SNAPSHOT OF ROUND TWO NRL ACTION
PLAYER OF THE ROUND: Will Kennedy. With chief architect Nicho Hynes still sidelined, Kennedy stepped up in a tight win over last year's runners-up Parramatta. The fullback finished with three tries and 183-run metres to help the Sharks recover from their first-up loss.
QUOTE OF THE ROUND: "We'll take it through the police. We'll go all the way, as far as we can with it. As a club, we'll stand right by Latrell. It's just not on." South Sydney coach Jason Demetriou was emphatic in his support for Latrell Mitchell after the fullback was racially abused by a member of the crowd at BlueBet Stadium.
TALKING POINT: Kalyn Ponga looks set for a long stint on the sidelines after knocking himself out attempting a tackle against the Wests Tigers. The head knock was the second in as many weeks for Ponga, who spent the last six weeks of the 2022 season recovering from concussion.
STAT THAT MATTERS: With a 20-14 defeat of Canberra, the Dolphins have now won their first two premiership games. Of the 16 other teams that entered the NRL, ARL or Super League after 1980, only the Melbourne Storm and Brisbane Broncos were able to do the same.
MAGIC MOMENT: Canterbury's surprise 26-12 win in Melbourne. The Bulldogs were the biggest losers in round one but flipped the script with some enterprising attack and handed Cameron Ciraldo the first win of his coaching tenure. Before Saturday night, the Bulldogs hadn't defeated the Storm since April 2016.
CASUALTY WARD: Knights - Kalyn Ponga (concussion), Jayden Brailey (concussion), Tyson Frizell (ankle), Jack Johns (foot); Broncos - Corey Oates (jaw); Storm; Nelson Asofa-Solomona (knee); Panthers - Nathan Cleary (ankle), Jarome Luai (foot); Roosters - Brandon Smith (back); Warriors - Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad (concussion), Jackson Ford (concussion), Josh Curran (hip); Dolphins - Kenny Bromwich (concussion), Connelly Lemuelu (concussion); Tigers - Tommy Talau (concussion), Jake Simpkin (concussion); Dragons - Toby Couchman (concussion); Titans - Sam Verrills (neck)
JUDICIARY WATCH: Knights - Jacob Saifiti (dangerous contact); Cowboys - Peta Hiku (crusher tackle), Scott Drinkwater (shoulder charge); Eels - Maika Sivo (dangerous contact); Dolphins - Jeremy Marshall-King (dangerous contact), Tom Gilbert (dangerous contact); Roosters - Joseph Suaalii (dangerous contact); Bulldogs - Viliame Kikau (dangerous contact - tripping)
UNDER PRESSURE: The Wests Tigers, who were unable to defeat Newcastle at home even after the Knights lost four players to injury and Jacob Saifiti to a send-off. The Tigers have begun a new chapter under Tim Sheens by losing two winnable games at their spiritual home of Leichhardt Oval. If they fall to North Queensland in round 12, it will be their first time losing four consecutive games at the suburban ground.
