It was a wild weekend of rugby league as injury mayhem wreaked havoc on both New South Wales and Queensland selectors.
Bolters emerged left, right and centre as star players dropped like flies at the final hurdle ahead of the State of Origin series opener on Wednesday week.
Read on for all the biggest talking points out of Round 11.
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BENJI GOES INTO BAT FOR SNUBBED STAR
Wests Tigers coach went into bat for Terrell May after his star prop was snubbed by New South Wales selectors on Sunday night.
As foxsports.com.au revealed during the week, May was overlooked by Blues coach Laurie Daley and his staff due to perceived defensive deficiencies in his game.
May responded to the report by making an incredible 68 tackles without missing one against the Rabbitohs, but it wasn’t enough.
Despite injuries to front-rowers Jake Trbojevic and Payne Haas, May was overcooked for Mitch Barnett, Spencer Leniu, Max King and Stefano Utoikamanu.
May leads all those players in every key statistic, including average run metres, tackle busts, offloads and tackle efficiency.
May’s character has also been called into question by some pundits, with former NSW coach Brad Fittler blasting 26-year-old’s reaction to foxsports.com.au’s report as “pathetic.
But Marshall hit back the critics of his polarising prop in the wake of the snubbing on Sunday night.
“Terrell is outrageous in what he can do in terms of minutes and (what he does) on the field and the longer the game went I thought he got better,” Marshall said.
“He’s been big for us to start the season and has been a big part of the reason we’re in the position we are.
“I can’t control who gets selected and who doesn’t but all I can say for Terrell and his character and the way he’s been with us has been outstanding.
“The way he leads on and off the field, he’s taken a lot of young guys under his wing and he’s become a real leader in our team.
“We love what he’s doing for us, so that’s all I can comment on.”
Tigers half Jarome Luai was also overlooked for the No. 6 jersey in favour of Mitchell Moses, despite having far more experience in the position.
“I’ll talk to Jarome privately, I’m sure he’ll be disappointed as we all are but that decision is out of our hands,” Marshall said.
“I wish we could do more for him to get him in that team but it will make him hungrier and better.”
– Eamonn Tiernan
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MADGE FINDS SILVER LINING DESPITE BRONCOS’ RECENT HORROR RUN
From the outside looking in, things appear grim for the Michael Maguire-led Broncos.
Once again, the Broncos lost another game they shouldn’t have, coughing up a 14-6 second half lead to a Dragons team who had dropped four straight games.
Brisbane has as much star power as any team, so when Dragons back rower Jaydn Su’A was binned for a professional foul, conceding two tries to a side with one less player on the park is unfathomable.
“That shouldn’t be happening in the modern game,” Fox League’s Kevin Walters said.
“That’s where they lost it.”
Broncos half Adam Reynolds says the second half fadeouts Brisbane have had this season is more mental than anything else.
“It’s concentration. We just aren’t getting in right at the moment,” Reynolds said.
“We’re coming up with poor errors and ill-discipline and when you do that, you invite teams into it and give them a sniff.
“We need to be better.”
While another loss for the Broncos is cause for concern, Maguire says he loved what he saw from Ezra Mam in his return game.
The five-eighth was the best player on the park in his first NRL appearance in 2025 after serving a nine-game ban for an off-field issue.
Mam had three try assists and scored an impressive try, juking two Dragons defenders close to the line with a vicious right foot step.
“I think the right food step happened as the ball was coming to him. There’s only a certain few players who can do that,” Greg Alexander said in commentary after Mam’s try.
“Ez was really good. He’s worked really hard to put himself in this position,” Maguire said in his post-match press conference.
“He had a few try assists, that combination with Reyno will grow again so I saw a lot of positives.
“He’s been through a bit but I could actually hear the cheers through the glass. It just goes to show what Ez has done for the place and everyone getting behind him.”
From the TV broadcast, it didn’t appear Mam was booed when he touched the ball early on. Instead, Reynolds said when Mam was on, it was some of the loudest cheers he had heard.
“I didn’t hear any boos. I heard a lot of cheering. Our fans are fantastic and welcomed him back,” Reynolds said.
“He came up with some big plays and I don’t think I’ve heard the crowd that loud.”
– Daniel Nuttall
CRONK LAUDS CIRALDO AFTER STUNNING BULLDOGS COMEBACKS
Cooper Cronk says the Bulldogs’ comebacks in their last two games show that coach Cameron Ciraldo is on the money with his halftime addresses.
After trailing 20-0 against the Raiders at halftime and coming back to win 32-20 in Round 10, the Dogs recovered to win in very similar circumstances against the Roosters in Round 11. Canterbury trailed 14-0 at halftime against the Chooks, before scoring four second half tries to win 24-20.
Cronk says the Bulldogs are looking like a team that can go deep into the finals.
“They’re playing with this spirit and this emotion at the moment that can drive them a long way through to September,” Cronk said.
“When you’re playing sort of average in the first 40 minutes, and you come out in the second half, in two weeks back-to-back, and you change it like that, chase down the scoreboard in the blink of an eye.
“It tells me that the coach is very smart, he knows what’s going wrong in the first half, addresses the team at halftime and says you’ve got to fix this, this and this.”
Cronk praised the Bulldogs’ senior players as being the key behind both comebacks.
“It was Stephen Crichton last week. It was Matt Burton and (Viliame) Kikau tonight in that second half,” Cronk added.
“There’s a real good spirit among the Bulldogs. Their coach is very good. They’ve got a great system. They’ve got players playing their best football. That’s an impressive performance in that second half.
“The Roosters were in total control, and it slipped away quickly.”
