Round 5: Around the NRL11 April 2011, 10:28 amKnights halfback Jarrod Mullen will have the perfect opportunity to stake a claim to resurrect his Origin career on Monday night when he goes head-to-head with Broncos and former NSW halfback Peter Wallace at Suncorp Stadium.
With just over six weeks to go until Origin 1 is played at Suncorp Stadium on May 25, a repeat of Mullen's early season form in Newcastle's Heritage Round clash with the Broncos could see the 2007 Blues halfback back in serious contention for the spot that most believe has already been secured by the Roosters' Mitchell Pearce.
Former Origin great Andrew Johns refused to talk up Mullen's chances in a recent interview, but he did say: "It's the best I've ever seen him play."
Mullen, 24 last Saturday, stood up in the Knights' consecutive wins over the Panthers and Cowboys, with a clear victory over North Queensland's Maroons halfback Johnathan Thurston.
A similar performance against Wallace, and Queensland and Broncos captain and five-eighth Darren Lockyer, will not harm his chances for a return to Origin football, following his one and only Origin match in 2007.
The Knights are currently sitting eighth on the Telstra Premiership ladder with two wins and two losses, one place above Pearce's Roosters (2-3).
With only tonight's game to complete the Heritage Round, the Dragons and Storm are equal first with four wins from five matches, while the Raiders and Titans share the bottom of the table with only one win each.
The Broncos (with one game still to play), Sea Eagles, Tigers, Bulldogs, all have three wins each to be in the eight along with the Knights.
The defending premiers sealed equal first courtesy of a miracle try from fullback Darius Boyd, who ended the Bulldogs' fightback as the Dragons notched a thumping 25-6 NRL victory at the SCG yesterday.
Boyd's brilliant intercept was hailed as match-changing, coming as Canterbury looked certain to score after it had clawed back to 15-6 from 15-0 down.
In Melbourne on Sunday, Craig Bellamy handed his former assistant coach of five years, Stephen Kearney, a lesson as the Storm smashed the Eels 38-0 at AAMI Park. Bellamy was more impressed by Melbourne's ability to stop Parramatta from crossing the tryline than its own seven-try haul.
On Saturday, a last-minute try to Manly winger Michael Oldfield secured the Sea Eagles a remarkable comeback victory over Cronulla at Toyota Stadium. Oldfield latched on to a Jamie Lyon chip kick before running 40 metres untouched as the Sea Eagles rallied from 13 points down to emerge victorious 19-13.
A shoulder injury to Panthers halfback Luke Walsh soured a convincing 36-10 NRL victory over the struggling Raiders at Penrith's Centrebet Stadium on Saturday night. Winger David Simmons bagged a hat-trick in a six-tries-to-two win in front of 10,229 fans.
The Roosters' scratchy start to the year continued at Auckland's Mount Smart Stadium when the 2010 NRL grand finalists were beaten 24-12 by a determined Warriors side, who played with a three-man bench after losing up-and-coming fullback Glen Fisiiahi in the 34th minute.
On Friday night, the Titans' horror start to the 2011 NRL season continued with a 22-12 loss to the Cowboys in Townsville. North Queensland linchpins Matt Bowen and Johnathan Thurston were pivotal in attack, exploiting the Titans' right wing as the Cowboys raced to a 22-0 lead at half-time with tries all coming down the left.
Despite missing four stars, the Wests Tigers scored a stunning 30-6 victory over the Rabbitohs at the Sydney Football Stadium in the other Friday night game, handing coach Tim Sheens his first win in 18 attempts against John Lang-coached sides.
Source: www.raiders.com.au - Canberra Raiders News Headlines
Topic: Round 5: Around the NRL
