NSW Cup finals race heats up as Blaize Talagi excels, leading Panthers to victory despite defensive concerns.
The race to the finals is well and truly on in the second-tier. With the QLD Cup taking a week off to recover from the carnage of Country Week, our focus this week is exclusively on the NSW Cup.
There were plenty of matches with finals implications while some NRL talent were making their case for recalls as rookies pushed their claims for late-season debuts.
All the talk this week was around Penrith pivot Blaize Talagi and his dropping from the NRL squad for their clash against Canberra. Having been left out of the squad altogether for the Panthers' trip to Mudgee, the Samoan international knew he'd have to make a statement at Parker Street Reserve against the Raiders.
The 21-year-old shone for the Panthers, claiming man-of-the-match honours in their 28-16 victory on Saturday afternoon. He started the match in fine style, crossing for the first try after backing up in support following a linebreak. Despite some concerns over his defence, the five-eight responded with a sound defensive performance, but did concede a try in the second half after he was caught out of position.