'Flanno's return sparks Sharks'

Sparkling form ... Gordie says Tyrone Roberts could keep Kurt Gidley out of the Knights team. Source: News Limited

In his weekly column, Fox Sports expert and Canberra assistant coach Brett Kimmorley offers his thoughts and predictions on round three of the 2013 NRL Premiership season.

Storm vs Bulldogs, AAMI Park

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The grand final replay certainly didn't disappoint. I expected Melbourne to win comfortably but Canterbury were gritty and brought a game plan that caused Melbourne plenty of defensive issues. The battle of the halves was an entertaining one. Josh Reynolds continues to be the Bulldogs back bone. He is creating plays and steering the side around while Cooper Cronk was brilliant once again. His kicking game was pin-point and the way he targeted Tony Williams with set plays were executed with precision. 

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It was a terrible opening 25 minutes by Parramatta. With the competition as tight as it is this year, you cannot afford to make as many errors as they did early. The Tigers looked like a more controlled side. They had a game plan which saw Chris Lawrence work toward Chris Sandow as often as they could, with the ploy working a treat. The Eels did their best to make a game of it in the second half but it was their mistakes and poor defensive reads which ultimately hurt them. 

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The Gold Coast beat Manly at their own game. It was a physical battle filled with tight defence. This Titans side is a massive unit and if they can get even possession of the ball they will challenge any side. Their halves combination is coming along nicely, not only in attack but in defence, Albert Kelly made some strong defensive plays. It was a gutsy win to back up an easy win over the Raiders last week.

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What an effort to keep Brisbane scoreless. Roosters coach Trent Robinson should take a bow. The Broncos had ample opportunity to trouble the Roosters but they were not able to trouble them. Mitchell Pearce's kicking game was strong while Sonny Bill Williams continues to improve each week as he builds match fitness. Their attack will only get better as their combinations grow. The Broncos will need to turn things around very quickly. They face Melbourne this week and will need to find a way to score points.

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It was another emotional match for the Sharks in Shane Flanagan's return. The Sharks were on a mission which was led by Andrew Fifita and backed up by his skipper Paul Gallen. Todd Carney was at his brilliant best. He was able to pick and choose his plays and did so with precision. They only leaked four points which is a credit to their mental strength to not switch off with the game all but wrapped up at half time. Michael Gordon has been a revelation for the Sharks at fullback. Hopefully things begin to right themselves at the Shire club. The Warriors need to address their defensive issues before they can move forward. 

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Sometimes when teams face the Rabbitohs they are content with competing with them but this was not the case from Ivan Cleary's men who dug deep in a back and forth style match. It was an end to end game but the extra class that South Sydney has ultimately won them the game. Sam Burgess returned from suspension, Greg Inglis had some brilliant touches and Nathan Merritt bagged a hat trick of tries. I think Maguire will be pleased with the win and their ability to score points but will be disappointed by how many points his team did leak.

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The hoodoo continued in a low scoring first half. It was a great defensive effort from both sides in the opening 40 minutes. Both sides were asked to defend some great attacking plays. This win eases some pressure on the Raiders. As an assistant coach it was great to get our first win and while there wasn't a massive crowd in attendance they were very vocal and I think that helped get us home. Reece Robinson was brilliant in attack while Brett White lead by example as did Glenn Buttriss in terms of leadership. There is now plenty of pressure on the Dragons to get a result against Cronulla in Saturday night's local derby.

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It was the best Newcastle Knights we've seen in a couple of seasons, says Gordon Tallis. Man of the Match Jarrod Mullen was outstanding for the Knights. His short and long passing game precise and his kicking was pin-point. The halves have been problematic for Knights recently, but these two could keep Kurt Gidley on bench. I think Gidley is the best 14 in the competition. The Cowboys looked frustrated. Everything they did lacked direction.
Their forwards looked pedestrian and the hooker and halves aren't combining well at all.

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