The key men behind statement wins for some of the NRL's big guns dominate the Team of the Week for Round 9 of the Telstra Premiership.
From Crichton and co at the Roosters to the powerhouse Panthers middles, these are the players who stood out from the rest in the round that was.
Round 9 Team of the Week
1. James Tedesco (Roosters)
Had a hand in almost everything as the Roosters' attack hit top gear for a second week in a row. Tedesco set up two tries and got through a mountain of work on the ball, with his final numbers having him down for 260 metres from 21 carries. As talk about Dylan Edwards potentially taking the NSW No.1 jersey builds, Tedesco is doing everything in his power to ensure he remains the Blues fullback.
2. Sunia Turuva (Panthers)
Fresh off a rest week in Round 8, Turuva returned to the Panthers’ right edge with devastating results. With a sweet stepping try and a crafty flick pass inside for Luke Garner, the 2023 Dally M Rookie of the Year dipped into his bag of tricks to help the Panthers pile more misery onto the Rabbitohs on Thursday night.
Sunia Turuva Try
3. Dane Gagai (Knights)
The 33-year-old was on top of almost everything the Warriors sent his way when they had the ball, with Gagai coming up with 19 tackles and a couple of huge takes under the high ball in torrid conditions in Newcastle. Didn't shirk his work on the ball either and broke 10 tackles on his way to 127 run metres.
4. Kayal Iro (Sharks)
Getting better with each and every game right now, Iro is justifying the hype that accompanied him in the lower grades and looks right at place in a high-performing Sharks backline. A problem for the Dragons whenever he was on the ball, he finished with a team-high 171 metres and had eight tackle busts.
5. Jamayne Isaako (Dolphins)
The Kiwi international was back to his very best against the Cowboys. Isaako haunted the North Queensland left edge on Saturday, scoring a hat-trick and ultimately giving the Dolphins the winning edge with some impressive conversions from the sideline on his way to 20 points. Finished the match with three line breaks, three tackle breaks and 135 run metres.
A hat-trick for Isaako
6. Kodi Nikorima (Dolphins)
The veteran playmaker has wound back the clock in 2024 and is pulling all the right strings for Wayne Bennett's side right now. Set up three tries for the Phins and managed the game well alongside Isaiya Katoa, in what has become a highly productive halves pairing.
7. Nicho Hynes (Sharks)
Saved the day for his side with a strong second half showing. Hynes is enjoying a rich run of form right now and it's allowing inexperienced five-eighth Daniel Atkinson to play his natural game. Finished the win over the Dragons with 116 run metres, two try assists, two linebreak assists and three tackle breaks.
8. Josh King (Storm)
Put in a huge effort to play 71 minutes up front and churned through a team-high 132 metres, 70 of which he earned after contact. In the absence of the injured Tui Kamikamica, King has been excellent for coach Craig Bellamy. Deservingly picked up a couple of Dally M points for his effort too.
9. Reed Mahoney (Bulldogs)
With the Wests Tigers missing their gun No.9 through injury, Reed Mahoney took full advantage to make a game-changing difference at dummy-half as the Dogs grabbed a fourth win of the year. While he ended up at the centre of a scuffle late on that resulted in two opponents being sin-binned, Mahoney had enjoyed a strong game prior to that and in addition to setting up a try he made a team-high 41 tackles.
10. James Fisher-Harris (Panthers)
If he was a little distracted in recent weeks by everything surrounding his move to the Warriors next year, it's safe to say JFH's mind is well and truly back on dominating the middle of the park. Laid a commanding platform and had 180 metres to his name by full-time. The Rabbitohs had no answer for Penrith's middles on Thursday.
11. Viliame Kikau (Bulldogs)
The mere sight of Kikau right now must stress out opposing defenders. The Fijian powerhouse produced a pair of barnstorming runs that set the tone for his side’s second-half comeback, including a highlight-worthy monster fend on Aidan Sezer. Finished with 124 running metres and broke seven tackles.
Kikau too hard to handle
12. Angus Crichton (Roosters)
Continued his remarkable return to career-best footy with a performance that caused chaos for Brisbane’s left edge on Friday night. Had some huge carries on his way to 154 run metres, with seven tackle busts thrown in. Scored a quickfire double in the first half to wrestle momentum back for the Roosters.
Crichton continues his outstanding form
13. Isaah Yeo (Panthers)
Somehow he seems to be able to find another gear when Nathan Cleary is out and steps in even more to help fill the playmaking void. Laid on a try assist against the Bunnies and his work ethic on both sides of the ball was outstanding as usual, with Yeo clocking 171 run metres along with 30 tackles without a miss.
14. Dylan Edwards (Panthers)
A recurring nightmare for South Sydney’s flaky left-edge defence, Edwards was all class as he grabbed the maximum six Dally M points to join Nicho Hynes at the top of the leaderboard after nine rounds. Consistently put his side on the front foot with some huge kick returns and it was his clever thinking on a quick tap that sent Taylan May on a length-of-the-field effort.
15. David Fifita (Titans)
Excellent off the bench in ANZAC Round, he started in Round 9 and the Titans got quality from the opening minute to the last. Registered an absurd 15 tackle breaks from 17 carries of the ball. Alarm bells went off for Melbourne every time the Maroons star got the ball down the left with AJ Brimson hovering on his shoulder and it has the ability to be one of the great combinations as the season progresses.
Fifita breaking tackles
16. Elliott Whitehead (Raiders)
Made the world of difference for the Green Machine in his return from injury, with his leadership and composure crucial to Canberra’s incredible comeback effort. Set up the first try with a flick pass Benji Marshall would have been proud of and then crossed for two himself in the second.
17. Shawn Blore (Storm)
An impressive performance against a quality Gold Coast back row. Blore's ability to promote second phase gave Melbourne a crucial point of difference, with two of his three offloads setting up linebreaks for teammates. Looking more and more like an inspired pick up from Craig Bellamy over the off-season.
