Latrell Mitchell delivered a masterclass to down the Titans, and he’s put himself in the shop front to earn an Origin call-up.
Jarome Luai’s form as the Panthers’ halfback will give Tigers coach Benji Marshall an immense amount of confidence ahead of his impending arrival.
Meanwhile, in the absence of Shaun Johnson, a Warriors playmakers has lit the competition on fire to inspire ‘The Wahs’.
Read on for all of the big talking points to come out of Round 14.
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IS LATRELL A RED-HOT FAVOURITE FOR A ORIGIN RECALL?
Due to Joseph Sua’ali’i’s four-game suspension, there is a vacant centre spot for the Blues up for grabs.
Souths star Latrell Mitchell was overlooked for State of Origin Game I due to indifferent form, but he’s now the short-priced favourite to be recalled after an outstanding performance against the Titans over the weekend.
Due to injury, Mitchell didn’t feature in the 2022 and 2023 series for New South Wales, but barring something drastic, he’ll likely be wearing blue on June 26.
Mitchell was in everything for the Bunnies, recording four line break assists, three try assists, three tackle busts and 16 points which included a try.
Luke Keary, a former teammate of Mitchell, is confident the Rabbitohs fullback has runs on the board in the Origin arena and will do the job for the Blues.
“Big Trell, it’s good to see him playing some good footy. He’ll be in thereabouts (Origin contention) for New South Wales,” Keary said on Fox League.
“It’s a really good atmosphere in there (Blues camp) during the week. I can see Latrell getting in there. He’s been there for NSW before and done a real good job for them too.
“Just with Latrell. I’ve stood next to him in some big games, two grand finals. Whether he’s in form, out of form, playing fullback, in, out, whatever people are gonna say about him. If he lines up in an Origin game I can guarantee you the blokes standing across from him and next to him, he puts belief in the people around him.
“He can come up with massive plays at different times and he’ll turn up.
“Whether, whatever mindset he’s in. He’ll turn up for New South Wales.”
Rugby league legend Mal Meninga agreed with Keary and says Mitchell seems in the right mindset and form to make a huge impact if called upon by the Blues.
“They talk about Latrell’s effort levels I thought he was in the game for the whole 80 tonight. He made a real difference,” Meninga said.
“He’s in a happy mood playing good footy. I think a buoyant, confident Latrell in the NSW side would be a good addition.
“I agree with Luke. My own personal opinion I think he’s one of the best centres to play the game.
“If he plays left centre, obviously he’s dangerous with the football when given the room to move. He’s got great skills as well.
“One of his best assets is his decision making defensively. I think he’s a very good decision maker in defence. As shown by his try savers today. If he’s there, he’s dangerous.”
A couple of other contenders for the Blues’ centre spot also flexed their muscles on Saturday night.
Sharks star Jesse Ramien proved a handful against the Broncos, recording 167 running metres, while Brisbane outside back Kotoni Staggs was damaging with ball in hand at times, posting five tackle busts.
Hornby full of praise for Latrell | 03:27
LOMAX’S CAREER-DEFINING 48 HOURS
Zac Lomax is flying high after the best 48 hours of his career. The 24-year-old, on Origin debut, was arguably NSW’s best last Wednesday and then backed it up with a record-breaking performance for the Dragons just 48 hours later.
As coach Shane Flanagan revealed after the Dragons’ 56-14 win over the Tigers, Lomax — along with Ben Hunt and Jaydn Su’A — put their hand up to play two days after Origin.
Lomax scored 32 of the Dragons’ points, the most in a single game by any St George Illawarra player, after bagging a hat-trick and kicking 10 goals from 10 attempts.
He also finished with four tackle busts, two offloads, a linebreak and 164 metres from 19 runs.
Lomax’s performance left Michael Ennis in awe, with the Fox League expert putting the Temora Dragon junior in the conversation of the best wingers in the competition.
“Has he just quickly overnight become one of the best wingers in the game?” he questioned.
“In the first set of the night he comes from the right wing to the left-hand side to carry the ball. He completely showed no ill-effects of Wednesday night or (didn’t show) his teammates that he was just going to go through the motions tonight.
“Origin coaches always talk about going back and performing for your club, going and showing your learnings from playing representative football — and he did that tonight. He was the best player on the field, along with Ben Hunt.”
Lomax’s form this season has come off the back of Flanagan’s decision to shift him from the centres to the wing. It’s been well-documented that Lomax prefers the centre, but you wouldn’t know it from the way he’s been playing.
