The Easter round of matches means five glorious days of football. For rugby league fanatics, it’s a massive weekend.

But the upcoming matches haven’t been the only recent talking points. Celebrations have been mixed with tough injury news.

Lets tick off some of the biggest stories of the last week or so.

Milestone Moments

Round 3 was full of major milestone moments and dreamy debuts for a range of players across the league, including:

* South Sydney Skipper Cameron Murray played his 150th NRL game in his side’s 48-6 loss to the Sydney Roosters.

* Cowboys centre Valentine Holmes reached 1000 points scored in the NRL.

* Broncos, Raiders, Sea Eagles and Bulldogs forwards Corey Jensen, Hudson Young, Taniela Paseka and Max King all hit the 100 career game mark.

* Roosters enforcer Jared Warea- Hargreaves played his 300th NRL game.

Staying on JWH, in a 14 year career the tough enforcer has played for the Sydney Roosters and Manly Sea Eagles at club level, whilst also representing his heritage playing for the New Zealand Kiwis on the international stage.

Whilst opinions on Warea-Hargeaves and his style of play vary across critics and fans, none can deny the impact he brings to the Tri-Colours side. JWH’s dedication and grit have helped lead the Bondi outfit to three NRL premierships, including back to back titles in 2018 and 2019.

Though still a dominant forward, Jared confirmed earlier in the season that this will be his last in the Red, White and Blue, and the shoes he leaves will prove to be incredibly hard to fill.

For those out in PARRAdise, some of the biggest stories came out of Parra’s win over the Manly on Sunday afternoon.

Up in the front row, New South Wales and Australian representative Reagan Campbell-Gillard played his 200th NRL game. In a career played out at the Panthers and the Eels, RCG has finally found his home in Parramatta, playing his best football across his last 5 years in PARRAdise.

Life hasn’t been easy lately for Reg. Reaching the 200 game milestone just a week following the passing of his brother, the classy prop demonstrated extreme determination and resilience both on and off the field as the blue and gold continue to cherish the gift to the club that is Reagan Campbell-Gillard.

Over in the backs, young gun Blaize Talagi also made his electric Eels debut in front of his friends, family and fans at a packed CommBank Stadium. A bus load of his biggest fans were located in the northwest corner of the ground, and they fairly lifted the roof when Blaize crossed for a try on debut.

It was quite the event for those in attendance, as celebrations for a 200 game veteran, and a pathways player debut combined with the jubilation for the Eels gritty 28-24 win over their historical rivals.

 

Casualty Ward Woes

One of the largest concerns across the NRL this week is the growing casualty wards.

As of now:

• The Eels have lost halfback Mitchell Moses for the next 8-12 weeks to a broken foot. Bryce Cartwright has also suffered a rib injury but is expected to play through it.

• The Panthers have lost Halfback Nathan Cleary for the next month due to a hamstring injury.
• The Broncos are without Adam Reynolds, Payne Haas, Brendan Piakura and Reece Walsh for the foreseeable future.
• The Titans lost skipper Tino Fa’asuamaleaui to an ACL injury against the Bulldogs. He will not play for the remainder of the year.
• The Warriors are still missing Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, and now his replacement Taine Tuapiki is out of action with concussion.
• The Rabbitohs will remain without Campbell Graham and Jai Arrow for a large part of this NRL season.
• The Sharks have lost Dale Finucane to concussion and Toby Rudolf to an ankle injury.
• Lindsay Collins and Sandon Smith are unavailable for selection for the Roosters for the next 2-4 weeks.

Questions have been raised around NRL scheduling, particularly in the offseason period, with international games, all star matches and preseason trials crowding the calendar. There are concerns that there is now an immoderate load on the players, impacting the health and performance of some of the stars of the game.

 

A Coach And Club Under Pressure

The South Sydney Rabbitohs are a club at the crossroads. Though it’s only Round 4, rumours put coach Jason Demetriou as a coach on notice. A loss to the Bulldogs probably won’t result in his termination but it will definitely keep the wolves waiting at his door.

And it’s not just the coach in the spotlight. Key players are sadly out of form, and unless they can remedy their current malaise, the season could be over before most teams are close to warming up.

How critical is this week’s match? It won’t get any easier for Souths to find that first win should they fall to the Dogs.

In order, their next four opponents are the Warriors, Sharks, Storm and Panthers.

Victory over the Bulldogs is an imperative, not just for this week, but also for their season.

 

Easter Weekend Preview

The popular Easter round arrives earlier than usual in 2024. However, no matter when it arrives on the calendar, the extra long, long weekend always provides great entertainment.

 * Thursday night sees the Roosters take on a Panthers side weakened by the loss of Nathan Cleary. The top 4 clash will showcase two sides that pundits have labelled certainties to feature in the big end of season matches

* Good Friday begins with the classic Bulldogs and Rabbitohs match at Accor stadium. In recent years, the clash has provided incredible moments and absurd scenes, like 2015’s infamous bottle throwing drama. Both sides are aiming for important achievement. The Rabbitohs will search for their first win of the season, whilst the Bulldogs are hoping to secure their first Good Friday win since 2017.

* Good Friday concludes with a Queensland Derby as a weakened Broncos face the undefeated Cowboys.

*  On Saturday, the  Dragons take on the Sea Eagles at WIN stadium in Wollongong. Historically, Manly do not have a positive win record against the Dragons at this ground. However, the northern beaches outfit will look to bounce back after their loss to Parra.

* The second Queensland derby pits the Titans against the Dolphins. Both sides have already had a bye, but the Titans will be desperate for victory to avoid a 0-3 start to the season.

* Easter Sunday has the slow-starting Warriors and Knights both looking to jump to a 2-2 record. Neither side has found their 2023 form as yet, so victory will go a long way towards restoring some confidence. The second match sees the Sharks and Raiders fight for a 3-1 record and a potential top spot on the ladder following disappointing losses last week.

* Finally, the Eels and the Tigers meet in their now annual Easter Monday battle. The 2024 instalment is being played at CommBank Stadium, with the last meeting there being a Tigers victory decided by a Jackson Hastings field goal. The Eels and Tigers won exciting games against the Sea Eagles and Sharks respectively last week, and will be looking to build winning momentum over the next few weeks.

Enjoy the feast of footy heading your way!

Nat