The Eels and Rabbitohs both produced commanding performances over the weekend to record big victories against the Raiders and Sharks and book their spot in the preliminary finals.
Here is the Team of the Week for Finals Week 2.
1. Latrell Mitchell
Made the most of his limited opportunities in attack and was unlucky not to score in the first half when he got over the line. Set up a try and his kicking off the tee was excellent.
2. Ronaldo Mulitalo
Played a role in both of Cronulla’s tries, setting up the first with a bat-back to Briton Nikora, before blitzing everyone on a runaway four-pointer of his own. Was among the most likely players on attack for the Sharks.
Ronaldo races away
3. Campbell Graham
Linked well with Milne down the right edge and troubled the Sharks with his physicality. Popped a nice offload in the lead up to Lachlan Ilias’ try in the second half.
4. Will Penisini
Stood up under heavy pressure on his edge, making 23 tackles, while on the other side of the ball he showed some real class. Broke six tackles on his way to 100 running metres and ran a nice line for the opening try.
5. Taane Milne
Finished his two tries well, particularly the second which required great strength in a narrow corridor. Had over 100 metres in running and came up with a couple of key defensive reads.
Milne on the money
6. Dylan Brown
Carried the ball 29 times and had a colossal 321 run metres to show for it by full time. He combined brilliantly with Moses throughout the game too. Caught Xavier Savage out with a tricky grubber which led to the Eels scoring their second try.
7. Mitchell Moses
Silenced those who questioned whether he has what it takes to perform in the biggest games. Linked with his key men well all night, and when the opportunity presented itself, produced some moments of individual brilliance.
We love big men scoring tries
8. Junior Paulo
A dominant performance against a Raiders’ front row who heading into the game were the form combo in the competition. Strolled through for his first try of the year and brought much of CommBank Stadium to their feet in the process.
9. Reed Mahoney
Helped get the Eels around the park smoothly and churned through the work off the ball, making 38 tackles.
10. Tevita Tatola
Had the most run metres of any South Sydney forward (175) and set the tone well in the middle. Broke through six tackles on his 16 hit ups.
11. Shaun Lane
One half of Parra’s brilliant back-row pairing, Lane was outstanding with ball in hand across 22 carries and had a game-high 92 post-contact metres.
12. Isaiah Papali’i
Ran for 232 metres, more than any other forward in Finals Week 2, and was a menace down his side of the field. A pillar of strength in defence too, making 29 tackles at almost 97 percent efficiency.
13. Cameron Murray
His try right on half-time, in which he disposed of a would-be tackler in Dale Finucane with relative ease, seemed to break the Cronulla spirit. Had some nice touches in the lead up to tries and worked hard on both sides of the footy.
Murray will not be stopped
14. Damien Cook
Held the middle together well and made 35 tackles with just one miss. Set up a try and a line break.
14. Marata Niukore
Showed his versatility once again by moving out to the centres to cover for the injured Tom Opacic in the second half and scored two tries in the final 10 minutes. Carried the ball for 168 metres.
Niukore books the ticket to Townsville
16. Joseph Tapine
Can hold his head high despite being part of a Green Machine pack who were well and truly out enthused by the Eels. Made 38 tackles to go with 134 run metres.
17. Reagan Campbell-Gillard
Along with Paulo in the starting front row, he helped establish dominance in the middle third early on. Carried the ball for 190 metres off 16 runs.
