NRL Round 5 Review: Have Souths and Latrell turned it around?

One quarter of the 2020 NRL season is now done. Some things became clearer, while others left many scratching their heads. Here is what we learned from round five.

Is a sure thing ever a sure thing in a two-horse race?

The Manly Sea Eagles were at perhaps their lowest price for a win since they kept opponents to eight points per game back in 1996, but they proved nothing is ever certain.

The $1.94 to win by 13 points or more was unbelievably short and proved irrelevant as the hot favourites almost squandered the two points to a $4.50 outsider in the Brisbane Broncos.

You could have asked 100 different punters in the street and maybe as many as 90 of them would have taken Manly to do it in a canter.

The Sea Eagles played horribly but found a way to get up for a 20-18 win, while Brisbane were not even close to impressive, got to an 18-0 lead and managed to blow it.

This game proved once and for all that nothing is ever certain in sports betting.

Where do Penrith really sit?

Leading 10-0 at half-time over Parramatta, the Penrith Panthers looked to be showing their credentials as premiership contenders.

They had to wait seven minutes just to touch the ball, took everything the Eels had to throw at them and finished the half impressively.

From minute 60 to 68, it all fell apart as the Panthers conceded three tries en route to a gutting 16-10 defeat.

For those who fancy a few dollars on them for the premiership, do you take more out of the first 60 minutes against the ladder-leading Eels or the eight minutes where Waqa Blake demolished his old team?

Are Souths and Latrell Mitchell turning it around?

After a slow restart, it certainly felt as though the South Sydney Rabbitohs took a step in the right direction in round five.

We wrote last week that this match against the Titans was the first of a five-game stretch which presented the Bunnies a huge chance to get their season on the right track.

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A 32-12 win was a great start for them, but even better was that it came on the back of Latrell Mitchell’s best game since his positional switch.

This result presents a conundrum for punters: is it the start of their turnaround, or will they win a few soft games before being handled comfortably by the big guns?

If you think it is the former, $23 at Sportsbet for the premiership is outstanding value.

Is Cronulla’s finals run over already?

A popular pick for a team who would drop out of the eight in 2020 was the Cronulla Sharks, and they showed exactly why with a demoralising 30-16 loss to the St George Illawarra Dragons.

Strangely enough, a few whispers started to emerge about coach John Morris’ future beyond this season, and in the final 60 minutes of this contest it looked as if it were the Sharks, not the Saints, who have endured months of this speculation.

They have huge money invested in Aaron Woods, Andrew Fifita, Josh Dugan and Matt Moylan, who are either past their prime or broken down constantly due to injuries.

Cronulla have added Nene Macdonald and Bryson Goodwin for backline depth, but that will count for little if they continue getting the worst out of Woods, Fifita and co.

While the Sharks still have eight games remaining on their schedule where you’d expect them to start as favourites, a loss to Canterbury this weekend may have a few more look at them for the wooden spoon.

They are paying $13 at Sportsbet for most losses this season, so now might be a good time to speculate if you think Cronulla’s struggles will continue.

Where do the contenders rank?

The Canberra Raiders managed to grind their way to a 14-6 win over the Wests Tigers and now have to make a six-hour round trip against Manly, who will no doubt play much better in round six.

The Raiders have the biggest disadvantage with travelling for every home and away fixture. Unless the rules relax and they can get some games in Canberra later this year, it looks a mighty challenge for them to win it in 2020.

Just for good measure, they will play Parramatta following their game with Manly, showing just how tough the quest for Canberra feels at the moment.

The Melbourne Storm proved they will have their say come October with a 14-point win over Newcastle, but the Knights also showed in the second half how dangerous they can be when they click into gear.

He may have been alive when Robert Menzies was in his first stint as the PM (may or may not be true), but Cam Smith showed age is no barrier with another flawless performance.

And what about the Parramatta Eels? They are 5-0 for the first time since 1986, the last time they won the premiership.

Parra remain steady at $5.50 in the premiership market, but their next fortnight against the Roosters and Raiders will show just how legitimate that price is.