Hamish Stewart played out one of the best games of his young NRL career while Tyrell Sloan offered a reminder of what we will miss as he makes his way to the Super League, linking up to score a beauty on Sunday night.

Stewart’s line is excellent. It looks as though he is going to fly into the space between three- and four-man before bouncing out, releasing an offload, and sending Sloan streaking down the sideline.

But I want to go back to the first half to capture Lykhan King-Togia’s involvement in this one. As he takes the ball with four defenders on the shortside and a lead inside three-man, the centre jams in to close it down.

Good defence.

The setup for the try is a bit different, but the result is the same. As Jesse Ramien sees the lead inside Nicho Hynes, he jams.

Only this time in the second half, King-Togia and Stewart played for it and capitalise on the space in behind the jamming centre to score. It’s a superb example of making adjustments on the run and playing to what is in front of you as a half.

Lovely footy.

Cowboys Without The Ball: Most expected a bounce-back performance from the North Queensland Cowboys following their hammering at the hands of the Sydney Roosters in Round 22.

They got the result to beat the Gold Coast Titans, and did it relatively convincingly. However, it’s in defence they impressed most.

There was one moment I thought “Cowboys are on here” and it didn’t come with the ball.

There is nothing exciting about the play, but it’s a period they simply didn’t produce against the Roosters.

Keanu Kini is an electric ball-carrier. More often than not, he’s going to beat a defender and generate some chaos in the defensive line. The Cowboys of recent weeks haven’t responded well to those moments.

Here, they get their two markers despite losing the tackle. Seeing they’re short, the second marker gets out hard to the shortside, the A defender flies up to close down the shift, and had AJ Brimson managed to tip the ball on, the Cowboys had the defenders sweeping in behind.

It’s a look we hadn’t seen from the Cowboys in a little while, and one that can give them confidence as they fight for finals football.

It Was Not The Week For The Titans: My feeling early in the week was that I felt an 'I believe in the Gold Coast Titans for 2027' segment was coming sooner rather than later.

This was not the week for it…

The change in the Gold Coast Titans spine didn't help.

In hindsight, the AJ Brimson/Jayden Campbell combination probably wasn't the right one. They struggled to control the side and Campbell played out one of his most ineffective games in weeks.

I'd expect Lachlan Ilias to get more of a look in the side next week and Campbell gets back into the positions he's worked best this season. - Originally published in the RLW Community

Dolphins v Broncos

A Great Set After Points: Anybody else looking at kickoffs with a closer eye in recent weeks?

This one stood out straight away for the wrong reasons from a Dolphins perspective.

It starts too straight. Catching it just outside the posts and playing Patrick Carrigan further in, he’s able to get straight into the three-man to generate momentum through the middle of the field.

The Dolphins do a good job to push Selwyn Cobbo towards the sideline on the second tackle, but still face a tough task in wrestling the momentum of this set back in their favour.

They’re still on the back-foot and Francis Molo flies out of the line to halt the momentum, but Jaiyden Hunt’s feet are too quick for the big prop as he spins out of the tackle to set up the Broncos shift.

In a position to shift the ball up the field and a tackle earlier than they might have been after a good kickoff, the Broncos make their move. The lead inside three holds up Kodi Nikorima, and given the yardage field position, the Dolphins aren’t as likely to jam in on a sweeping Reece Walsh.

Beyond half way with a tackle to spare, Thomas Duffy plays his prop into a good field position to kick from, and just like that, the Broncos are in a dominant spot to finish a set straight after points.

Dragons v Sharks

Dragons Spine Splits: Clint Gutherson, Lyhkan King-Togia and Kyle Flanagan split their touches evenly in Round 22 - it didn’t look great. However, with a more typical distribution between fullback, five-eighth and halfback, they pulled off an upset in Round 23.

With the improved performance and confidence which will come with it heading into their Round 24 match against a beatable Wests Tigers, I’ll again be keeping an eye on how the Dragons move the ball between their key playmakers.

Welcome back to the starting side, Billy Walters.

The 32-year-old spent almost 300 days on the sideline before returning at Queensland Cup level. Playing for his future with the Brisbane Broncos out of finals contention, Walters is three games into his return and re-entered the starting 13 with an impressive 59 minutes.

He didn’t miss a beat, and while hooker hasn’t always been his natural position, he looked more like a genuine dummy half than he ever has. His early 40/20 set the tone for a dominant Broncos start. He beat the second marker and bounced out to engage A and B to setup Deine Mariner later in the first half.

It’s too late for Walters to impact a finals run in Brisbane this season, but a strong finish, playing like this, can see him extend his stay for 2027 and beyond.

Looking beyond the bright lights of the NRL to the lower grades, one player caught my eye this week.

Jason Ryles has defended the signing of Jarome Luai on a one-year deal to join the Parramatta Eels next season.

Lorenzo Talataina is one of those younger players coming through the system. Only 18 years old, he’s grown into a regular performer at New South Wales Cup level this season.

He’s a strong runner of the ball. The five-eighth is at his best sweeping in behind on the second layer, threatening to run before straightening up and fixing defenders. He played a blinder against the Rabbitohs in Round 23.

Talataina is 26 games into his reserve grade career. While some have questioned the Luai signing with the young half coming through, a more patient approach is likely to pay off in the long term. If he has another season and 50 games under his belt before fighting for the five-eighth spot in the wake of Luai’s departure for PNG, Talataina can set himself up for a long NRL career.