The Raiders have received a timely boost with gun second-rower Matty Nicholson primed for an NRL return on the eve of finals.
Storm speedster Sua Fa’alaogo is returned after an eight-week stint on the sideline, while Karl Oloapu has taken a significant step towards an NRL return after a neck injury threatened to end his career.
A couple of Bulldogs wingers impressed in their audition to replace the injured Jacob Kiraz, Bailey Simonsson is back in the mix for the Eels and Daly Cherry-Evans’ long-term successor put on a show.
All of that and more in the latest Reserve Grade Wrap.
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Broncos looking to lock in Top Four | 01:57
FINALS LOCKED IN
You can’t help but feel for the Panthers’ New South Wales Cup side, who felt the brunt of Ivan Cleary’s decision to rest 16 players last week.
Penrith’s Cup side sat fifth heading into the final round of the season and needed to beat the Raiders to lock in their finals spot.
Instead, they were defeated 34-8 and Canberra leapfrogged them to take the final spot in the top five.
The Panthers’ Jersey Flegg side was also impacted and after losing to the Raiders, dropped from second to fourth. While they’ve still made finals, they’ve lost their second chance.
The Eels, Dragons and Jets all suffered last-round defeats but were already locked in to play finals, while the Warriors will enjoy this weekend off after securing the minor premiership four weeks ago.
Burleigh Bears won Queensland Cup’s minor premiership with a 38-14 win over Sunshine Coast on Sunday. The result saw them leapfrog Norths Devils, who are chasing their fourth premiership in five years.
Wynnum-Manly Sea Gulls, Townsville Blackhawks, Redcliffe Dolpins, PNG Hunters, Sunshine Coast Falcons and Ipswich Jets make up the rest of the top eight.
ALL EYES WERE ON…
With Raiders coach Ricky Stuart expected to rest a bunch of players this weekend, Matty Nicholson’s return from injury couldn’t have come at a better time.
Nicholson returned a fortnight ago from a syndesmosis injury and fractured fibula that sidelined him for over three months.
The 22-year-old eased his way back into his first game, but made it clear on the weekend that he’s ready for an NRL return with a rock-solid performance that included a try, 75 metres and 37 tackles — no misses.
Kaeo Weekes, Ethan Strange and Josh Papalii are among those that are expected to be rested this week. That means Chevy Steewart, Ethan Sanders and Trey Mooney will likely earn a call-up.
Stewart ran amok in NSW Cup, finishing with 196 metres and two tackle busts, while Sanders was also busy with a try, two tackle busts, 107 metres and 18 tackles — one miss.
Mooney will join the Raiders’ pack off a dominant performance in Cup with a try assist, a linebreak, four tackle busts, 122 metres and 39 tackles — one miss.
The Dogs have a big hole to plug after Jacob Kiraz suffered an ankle injury and it’ll be filled by either Enari Tuala, Jethro Rinakama and Blake Wilson — all of which impressed on the weekend.
Tuala, who has previously filled in on the wing this season, bagged a double, set up a try, had a linebreak, two linebreak assists, three tackle busts and 172 running metres.
Wilson has had limited opportunities this season but will also come into contention. The 25-year-old finished with a try, a linebreak, four tackle busts and 148 metres in the big win over the Dragons.
Then there’s 19-year-old Rinakama, who debuted in Round 19. The local junior scored a try, set another up, got two linebreaks and ran 158 metres in the Cup win.
The Bulldogs’ depth received a handy boost too ahead of finals with Blake Taaffe returning from a hamstring injury. Taaffe, who is off to the Super League next season, set up two tries in what was his first game since Round 17.
Melbourne also welcomed back a key player in Sua Fa’alogo. The exciting fullback has been sidelined with a hamstring injury but has returned just in time for finals and will provide valuable depth for the backs — or perhaps some x-factor off the bench.
Fa’alogo played 60 minutes for Sunshine Coast Falcons, finishing with 88 running metres and two tackle busts.
Phins keep finals alive in QLD derby | 02:02
Manly will farewell veteran halfback Daly Cherry-Evans this weekend with the 36-year-old set to play his last NRL game for the club — or maybe forever — against the Warriors. Jamal Fogarty has been signed as his replacement but young playmaker Joey Walsh has been tipped by many to be Manly’s long-term half.
Walsh, who has been 18th man for the last two weeks, was rumoured to be very close to an NRL debut and showed exactly what he’s capable of in a stunning outing in NSW Cup.
The 19-year-old scored two tries, set up another, got two linebreaks, two linebreak assists, 10 tackle busts and ran 187 metres. He also made 14 tackles, but did miss four.
