Round 25 NRL Team of the Week: Marky Mark and the Mudgee miracle men lead the way

This weekend was all about the battle between the individual and the collective.

For the soloist, there were the 350th game celebrations for Daly Cherry-Evans and Ben Hunt, plus the stunning one-man show from Mark Nawaqanitawase.

For the orchestra, we saw some of the best team tries of the year – indeed, in NRL history – at both Mudgee and Leichhardt Oval, two grand old grounds from the golden age of full-credit-to-the-boys, tall poppy footy.

What do you do if you have to pick a team of individuals, then? Well, cut Dozer and DCE for one. Marky Mark, you can stay.

Here’s the rest of this week’s XIII.

1. Kaeo Weekes (Raiders)

He provided the moment of the round – if not the whole season – with a spectacular try to win Friday night’s clash for the Raiders, but it wasn’t even the best thing Weekes did in the match.

He had to be on hand to finish it, but had previously clocked up a ridiculous 240m with ball in hand over 22 carries. The final one might have been the most impactful, but they all added up.

2. Mark Nawaqanitawase (Roosters)

The Roosters were almost completely useless on Saturday in defeat to the Eels, but their winger was exceptional.

Marky Mark has already made a name for himself as a guy who plays without fear, showing a willingness to promote the footy and try spectacular things that will always get him picked in a Trent Robinson side.

He had a series of superb moments – and by the end, was being allowed to roam the field by his coach just to get his hands on the footy more. That’s a huge compliment.

3. Casey McLean (Panthers)

The Panthers centre is first pick in our ‘there’s no substitute for speed’ pairing this week thanks to his two try performance.

Matt Timoko has been one of the league’s best for several years, but was given an almighty bath by McLean, who cruised past him like he wasn’t there for two tries.

4. Tolu Koula (Manly)

If you’re talking speed in the centres, then few can match Tolu Koula. The Manly back has been their best in just about every game for months, to the point where you can judge how well they’re going by how early he’s getting the footy.

The Dolphins were kind enough to give him the freedom of 4 Pines Park – and were punished to the tune of a try, a line break assist and a massive nine tackle breaks.

His try, set up by Daly Cherry-Evans, was the sort of glorious nonsense that this time of year is all about.

5. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (Warriors)

This was game 229 for RTS, who has accumulated quietly since returning to the NRL. Two more were added this weekend, alongside over 200m.

This has been his purplest patch since coming back to the NRL. It’s four in his last five now, Roger’s best return since a hot streak late on in 2020, and six of seven games with over 200 running metres as well.

Crossing the stripe has been his major issue since he came back, because largely, the rest of his game has been there.

Since transitioning to a full-time job on the wing for the first time since his Roosters career over a decade ago, RTS has excelled in yardage and defence

The Wahs have failed to get the most out of their man in attack, but if they can now find him more regularly, the sky’s the limit for one of the most exciting players around.

6. Jarome Luai (Tigers)

We’ve ignored a lot of milestone men this round, so let’s put some love in for 200-gamer Jarome Luai.

The five eighth scored his first try in Tigers colours and put in arguably his best performance too, adding a further three line break assists – two of which became tries – to dominate the Cowboys.

Unfortunately for him, the defence collapsed at the end and robbed Romey of a win on his big day. When you’ve had as many as he has, it probably doesn’t matter.

7. Mitch Moses (Eels)

It takes a lot to knock two 350 gamers from the halfback position this week, but Mitch Moses did just that.

His showing to down the Roosters was a reminder of everything he has to offer – and as ever, it started with the boot.

Moses terrorised the Roosters back three with his kicking, especially when paired with Zac Lomax on the wing, and continually moved his side out of trouble through distance kicking as well.

When the game was on the line, he showed all his nous too, picking the perfect moment to go himself and ultimately grab the try that ensured the Eels would take the two points.

8. Eddie Ieremia-Toeava (Warriors)

Things didn’t start too well for the Warriors – James Fisher-Harris was leathered by Tino Fa’asuamaleaui in the first hit up and lost the ball. His opposing pack leader scored seconds later, too, through some very dubious Wahs defence.

Good job Eddie Ieremia-Toeava was there to rescue the day. The prop only played 44 minutes, but topped the metre count among forwards, from fewer runs than Fish as well, while managing to cross the stripe for the first time in the NRL on the way.

9. Ryley Smith (Eels)

There’s been a lot of Parramatta hooker discourse of late after Mitch Moses unleashed an Olympic-standard bollocking on Tallyn Da Silva a few weeks ago after he failed on multiple occasions to deliver sufficiently early ball to his halfback.

TDS had been told explicitly not to run, not to even hint at running and just to dish off the floor – yet somehow managed not to.

No such problems for Ryley Smith. His gameplan in defeating the Roosters harked back to the Brad Arthur/Reed Mahoney glory days – well, as glorious as they ever are for Parra – with a huge 111 possessions for zero runs.

In doing so, the maximum amount of ball reached Moses, who won them the game, and Smith also topped the tackle count. Pass the ball, tackle your man. It’s not that hard, Tallyn.

10. Jason Taumalolo (Cowboys)

You could split the Cowboys’ performance against the Tigers into two sections – when Taumalolo was on the field and when he wasn’t.

The big Tongan rolled back the years with an impactful performance to help spark a superb comeback from North Queensland.

His 16 carries were worth exactly 160m – the golden ten metre per run – and perhaps most importantly, 60m of that total was post-contact – using his leg speed to win rucks that gave the halves something to play with.

11. Tallis Duncan (Souths)

A bit of a cheat this week as he played in the centres again, but Duncan is a backrower by trade so we’ll sneak him in.

That’s three appearances on the spin for the Souths young gun, who is now both a yardage and tryscoring machine.

He bashed out 21 carries here, crossed the stripe and set one up in difficult conditions. South Sydney aren’t back, but they are certainly looking a lot better even though they have nothing to play for. Duncan, not for the first time, was their best on ground.

12. Eliesa Katoa (Melbourne)

We could just copy and paste from Teams of the Week passim for Eli Katoa, who remains one of the best edge forwards in the NRL.

He dominated against Canterbury, picking up his customary try – now 11 for the season, the most of any forward – and pumping out over 130m as well.

13. Corey Horsburgh (Raiders)

Corey Horsburgh has been so good for the Raiders this year that it’s hard to remember that, in 2024, he played just five games in the NRL – and while he was injured and suspended for some of that, Big Red was picked seven times in NSW Cup. Ricky Stuart simply did not fancy him.

It’s been a rollercoaster that has gone from Origin to NSW Cup and to the top of the table in three consecutive years. That’s Canberra though, and as spirit animals go, Horsburgh is about as fitting as they get.

Friday was him mixing it with the very best and coming out on top: a massive 51 tackles in the middle the highlight of the lot.