3 minute read

All the key details of round nine of the NRL, including injuries, players on report and the man of the round.

WHAT HAPPENED IN ROUND NINE OF THE NRL

* QUOTE OF THE ROUND: "That's incompetent. To not see that, a guy goes to hospital and then 20 minutes later you put him on report? It's ridiculous." - Trent Robinson blasts the NRL officials for not acting when Drew Hutchison was hit by Dylan Brown's knees in a tackle, and then waiting 20 minutes to put the Eels half on report.

* STAT THAT MATTERS: Josh Addo-Carr's six-try effort against South Sydney made him the first player to cross for that many since Jack Troy in 1950. The Rabbitohs now face the challenge of becoming the first side to win the premiership after conceding 50 points in a match.

* MAGIC MOMENT: Valentine Holmes' field goal to claim another tight Queensland derby win for the Cowboys over Brisbane. While it might not have been as high quality as those in the finals of 2015 and 2016, this was a crucial one-point win for North Queensland to keep them in touch with the top eight.

* MAN OF THE ROUND: It's hard to beat a man who scores six tries, but Tom Trbojevic was terrific for Manly. His two tries for himself and four assists for teammates went with 11 tackle busts and five linebreaks in the best performance of his stellar career.

* TALKING POINT: Will the NRL practise what they preach? Trent Robinson called on the league to do exactly that after Dylan Brown's knee-first contact that broke Drew Hutchison's ribs and punctured his lung initially went unnoticed, while Marata Niukore stayed on the field despite collecting James Tedesco in the head. All that, just days after a directive to use the sin-bin more for foul play.

* JUDICIARY WATCH: Wests Tigers - James Tamou (dangerous contact); Titans - David Fifita (high tackle), Brian Kelly (dangerous contact); Cowboys - Lachlan Burr (high tackle), Mitch Dunn (contrary conduct); Broncos - Matt Lodge (contrary conduct); Panthers - Liam Martin (contrary conduct); Eels - Dylan Brown (dangerous contact), Marata Niukore (high tackle), Roosters - Sio Siua Taukeiaho (high tackle); Storm - Felise Kaufusi (dangerous contact), Brandon Smith (shoulder charge); Sea Eagles - Morgan Harper (crusher); Warriors - Tohu Harris (crusher), Josh Curran (dangerous contact); Dragons - Josh McGuire (dangerous contact); Bulldogs - Renouf Atoni (high tackle).

* CASUALTY WARD: Sharks - Jesse Ramien (face), Roosters - Victor Radley (concussion), Drew Hutchison (punctured lung/rib); Eels - Reed Mahoney; Raiders - Ryan Sutton (elbow), Joe Tapine (knee); Knights - Brayden Musgrove (ribs); Broncos - Pat Carrigan (knee); Bulldogs - Corey Allan (neck), Lachlan Lewis (ribs/lung), Ava Seumanufagai (concussion); Dragons - Mathew Feagai (ankle).

* UNDER PRESSURE: Canberra. The Raiders have now lost five in a row and their season is quickly spiralling out of control. Ricky Stuart managed to put out spotfires off the field last week but a bigger challenge could be stopping their second-half fade-outs.