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Stats that matter: Round 19

With the latest series kicking off this week we've brought a Game of Thrones flavour to our wrap of the key stats from Round 19 of the Telstra Premiership.

The new king in the north

It wasn't that long ago that the Cowboys simply could not win with Johnathan Thurston out of the side, but Paul Green's men have turned things around in recent weeks with the 2015 premiers claiming three wins on the trot for the first time without their star No.7. Ethan Lowe produced a JT-esque sideline conversion to seal a memorable win over the Panthers in Round 16 while Lachlan Coote has nailed field goals in back-to-back games to show the Cowboys are more than just a one-man team. So who is the new king in the north? Is it Antonio 'winter is coming' Winterstein, or is it Lord Scott Bolton? 

Faith of the Seven

It might be the dominant religion in Westeros but for Broncos youngster Jaydn Su'A, the 'Seven' proved to be the luckiest number of them all after he snapped a six-game losing streak to claim his first win in the NRL. 

Faith of the Seven: Part II

They've been the surprise packets this season and it appears divine intervention could be the secret weapon that has Manly inside the top four after 19 rounds. The number seven has played a big part throughout the Sea Eagles' history. The proud northern beaches club made the NSWRFL grand final in 1957, were NSWRL premiers in 1987, ARL runners-up in 1997 and NRL grand finalists in 2007. Could 2017 be their lucky year? 

Hold the door

Meera Reed infamously told Hodor to hold the door in an episode that had most of us emitting a salty discharge from our eyes, and you can expect Sharks coach Shane Flanagan to tell his players to hold the ball after they came up with 12 errors in Saturday's loss to the Titans. The Rains of Castamere at Cbus Super Stadium meant ball-handling was always going to be tough, but their opponents only turned the ball over eight times in the wet. Worryingly, the Sharks have now produced the most errors (198) through 19 rounds. 

Braavos to the Titans

There's a lot to like about the Titan of Braavos, but after their performance on Saturday night it's only fair we say bravo to the Gold Coast Titans. Let's start with their little general, Ash Taylor. The talented No.7 scored two tries and set up two more to take his tally to 14 assists for the season (three behind Daly Cherry-Evans). His second try against the Sharks brought up the Titans' 5000th point in the NRL while their 30-10 win was their biggest over Cronulla in 17 meetings. Unfortunately, they are destined for a rough month ahead if their form this season is anything to go by. From rounds 4-7, the Titans lost four on the trot before they responded with three straight wins. Four more losses followed but they have won their last three. Will history repeat or can they keep their finals hopes alive? 

The red heading

His side might have gone down on Sunday afternoon but there was some good news for Joel Edwards with the likeable red head scoring his first NRL try since Round 22, 2013. 

The Wall 

If you thought the Wall was the most impenetrable structure in the Seven Kingdoms then think again after Dragons hooker Cameron McInnes came up with a career-high 72 tackles and zero misses in his team's golden point loss in Canberra. 

The Knights botch

They've shown signs of improvement in 2017 but Newcastle still can't close out games that are there to be won. The Knights have now led at half-time on 10 occasions this season but have only managed to convert one of those into a win. 

You know nothing, Jon Snow

In truth, the former Lord Commander of the Night's Watch and the unofficial King of the North knows plenty, but was he aware of just how good Manu Vatuvei was at the Warriors? The Salford-bound winger finished his career with 152 tries from 226 appearances including a staggering streak of at least 10 tries in 10 consecutive seasons. His NRL watch may have ended, but his legacy will always live on.    

 

Acknowledgement of Country

National Rugby League respects and honours the Traditional Custodians of the land and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and future. We acknowledge the stories, traditions and living cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on the lands we meet, gather and play on.

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