Round 16 fixtures, preview, analysis, Nicho Hynes return for Cronulla Sharks, Daly Cherry-Evans form

Marshall was among the first to heap praise on Luai in the wake of his Titans performance, calling on the press to “write how he won it for us today”.

The Tigers coach has named Adam Doueihi in the extended squad as he looks to return from a shoulder injury suffered in Round 9. Skipper Api Koroisau has been named to back up from Origin II while Tony Sukkar comes into the starting side for Kai Pearce-Paul (pectoral injury).

“You’ve got to remember a lot has been made since his decision to go to PNG and that falling on him,” Marshall said.

“So write how he brought us back tonight. Because everyone wrote how that changed our season. Well write how he won it for us today.”

WHY PRESSURE IS STILL ON ‘SHELL SHOCKED’ BULLDOGS

Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs vs Manly Sea Eagles, Saturday June 20 @ 7.35pm

The Bulldogs took a step in the right direction before the bye, at least when it cme to the result.

But the process that got them to that 14-12 win over the Parramatta Eels was far from convincing.

They were held scoreless in the first half despite having plenty of opportunities to add to the scoreboard, with 51 tackles in the opposition half compared to just 22 for Parramatta.

Even coach Cameron Ciraldo conceded after the game that his team looked “a little bit nervous” and “started overthinking things” when they were in attacking territory.

Ciraldo attributed some of that nervousness and “tension”, as he put it, to the fact that halfback Lachlan Galvin is only 20 years old and “has to hear a lot of commentary” on his performances.

That will continue, however, until the Bulldogs start to deliver on the potential they showed in last year’s run to the top four and the win over Parramatta did little to silence the outside noise.

A win over the high-flying Sea Eagles this week, on the other hand, will go some way to proving the Bulldogs are getting closer to re-discovering their best football.

When asked what exactly he is hoping to see from his former team this week, Braith Anasta told foxsports.com.au he wants the Bulldogs to play more “square and direct”.

“I want to see them being organised and executing in speed and precision,” he added.

“I want to see the genuine playmakers stand up and organise their team and get them in the right positions to strike and play to their strengths.”

Ciraldo has previously admitted his team’s execution has let them down at times this season, but has rarely questioned their effort and desire outside of perhaps the Magic Round loss to the Sharks, where he said it would be “bulls***” to point to fatigue as a reason for the defeat.

Anasta had a similar opinion on the Bulldogs’ season so far, declaring he would “never question their effort”.

“It’s their execution and it’s their delivery of set pieces and game plans that just isn’t there and hasn’t been there for a while,” he added.

“Their effort’s is right up there. They’re trying their hardest. No one’s questioning that at all. But they just look shell shocked in good field position and in attack.

“It’s deer in the headlight kind of look, and that’s the only way to get out of that is by executing and getting confidence in your systems and each other around you.

“They’ve still got a lot of work to do, but there’s plenty of time.”

Watch every game of every round of the Premiership Season LIVE with no ad-breaks during play on FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.

WHY THE ‘PRESSURE DOESN’T GET HIGHER’ FOR PAYTEN

Warriors vs North Queensland Cowboys, Sunday June 21 @ 2pm

For all of Todd Payten’s early season success, this next month or so could be make-or-break for the under-pressure Cowboys coach.

Payten still remains the only full-time NRL coach without a contract for next season despite fronting the board late last month to present his case for an extension.

Two-time premiership-winning five-eighth Luke Keary is a fan of the patient approach from the Cowboys, telling foxsports.com.au that it is “very smart”.

“I think they should take all the time they want and need as you gather all the information,” he added.

The next few weeks could be particularly telling for Payten, with North Queensland facing the Warriors, Panthers, Sea Eagles and Dolphins before the end of next month.

“It’s huge for the Cowboys and it’s huge for Todd,” Anasta said.

“It’s a strange one because I kind of think Todd deserves to get an extension given the way they’ve gone this year. But at the same time, I understand why they haven’t given you look at other coaches who get extended under similar circumstances and a lot of the time it doesn’t work and here you are paying out a coach and looking for a new one.”

The Cowboys are going better than their current position on the ladder suggests, with their 8-6 record putting them right in the hunt for a top-four finish.

