The Armchair Expert - Round 10

Performance of the Round

When you notice a team has a 100% completion rate at the end of the match you expect them to have either played a very dull brand of football or the statistician has muffed his job something fierce. Yet neither of these reasons was the case for the Cowboys on Friday night. In one of the highest intensity games of the season to date, North Queensland played with all lassoes blazing. They went down to the Broncos 12-0 early in the game but it never fazed them. They persevered all night and produced a rare coaching classic "80 minute performance".

Lachlan Coote keeps getting better with every game he plays up north. He defused more Ben Hunt bombs than North Korea has in storage and his support play in attack was relentless. Michael Morgan is the most improved player in the competition (Blake Austin has always been good, he just needed a club that would give him a decent go) by a country mile and thoroughly deserves his selection in the Queensland side. His running game is as dynamic as any half in the competition and this reputation was only enhanced with a hat trick on Friday. He is deceptively powerful for a little fella.

James Tamou also put in his toughest shift for two years, making hard yards against a star studded Brisbane pack. Throw in Johnathon Thurston, Matthew Scott, Jason Taumalolo and livewire Jake Granville, and you realise the Cowboys are now where they should be on the ladder after seven straight wins.

Paul Carige Award for the Worst Performance of the Round

In a weekend of great games, the Knights-Tigers match up was in all honesty a bit of a letdown. It lacked intensity. It lacked intent. Too many errors and too many stoppages killed the spectacle.

Both sides should have been fired up to claim the win, with the Knights looking to end a five match-loosing streak and the Tigers keen to sneak two points before the origin period rips away Robbie Farah and Aaron Woods. If their was one positive to come out of the game, it's that Sione Mata'utia, Akuila Uate, Joseph Leilua and Dane Gagai will form the most explosive outside back arsenal in the competition if they all click into gear.

But seriously, just do a direct bank transfer to Mr. Glenn Munsie if you were going to back either of these sides to make the eight.

Surprise Packet

There weren't that many surprising things this week. The Eels were never going to walk over the Warriors, the Sharks had the potential to roll the Titans and the Storm should have beaten the Rabbitohs considering Souths' injury toll.

Perhaps the biggest surprise was the Dragons attack. They proved to not just be the one-dimensional defensive team they have been labelled. Some of their play against the Raiders was simply scintillating, with Benji Marshall, Gareth Widdop and Tyson Frizell all having a field day. In fairness the Raiders aren't the greatest defensive unit in the comp, but the Dragons would have put a few tries on most teams with that display.

Russell Packer Medal for WTF Moment of the Week

Not sure what Luke Lewis has to do to get a Blues jersey. Has been one of the best Sharks players over the last month and played solidly for Australia in the ANZAC Test. If Laurie Daley wants to go in a new direction then why are Ryan Hoffman and Beau Scott in the team? All three are 31. Lewis can play in the back row, centre, wing, hooker and possibly five-eight at a stretch. Hoffman can only play in the back row, whilst Scott can also play in the centres but offers as much as the fan in the third row in attack.

Speaking of this ‘new direction', Tyson Frizell is a young second rower who is an absolute weapon and will play a game before the series is over. By the end of the season people will be asking ‘Taumalolo who' as he becomes the most damaging forward in the game. Mark my words.

Around the Social Media Traps

This week a few chooks enjoy a cold one, Billy the Kid is happy to be back in the rep arena and something for the ladies…..

Great ride with #esb and a coldie down at manly. Great day happy weekend