gutherson and Zac Lomax trading places and impressing, while in Canberra, the edges dominated.

Let’s not give it all away up top, though: here’s your Love Rugby League NRL team of the week.

Clint Gutherson (Dragons)

A first return to Parramatta was always going to be a big occasion for Gutho. He’s never really needed an excuse to get stuck in, but from the first carry he was booed – despite Parra telling him to leave, not the other way around.

They shouldn’t have poked the bear. Gutherson scored twice, both characteristically committed efforts.

He’s never been in the uppermost echelons of fullbacks – the Latrell Mitchell, James Tedesco, Tom Trbojevic tier – but he’s a player that has absolutely maximised his talent and who exudes leadership.

Grant Anderson (Storm)

Being the back-up back at Melbourne isn’t always a happy job, given the superb standard of their first choice options. It’s a role that requires a lot of patience.

Nick Meaney did it for a while until he made himself undroppable, and now Grant Anderson is doing something similar.

He’s filled in across the centres and wings, including a late switch to the flank this week on gameday as Craig Bellamy reshuffled his backline.

Xavier Coates is now injured and Will Warbrick didn’t make the kick off with concussion after effects, opening the door for Anderson to stake a longer term claim.

After a hat trick at Manly and heap of yardage, he’s done everything possible to show he won’t let anyone down.

Latrell Mitchell (Souths)

The Bunnies welcomed back Latrell Mitchell for his first game of the year, moving Jack Wighton from left centre to the right to accommodate their superstar while maintaining the impressive Jye Gray at fullback.

In the first half, they had a mammoth 43 tackles in Easts’ end – the Chooks themselves managed just 7 – but managed just one line break.

Parking their best player on the left meant that Easts knew exactly where the ball was going to go, all of the time, and while Latrell is good, he’s not a miracle worker.

Then, Souths saw three players – including both halves – suffer hamstring injuries.

Jamie Humphreys went off in the opening stages, followed by Cody Walker at half time and Mikaele Ravalawa in the second stanza.

They needed someone to win it for them – and it was always going to be Latrell.

His 20m cutout pass to get Isaiah Tass over at the corner was one that pretty much only he could throw. It was spectacular stuff.

Zac Lomax (Eels)

There was a reception from the home fans for Clint Gutherson, but it was nothing compared to that meted out on Zac Lomax from the visitors at CommBank Stadium.

Lomax walked out on the Dragons to join Parramatta on the proviso that he play in the centre, despite having received rep honours on the wing.

Though he had the 4 on his back, Lomax lined up on the wing anyway – and it’d be a brave move to shift him from it after this showing.

The set starts were excellent and, with 20 runs, he got through a power of work. In attack, Lomax was freed from positional responsibility in the attacking shape and found himself moving around where he could make an impact.

And, in a tight game, he was the difference: 5/5 off the tee and the crucial field goal in Golden Point to grab Parra’s first victory of the season.

Jamayne Isaako (Dolphins)

The Dolphins winger has rebuilt his career from something of a laughing stock, languishing in the Queensland Cup, to an international level winger.

He’s never going to be among the elite of the elite, but he does bring a reliable yardage presence and, crucially for his side, a huge boot.

Isaako landed 8/8 in Redcliffe’s first win of the year, set up the game breaking try and scored one himself late on to ice it. In between, there was the usual bulk yardage,

He even nearly potted a long-range drop goal – a bit of a trademark – which would have put the cherry on the cake.

Cameron Munster (Storm)

The Storm five eighth is so good that, when he’s not, you notice. Expectations are so high pretty much all the time.

Last year was, despite the Grand Final appearance, a bit of an off-year for Munster. It didn’t feel completely right and there was a knowledge that he was permanently a little injured, even if he managed to get on the field.

Now, he’s back to his best. The first half at Manly was as good as Munster has looked in a long time, setting up the first and scoring the second. For everyone else, it’s ominous.

Nathan Cleary (Panthers)

The world’s best player returned to action after a concussion and, within 20 minutes, he had stamped his authority all over the game.

When the Cowboys went ahead early, Cleary took over. In one set, he touched the ball on just about every play, dictating both tempo and direction.