But if they were to drop all four of their next games against the current top sides in the competition, the Cowboys could suddenly find themselves grouped with the likes of the Bulldogs and Storm and fighting to even make the finals.

That would be a disastrous scenario for Payten, who you would think needs a top-eight finish at minimum to guarantee his future beyond this year.

“It’s a really interesting one,” Anasta said.

“I think given the pressure he’s been under, I think he’s done a magnificent job, but I can also understand why they haven’t re-signed him.

“It’s a big couple of months for them because they obviously want to try and get that spot in the finals and his job’s on the line as well. The pressure doesn’t get higher.”

Get all the latest NRL news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now!!!

WHY $900,000 WARRIORS EXILE IS A ‘GREAT LUXURY’

Warriors vs North Queensland Cowboys, Sunday June 21 @ 2pm

The Warriors are in a pretty enviable position at the moment when it comes to their halves stocks.

While there was a slight hiccup against Cronulla last weekend, the playmaking duo of Chanel Harris-Tavita and Te Maire Martin have been steering the ship nicely since Tanah Boyd suffered a season-ending ACL injury.

So much so, that $900,000 half Luke Metcalf has been kept out of the team.

Of course, it’d be naive to think that Metcalf’s impending early exit from the club doesn’t have a little bit to do with Andrew Webster’s decision, but in the same breath, Martin and Harris-Tavita haven’t done anything for the second-placed Warriors to justify a demotion either.

Metcalf was superb in the NSW Cup last week and for this Sunday’s clash against the Cowboys, has been named on the six man bench in jersey No. 20.

However, there’s no reason why Webster should change what’s working for now according to Fox League’s Braith Anasta.

Instead, Metcalf should be used in a ‘break glass in case of emergency’ role. It’s a wonderful luxury for a team who is set to be finals bound.

“They’ve shown that they’re fine with Te Maire Martin and Chanel Harris-Tavita,” Anasta told foxsports.com.au.

“To have that kind of arsenal off the bench or just sitting and waiting for an opportunity is great depth.

“You’re not going to change anything at the moment because they’re going so good. It’s great to have Luke there and Luke could play a pivotal part in the final series.

“It’s a great luxury to have him there but I don’t think they’ll be picking him ahead of those two.

“It’s been a hard one for Metcalf because when he returned, he was returning from an ACL injury. He wasn’t 100%. You’d like to think by this time now or when he comes back heading into finals, he will be.

“It’ll be a good problem to have.”

Metcalf returned from a serious knee injury in Round 4 and played in just two games before picking up a hamstring strain.

He was then sidelined again. While out of action, he negotiated an early release from his deal and signed with the Dragons from 2027.

That came after the emergence of Boyd, who the Warriors see as the club’s long-term half. Instead of committing to a move to five-eighth, Metcalf decided he wanted to head back to Australia.

For that reason, many believe Webster has been holding Metcalf out. While he admitted he did until the contract saga was finalised, the Warriors coach says that at the moment the talented playmaker will have to earn a first grade spot.

“Luke is a world-class player. He got injured when he finally made his return to the side. Then with the contract saga, it’s taken a little bit more time to get him back and now he’s playing NSW Cup,” Webster said on SEN Radio.

“He’ll give himself an opportunity (in first grade) if he keeps playing well and putting pressure on the halves.

“That’s exactly what we want. We want players in form and playing well because we have seen how quickly injuries can happen.

“If gets his opportunity this year and forces his way into the team or through injury, we know he’s a quality player and he’ll make the most of that chance.”

DOES RICKY NEED TO PULL THE TRIGGER ON RAIDERS CHANGE?

Melbourne Storm vs Canberra Raiders, Sunday June 21 @ 4.05pm

It was a sad sign of the times when Raiders coach Ricky Stuart lamented his side as ‘predictable’ in attack following last week’s loss to the Parramatta Eels.

The question is, what now for last year’s minor premiers?

In his post-match press conference, a visibly dejected Stuart praised his player’s improved effort levels before admitting their attack was stale in the 15-12 defeat.

Pressed further on the matter, ‘Sticky’ said: “There’s some parts of our game that we’ve got to fix, we’ve got a lot of players who are very young in their footy careers.

“It’s simple, it will be a simple fix because it’s not our style.”

