Miserly margins and matchups highlight Magic Round

"It's like Christmas, but you get three days of presents!"

Queensland Sports Minister Stirling Hinchliffe made the above declaration on Friday, resplendent in his Broncos scarf, as he confirmed another three years of Magic Round for Brisbane. Coupled with the fact the legendary street itself will be closed to traffic for all three days for the first time, there's plenty to crow about. And as described by pretty much every commentator who described it; hosting it in Brisbane is very much a 'no-brainer.' Proximity to the city, up to 40 percent of tickets sold to out-of-towners, proven pedigree in getting boots on the ground and attending footy games, a very decent line up of activations and exhibits for all ages, and of course the golden mile of pubs and restaurants right next door.

The retro jerseys pouring into the ground across the weekend are an endorsement that rugby league as a product has genuine staying power in the hearts and minds of those who come across it, even without the bells, whistles and scarf-clad Sports Ministers. Walk from one end of the ground to the other and you'll see jerseys as far back as the NSWRL in the 70's, the BRL in the early 80's, through the ARL, Optus Cup, Super League and NRL era. They are everywhere. The NRL doesn't need to tinker too much with its on field program to keep people interested. A wave and a 'let's go Crushers' with a couple wearing the ill-fated South Queensland jerseys of 1995 is a reminder that the current expansion push, just like rule tweaking, needs to be managed with extreme care.

There's a point here. Because alongside the undisputed measure of off field success, comes the question that is just as important a barometer as 'will Queenslanders go to the footy?'

That question: Will the footy be any good?

Regardless of how many kegs of XXXX were drained at the Caxton Hotel, the last few Magic Rounds have been highlighted by blowouts. Leading into day three this year, the average winning margin for Magic Round 2024 stood at 4.6 points. Last year it was 12. The year before it was just over 16. This is interesting not just for Magic Round, but in the context of an entire season. The current most miserly NRL round average margin stands at 4.75 points, eked out in 2017.

The Raiders and Bulldogs offered a suitably dramatic start to the whole thing. Canberra grinding out a remarkable comeback win despite being monstered in possession and two men down for part of it. The matchup this reporter was circling was Viliame Kikau vs. Hudson Young. Young was immense, bashing out 140 metres, four tackle breaks and 33 tackles. His Menzies-esque hole running and two tries gave various sport reporters the chance to bring out one of their favorite lines, as he undoubtedly 'offered NSW selectors a timely reminder.' Kikau matched him in metres and gained more post contact, but wasn't helped by Josh Papali'i falling on his ankle. The Magic Round opener had 24 errors; a game easy to get behind, remarkable for the Raiders fight, but at times hard to stay with.

No Adam Reynolds, no Billy Walters, no Reece Walsh for the Broncos, with Kevin Walters' side tapping their depth and failing to dominate a Tommy Turbo'less Manly, but grinding it out. Two tries inside 15 minutes had the local faithful in raptures, Brendan Piakura continues to push for some time at Camp Maroon, Selwyn Cobbo was brilliant from fullback, Jock Madden managed to ice one, Patty Carrigan ran for 265 metres.

Despite it all, the magic matchup had to be Kotoni Staggs and Tommy Talau. Staggs remains in the outer periphery of NSW Origin discussions, and was kept extremely honest by the aggressive 24 year old. Both came out of the line often, and Talau outpointed Staggs more often than not. The ex-Tiger carved out more than 250 metres with eight tackle busts and two line breaks. Staggs was restricted to 62 metres and a single tackle break. If this was a final swing for the Blue fence, Kotoni probably fell short. The one-point margin and the contentious penalty gave this one its dose of high drama; the sight of an exasperated Anthony Seibold and the ever diplomatic Daly Cherry-Evans trying to discuss their feelings on the Jaxson Paulo penalty and Taniela Paseka binning was great theatre. Seibold clearly covets this win above all else. His frustration wasn't entirely out of place.

And then there's Kevvy Walters.

"A good tight game is good for the mind, good for the soul."

Big boppers came together and another two sin bins punctuated the day two opener. 'Maroon-to-be' Moeaki Fotuaika churned out 140 metres but will have regrets around giving up an penalty try to the damaging Jacob Saifiti. David Fifita ploughed through 80 minutes and 160 metres, Tyson Frizell worked hard off the bench. But the matchup of David Armstrong vs. the whole Titans team was the biggest takeaway. Two tries inside 10 minutes and a third to break the run of five unanswered Titans tries and effectively steal back the game. Defensively he was almost as impressive. A massive start to his career on the back of Kalyn Ponga's injury.

The Titans will rue the work of the bunker, as Des Hasler does most weeks. The call on Brian Kelly could certainly be viewed as a match deciding one, and we'll more than likely hear more about his post-match differences of opinion with Graham Annesley on the matter.

Nico Hynes vs. Sam Walker was the anticipated headline matchup from Saturday's headline match. Hynes did enough to prove that if he DOESN'T get picked for NSW, his cards have surely been marked. Fifteen runs, three line break assists, two try assists, 440 kick metres including a 40/20, challenging David Armstrong for the best individual display of the round. Walker was decent enough playing behind a slightly beaten pack, but left frustrated by some of the calls and the general discipline (14 penalties, 17 errors). He'd also change some of his own late-set decision making if he had another go at it. The Roosters were more rushed than they have been in recent weeks, while the Sharks showed a cohesion to finally go with their undoubted strike. Blayke Brailey topped the tackle count and chose his moments beautifully from dummy half, Sione Katoa was a menace on the edge. This team is the real deal right across the park.

The Cowboys and Rabbitohs had a claim for least anticipated match of the round, alongside the Knights and Titans. Tom Dearden vs. Cody Walker was the matchup circled in the diary, and both strived - in their own way - to get their sides over the line. Walker was the craftier, Dearden without question the more tenacious. In a struggling team Dearden never stops trying. He can be guilty of overplaying his hand and pushing plays teammates don't seem ready for, but his kicking and running game is class. He'll wear the No.6 for Queensland if Cameron Munster is out. Walker was good when he came into the game, but again spent far too long out of it. He lamented post match that the opportunities to win didn't really come the Rabbitohs' way, but there's definitely an argument that he could (should) go looking for them more. The Cowboys did it ugly, but showed more energy than they have in weeks.

'UP THE WAHHS!'

Watching the Panthers and Warriors warm up ahead of Magic Round's day three opener, it's impossible not to notice the absence of some of the NRL's biggest headline acts. No Nathan Cleary, no Shaun Johnson - the biggest names on a big injury list as players struggle to keep up with the increased speed of NRL 2024. No Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, no Kurt Capewell, no Tohu Harris. The list goes on.

A miserly average winning margin remains intact, the biggest names are missing, and it's a beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon. The Warriors come in under a difficult-to-fathom form cloud that comfortably pre-dates the Johnson injury, the Panthers are the Panthers. They've performed without Cleary for a good chunk of the year, and it's not worth writing them off just because he's not there. Te Maire Martin vs. Jarome Luai is the matchup circled in yellow highlighter for this one, but after Dylan Edwards crossed in the opening minute, it became the all round ding-dong slugfest of the round.