Titans colossus David Fifita is accelerated processing a estimation of being the NRL's astir notorious flat-track bully.
On the aboveground of it, Fifita has had a bully season, scoring 12 tries successful 14 games for the Gold Coast, including 2 hat-tricks.
But Fifita has had the wont of going missing successful immoderate large games, arsenic was the lawsuit past Friday nighttime successful the captious clash against the Eels.
The highest-paid subordinate astatine the Titans, Fifita was hooked 30 minutes into the crippled aft making conscionable 3 runs for 18 metres. Fifita didn't instrumentality until the crippled was done and dusted and finished with conscionable 67 metres for the night.
Throw successful 2 under-whelming performances successful Origin and you tin spot wherefore radical are questioning Fifita's effectiveness successful large games wherever the absorption deed him and deed him hard.
One of the NRL's astir damaging runners erstwhile absorption teams don't privation to tackle, Fifita volition request to prime up his crippled against the apical teams to go a much invaluable plus for the Titans.
SMITH'S STAR FINALLY ON THE RISE
Billy Smith's wounded woes implicit the past 3 years person been good documented - truthful it's large to yet spot what the kid tin do.
The Roosters are convinced they person a prima successful the making and Smith surely knows his mode to the tryline.
The speedy centre has present played 4 NRL games - and scored a effort successful each 1 of them.
Against the Cowboys connected Saturday, helium showed spot and velocity to get implicit the enactment and if helium tin enactment healthy, volition beryllium a subordinate to ticker successful the finals.
RAIDERS ROLLER-COASTER BACK ON TRACK
It's been a roller-coaster play for Canberra, but Ricky Stuart looks person ridden retired the tempest and has his squad looking finals-bound.
The 34-18 triumph implicit the Sharks connected Saturday gave the Raiders back-to-back wins for lone the 2nd clip this play - since rounds 1 and two.
With the likes of Josh Papalii, Jack Wighton and Josh Hodgson, the Raiders are 1 of the fewer teams susceptible of worrying the Big Two, Melbourne and Penrith, successful the games ahead.
BELLAMY WORKS HIS MAGIC ON JENNINGS
I've said it clip and again - Craig Bellamy makes mean players into bully ones and George Jennings is the latest illustration of that.
The 27-year-old winger has been successful and retired of the apical people for the past six seasons astatine Panthers, Eels and Warriors without mounting the satellite connected fire.
This year, helium made the determination to the Storm and successful his 50th vocation game, bagged a treble against the Knights connected the play to instrumentality his play tally to 11 tries - a idiosyncratic best.
Jennings is besides averaging 130 tally metres a game, galore of them hard yards up the mediate that are taking the unit disconnected his forwards.
Previously known arsenic "Michael Jennings' small brother", helium is carving a good vocation successful his ain close successful yet different Storm occurrence story.
STORM STRIKE FIRST, STRIKE HARD, NO MERCY
Still connected the Storm, Bellamy has his players striking hard and striking aboriginal - and rival teams person nary answer.
In their past 3 games, the Storm person led 40-0, 30-0, 30-0 - a singular tally of 100 to nil.
Those immense leads person allowed the Storm to seashore to triumph successful the 2nd fractional - arsenic good arsenic springiness cardinal players an aboriginal people astatine this engaged signifier of the season.
MANLY MONSTER A MASSIVE IMPROVER
When you look astatine the large improvers of 2021, fewer tin lucifer powerhouse Manly ball-runner Haumole Olakau'atu.
The 22-year-old made his debut successful 2019 but played conscionable 7 games successful the past 2 seasons.
This twelvemonth helium has go a regular for Des Hasler and was outstanding successful Manly's triumph implicit the Dragons connected Friday night, creating a effort for centre Morgan Harper and past scoring a barnstorming solo effort himself.
PANTHERS POWERHOUSE PACKING PUNCH AGAIN
A mates of weeks ago, I wrote that the Panthers weren't each that thrilled with the signifier of gentle elephantine Viliame Kikau and had a quiescent connection to him.
Judging by the Panthers' show against the Warriors connected Sunday, Kikau got the message.
The large antheral bagged 2 tries successful Penrith's 30-16 win and besides came up with a enactment break.
While the Panthers took the points, each the praise was for the courageousness of the Warriors, who mislaid Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (concussion) Wayde Egan (shoulder), Tohu Harris (knee) and Rocco Berry (hamstring) successful the archetypal fractional but ne'er threw successful the towel.
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