Sunday, August 23, 2020

Best since Benji: Warriors phenom's stunner

Paul Turner handed in arguably the best debut by a Kiwi playmaker since Benji Marshall made his first appearance in the top grade as a raw schoolboy way back in 2003 yesterday.

And Turner brought back memories of a young Marshall with his quick stepping in the Warriors' win over the Bulldogs yesterday.

The youngster slipped through over the Canterbury tryline twice in the Warriors' splendid win, only to have both tries disallowed.

But his cool attacking play and fast feet would have had 2021 Warriors coach Nathan Brown rubbing his hands in anticipation.

The fact that 20-year-old Turner's even got a chance was another sign of the Warriors' helter skelter season.

Regular halves Chanel Harris-Tavita and Adam Keighran clashed heads at training and were both ruled out, giving the kid his opportunity.

In a year where so many things have gone against the spare-parts Warriors, they again showed pride and determination to come from behind to outclass the Bulldogs.

SHARKS OMEN FOR CLEARY'S PANTHERS

There's no stopping the Panthers, with Ivan Cleary's men extending their winning run to 10 straight after disposing of Cronulla 38-12 in fine style on Friday night.

Ten wins in a row is a rare feat in the NRL - the last team to achieve that feat was actually the Sharks in 2016.

And if you believe in omens, the Panthers could go all the way this year - just as Cronulla did to secure their maiden premiership four years ago.

The Sharks, meanwhile, are sick of the sight of the Panthers this year - in the two match-ups, Penrith have racked up 94 points, the most they have ever scored against any opponent in a season.

MOSES STANDS STRONG IN STORM SHUTOUT

Mitchell Moses didn't have his best attacking game in a scrappy Eels win over a depleted Storm team on Thursday night, but in many ways the game was a landmark one for the enigmatic halfback.

There have been question marks over Moses' defence in recent seasons and Craig Bellamy's game plan was to test the Eels' little No.7.

Bellamy ran plenty of traffic at Moses, including his big men, but Moses stood firm.

Moses made 30 tackles - his highest tally for the season and more than most of the Eels' forwards, missing just four - as the Storm were held scoreless for the first time since 2014.

CROKER CONSISTENCY TRAILS ONLY SMITH

They say consistency is the mark of a good footballer - and they don't come much more consistent than Raiders captain Jason Croker.

The veteran centre passed the century mark for the 11th straight season against the Titans last weekend - a remarkable show of longevity.

So remarkable, in fact, that only one player has hit centuries in more consecutive seasons - a fella from Melbourne called Cameron Smith.

And Croker is far more than a phenomenal goalkicker - he has also been a fine strike centre for the Green Machine, as his 130 tries proves.



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