$800k masterstroke as Walsh debate over; ugly blame game not fooling anyone — Crawls

Those adamant Nathan Cleary should be suspended for his dangerous contact on Hugo Savala on Sunday should go back and watch Zac Hosking’s hit on Reece Walsh in last year’s finals series.

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The fact is Hosking escaped with a grade one charge and a fine for what was a very similar incident.

So this is not about making a case for Cleary just because he is the game’s best player.

But the flip side is former Manly forward Josh Aloiai received a grade two charge and a one-match ban for a similar tackle on Shaun Johnson in 2024.

There was plenty of controversy about that one at the time with Braith Anasta declaring on NRL 360: “I’m questioning whether it was a penalty myself.”

Others were of the opinion it warranted a suspension.

But what we saw on Sunday is just not worthy of a suspension, regardless of whether it is for a prelim final or a regular season game.

And it shouldn’t matter if it’s the best player in the game, or a battler like Hosking.

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EDWARDS SHOULD BE FIRST KANGAROO PICKED

Talk coming out of Queensland last week was that Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow is chasing $1.4 million a season on his next deal.

What would that make Dylan Edwards worth on the open market?

Thankfully for Penrith, Edwards is locked up until the end of 2028 on a reported $850,000 a season.

But if that figure is close to the mark, Edwards is the bargain buy of the NRL.

I love Hammer and the excitement he brings, and he was also brilliant carving up the Warriors late in the Dolphins’ win on Saturday.

But if you had to pick one fullback to play for your life, I know who I’m choosing.

Take Cleary out of the equation and Edwards is the second most influential player in the game.

He was easily the best on ground against the Roosters, and he’s been tremendous all season.

It would be an injustice if he is not Australia’s fullback for the World Cup.

Edwards went on tour with the Kangaroos to England last year but ended up playing second fiddle to Reece Walsh.

Yet Edwards has taken his game to another level since losing his NSW spot to Teddy this year.

He shouldn’t be playing second fiddle to anyone when Kevvie Walters names his team this year.

DID WALKER’S PRICE TAG JUST GO UP?

Sam Walker’s stint on the sidelines certainly hasn’t impacted his price tag.

There was a period in the second half when James Tedesco and Daly Cherry-Evans seemed to be getting in each other’s way.

And they desperately needed Walker’s creativity and ability to make something out of nothing.

The most telling stat was that they couldn’t score a single point during the 10 minutes Cleary was off the field.

I also don’t think I’ve ever seen DCE strike a worse field goal attempt than the bludger that missed the mark in this game.

Apparently, Walker is back running and could be in line to play if they make it through to the prelim.

First they have to get past the Sharks.

TRINDALL WON’T GET SAME LATITUDE AGAINST ROOSTERS

Braydon Trindall’s effort to lead the Sharks to victory over the Cowboys was incredibly brave.

Just a month after dislocating his shoulder, you could tell from the opening minutes he was struggling just to stay on the field.

And while the Sharks did a good job protecting him, the Cowboys missed an opportunity not directing more traffic at him.

The fact Trindall only had to make nine tackles says plenty about the lack of thought that went into North Queensland’s attack.

In comparison DCE made 29 tackles against the Panthers on Sunday, and he wasn’t injured.

You can guarantee the Roosters won’t give Trindall the same latitude this week.

NO QUESTION WHO IS CRONULLA’S MOST IMPORTANT PLAYER

There is no question who is the Sharks’ most important player.

Trindall completely transformed Cronulla’s attack.

He not only helped unlock Nicho Hynes, but he tormented the Cowboys’ back three with his kicking game, while giving the Sharks the direction they had been missing in recent weeks.

Will Kennedy was also terrific, as were Sione Katoa and Ronaldo Mulitalo, while Sifa Talakai was a wrecking ball off the bench.

Addin Fonua-Blake was also tremendous, particularly during a dominant opening stint.

But it all comes back to the return of Trindall.