The inference in Stuart’s last comments is open to interpretation, however former playmaker Luke Keary believes fullback Kaeo Weekes and halfback Ethan Strange will be central to a Raiders’ attacking overhaul.

“You’re seeing Kaeo Weekes and Xavier Savage, guys like that who were unbelievable last year, they’re just not at that level that they were,” Keary said as guest host on Fox League’s Matty and Cronk this week.”

The Raiders spent what felt like an eternity in the Eels’ red zone, with 36 tackles in their opposition 20 and only two tries to show for it. Admittedly, the Raiders were without much of their strike power for the Parramatta game with Ethan Strange and Hudson Young both on Origin duties.

But what was most alarming to Keary, commentators and fans present at the Canberra-Parramatta game was the Raiders’ attacking structure – or lack thereof.

“I couldn’t believe on the weekend being at the stadium Kaeo Weekes didn’t run past the black dot,” Keary said. “He was on the left side out of yardage and everything. He needs to be on-ball. He needs to be able to play with Ethan Strange on the left, play with Ethan Sanders on the right. He needs to be moving across the field.”

The fix, according to Keary and co-host Cooper Cronk, is Ethan Sanders. The 22-year-old half is currently on-ball on both sides of the Raiders ruck in attack, but Cronk felt a more effective arrangement would be to have Strange controlling left side attack, and Sanders right, with Weekes roaming between.

“When you’ve got one eye on ruck speed and one eye on organising players, you miss everything downfield which is your first opportunity to run,” Cronk explained. “I would, with their season on the line, move Ethan Strange back to the left side. He looks way more comfortable (there).

“I know it’s about the kicking game and things like that but put Sanders on the right, Strange on the left with Hudson Young, get some familiar relationships going again and see if that sparks something.”

Keary echoed Cronk’s sentiments, especially while Sanders is developing his game and confidence. Ultimately, he believes the move will help Sanders develop as a playmaker and get the Raiders back to a similar position as last year – where Manly-bound Jamal Fogarty was calling the shots.

“Strange and Weekes are their two most potent attacking players,” Keary explained. “They don’t play together because Sanders is in the middle. He’ll get to a stage in his career where he’ll be able to do that but I think they need to flip them and let Weekes play with both.

“Ricky said it in the press conference, they’re just not there. They’re predictable with the ball. I think Ethan Sanders is going to be a really good first-grade halfback. I think what they’re asking him to do is a lot.

“When you have to go back and forwards from side to side, it’s very hard to actually look up and go, ‘What’s in front of me and how many numbers and how do I play this?’. You’re constantly looking sideways going, ‘Is Kaeo in the right spot? Is Daine [Laurie] in the right spot? Where are my centres? What play am I doing? Organising middles’.”

Anasta: “The Raiders have been terrible” | 01:27

‘HE’S NOT THAT GUY’: THE REALITY FOR DCE, ROOSTERS

Sydney Roosters vs Cronulla Sharks, Sunday June 21 @ 6.15pm

In the wake of last week’s loss to the Dolphins, Trent Robinson called on the leaders in his playing group to stand up.

While fielding a seriously undermanned line-up due to State of Origin commitments, the Roosters still had plenty of experience in the form of Daly Cherry-Evans, Angus Crichton and even former NSW Blues front rower Spencer Leniu that they could turn to.

The expectation, not specifically from Robinson, but externally was that Cherry-Evans in particular would stand up to lead the young Roosters.

Instead, while he got through a bulk of the kicking and touched the ball plenty, he didn’t have much of an impact as the Dolphins coasted to a 48-10 win.

But NRL 360 host Braith Anasta told foxsports.com.au the expectation should not have been there in the first place that Cherry-Evans would single-handedly carry the Roosters to victory like he may have done earlier in his career when he was in his prime.

Quite simply, Anasta said Cherry-Evans is “not that guy” anymore despite the Rooster bringing the veteran in ona deal worth a reported $600,000 a season.

That doesn’t mean he can’t execute his role for the Roosters when they are full-strength. Rather, it just means when the Roosters are down troops during the Origin period, Cherry-Evans can’t be counted on to step up in the same way that once would have been the standard during his Sea Eagles days.

“I think it (the loss) showed on the weekend where DCE is at in his career. He’s not that guy,” Anasta said.

