The greatest game of all has delivered one of the greatest opening months we’ve ever seen with thrilling contests unfolding everywhere.
There’s been action on and off the field, with rugby defections, superstars hitting the open market, and surprising trades.
Here are my observations and predictions after the first four rounds.
WIGHTON HEADED FOR WAYNE TOWN
Jack Wighton dropped a bombshell on the Raiders this week by telling the club he’s heading to the open market - and I think he could land at the Dolphins.
Wighton has won the Dally M Medal, Clive Churchill Medal, a World Cup with the Kangaroos and two State of Origin series with NSW.
The 30-year-old deserves to get paid handsomely in what will be his last big contract, and while there are several potential landing spots, joining Wayne Bennett makes the most sense.
The Knights can’t afford him, the Titans and Sharks have five-eighths Kieran Foran and Matt Moylan contracted until the end of 2024, and Wighton is too good a player to join the Tigers.
Parramatta could potentially play Wighton at fullback and move Clint Gutherson into the centres, but they’d also struggle to make it work under the cap.
Dolphins teenager Isaiya Katoa is currently playing No. 6 but he’s an out-and-out halfback as he doesn’t have the running game to be a threat with the ball.
That means Wighton’s potential arrival spells bad news for Sean O’Sullivan’s future as Bennett’s first-choice No. 7.
O’Sullivan is a great person with a sharp footy brain who I think will make a fantastic coach one day, but he’s not a franchise halfback.
Bennett has been chasing a marquee man and rugby league resumes don’t come much better than Wighton’s.
The only thing working against the playmaker is he’s not a Queenslander, but Bennett tends to forgive a fair bit for special talents.
PICK SUAALII WHILE YOU STILL CAN
Joseph Suaalii’s $5 million move to rugby union won’t factor into Brad Fittler’s NSW selection calculations - and nor should it.
Fittler is coaching for his Blues career, which is dependent on results in 2023 not 2025, so he’ll pick the best available players.
Suaalii is a serious talent and he should replace incumbent No. 5 Daniel Tupou. I don’t think Josh Addo-Carr will earn a recall despite his World Cup heroics.
There was a reason Josh Addo-Carr was dropped last year, there was something Fittler saw that he lacked in the Origin arena and I don’t think that’s changed.
Suaalii should have been picked last year over Tupou as I believe the teenager is an extreme talent who is ready for Origin.
We’ve got two years left of him in the game so blow the wheels off it. He’s passionate about playing rugby league right now so use him, he’s a gamebreaker.
Fittler won’t care about Suaalii joining rugby in 2025 because he needs him now and the young gun won’t let him down.
KNIGHTS LOOKING BATTLE-HARDENED
The tide is turning in Newcastle.
They’re starting to play a style I haven’t seen in four or five five years.
They’re moving the ball really well, there’s confidence in their attitude, they’re showing resilience and connection within the group that I haven’t seen in a long time.
I watched their last two games from the hill and there was a real effort in defence and their kick chase and as a group they’re more connectable than I’ve ever seen before.
They beat an understrength Raiders so I recognise the competition wasn’t great but I can see the group is changing.
Their middles and the players that aren’t on a lot of money are really standing up, while Lachie Miller has proven a sensational signing.
Mat Croker and Lachlan Fitzgibbon are in great form and Jackson Hastings is a No.7 they can rely on to get them around the park.
It’s quite refreshing to watch them play and I think I’m one of the Knights’ toughest judges.
FIVE-MAN BENCH THE WAY FORWARD
The NRL should go to a five-man bench but teams would still only be able to use four players - hear me out.
Teams losing a star player to injury has a real impact on the product and the competitiveness of a game.
In the NFL, the quarterback is the star of the show and in the NFC Championship Game last season San Francisco lost both of theirs and it completely ruined the contest.
Now you’re going to be allowed to carry a third quarterback as the NFL looks to mitigate the chances of that disaster repeating.
At the end of the day we need to find that balance between player safety and also maintaining a great product.
If you have five options on the bench but still only play four, it gives you a wider range because you can carry another playmaker.
They might not play but if your halfback or fullback goes down, it gives you the option to stop the game potentially turning into a fizzer.
Currently, you can only activate the 18th Man after two failed HIAs but often that takes too long to happen anyway.
We need to make sure the product doesn’t suffer when a key position goes down.