WOEFUL COWBOYS NEED TO LOOK BEYOND BLAMING JUST DRINKWATER

After all the wonderful things Scott Drinkwater has done for the Cowboys, it’s such a shame his final game for the club was so disappointing.

Drinkwater finished with four errors and will be ruing some costly moments including that intercept pass that Katoa latched onto early in the second half that was a massive moment.

But look at the numbers across the board and this was a collective masterclass in self-sabotage.

As brave as they were defensively, the Cowboys finished with 15 errors overall, completed at just 69 per cent, missed 47 tackles and conceded nine penalties.

You simply can’t produce numbers like that in sudden-death football and expect to survive.

While Drinkwater won’t be there next year, Todd Payten still has a huge job ahead of him to overhaul the mindset of a team that has been far too inconsistent for way too long.

That’s the most frustrating part of watching the Cowboys play.

With leaders like Tom Dearden and Reuben Cotter, it’s hard to fathom why this team still can’t get its act together when it matters most.

‘EMBARRASING’ RIGHT WORD TO DESCRIBE CRONULLA’S CONSTANT COMPLAINING

Nicho Hynes labelled the disappointing crowd of 17,429 at Allianz Stadium on Saturday night “a bit embarrassing”.

What is embarrassing is that Cronulla whinge and whinge about not getting the game at home.

But as Gorden Tallis point out on Triple M: “The Dolphins fans have to travel twice as far as Sharks, but they will still get 52,000.”

WARRIORS HALVES FALL SHORT

Chanel Harris-Tavita and Te Maire Martin have justifiably earned plenty of praise this season.

But the Warriors halves fell well short against the Dolphins given the platform their forwards provided for most of the match.

They should have put that game away long before the Dolphins came charging home.

For all the possession and momentum the Warriors enjoyed, the fact they finished with just one try compared to the Dolphins’ four highlighted the lack of spark and creativity in their attack.

Their kicking game also failed to build enough pressure when they had the chance to take control.

Harris-Tavita and Martin have done a terrific job getting the Warriors this far, but finals football demands more.

They’ll need to find another gear against Newcastle.

EDGES TORN TO SHREDS

As for their edge defence, that’s three weeks in a row now the Warriors have been torn apart.

Newcastle gave them a huge scare in round 26 despite playing almost the entire match with 12 men, before Manly found similar success in the final round.

Leka Halasima’s late withdrawal certainly didn’t help against the Dolphins.

But the way Herbie Farnworth, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow and Jack Bostock exposed them in that final 20 minute period surely must concern Andrew Webster.

Farnworth was outstanding with 261m, 13 tackle busts, a try and two try assists.

PONGA CAN LEAD KNIGHTS TO UPSET IN AUCKLAND

Newcastle will head to Auckland knowing they have the strike to target those same weaknesses.

Kalyn Ponga was brilliant against Souths with 243m and 15 tackle busts, while Dom Young had 173m, eight tackle busts and three linebreaks.

Greg Marzhew added 218m and eight tackle busts, with Dane Gagai and Bradman Best also topping 100m.

If the Warriors’ edge defence doesn’t improve dramatically, Newcastle have exactly the weapons to make them pay.

KATOA’S COMPOSURE A KEY FOR DOLPHINS

How impressive is Isaiya Katoa for a 22-year-old?

No wonder Kristian Woolf has shown such faith in this incredibly talented young halfback by making him captain at such a young age.

Just watching Katoa interviewed on Fox League before kick-off on Saturday, what stood out was how composed and relaxed he looked so close to kick off.

This was minutes before a huge NRL top-four final, yet there was barely a hint of nerves.

Then he went out and played exactly the same way.

Despite the Dolphins being on the back foot for the entire first half, Katoa never panicked or tried to force his hand.

He just kept his composure, waited for the momentum to turn and, when his opportunity arrived, he nailed it.

COACH OF THE YEAR DEBATE BLOWN WIDE OPEN

As for the Dolphins coach, Kristian Woolf has well and truly stepped out of Wayne Bennett’s giant shadow.