On the next, he took on the line in his own half, bamboozled Jake Clifford and created a try to equalise.

Five minutes later, he produced a genuinely stupendous kick that arced around the posts and popped up perfectly for Izack Tago to dot down. Everyone looked on, unbelieving, imagining how the ball had ended up where it had.

In the second half, when the Panthers were rocking, the halfback was forced to kick from his own 20m line – and produced a superb spiralling bomb that forced an error. It kept Penrith in the game.

Cleary was consistently excellent, but found nobody to go with him. He didn’t deserve to lose.

Max King (Bulldogs)

There’s a lot of unsung heroes running around in the front row position. It’s easy to see the big boppers, bashing people out of the way and putting shots on, but most teams are lucky to have one of those types. You need the other guy too.

Jake Trbojevic is the archetype for this, the tackling machine who takes hit-ups and rarely makes mistakes. If Jurbo misses out on Origin this year, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Max King take his place.

He’s doing the same gig for the Doggies, getting up in faces and bringing blokes to earth. This week was bulk hit-ups, 18 for 180m (hitting the golden 10m average mark) and a huge 32 tackles with zero misses. As prop forward performances come, that’s about perfect.

Reed Mahoney (Bulldogs)

The Doggies are hard-edged, close to the line and intense. Their hooker is that incarnate, leading the league’s best line speed to get right in the face of opponents.

When he was at Parramatta, Mahoney was known most for his superb work off the deck, but at Canterbury, he’s added a level of aggression and leadership that fits the club perfectly.

This week was all about that in a tight game, skirting just about on the right side of the officials.

There was tone-setting in defence, but also in attack, with several crucial kicks to turn Newcastle around and make them come back hard.

Xavier Willison (Broncos)

The Broncos already have one of the best prop combos in the world in Payne Haas and Pat Carrigan – and if teams think they’ll get a respite when one goes off, they’re out of luck.

Cook Islands bench forward Xavier Willison has come on leaps and bounds since the start of the year, bringing all of his 6’6ft, 114 kgs frame to bear on tiring defensive lines.

The Wests Tigers didn’t know what hit them. Willison’s first try was all about strength, pulling an arm from nowhere to dot the ball down, but his second was even better, running a hard line that recognised where Cory Paix wanted to put him through a hole.

Matty Nicholson (Raiders)

It’s been a dream start in Australia for the former Wigan and Warrington man, who scored within ten minutes on his debut against Brisbane and five minutes this weekend against Cronulla.

Tryscoring, obviously, catches the eye – and, remember, he average one in three at the Wire – but there’s far more to Nicholson than that.

The backrower has carried up his elusiveness and toughness from the Super League, and the Raiders fans already love him for it.

John Bateman was one of their favourite sons for precisely those two reasons. Canberra have a team that can lack structure but encourages players who can play close to the line and off the cuff. That’s suiting Nicholson down to the ground.

Hudson Young (Raiders)

Sticking with the backrow in the capital, there’s Hudson Young. Like Mahoney exemplifies the Dogs, so Young does with the Raiders – so tough, but also so unconventional.

This is a guy who puts on shots, gets to kicks, hits the line hard and makes huge plays – nobody in the NRL records more one-on-one steals or forces more defensive turnovers.

There are weeks when he’s useless, too, where nothing sticks or when the ref decides that the acceptable amount of violence is lower than Hudson would like.

When that doesn’t happen – and it didn’t on Thursday – Young is as good as anyone.

Lachlan Hubner (Souths)

Lachlan Hubner is a proper battler. At 25, he went to Souths having played just three NRL games and started just one. He’d been a Redcliffe Dolphin – but in the sense that he was playing for the Q Cup side that retains the geographical indicator.

Hubner wouldn’t have had much confidence that he’d do much better at South Sydney, where captain Cameron Murray and heir apparent Tallis Duncan were ahead of him in the pecking order for the 13 jumper.

Since Murray went down, however, Hubner has beaten out Duncan to the job and impressed.

His assist for Tevita Tatola to open the scoring against the Roosters was pure class, but beyond that, it was all the defence – Hubner topped the tackle count ahead of hooker Peter Mamouzelos, despite playing 20 minutes fewer.