In an eventful Round 6 which included two games going deep into golden point, a number of wingers stood out with star showings for their sides.
From Josh Addo-Carr's hat-trick heroics to Ronaldo Mulitalo's huge night out for the Sharks, it was a good weekend for the men out wide.
Elsewhere Joey Manu kept the stat keepers busy with an exhaustive effort for the Roosters, while Wayde Egan and Zac Lomax earned Team of the Week selection for the second week in a row.
Round 6 Team of the Week
1. Joey Manu (Roosters)
On a night when seven Roosters ran for more than 150 metres, it was Kiwi superstar Manu whole stole the show with an outrageous 347 from fullback, with 11 tackle breaks thrown in for good measure. The Kiwi put his hand up for 30 runs and was a constant danger to the Knights defence with his dazzling footwork and evasive skills. Also came up with a try assist and two line break assists as he laid the platform for the Roosters’ narrow victory.
2. Xavier Coates (Storm)
The athletic winger once again had the commentators in a spin after another freakish effort on Friday night. In a show of strength and athleticism, Coates managed to grubber a kick for Reimis Smith back in-field before being forced into touch, to reset the market when it comes to judging the try assist of the year. That was only part of it though, with Coates standing tool in both defence and attack across the 80 minutes, with a couple of momentum shifting tackles and 162 run metres.
What can't Coates do?
3. Selwyn Cobbo (Broncos)
Looking right at home in the No. 4 jersey, Selwyn Cobbo blew the game open against the Dolphins after crossing for a double in the space of three minutes. Breaking seven tackles and running a team-high 221 metres, the 21-year-old is proving to be a major strike weapon for the Broncos and is excelling with more opportunity on the ball.
4. Kayal Iro (Sharks)
While his left-side teammates Ronaldo Mulitalo and Teig Wilton stole the highlight-worthy moments with two tries each, Iro was excellent in his third game at NRL level. A rock in defence, making 18 tackles without a miss, he worked hard out of yardage as well to make 153 metres. The Cook Island international is giving coach Craig Fitzgibbon a nice headache at centre right now, with Siosifa Talakai now likely to continue to be used as a forward in future games.
5. Ronaldo Mulitalo (Sharks)
Too much desire for the Rabbitohs when the ball was in the air and too much skill and athleticism for them when he got chances on the ground. Mulitalo embarked on a one-man mission to punish the South Sydney right edge, weaving and then bulldozing his way through for the opening try, before racing in behind them to claim a kick for a second. Set up both of Teig Wilton’s tries with athletic efforts to claim bombs and then produce nice offloads.
Teig Wilton Try
6. Braydon Trindall (Sharks)
Another assured performance from the Indigenous All Star, which included setting up half of his side's six tries. His second assist was the pick of the bunch, with a beautiful floated cut-out pass putting Sione Katoa away in the corner. Trindall is increasingly taking on more and more responsibility from Nicho Hynes around game management and against the Rabbitohs he handled the lion's share of the kicking duties.
7. Dylan Brown (Eels)
Stood up alongside another new halves partner in Daejarn Asi, coming through in the big moments to help the Eels snap a two-game losing run. Ran the ball with success, making 147 metres from 13 carries. A big win for Parra ahead of travelling to Darwin to play the Dolphins in Round 7.
8. Addin Fonua-Blake (Warriors)
Another tireless performance from the Warriors prop who put in a 74-minute performance in Saturday’s draw against the Sea Eagles. Fonua-Blake changed the game when he came on late for his final stint and just about helped them to an unlikely victory. Made 47 tackles and had 146 metres from 21 runs.
9. Wayde Egan (Warriors)
Played every second of the 90-minute golden point thriller in Auckland and tackled himself to a standstill, with a game-high 58 to his name by full-time. His ability to change momentum with his dummy-half reads was on full display as the Warriors stormed home to rescue a point from what had looked destined to be a loss on home soil.
10. Taniela Paseka (Sea Eagles)
Had to dig in and play 62 minutes against the physical Warriors middles due to his side losing three players during the game. Finished just shy of earning 200 metres with ball in hand and was excellent defensively, making 37 tackles. Another strong showing from the man who has arguably been Manly's most improved player so far in 2024.
11. Shawn Blore (Storm)
A solid performance on Melbourne's left edge which was capped off with his first career try, and it was one to remember. Blore put the Storm back in the lead late in the match with his effort, which was part of a 40-tackle, 87-metre night at the office that should be enough to keep back-row rival Joe Chan out of the side going forward.
Shawn Blore Try
12. Hudson Young (Raiders)
Ever-present against the Titans, coming up with some big defensive plays and always seeming to be in the picture when his side needed something extra in a draining contest. Trailed only Joseph Tapine in terms of most carries by a Canberra forward with 21 and made 33 tackles on the other side of the ball. Scored a nice try early on with a determined run.
13. Victor Radley (Roosters)
A standout performance from the England Test player in a close win against the Knights. Made 36 tackles and ran for a 242 metres, in addition to scoring a first-half try. Playing the full 80 minutes, Radley led from the front for the injury-hit Roosters.
14. Josh Addo-Carr (Bulldogs)
After a frustrating start to the season with injuries, the Foxx kicked into gear at AAMI park on Friday night, running in a second-half hat-trick to just about lift his men to victory over his former Melbourne side. Came up with five line breaks and 243 running metres as he got through a full game for the first time this season.
Josh Addo-Carr goes for three
15. Pat Carrigan (Broncos)
The stand-in captain for the Broncos was excellent again, registering the most metres of any player in the match with 209 from his 23 runs, including 77 that came post-contact. In defence he also topped the count, making 46 tackles as Brisbane claimed their third derby win over the Dolphins.
16. Terrell May (Roosters)
Continues to come of age at the Roosters and gave Trent Robinson huge impetus off the bench in Newcastle. In 51 minutes of game time, May came up with 182 run metres and 35 tackles as well as a match-saving play in the frantic final seconds when he fielded Jayden Brailey’s grubber kick close to the line. At 24 years of age and with 32 games to his credit, the imposing May has become a key man in the Roosters’ forward rotation.
17. Zac Lomax (Dragons)
Another starring performance on the edge. The centre-turned-winger had his hand in everything on Sunday and helped the Dragons skip out to an early lead against the Wests Tigers. Another metre-eating performance with 139 to go with his try, three conversions and a penalty goal.
