The FRONTROUND 14 2021 ROW VOLUME 2 · ISSUE 14 WAITING GAME COOPER JOHNS IS HAPPY TO BIDE HIS TIME IN MELBOURNE INSIDE: NRL Round 14 program with squad lists, previews & head to head stats, Round 13 reviewed LEAGUEUNLIMITED.COM AUSTRALIA’S LEADING INDEPENDENT RUGBY LEAGUE WEBSITE THERE IS NO OFF-SEASON 2 | LEAGUEUNLIMITED.COM | THE FRONT ROW | VOL 2 ISSUE 14 What’s inside From the editor THE FRONT ROW - VOL 2 ISSUE 14 Tim Costello From the editor 3 Well that Origin opener sure was a turn-up for the books! Feature Cooper Johns 4-5 A mammoth win for New South Wales - and as we're finalising State of Origin I Wrap 6 this edition of The Front Row, how it impacts this weekend's NRL round remains up in the air in terms of suspensions and injuries. Around the clubs 7 And who knows if the Maroons can get up off the canvas in time to salvage the series in Brisbane at the end of the month? NRL Ladder, Stats Leaders. POTY standings 8 GAME DAY · NRL Round 14 9-25 Meanwhile, the NRL season does go on. Despite a shortened round last week, a fair bit happened. At the top, the reigning LU Team Tips 9 premiers Melbourne - currently second - extended their run of unbeaten games to ten with a barebones win over the Titans, FRI Manly v North Queensland 10-11 while the ladder leaders Penrith had their winning streak cut short, their understrength outfit falling to the Tigers at Cronulla v Penrith 12-13 Leichhardt. SAT Gold Coast v Sydney Roosters 14-15 There's good and bad news off the field as well. Canberra's South Sydney v Newcastle 16-17 dramas continued with Curtis Scott stood down after an off- field incident; the Storm have committed to one more game on Canberra v Brisbane 18-19 the Sunshine Coast in Round 15 with the Victorian COVID-19 SUN Warriors v Melbourne 20-21 outbreak still easing; the Warriors have confirmed a home game at Mt Smart in August; and perhaps the most bittersweet Parramatta v Wests Tigers 22-23 announcement of them all - Roosters winger Brett Morris confirming his retirement. Head to page 7 for all the news. MON Canterbury v St George Illawarra 24-25 NSWRL Teamlists 26-27 Happy reading! Knock-On Effect NSW Cup R14 26 Jersey Flegg Cup R14 26 Harvey Norman Womens' Premiership R14 26-27 The FRONT ROW Ron Massey Cup R14 27 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Sydney Shield R14 27 We’d like to thank RugbyLeagueProject.org for their support and use of QRL Teamlists 28 various statistics throughout this publication. Intrust Super Cup R10 28 Magazine content originally appears on LeagueUnlimited.com © 2021 unless otherwise noted. Interested in advertising with The Front Row U21 Hastings Deering Colts R8 28 or LeagueUnlimited.com, or just want to provide feedback? Contact us UK Watch 29 by email [email protected] NRL Round 13 Wrap 30-31 Cover image courtesy Cooper Johns on Instagram - @CooperJohns Match Centre: NSWRL & QRL results 32-33 MANAGERS Steven Williams & Coby Delaney EDITOR Tim Costello NRL Match Review & Judiciary - Round 13 33 CONTRIBUTORS Andrew Ferguson 2021 NRL Draw 34-35 Paul Jobber Robert Crosby Andrew Jackson Adam Huxtable Hamish Parker Jason Hosken Justin Davies Emile El-Azar Lachy MacCorquodale Sam Bourke LEAGUEUNLIMITED.COM | THE FRONT ROW | VOL 2 ISSUE 14 | 3 THE WAITING GAME SON OF A GUN KNOWS HIS TIME IN THE SPOTLIGHT IS NEAR ooper Johns won't have to wait long until They don't try to overplay their hand. he gets another shot in first grade for the CMelbourne Storm. "We're just really coming in and trying to do the same job as the person before us," Johns said. Johns was named in Craig Bellamy's 23-man squad for Sunday's trip to the Central Coast although he may "We bring different strengths to players like Munster yet receive a late call-up depending on the outcome of and Felise (Kaufusi), but overall we fall into a system Wednesday night's Origin opener. and it makes our job really easy." Regular halves Cameron Munster and Jarome Hughes Johns has experienced playing on both sides of the field have been reunited at the scrumbase, but Bellamy already this season and he had learned to be adaptable. might resist the urge to push Munster too much as he returns from a foot injury. "I've always been someone who likes to play both sides of the field and when I was younger my dad was The Storm have a ready-made replacement in the someone who encouraged me to do that," he said. 21-year-old Novocastrian who hasn't looked out of place in the five NRL games he's played. "You never know where you're going to get your chance (although) it is hard for a right-foot kicker on "It's