Young guns fire, the Roosters' all-star backline have a field day, and an international prop takes his game to another level. These are the numbers and statistics that defined Round 4 of the 2015 NRL Telstra Premiership season.
2
Boom Eels rookie John Folau scored twice against the Rabbitohs on Friday night, giving the Parramatta faithful a first-hand look at the speed and power the young winger possesses. He also had two line breaks, two missed tackles and made two errors in what was his second game in the top grade.
3
Luke Brooks had a strong showing against the Bulldogs with three try assists and a try of his own. Throw in a line break, line-break assist and it's easy to see why he's the man to guide this young Tigers side into the future. Three missed tackles, two errors and a penalty weren't ideal, but at this point in time, the good far outweighs the bad. On the subject of young talent, Michael Lichaa is growing into the Bulldogs' No.9 jersey. He scored a try, made a game-high 59 tackles, and had a line break and two tackle busts.
30
Jack Bird and Kane Elgey made their NRL debuts against one another in Round 4, and both finished with 30 points in NRL Fantasy. The bulk of Bird's points came from his 119 metres and three tackle breaks, while Elgey had a try assist, made 17 tackles and kicked for 154 metres. A promising start for two youngsters we are sure to see plenty more of in the coming weeks and years.
7
A strong first half from the Broncos set up their 24-16 victory over the Warriors in Auckland, their first across the ditch since 2009. Perhaps more impressive was their composure with the ball, making just seven errors, the lowest number of any side in Round 4. Compare that with the Warriors' 16 for the match, and it's easy to see how Brisbane's discipline went a long way to securing victory.
6
The Roosters' backline had a field day against the Raiders at Allianz Stadium on Sunday afternoon, with all their points coming from jersey numbers one through six. Shaun Kenny-Dowall, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Blake Ferguson, Michael Jennings, Daniel Tupou and James Maloney all crossed for tries, with Maloney converting five from six attempts. While Mitchell Pearce was the only Roosters back not to score, he still managed two try assists.
76
If the number of interchanges are ever reduced, Storm prop Jesse Bromwich should have little issue adapting. The Kiwi international played 76 of the 85 minutes in Melbourne's golden point loss to the Cowboys in Round 4. Leaving the field for the first time at the 61st minute mark, he re-entered the field of play nine minutes later to finish with 193 metres, 42 tackles, one tackle bust, a try assist and line-break assist, in what was a fairly complete performance from one of the game's premier big men.
