It’s round 6 in the NRL this weekend, and many English stars who have made a big decision by moving down under this season are set to feature, including one of the forgotten stars who has made the switch down under.
It’s been a strange season already in the NRL with last year’s debutants The Dolphins sitting atop the table with four wins from four, whilst South Sydney Rabbitohs have found themselves at the foot of the table for the first time in 14 years.
The Bunnies’ terrible form from last season has carried over into 2024 and they’ve lost 15 of their last 20 which has prompted yet more talk that Sam Burgess is high on the list of possible replacements for current head coach Jason Demetriou.
It doesn’t get any easier for Souths as they face one of the NRL’s other perfect sides in Cronulla Sharks who are also four from four, one of three NRL games that can be seen live on Sky Sports this week.
Before then though the action kicks off on Thursday with Newcastle Knights hosting Sydney Roosters, another game that will be broadcast on Sky Sports and one that is set to feature plenty of Brits, including one forgotten star.
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That first game features the Knights, a team that has shown remarkable resilience, and they will take on the Roosters for a 10:50am kick-off. No changes have been made from their victory last week against the Dragons, a testament to their consistent performance.
Jack Cogger and ex-Great Britain star Jackson Hastings remain the preferred halves combination, and Tyson Gamble is left in the reserves. Another English player, Will Pryce, has yet to be selected for the game this Thursday and will remain in the reserves, whereas fellow Englishman Kai Pearce-Paul looks set for another 80-minute stint.
As for the Roosters, their star signing Dom Young was sent off in their last game and has since been handed a two-game ban. Victor Radley was shown a yellow card in that game but escapes a ban, however, the main Roosters news from an English perspective is that Lewis Murphy has been named among the reserves for the first time in his NRL career.
The ex-Wakefield Trinity man has twice featured for the Roosters’ NSW Cup side in the past two weeks and he now could get a shot at the big time for his NRL debut, Murphy possibly benefitting from Young’s suspension.
Moving onto Friday and unfortunately, Herbie Farnworth, who was a key player for the Broncos, is injured and won’t be able to feature against his former club on Friday in the Brisbane derby against Farnworth’s Dolphins. The Englishman is carrying an arm injury and may be out for some time, a situation that we all hope he recovers from soon.
North Queensland Cowboys are away to Eels this Saturday and ex-Hull FC man Jake Clifford will be the 18th man, potentially signifying his first taste of NRL action since he left Super League.
The Rabbitohs host the Sharks in another Saturday fixture that sees Tom Burgess as one of the Forwards, the veteran has made more than 200 appearances for the club and looks to add to that this weekend against a decent Shark side.
West Tigers’ English enforcer John Bateman will be sidelined with a concussion ahead of their game against the Dragons and his fellow England international second-rower Elliot Whitehead is also out of Canberra’s clash with Gold Coast Titans.
Whitehead has been out for the start of the season but ex-Wigan man Morgan Smithies has stepped into the side and been hugely impressive, taking the top tackler award in last weekends victory for the Raiders.
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