really exciting to play with people like Dale the left side, but it was a little adjustment." (Finucane) and Jesse (Bromwich); I'd never played with them until this year so it's really exciting to play The son of former Newcastle Knights great Matthew with them," he said. Johns said the Storm were looking forward to returning to AAMI Park when it was safe to do so. "They bring a lot of confidence to the team and a lot of energy." But they are still getting the job done on the Sunshine Coast. Johns, along with Nicho Hynes and Trent Loiero have received their opportunities largely due to injury and "We did it for a long period last year so we're definitely Origin commitments. used to it," he said. The 21-year-old admitted the secret to the Storm's "Hopefully it's not the whole year this year; we really success is because of players settling into the systems want to get back to Victoria and see our fans and play created by Bellamy. in front of our fans but for the time being we're happy to stay (in Queensland) and continue to do a job." 4 | LEAGUEUNLIMITED.COM | THE FRONT ROW | VOL 2 ISSUE 14 STORY BY PAUL JOBBER IMAGE STORM MEDIA LEAGUEUNLIMITED.COM | THE FRONT ROW | VOL 2 ISSUE 14 | 5 STATE OF ORIGIN I WRAP Wednesday | NEW SOUTH WALES 50 QUEENSLAND 6 NEW SOUTH WALES (50) Venue: Queensland Country Bank Stadium Tries: Tom Trbojevic (3), Brian To'o (2), Latrell Mitchell (2), Crowd: 27533 Daniel Saifiti; Conversions: Nathan Cleary (7/7), Latrell Halftime Score: New South Wales 20 Queensland 6 Mitchell (1/1); Penalty Goals: Nathan Cleary (1/1) LeagueUnlimited.com Players of the Match: QUEENSLAND (6) 3 points - Tom Trbojevic Tries: Kurt Capewell 2 points - Jarome Luai Conversions: Valentine Holmes (1/1) 1 points - Latrell Mitchell OUR REPORT with JUSTIN DAVIES Don't call it a comeback because the Blues ran riot in the second half. Blues run riot in Origin opener Mitchell who was dropped in 2019, was at his fearsome best tonight. He rumbled defenders then swooped on a Trbojevic kick to kickstart against muddled Maroons the second half rampage. The performances from Mitchell and Trbojevic showed the extra class the Blues had in their backline this New South Wales posted their biggest win against Queensland since year which helped them towards the half century. 1963 in a 50-6 thrashing in the first Origin game to be played in Townsville in front of 27,355 fans tonight. Trbojevic got his second four-pointer on the hour mark, backing up well after Luai cut the defense to ribbons again. After the injury which It was Tommy terrific show for New South Wales tonight. The Sea cost him the start of the season, Trbojevic has been on another planet Eagles fullback scored a hat-trick in a Man of the Match performance skills wise since his return and New South Wales have the luxury of which saw the Blues hand Queensland a 44-point defeat at Townsville. picking him at centre. Latrell Mitchell and debutant Brian To'o also scored doubles in the mammoth win. Last year, Cleary was pinpointed as one of the architects of the Blues series defeat to the 'worst Maroons side' but the Panthers half was The Blues side was flush with the Panthers side that are top of the heap perfect tonight. He might carry a few scratches from an injury in the in the NRL, and the form continued tonight. Jarome Luai settled into his first half but the halfback nailed eight conversions in a typical display five-eighth role magnificently and directed traffic well getting ball to which has New South Wales up 1-nil. Latrell Mitchell and Tom Trbojevic in a fantastic back five performance from the visitors. Daniel Saifiti put the icing on the Blues victory cake with a bargeover from close range. From there, it was party time. Mitchell got his New South Wales were the first side to settle and opened the scoring second from a Xavier Coates error then it was a deserved hat-trick for through Trbojevic. He sliced through on the right to make it 8-nil after MOTM Trbojevic in a 50-6 romp tonight. the early Nathan Cleary penalty goal then it was one-way traffic for the rest of the first half. Debutant Brian To'o showed off his finisher ability This leaves Queensland with more questions than answers after losing with a pair of wonderful finishes for 20-nil. the opener. They face an uphill battle despite the second game also being in Queensland but tonight, none of their stars shone and it was Queensland did give them a late fright when one of last year's winners rudderless performance which will worry coach Paul Green alongside Kurt Capewell getting one back on Trbojevic.