I went off early a couple of weeks ago declaring Andrew Webster the standout for Dally M Coach of the Year.

But both Woolf and Justin Holbrook have forced themselves right into that conversation.

What Holbrook has done building belief in last year’s wooden spooners has been remarkable, while the game plan he devised to take down South Sydney should not be underestimated.

The Knights used the final-round bye to prepare for the Rabbitohs and executed the plan almost perfectly.

But you could make just as strong a case for Woolf.

He has done an outstanding job developing the Dolphins’ young talent.

Now they’re one win away from a grand final and heading back to Suncorp, where they have won their past eight games.

GAGAI TURNS BACK THE CLOCK

One of the most important performances of the weekend came from the veteran Dane Gagai.

You wouldn’t have blamed the 35-year-old for having nightmares in the build-up given the way Latrell Mitchell towelled him up earlier in the season.

But Gagai’s response on Friday night could not have been more emphatic.

The way he got under Latrell’s skin early set the tone, and he backed it up with an important try.

IS A PUNCH NOT A SIN BIN?

That said, how was Gagai not sin-binned for the sneaky punch on Latrell while he had hold of his jumper?

Gagai not only got away with it, somehow Newcastle ended up with the penalty.

How the bunker missed it is a dead-set joke.

The same goes for how there were two players sin binned for the melee in the game between the Warriors and Dolphins.

But in the Souths/Newcastle game and also in the Penrith/Roosters game it was play on.

No wonder there is so much frustration when it comes to the lack of consistency across the board.

NO-NAMES KEEP GETTING THE JOB DONE

What about the effort of Newcastle’s unheralded forwards, who more than matched South Sydney’s star-studded pack without starting props Jacob Saifiti and Trey Mooney?

At just 20, Cody Hopwood ran for 129m from 17 carries.

Veteran Tyson Frizell also finished with 129m, while Jermaine McEwen was enormous with 160m from 17 carries and two tries.

Francis Manuleleau was just as impressive in his return from a dislocated elbow.

Now there is talk Dylan Lucas could return from injury this week.

Given Manuleleau’s form, that leaves Holbrook with one of the best headaches a coach can have.

BIG DECISIONS COMING AT SOUTHS

With so many South Sydney players coming off contract at the end of next year, some big decisions are coming sooner rather than later.

They were flat from the opening whistle and maybe that was the result of the emotional rollercoaster they’ve been riding in recent weeks.

But whatever the reason, they simply didn’t match Newcastle’s energy or intent _ and the Knights also looked significantly fitter.

The moment Cody Walker was forced off, Souths’ hopes went with him.

There will be plenty of soul-searching over the summer.

Even with Payne Haas arriving, they need Latrell Mitchell to have a huge pre-season and the same applies to Brandon Smith.

In truth, that challenge goes right across the roster.

Plenty will argue Souths need to recruit a top-shelf halfback.

But that doesn’t appear to be the plan given Wayne Bennett’s faith in Ashton Ward and Jayden Sullivan developing into quality playmakers.

The bigger concern is Cody turning 37 next year and the fact injuries continue to take a toll on him.

I hope I’m wrong, but I just can’t see how he can go on another full season and be ready to strike when the big end-of-season games arrive.

Yet he is so crucial to the Rabbitohs they just can’t afford for him to retire before they find a like-for-like replacement.

WARRIORS NOT WITHOUT HEROES

The Warriors’ defeat certainly wasn’t through any lack of effort from Taine Tuaupiki or front-rowers James Fisher-Harris and Mitchell Barnett.

Tuaupiki was the most dangerous player on the field until the Dolphins caught fire late.

He finished with 206m from 19 runs, scored a brilliant solo try after beating four defenders and was also faultless with the boot.

Up front, Fisher-Harris and Barnett were enormous.

Fisher-Harris finished with 152m from 20 runs and made 35 tackles.

Barnett was just as willing, charging for 140m from 16 runs and adding 25 tackles without taking a backward step.

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