Meanwhile, Bailey Simonsson lined up for the Eels in NSW Cup in what was his first game since reports emerged that he had requested an early release from his contract after falling down the pecking order of centres.
Simonsson was reportedly frustrated with Jason Ryles’ decision to play the departing Dylan Brown ahead of him in the centres when Sean Russell got injured.
The 27-year-old was granted some time off but has since returned and played on the wing, finishing with 12 runs for 105 metres.
And there was a familiar face on the bench for the Dolphins in their 34-16 win over Mackay Cutters — Karl Oloapu. The 20-year-old was released from his contract with the Bulldogs after suffering a career-threatening neck injury.
Oloapu moved home to live with his family in Redcliffe and just over a month ago returned to the field via Brisbane’s A-grade competition.
He took another big step on the weekend by playing off the bench in Queensland Cup, finishing with three runs for 25 metres, three tackle busts and 17 tackles — two misses — in 24 minutes.
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STANDOUTS
A playmaking masterclass from Adam Cook put an exclamation mark on his dominant season with the 24-year-old finishing first in NSW Cup for try assists.
Cook set up four tries against the Panthers to take his tally to 29 assists in 23 games this season, while he also finished as top pointscorer too with seven tries in 97 goals.
Boom winger Jensen Taumoepeau had a day out for the Green Machine, finishing with two tries, two linebreaks, seven tackle busts and 236 running metres.
The Warriors will put their feet up this weekend after securing the minor premiership month ago. They finished off the regular season with a 20-12 win over the Knights, which their five-eighth Luke Hanson starred in.
The 21-year-old set up two tries, got a linebreak, four linebreak assists, nine tackle busts and ran 165 metres. He also made 17 tackles with no misses.
Bulldogs winger Jonathan Sua was unstoppable, scoring two tries and setting up another in his side’s thrashing of the Dragons. Sua also finished with a linebreak, two linebreak assists, nine tackle busts and a game-high of 238 metres.
Meanwhile, Jed Reardon — son of Steve, who played 164 games for the Bulldogs — had his best game to date in NSW Cup. The Temora product, who is still eligible for Jersey Flegg, notched up a try, a try assist, three linebreaks, 147 running metres. He also made 32 tackles with three misses.
The North Sydney Bears won’t feature in the NSW Cup finals for the first time since 2018 after finishing 10th in what was an underwhelming season. They did, however, finish off with a bang, smashing the third-placed Eels 54-6.
Centre Kieran Hayman — who joined the team mid-season from Queensland Cup — scored 18 points with a try and seven goals. He also set up two tries, got two linebreaks and ran 182 metres.
Halves Jesse Marschke and Jake Toby combined nicely, scoring three tries and setting up two between them. Marschke also made 112 running metres, while Toby racked up 161 metres.
Meanwhile, Ofahiki Ogden impressed with a try, four tackle busts, 194 metres and 17 tackles — three misses.
Mark not focused on future | 01:01
The Roosters had a field day against the Western Suburbs Magpies, with their edge forwards in particular putting on a show.
Skipper Max McCathie scored a try, got a linebreak, six tackle busts, ran 171 metres and made 25 tackles, while his partner in the second row, Hayden Barton bagged a hat-trick, ran 137 metres and made 26 tackles.
Veteran prop Makahesi Makatoa scored a double and ran over 120 metres, while Zach Dockar-Clay scored a try, set up another and made 34 tackles. And Trey Peni was unstoppable on the wing, finishing with a try, a try assist, two linebreaks, seven tackle busts and 221 metres.
Both of Norths Devils’ wingers starred in their 36-16 win over CQ Capras. Manase Kaho bagged a double, had a linebreak, 11 tackle busts and ran 226 metres, while Tony Tumusa scored a try, set up another, had five tackle busts and 160 run metres.
Rising fullback Latrell Siegwalt scored 18 of South Logan’s 34 points with two tries and five goals, while also finishing with a linebreak and over 200 metres. Veteran playmaker Anthony Milford also left his mark on the game with two try assists to take his season tally to 27 — the highest in Queensland Cup.
Nicholas Meaney had a day out in Burleigh’s 38-14 win over Sunshine Coast that sealed the minor premiership. O’Meley — son of former NRL hardman — scored three tries, had four linebreaks, six tackle busts and 153 running metres.
Five-eighth Josh Rogers had the ball on the string, setting up four tries and getting three linebreak assists, while bench forward Takitau Mapapalangi turned heads with a try, a try assist, two linebreaks, a linebreak assist, seven tackle busts and 108 metres… in just 19 minutes.
And PNG’s star fullback Sanny Wabo turned it on with a hat-trick, while also setting up a try, getting three linebreaks, 16 tackle busts and 187 running metres.
