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Manly's Tom Trbojevic is a superstar of the future.

The young players lighting up the NRL Telstra Premiership, the Australian making a massive impact in the Super League and calls to use the sin bin more.

Why we love Rugby League at the moment?

That's easy. Valentine Holmes and the Trbojevic brothers.

I have now seen enough of Holmes to declare Cronulla has a potential NRL superstar in their ranks who is going to entertain us all for at least the next decade.

We first caught a glimpse at the Auckland Nines last year; then it was half a dozen matches late in the season.

But the highlights package of Holmes in 2015 up to last Saturday's blinding effort against the Warriors is five star.

Remember this is the kid who nailed the dropkick conversion from the sideline to send the Auckland Nines final this year into extra time.

And over at Manly you have a couple of local juniors, who like Holmes, are certain to be prominent figures in the NRL for the next 10 years.

Jake at prop gets better every week with quality and quantity in his workload. And Tom isn't just knocking on the door for regular first grade selection, he's damn near taken it off its hinges Des Hasler style!

And for Sea Eagles fans, how exciting is it to know that there are another two younger Trbojevic brothers showing enormous promise in the juniors?

As I said in commentary on Fox Sports last Saturday night, I struggle to spell their name but I love shouting it out as Tom sprints away to score a try. I've never been so certain of identifying a player who will top the 100 try milestone in his career. 

But wait, there's more?

Can I also add a late nominee as a reason to love rugby league at the moment, and that's Newcastle's Nathan Ross.

At 26 years of age his NRL debut was solid against the Dragons at Kogarah last Sunday.

But his reaction to his first try was something special. He went off like a firecracker! I loved it.

And I love the nickname he's been given, "White Lightning."

This is a working class success story. Nathan apparently gave his job in the mines away last year to give rugby league one last serious shot.

Over the years, the Coogee Wombats junior has covered some ground to play the sport. From Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast, to Toulouse in the south of France.

I don't know what the future holds for this journeyman, but he should be mighty proud that he has now played one more first grade game, and scored one more try, than nearly all of us who love the sport.

Do we need to use the sin bin more?

Yes.

Leeson Ah Mau's tackle last Sunday on the Knights' Kade Snowden was the last straw for me.

Snowden played no further part after being struck high by a swinging arm.

Look… it was far from the worst tackle I've seen, but there was little doubt it was illegal.

Stop this ridiculous line that gets trotted out that the sin bin cannot be ruled for foul play, keeping in mind that if a player throws a punch these days, off he will go for 10.

Change the parameters for the referees so a commonsense call can be made to penalise the tackler more than just being placed on report for an obvious high tackle.

And while we're at it, maybe a refining of the points grading system is urgently required.

Check the guidelines… there are 13 levels of high tackles worse than the one on Snowden. Pretty sure Kade wouldn't want to be on the end of any of those.

What do we read into Brisbane's loss to Manly?

I reckon the answer comes on Friday night.

I think the size of the loss to the Sea Eagles is what delivers a question mark. The Broncos were totally outplayed, looking out of sorts from the opening minutes in Gosford.

But the loss is only their 4th of the season, and they are still top of the NRL Telstra Premiership.

How they bounce back at Suncorp against the Bulldogs will let us all know if the defeat was just a blip on the radar or evidence of a side with a few problems to sort out.

Adding merit to the Manly performance was that Brett Stewart played no part in the second half.

I still don't know if the Sea Eagles will make the playoffs, but I am convinced no side in the NRL would want to face them in the finals based on their form against Brisbane.

Are the Dragons back?

Too early to say, but at least they have regained control of their finals destiny.

Back in the top eight, the equation becomes pretty simple. Just keep winning and no one can take your spot.

They haven't won me back despite a 32-4 second half belting of Newcastle, but at least their attack produced a bit of rare dazzle after a lean two months.

Of greatest concern for me however is not the Dragons attack, it was the metres conceded straight up the middle in defence in the first half when the Knights were on top.

I wouldn't want to be on Paul McGregor's side if they concede over 20 points to the better teams in the competition.

What a game then this Saturday in Wellington, as the Dragons face a club that have become their 'bunnies.'

Not since 2007 have the Warriors beaten St George Illawarra. That's 10 straight defeats since then.

Overall the record is 18 wins for the Dragons from 22 meetings.

Did someone say "hoodoo?"

Who is the Australian making the biggest impression in Superleague?

Adam Cuthbertson.

There'll be plenty of Aussies playing at Wembley this year with Leeds to face Hull KR, but it is Cuthbertson who is likely to have the biggest influence on the match.

The former Manly junior was hailed a genuine star last week after the Leeds Rhinos accounted for St Helens in the semi finals.

Some have said Cuthbertson has "reinvented the role of the modern day prop."

Others have described him as "a halfback in a front rower's body!"

In a recent match against Wigan, Cuthbertson produced a Superleague record of 10 offloads.

By the way, Adam's dad was born in England, making him eligible for selection if that is what he desires.

I'm off to Remondis Stadium on Saturday and then Melbourne on Sunday for Fox Sports. Two crucial games in the race for the top eight.

Giddy Up!

Twitter: @AndrewVossy

 

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