3 minute read

A snapshot of round 13 NRL action, where Manly thrashed the Warriors and Penrith cruised past Canterbury without their key players.

MAN OF THE ROUND: Joey Manu's Sydney Roosters might have lost to Canberra, but it hardly took away from one the season's top individual performers. Manu found 300m, 14 tackle busts, seven offloads and a try assist as he filled in at fullback.

STAT THAT MATTERS: The Raiders have won their past seven matches when missing their State of Origin stars. For a team that relies so heavily on the magic of Jack Wighton and Josh Papali'i, it's certainly an impressive statistic.

MAGIC MOMENT: Corey Horsburgh's huge charge down on a Luke Keary kick. The Raider prop's hustle and awareness made the huge play happen, and he had the smarts to find Seb Kris to score the vital try.

QUOTE OF THE ROUND: "It was a silver lining. I got to captain my club at home, which was really pleasing being a local junior" - Jake Trbojevic on his NSW State of Origin axing. You can always count on the senior Trbojevic brother to find a heartwarming positive no matter the situation.

TALKING POINT: What can the NRL do with pre-Origin rounds? The league goes back to three of them next year, with up to 18 matches likely to be played without the game's best talent.

CASUALTY WARD: Titans - Jayden Campbell (hamstring); Sea Eagles - Karl Lawton (knee).

JUDICIARY WATCH: Bulldogs - Kyle Flanagan (dangerous throw), Raiders - Zac Woolford (dangerous tackle), Jordan Rapana (kicking).

UNDER PRESSURE: Nathan Brown. The Warriors too often fail to turn up early in the matches, and their boss has put his hand up to take responsibility for that. Languishing at 4-9 after a 32-point humbling at the hands of Manly, they simply must improve in the back half of the year.