NRL Round 1: WTF Did Inglis Stay on the Field?!?

What did we learn from Week 1 of the NRL? It's far too early to make generalisations about teams chance for the entire year... well, no, not for me it isn't. In fact it is quite easy. If it wasn't I wouldn't be doing it would I?

1. It's going to be a long year for the Sharks. It is tough to face up without stars from last year, but it was enough to show they can't win again this season. Perhaps it won't be a disaster, but if they finish in the top eight this season it will only be because others teams have not improved when they should have. Broncos won't have completely shaken their critics, but their defensive effort on Thursday will allow their supporters to breathe a sigh of relief. If they can make Lang Park their fortress, then away victories like the 26-18 win over the Sharks will get them to the pointy end of the season.
2. The Bulldogs passing and kicking was deplorable in their loss to Melbourne. Yes it was wet but they were bad before the rain hit. If they weren't chasing Keiran Foran next year before Friday you can bet they are now. They've backed the wrong horse in Mbye and should be waving him bye bye. How they must wish they'd kept Hodkinson. Des Hasler also looks on thin ice, especially with the roster the Dogs actually have. If they cannot go deep into September this season - or even REACH September - then he is gone, maybe before then. The Storm got all the ball and all the penalties in the first 15 minutes against Canterbury and built a 12-0 lead. When the possession changed to the other direction, their defense won them the match from that point. They were gifted the lead built on that possession, but you can't argue with their wall that allows them to win 12-6. And they did it with 16 men. Jesse Bromwich is a huge loss for their season though.
3. Greg Inglis. How the hell did he injure his ACL? Why did he then stay on until half time? And why did he come back AFTER half time? Michael Maguire and his medical staff have completely fucked up there, and now the Rabbits season is in tatters. One man doesn't make a team? Maybe not, but Inglis sure is a huge part of the Souths makeup. Replacing his presence will be the problem. The fact that he stayed on gave the Tigers an enormous boost, as they plundered his side of the field knowing he was incapable of stopping their rampant attack. To a zero-year player but a 40+ year watcher of the game, it seemed a ludicrous decision. How good were the Tigers victory in the wash up? It was the start they needed. Their big four in Tedesco, Moses, Brooks and Woods did everything they had to, and their support players were able to shine in their 34-18 victory given the impotence of the Rabbits game after the Inglis injury. The Robbie Farah influence probably helped a little too. How they follow it up next week against the Panthers will be telling for both clubs.
4. The Dragons obliterated a woeful Panthers team, who had been spoken of as one of the Premiership favourites. What do you make of it? Are they both just aberrations? Have the Draongs improved that much since moving on Benji and Rein? Have the Panthers opponents finally realised Cartwright is a pretender? I don't know. Of all matches this weekend, this result had to be the most unlikely.
5. The first "Are the refs on the take?" moment for the season is awarded to the Cowboys vs Raiders match. Seriously. The Cowboys had a 59/41 possession advantage for the match. They had the penalty count 11-4 in their favour. The Raiders had a man sent to the bin for 10 minutes. The Cowboys only had to make 247 tackles compared to the Raiders 358. And yet despite this, it was 16-16 at full time, and only more fortune for the Cowboys got them the victory in golden point (and why is this rule still in the game?). Does all of this deplete the nature of the Cowboys win, or does it make the Raiders appear like the Real Deal in 2017? Watching the game, I didn't get the feeling that the Raiders were so much more undisciplined that they deserved those kind of stats against them.
6. Did anyone care that the Roosters played the Titans? Did anyone watch? I didn't.
7. Somehow the Warriors managed to sneak away with a victory that they didn't necessarily deserve. Once again, they have the best players New Zealand can offer and once again they just seem to lack the cohesion to make them a team to fear. Newcastle were good, and maybe won't play better than that all season, but if the Warriors cannot beat last season's wooden spooners without any sense of authority then they are yet another seemingly overrated team in 2017.
8. Parramatta and Manly both showed determination and some promise for the season ahead without standing out as contenders. The Eels had the mountain share of possession especially in the second half, and yet Manly's goal line defense was superb, holding out wave after wave of attack. Manly's attack is still a work in progress, while the Eels 2017 defense is yet to be fully tested given Manly's few chances at their opponents tryline.

Stand Outs in Week 1:  Storm, Tigers, Dragons.

Rubbish in Week 1: Souths, Penrith, Ben Cummins.