– Daniel Ramus
Dogs come from behind to down Chooks | 02:49
EELS SHOW SIGNS OF LIFE AS MOSES-BROWN COMBO SHINES
The Eels may be anchored to the bottom of the ladder, but the combination of Mitchell Moses and Dylan Brown showed in the 28-6 win over the Knights that their season is still alive.
Brown had 87 run metres, two try assists and a try and Moses finished with 32 run metres, two try assists and a try in a dominant display from the pair, which impressed NRL great Cooper Cronk.
“The halves combined really well tonight, Brown and Moses,” Cronk said.
“They are such a better team with Mitchell Moses on the field wearing the No.7 and doing the things that he can do.”
Kevvie Walters was impressed by the Eels’ performance on the back of their star halves and believes they can turn around their horror start to the year.
“They are a good combination and they have definitely improved the Eels since Moses has been back,” Walters said.
“He’s not only lifted his teammates, but also Brown’s football has been much better since his arrival back in the side.
“I think there is some really positive signs ahead for the Eels, although they come into the Origin period now where they will lose some players.
“But some positive signs given their start to the year was pretty horrendous, but they are making progress now which is great for the Eels and Jason Ryles.”
Shaun Johnson warned Moses and the Eels can get even better when he gets back to full fitness after a long lay-off to start the year.
“I don’t even know if Moses is at his physical best yet,” Johnson said.
“That length of time on the sideline it takes time to get your legs and your touch and your feel back.
“So for the quality that he is producing so far given the amount of games he has played it is pretty impressive.”
Walters also noted Moses’ staunch defence on Queensland rival Kalyn Ponga, which could have been an appetiser for Origin I.
“One thing that was very good was his defence on Ponga, which will be noted by those south of the border,” Walters said.
“I thought he made a beeline for Ponga and every time Ponga got the ball out the back of shape, he was determined to make sure he didn’t get through. He made a point of it.
“We love seeing him run the ball and kick and pass, but his defence tonight was really good as well.”
The Eels now face the Sea Eagles next week in a huge clash at CommBank Stadium, while the Knights face a depleted Penrith on the road on Saturday, with coach Adam O’Brien in desperate need of a win.
– Mark St John
Eels reaping rewards for hard work | 04:27
AFB SHINES AS SHARKS OUTDO STORM AT THEIR OWN GAME
The Storm came into their clash with the Sharks having beaten the Tigers 64-0, but were beaten at their own game by a ruthless Sharks outfit in a 31-26 upset.
Addin Fonua-Blake led the way for the Sharks with a game high 210 points to go with four tackle busts, an offload, a linebreak, a try and 26 tackles in a huge performance.
Fonua-Blake revealed the Sharks’ approach in taking it to the Storm in the middle in a fiery clash that saw multiple scuffles between the teams.
“It’s no secret that Melbourne have been the benchmark of the competition for a few years, they’ve got a really solid forward pack and I took it upon myself to go up against them and I feel like all us middles did all right and it went a long way to winning the game,” Fonua-Blake said.
“We’ve been pipped a few times in a few close contests but I feel like we’re learning on the run and the boys that are coming in are doing a terrific job.
“We’ve eased our way into the contest a few times this year but we tonight we displayed what we can do if we go toe to toe with some of the better teams in the comp.
“We definitely held our own tonight and that’s definitely a building block going forward.
“We can’t rest our hat on what we did tonight, we need to find a new level moving forward. We went toe to toe with them and I think our defence won us the game.”
The Sharks are now on the verge of the top four, with a clash with the Roosters up next and still three byes ahead of them, which is an automatic six points.
– Mark St John
WORRYING TREND EMERGES FOR TITANS
The Titans sit dead last after 11 rounds and the noise surrounding Des Hasler’s position on the Gold Coast could be set to grow.
Hasler’s side were in the game, trailing by six points at halftime against a Raiders side who are considered one of the biggest threats to take out the premiership.
However, Ricky Stuart’s side ran in three tries in the first 11 minutes in the second half, which is becoming a familiar story for the Titans.
While they were able to beat the Knights in Round 10, the Gold Coast were well and truly in the game against the ladder-leading Bulldogs a week earlier, trailing 14-8 at halftime.
Against the Cowboys in Round 8 the Titans were also up 18-12, conceding 38 unanswered points to lose 50-18.
In Round 7, Hasler’s men also went into the break with the scores tied at 16-all against the Raiders.
Speaking in the post-match press conference, Hasler couldn’t believe his team fell away in such ugly fashion.
“We’ve been right in there at halftime in a lot of games but it’s just not acceptable, not good enough, not at this level,” Hasler said.
“Not the amount of work we put in, the amount of practice we put in. I think six of their tries they scored on last tackle… 18-12, you’ve got a right to think you’re in the game.
“Went back out and similar to Canterbury, we just let in three tries… it just kills you and then you have to try and catch up and it is always going to be difficult.
“We only have ourselves to blame.”
However, Hasler denied the ugly trend came down to his side’s attitude.
“It’s pretty easy to see (what’s wrong),” Hasler said.
“I don’t think it’s attitude, (we have just got to) execute. It’s what you do in the NRL, it’s what you do in first grade you execute it.
Meanwhile, it was a different story for the Raiders who surged back into the top four on the NRL ladder.
The team from the nation’s capital have eight wins from 11 games and Ricky Stuart praised his team’s performance.
“We didn’t have a bad player on the field, and we shouldn’t,” Stuart said.
“It’s less than one per cent of your week, 80 minutes, so it’s your responsibility to turn up every week, get over that sideline and play good.”
– Tom Sargeant
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