Former Dragon James Graham came into this season believing Lomax was better suited to the centres, and he also admitted that he “questioned his ability to compete in the Origin arena.” But Graham was wrong on both fronts.
“The way he took on the Queensland defence, I was blown away. Credit to Zac Lomax, I was wrong, he was amazing on Wednesday and he’s backed it up. What a player.”
Lomax will depart the club at the end of the season to join the Eels. But for now he’s shining as a Dragon.
“There would have to be a part of him that’s loving playing under Shane Flanagan,” Ennis said.
“He’s playing career-best footy, he’s earned an Origin jersey on the back of being uncomfortably moved out of his favourite position. He has to be enjoying it.”
Flanagan said in his post-game press conference that Lomax has put all the noise around his future behind him and is now being rewarded for the work he’s put in.
“His move to the wing, in my view, has been successful and he’s played Origin, which has been his dream,” Flanagan said.
“He’s the one that’s putting in the effort. It was the coaching staff’s decision to move him, but he hasn’t kicked stones and you can see he’s jumped into everything we’ve asked of him.”
Lomax notches up 32 points in huge win | 03:23
WHY LUAI’S NEW PANTHERS ROLE IS A WIN FOR TIGERS
Jarome Luai will be making the move to the Tigers ahead of the 2025 season.
The Panthers playmaker made it clear he wanted to stop playing second-fiddle and will be tasked with being the club’s chief half under Benji Marshall.
If his form over the last three weeks is anything to go by, his acquisition is set to be a huge hit for the merger club.
Luai has shifted into the No.7 jersey in the absence of Nathan Cleary, who has been sidelined due to a hamstring injury.
Brad Schneider suffered a leg injury which also kept him out of the team, however he has since been ousted by young gun Jack Cole who has been playing five-eighth.
Across Luai’s three games as halfback, he’s been excellent and his performances in Round 11 and Round 12 secured his spot in the NSW Blues side.
For Panthers coach Ivan Cleary, Luai has risen to the occasion and has stood up for his teammates.
“When we lost Nat (Cleary) and Brad Schneider on the same day it was a real opportunity for him,” Cleary said.
“But not just an opportunity, we need him. So he’s absolutely stepped up, played really well.
“I thought he was really good on Wednesday night as well, and I’m looking forward to when Nat and Romey can get back together.”
While the Panthers are currently benefiting from Luai’s form, the real winners here are the Tigers.
Young gun Lachlan Galvin is reportedly disgruntled and is looking for the exit, while Aidan Sezer has been solid despite earning himself a suspension.
Meanwhile, Jayden Sullivan is reportedly being shopped to rivals, meaning Marshall is in desperate need of a chief playmaker to spearhead a Leichhardt revolution next year.
Luai will be that man, and speaking to NRL.com made comments that will fill the Tigers coaching staff with confidence prior to Origin Game I.
He explained that he needs to take more responsibility for the team being a senior player, and will likely have to shoulder a considerable load at the Tigers.
“That’s an area where I want to get better at, and not only lead with my footy brain and my voice, but also my actions as well,” Luai said.
“Being a half and playing a lot of big games, I do know footy well and I think the energy I just bring, I want to help other players become their best and to reach their full potential.
“That’s a big part of my game and something I want to be remembered for.”
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Terrific To’o scores 3 in Panthers win | 03:36
WARRIORS STAR RELISHING ADDED FREEDOM IN JOHNSON’S ABSENCE
The Wahs are back.
Over the past month, Andrew Webster’s men have arguably been the hottest team in the NRL, stringing together three wins on the bounce.
Those came against the Panthers, the Dolphins (who were in the top four at the time) and most recently, the Cowboys up in Townsville.
What’s been the most impressive part of those three wins though, has been the fact they’ve done it without star halfback Shaun Johnson.
The injured Johnson was the Warriors’ best player during their golden run last year.
He’s battled with injuries this season as the Warriors dropped as low as 14th on the ladder in 2024 and struggled to regain the magic which saw them become the feel-good story in 2023.
Te Maire Martin, who played 12 games at five-eighth last season including all three final games, has been tasked with wearing the No. 7 jersey in Johnson’s absence, and while his form was patchy over the first couple of months of the season, he’s really relished the new role.
He was outstanding against the Cowboys, setting up four tries.
Over the last three games, he has posted a whopping nine try assists, which leads the competition in that span.
Webster said that Martin has been clinical since deputising at halfback for Johnson.
