Here we go, for the first time in 2025 and probably some absolute howlers in the appraisal as well:
1. Walsh - He was a bit rocks and diamonds but I think the condition of the field really hampered him. That said, he still ran for 220m and had some real magic. He bombed a try by running in a really weird line but otherwise, plenty to build on. Most fullbacks would be happy with a game like that but most fullbacks aren't Walsh. 7
2. Cobbo - I was super impressed with him last night. The three tries were fantastic but he seemed so calm and was smiling from the get go. That attempted try saver on Young early was what impressed me most because he came from nowhere but it also showed that he read the play and really tried to get there. He'll have better games but what a start. 8
3. Mariner - So good even in the wet. His defense has improved but is still a work in progress but he looks so threatening in attack. He looks stronger and is not afraid to get in there and do work. He's a work in progress but so much to like. 7
4. Shibasaki - Honestly, he was the surprise packet for me to the point I was actually concerned he might not be available next week. A glaring error early that led to their first try but from there, he did some really nice stuff. A really noticeable run and defended stoutly. What really stood out though was his size in yardage, I don't think we can afford to lose his metres which is an issue when you have Mariner and Staggs as your centre combo. 8
5. Arthars - What a player he has turned out to be for us on the wing. Extremely safe under the high ball and smart, some of his runs to get between defenders gets us on the front foot so well. He is a hugely important player for us on his wage, really seems to step up in big games as well. 9
6. Hunt - Welcome home mate, so good to have you back. Having him at 6 is a nightmare for opposition defenses because they have no idea what we are going to do as our 1, 6 and 7 can all run, can all pass and can all kick. Hunt really looks like he might be the missing ingredient and seeing him score what will be hard to beat as the try of the season was icing on the cake. 8
7. Reynolds - He was toying with the Roosters. They gave him way too much time and he thrived on the back of it. He looks a bit zippier too which is great. He was the architect that the rest of our weapons just thrived off. He is still such an important part of our side. 9
8. Carrigan - If you want to show any young front rower the perfect forward performance, this was it. Haas will understandably get most of the plaudits but I'd argue Carrigan was somehow even better. 246m, 22 tackles, 1 line break assist and 1 try assist - unreal. 10
9. Paix - I've always been a fan but he was next level last night. The service was fantastic and that one-two play with the middle that got his try makes us so much more threatening because suddenly, we aren't just a huge threat on both edges, we are a threat through the middle as well. 9
10. Haas - Man oh man, we got fired up Haas last night and he was unstoppable. He was skittling defenders, attacking through the middle, on the edges, offloading and stepping like a back. If he can play like that week in, week out, we aren't losing many. It wasn't just the attacking rampage, it was defense too. He wasn't just hugging blokes, he was driving them backward. Our middle will be making every other side squirm. 10
11. Gosiewski - Dare I say it, there were shades of Gillett with theway he played. He ran some beautiful lines, targeted holes in the defense and competed on every play. He also made over 100m and tackled at 100%. He also showed a bit of speed, I was impressed. Piakura has a fight on his hands to get this spot back. 8
12. Riki - Really impressive. He defended really well and they clearly directed a lot of traffic at him because he made almost three times as many tackles as Gosiewski and he barely looked troubled aside from the one time he got caught at marker and Smith scored. The exciting thing though was that he also ran with some punch. 8
13. Hetherington - Man, wasn't he great! He ran with real venom and took real advantage of the platform being laid by Carrigan and Haas. And man his defense is amazing, was cutting people down left, right and centre. Our starting middle is a thing of beauty. 9
14. Walters - He was great. Did some really nice runs from dummy half, didn't overplay his hand and what a beautiful pass he threw for a try. He kept the good work Paix did going when he came on, you can't ask for much more than that. 8
15. Jensen - He kept the middle on the front foot when he came on which is good but pushed some unnecessary offloads. You would not expect a player of his experience to do that and in a tight game, those offloads could have been momentum changing. He needs to be careful, he has two middles breathing down his throat for his spot. 6
16. Willison - He was everywhere, it was almost like we lost nothing when he replaced Haas. He also has a habit of popping up in positions props shouldn't be like fullback. I'm so glad we have him locked up. He is a legit starting middle and we have the luxury of having him come off the bench. 8
17. Piakura - He also was there. -1