“DCE is the guy that will get a job done and will play to a game plan and execute that game plan and work with Sam and Teddy and Reece Robson and use his years of experience in executing under pressure and in the big games and all that. That’s why he’s there.

“It would be great if he played out of his skin and secured them some wins at the time that Origin players are out but I don’t think that’s him anymore.

“That’s not why they brought him there. We’ve kind of seen that throughout the year when he’s just played quite simple and combined well with Sam and he’s fine and executed a really effective and great kicking game, they’ve more than likely won games.

“But he’s not going to be that guy who sets up three or four tries and has a game that he just owns and wins it for them. I don’t think that’s going to happen.

“So he’s just got to play his role and get the best out of the guys around him. When the big guns aren’t in, they can just sneak away with a victory somehow.”

Fortunately for the Roosters, last week’s game against the Dolphins is the only one that will be without their Origin stars, with the Tricolours otherwise having a bye in Round 18 ahead of Origin III.

They will, however, need Cherry-Evans and the rest of the club’s senior players to stand up as the returning Origin representatives work their way through what is a challenging period.

That is especially true for Sam Walker, who was criticised for his underwhelming performance against the Storm after Origin I, with Cherry-Evans playing a key role there in passing on advice on how to handle the added workload and pressure.

‘Conflicting’ Robbo & DCE face the music | 06:16

DEBUNKING ‘RIDICULOUS’ HYNES MYTH

Sydney Roosters vs Cronulla Sharks, Sunday June 21 @ 6.15pm

They are the numbers that veteran journalist Dean Ritchie described as “fairly alarming”.

Without star halfback Nicho Hynes, the Sharks actually have a 10-2 record since 2024 while their record with him in the line-up during that period is 32-23.

“Clearly he is an elite player and will be there when he comes back for their charge for the finals but those stats are fairly alarming.” Ritchie said on NRL 360 this week.

“Does Braydon Trindall step up into a role that suits him more and he thrives when Nicho is not there?”

Trindall certainly didn’t look like he was lacking confidence when he nailed a two-point field goal to get the Sharks home on the weekend against the Warriors, and after an inconsistent start to the season Cronulla has strung a few wins in a row recently without Hynes in the picture.

But do those numbers tell the full story?

Not really.

Brent Read said any suggestion the Sharks are a better team without Hynes is “ridiculous”, and looking into the further context behind those wins without him paints a far more complicated picture.

That starts out with the fact the Sharks were a very good regular season team in 2024, with or without Hynes.

But specifically looking at all the games they have won without Hynes since 2024, starting out with the win over Melbourne, the Storm were missing Jahrome Hughes that night.

Then when they beat the Broncos without Hynes, all their outside backs ran for over 150 metres, which gave Trindall a solid platform to play off.

Their next win without Hynes came against the lowly Tigers, and Apisai Koroisau was also binned in that game.

Moving on to the win over South Sydney. Cody Walker was binned, while the Rabbitohs also entered that game in 15th.

Both Hynes and Trindall were missing the win over the Titans, while Phoenix Crossland was binned in the victory over the Knights which saw Daniel Atkinson kick the game-winning field goal.

Granted, Jesse Ramien was actually binned in their final game without Hynes in 2024 against the Dragons, but on a whole that season there were plenty of extenuating circumstances to suggest those numbers aren’t just a black and white example of Hynes getting in the way of Trindall.

As for their three wins this year without Hynes against the Sea Eagles, Dragons and Warriors, Trindall starred in the victory over Manly, but he is a great foil to Hynes when healthy.

Hynes brings much-needed organisation and control to Cronulla when playing alongside Trindall, who is often more of an instinctive player.

There have been plenty of question marks over their partnership in the past few years, and if the Sharks fall short again this year they may have to reconsider whether this is the pairing to get them over the line.

But for now, the club’s record alone without Hynes doesn’t seem to paint a complete picture.

That doesn’t necessarily mean the commentary around the Hynes-Trindall partnership will go away though, as former premiership-winning five-eighth Luke Keary pointed out.

“He’s (Trindall) their main guy. Even when Nicho’s there, when he’s in control he does 90 per cent of the kicking for them. He’s a genuine ball-player,” Keary said on NRL 360.

“It’s hard because Nicho is meant to be the main man. He is paid to be the main man. They’ve got to figure it out, because their next step is making a grand final.”