Round 22: One That Can Be Read In A MasterChef Ad Break

Round 22 was one of contrasts. Points were well earned on Friday night, for teams near the top of their game as well as those struggling. Saturday threatened more upsets but will be remembered for delivering two of the best tries in recent memory, while Sunday and Monday saw mediocrity well and truly put in their place.

While the Tigers are well known for their point-scoring abilities and the Dragons played in a 58-point shootout the previous Sunday, it was not surprising that the much-anticipated matchup between these teams was low-scoring. In-game oddsmakers gave some thought to a tryless 80 minutes, but the game opened up in the second half. Sadly, the game was decided by Jamie Soward's unfortunate back injury, although it could be argued that his effort in slowing the Tigers as they attacked his spot in the defensive line was poor, especially as his struggle to run was replaced by more of a sprint as Benji Marshall went to put the ball down. The night's other game had some big hits and a few tries but is now being used in trials of amnesic drugs....

On Saturday, Penrith's cavalier attitude and long-held tendency for upsets, combined with Melbourne possibly being due for a letdown after two months of stellar play, meant they were a sneaky upset chance at AAMI Park. This view was shared by a rather prominent former Balmain and NSW hooker, who informed North Shore locals of his four-figure bet (with the start) in a rather loud and been-in-the-pub-all-afternoon way after Penrith scored the game's first try. But from then on, Melbourne slowly gained control and won comfortably. More evidence of Cooper Cronk's Steve Waugh-like behaviour: the crowd loved Billy Slater's leap and try early in the second half, but few noticed Cronk leap in advance of Slater and put a sneaky knee into Luke Lewis' mid-section, making it difficult for him to take the catch.

Next up, Brisbane hosted New Zealand in a highly entertaining and intense affair. The Warriors may well have had the best of the crowd support, which inspired them further. However, supporters of all persuasions had to enjoy two top-shelf Warriors' tries; the 70-metre jinking, stepping run by Johnson and Kevin Locke's excellent finish after a movement covering a similar length. Brisbane fought back to take an 8-point lead in the second half, but the Warriors came again. The popular ending would have had 349-game started Darren Lockyer knocking over the winning field-goal, but the home team was more than happy to accept Peter Wallace's one-point contribution. This was one of the best games of 2011.

Saturday's night-cap saw the poor Sharks struggle valiantly, dominate possession and attacking field position, but ultimately come up 4 points short of the Titans. This game probably wasn't as bad as many reports indicated but David Mead's incredible on-the-fly pickup and try means (an excerpt) from this game will be played for years to come. Mead's look of shock at the touch judge reminded some (ok, just me) of Michael Jordan's surprise and shrug to the crowd after nailing his 6th 3-pointer (almost as unlikely as Mead's pickup) in the first half of Game 1 of the 1992 NBA finals.

Sunday and Monday saw three very capable teams easily dispose of mediocre opposition. Newcastle was led by Mad Dog MacDougall as the Knights thrashed Canberra. MacDougall could school young defenders for another decade - so long as Newcastle had three byes after each game - but poor Canberra suffered more injuries in this game, so much so that Matt Awful might be pulled out of mothballs for their next game. In the day's other game, it took Manly a little while to get going, but once they did, they easily defeated the Roosters.

Lastly, Parramatta's excellent run of strong efforts was shattered by a rampant South Sydney. Souths tore up Parramatta, especially with their left-edge attack. One can only wonder how they so rarely play to their potential in this aspect of their attack, but have killed the Eels twice this season with it. Souths coach John Lang will do well to ignore any thoughts about the enigma that is his team in his retirement.

See you next week.