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Hits and Misses: Ronaldo Mulitalo routine about to be sorely tested

Today we take a look at some trash talking from a winger who should have been embarrassed, an outstanding performance from an Origin forward, an awful game of rugby league, and some magic despite the wet.

Read on as we take a look back over the weekend at some of the biggest hits and misses.


MISS

Mulitalo routine about to be sorely tested

Ronaldo Mulitalo is an interesting character. Badly beaten twice by his opposite winger Mikaele Ravalawa for the Dragons' only two tries, in fact completely embarrassed by his defensive lapses, it didn't prevent the Sharks winger from carrying on like an A-grade goose in the second half.

On one occasion he gave Ravalawa an almighty shove over the sideline, well after the play had concluded. Not long after that he was screaming in the Fijian international's face after he made a handling error.

Mulitalo and his Sharks may have had the last laugh with a scrappy win over the Dragons, but they face a testing time ahead. Next week they play the Storm, followed by the Roosters, Panthers, Eels, Broncos and Dolphins. We'll see if Mulitalo is still flapping his gums at the end of that run against some of the game's premier wingers.


HIT

Officials get this call right as Murray proves he doesn't know the rules

Souths captain Cameron Murray obviously doesn't know the rules or pay much attention to the NRL media coverage. There was a big blow up from Roosters coach Trent Robinson recently after a crucial Storm try against them was scored with minimal assistance from Storm forward Nelson Asofa-Solomona.

On Thursday night in the shadows of halftime Souths centre Jack Wighton weaved his magic from 10 metres out, carrying several Panthers defenders with him over the try line. As he struggled to ground the ball, Murray dived in and helped push the Steeden towards the turf. Robinson would have been very pleased to see that the try was disallowed and Murray was penalised.


MISS

Rugby league was the loser on Saturday afternoon

I'm not sure what grade I was watching on Saturday afternoon, but the teams and officials were all well below NSW Cup level. The resurgent Bulldogs took on the Tigers at Accor Stadium and put on a show of rugby league that could only be described as awful, while some of the calls from those in charge were on a par with the play.

There was one occasion when Viliame Kikau threw a desperation pass as he fell to the ground in a tackle. The ball left his hands in a forward direction and rolled a further two metres forward before Josh Addo-Carr dived on it. Unbelievably, the referee and touch judge called play-on. In fairness, it might have been the highlight of the first half, things were that grim.

But things weren't much better after the break. With the referee having a total of four decisions overturned by captain's review on the day, frustrated players subsequently lost control of their behaviour. The game ended with the Tigers fielding 11 after two were sent to the bin following an all in push and shove. Interestingly, Bulldogs hooker Reed Mahoney, who charged 10 metres to escalate the melee, wasn't sin binned and neither was Aiden Sezer who earlier applied a hip drop tackle which was bad enough to earn him a four-week suspension.

One thing that has to come out of that game is that players need to respect the match officials, no matter what happens on the field. Having said that, the match officials need to meet a certain standard and should be dropped from first grade if they are not up to that level.


HIT

Angus Crichton in Origin form for Roosters

With State of Origin just around the corner, Roosters back rower Angus Crichton has put his hand well and truly up for selection. His form in recent weeks has been outstanding and he tore the Broncos up on Friday night in Brisbane. He crossed for two tries, had one try assist, ran 16 times for 156 metres, made 28 tackles and was only off the field for three minutes all night.

He crashed over for a third try in the second half but was held up. Shortly after he threw an inside pass to Connor Watson who was able to score. While James Tedesco silenced his critics with another outstanding night at fullback, Crichton looks like he might be joining his skipper in the sky blue jersey.


MISS

Poor technique costs Reynolds dearly

One thing that is hammered into children learning how to tackle is to never hang an arm out to stop a charging opponent. The shoulder should be the first point of contact for both effectiveness and safety.

Fetalaiga Pauga took a hit up down the blind side from deep inside Roosters territory and caught Broncos half Adam Reynolds off guard with a bit of footwork.

Reynolds stuck out his left arm and paid the price, rupturing the biceps. It was a costly blow to the Broncos on a night when they also lost Jesse Arthars to a broken jaw.


HIT

Foul weather doesn't stop a Brookvale spectacle

Manly didn't let the bad weather rain on their plans to play attacking football in the first half at Brookvale. In the opening minutes of the game Daly Cherry-Evans chipped over the defence from his own 30 metre line to centre Reuben Garrick who took the ball on his chest with Tommy Trbojevic looming in support. Garrick must have a bet on with Trbojevic for most tries scored this year, as he dummied and ran into the tackle instead of passing inside.

Then, after several set restarts Manly's Luke Brooks put on a slight of hand pop pass which Trbojevic took, appearing from nowhere to stump the defence and cross untouched for the first try of the match.

The Sea Eagles ran up 20 unanswered points before a slice of luck and some Elliott Whitehead magic led to a Kaeo Weekes try nine minutes before the break. Despite the conditions the Raiders were able to score four second-half tries to produce an unlikely victory. One which they may look back on as being a turning point in their season.


MISS

Blown try part of the Cowboys demise

During an exciting Queensland derby with the scores locked at 22-22 the Cowboys looked to have scored a vital try through fullback Scott Drinkwater. The referee awarded the try before the bunker requested another look. Replays showed that the run by Drinkwater was spoiled by the stray hand of Jake Clifford, who thought he was the target of the dummy-half pass. Clifford got a touch to the ball knocking it forward to Drinkwater, costing the Cowboys a viral try.

Not long after Dolphins centre Jake Averillo chased through on a Kodi Nikorima grubber kick to ground it in the in-goal area.

The thriller was not over however, with a spate of Cowboys possession leading to a Jeremiah Nanai try with two and a half minutes remaining. Valentine Holmes butchered the conversion attempt from a comfortable angle to leave the home side trailing 28-26.

With a minute remaining the Cowboys poured downfield where they set themselves for a two-point field goal which dropped short. The Cowboys slumping to a fourth-straight loss, while the understrength Dolphins retained their position inside the Top 4.