“Yeah he was awesome. I thought Te Marie’s played a good three games now. And he’s been clinical,” Webster said.
“He’s been so important for us and has been the glue. So happy for him.”
Webster said the key has been giving Martin a bit more freedom but said his role will likely have to change when Johnson returns.
“He’s been awesome. We’ve released him and let him play a bit,” Webster said.
“Te Maire’s been the main focus there. Charnze (Nicoll-Klokstad) at five-eighth one week. Chanel’s (Harris-Tavita) come back from injury and done a great job.
“We can adapt our style from the individual and adapt our style. And when Shaun comes back we can adapt that again.”
Considering the form the Warriors are in, the fact a fully healthy Johnson is still to return should be a scary proposition for the rest of the competition.
Wahs whip up big score in Nth Qld | 02:08
TITANS’ NEW ‘X-FACTOR’ DESPITE DAMAGING LOSS
Granted, the Gold Coast Titans’ 46-12 thrashing at the hands of the South Sydney Rabbitohs does not leave much room for any positives.
But if there’s something the Titans can take from the contest, it is the potential halves pairing of Jayden Campbell and Kieran Foran.
Hasler confirmed Campbell would make his return from a PCL injury against the Bunnies but initially refused to divulge in what capacity he would play.
But the Titans coach soon revealed Campbell would start alongside Foran at five-eighth, bumping Chris Randall to hooker after he was initially named in the halves.
It was a rough return to action for Campbell against a rampant Rabbitohs outfit, but he certainly showed glimpses of a blossoming halves partnership with Foran.
Aside from Campbell’s two conversions, he looked to make things happen each time he got the ball and clocked up 80 running metres from nine runs along with a linebreak assist.
Up until this season, Campbell has spent his career with the Titans sharing fullback duties with AJ Brimson and even beat out the four-time Queensland representative in the battle for the No. 1 jersey in pre-season.
But Foran, a veteran of the game, believes Campbell could thrive at five-eighth.
“Obviously not much went our way today, so it’s hard to get a read on that early combination,” Foran said in the post-match press conference.
“But it’s got potential. He’s an exciting player and he’s going to blossom in any position he plays.
“He can certainly make a fist of six, for sure.”
Hasler agreed with Foran in terms of the potential Campbell has to make a real case for the No. 6 shirt to be his on a long-term basis.
“Yeah, he’s just an exciting player around the ball,” Hasler said.
“He’s always got that little bit of X-factor and he’s got points around him. So we’ll continue working on that.”
With Brimson still sidelined with a groin injury and 20-year-old Keano Kini impressing at fullback, expect Campbell to continue playing at five-eighth.
It could be the positional change that breathes new life into the Titans and allows both Brimson and Campbell to thrive on the Gold Coast.
Hasler, Foran blast ‘flat’ performance | 04:07
WHAT WILL THE KNIGHTS DO AT FULLBACK?
The Knights dropped their second straight game after a loss to the Storm, but the silver lining is that they unearthed what looks to be a very handy footballer in Fletcher Sharpe.
The 20-year-old Cessnock junior started at fullback for Newcastle, replacing another young gun in David Armstrong who was ruled out with a quad injury.
Sharpe took the game on and had plenty of strong carries, with the highlight a terrific solo try when he stepped past a Storm defender and beat another tackler.
Sharpe finished the game with 124 metres, a try and four tackle busts.
There were a couple of rookie errors, but that can be expected from a first gamer.
Adam O’Brien sung Sharpe’s praises in the post-match press conference, and made a comment which suggested the Knights will stick with Sharpe instead of Armstrong going forward until Kalyn Ponga returns from injury towards the end of the season.
“The club’s done a good job over the past couple of years in developing players like Davvy Armstrong, Phoenix Crossland and Dylan Lucas,” O’Brien said.
“That’s a hell of a debut. It’s not an easy place to make your debut and the team that they are.
“Fletch did a great job and he should be really proud… He didn’t look out of place.
“We were too one out last week but right from the get go (Jackson Hastings, Jack Cogger) and along with young Fletcher and his position out the back, we had a lot more options this week with our attack and it sort of showed.”
It’s unclear if Armstrong will be fit enough to return next week, but if O’Brien elects to keep Sharpe at the back, Armstrong could be shifted to the wing.
Barring a poor game against the Bulldogs, Armstrong has had a hot start to his NRL career (five tries in five games) and deserves a place in the first grade side.
What is known though, is that the Knights have an abundance of riches at the fullback position.
O’Brien pleased with Knights bounce back | 06:42