Tackle 1: Stuart Makes His Mark

Ricky Stuart has selected the best New South Wales team in at least five years. He has, for the most part, ignored name and reputation and selected players in form and in their correct role. New South Wales have been persistently hamstrung by the selection of players out of position and the selection of out-of-form "stars" or project players of a certain body type. Not this year. The likes of Jarryd Hayne and Tom Learoyd-Lahrs have been left out while deserving players such as Josh Dugan, Jamie Soward and Akuila Uate have been given their chance. The Blues may not have enough to beat Queensland this year but Ricky Stuart has at least given them a chance with all bar the selections of Jason King and Greg Bird the right plays. At the very least, the correct core of players to bring victory to New South Wales in the coming years has been selected.

Tackle 2: The End of Matt Orford

David Furner surely has little choice but to stick with Sam Williams as the Canberra Raiders halfback. Williams was a late call-up for first-choice No.7 Matt Orford to take on the Melbourne Storm after Orford failed to recover on the quick back-up as he battles persistent injuries. Williams' numbers weren't outstanding but the Raiders attack certainly looked more settled and more dangerous with Williams at first-receiver. He has now been the halfback in both Canberra's victories this year. Matt Orford's years as a first grader seem over and, with Williams in the wings, David Furner has to look to the future now.

Tackle 3: Tiger Trouble

The Wests Tigers are a team in real trouble. Thought to be legitimate title contenders heading into the season, the Tigers have achieved nothing this season on the way to a 4-5 record. They have beaten only one team of substance (New Zealand, along with wins against Canberra twice and South Sydney), have been rolled by three ordinary teams (Sydney Roosters, Gold Coast and South Sydney), were beaten by a team supposedly on their level (Canterbury) and were towelled by an obviously superior team (Brisbane). The Tigers have been decimated by injury but they had fewer injuries than South Sydney on Saturday night yet the Bunnies jumped to a 27-0 half-time lead. Unless the Tigers improve dramatically soon, they won't be playing finals football. Defence needs to become a priority, go-forward needs to improve and Benji needs to start playing more direct.

Tackle 4: The Heart of the Bulldog

Canterbury-Bankstown are getting closer. The Bulldogs may have only a 5-4 record but considering the toughness of their draw, they seem to be well on the way to a top-four berth. Canterbury showed tremendous fight on Friday night against St George-Illawarra, recovering from a 15-0 deficit to lose 15-10 with Jamie Soward's boot proving the only difference. It was a marked improvement on their loss to the Dragons five weeks prior at the SCG. Canterbury's four losses this year have come against the Dragons (twice), Melbourne and Brisbane, arguably the three best teams in the NRL. With a much easier run from here until the end of the season, Canterbury should start rocketing up the ladder.

Tackle 5: Monday Night Football Here to Stay

St George-Illawarra boss Peter Doust should be applauded for the maturity he has shown in relation to Monday Night Football. As most NRL executives think of nothing but the short-term, Doust has shown some vision by calling on the NRL to make the most of Monday night games in regards television to make up for the short-fall in attendances. Monday night games rate exceptionally high and the NRL is open to the idea of the matches moving to free-to-air television, something that would significantly expand the footprint of the game if the match was shown nationally. The NRL needs to make Monday night an event as the NFL has. Matches should be played at suburban grounds, where the stands are packed and the game is a must-watch. Monday night is critical to the NRL and any moves to bring about its demise should be scuppered immediately.

Tackle 6: The Return of Gus

Phil Gould knows about winning. In his debut season at Canterbury, he took the Bulldogs to a premiership. He took Penrith to their first Grand Final in his debut season at the club and took them to the premiership in his second. Only once in 12 seasons did Gould coach a team with a losing record, his teams making the finals on seven occasions, Gould leaving coaching with a 59.1% win rate. At Origin level, Gould has guided the Blues to 14 wins and six series' victories in eight years coaching. Penrith have been wallowing in the mire for much of the last decade and needed a figure like Gould to bring in a culture of success. The Panthers board have made a mess of much of their coaching, recruitment and football department spending over the last few seasons but they got it completely right in hiring Gus to oversee football operations at the club.