“We’ve needed him to play to get the wins. If I had another option, I probably would have rested him. It’s a credit to him. He’s got guys around him helping him, [assistant coach] Robbie [Farah] has done a great job in attack with him, and he’s got the skipper [Api Koroisau] and other guys helping direct us around the park, so he can just play footy.”

The 11,420 fans who braved a chilly night in the south-west never felt like their side was home until the full-time siren. They have had their hearts crushed too many times. Imagine the heartburn when Damien Cook crossed under the posts with two minutes remaining.

There was late justice when a Wighton forward pass was ignored, only for Cameron Murray to be pulled up the next play when Souths thought they had won with a try to Davvy Moale.

The Tigers host Manly and Luke Brooks at Leichhardt Oval next week, followed by the bye, then Parramatta.

Souths are already without Mitchell, and had Cody Walker come from the field late with a head injury assessment. He suffered category-one symptoms, which makes him unavailable next week against Newcastle.

They did not throw much at the Tigers, but bombed certain tries, first through Jacob Gagai who was held up over the line by his own wrist with some help from Tigers winger Luke Laulilii, then a sitter involving Jacob Host who spilled the ball over the line with no Tigers players in front of him.

Murray said the Mitchell headlines had not impacted the playing group, and said: “I’m pretty proud of how we were able to block out some external noise – we’ve had some practice with that this year – the boys did well. I had a quick chat to him. He seems alright.”

Dogs keep top-four hopes alive with Bundy win

In travelling to balmy Bundaberg, Canterbury not only extended their flawless 2024 home record, but also their season.

A team that hasn’t participated in the play-offs in eight years has all but booked its place in the finals. Based on this performance, a 30-10 victory against fellow finals aspirants the Dolphins, they will not just be making up the numbers.

The win was the Bulldogs’ sixth in seven matches, keeping alive their hopes of a top-four finish and a home final. The latter would be some advantage given their home winning streak has now been extended to 10.

This was again a case of ‘back Kiraz, drink shiraz’. Jacob Kiraz crossed twice in the opening half, the Bulldogs winger the beneficiary of two majestic right-side shifts of the football.

The NRL’s most improved defensive outfit is also benefiting from the addition of attacking coach Jason Taylor to its staff. However, defence wins games and this marked the seventh time the blue and whites had held an opposition scoreless in the second half.

“It’s a testament to how fit we are,” said Canterbury coach Cameron Ciraldo. “I said to the boys downstairs that it’s a real big rap for our performance team, how fit our guys are on the back of a hard, strong off-season where boys worked really hard.

“That’s a cool stat for the boys to understand and find out about.”

There is a race to grand final day, but also a race on grand final day. It was revealed on these pages last weekend that there are plans for a 100-metre sprint, the centrepiece of a “mini-Olympics”, to be held to crown league’s fastest man.

The punters at Salter Oval, a new Bulldogs home away from home, were provided an early preview. It appeared Josh Addo-Carr – dubbed by Phil Gould as “the world’s fastest man” – would streak away untouched after pouncing on a loose ball deep in his own territory.

Yet just as the Bulldogs winger seemed destined to dive over in the corner, another speedster, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow came from nowhere. Clocking a top speed of 40km/h, “The Hammer” mowed down “The Foxx” and bundled him into touch.

It’s a play that kept the Dolphins in the match.

“I thought I was home, brother, but Hammer is too quick,” Addo-Carr said afterwards. “He’s got some speed on him, unfortunately I didn’t get the result there.”

Nonetheless, runaway tries were the order of the day. Addo-Carr belatedly crossed for one when he pounced on another errant pass, this time from 200-game milestone man Kodi Nikorima. It was cancelled out just before half-time when Jake Averillo scored against his former club after intercepting a Toby Sexton pass.

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There was also plenty of heavy contact. There is the finest line between a legitimate bell-ringer and a cheap shot and no man finds himself treading it more often than Felise Kaufusi. The Maroons enforcer produced several hits from both categories.

For every challenge that was executed perfectly – like the one that folded Matt Burton in half – there was another that threatened to leave his team a man short. On two occasions, he was pinged for belting Josh Curran.

The Bulldogs, however, landed the blows that matter. Asked about the prospect of watching a 100-metre race on grand final day, Ciraldo offered: “I’d rather be doing something else than watching a sprint.”

Dragons-bound Holmes stars as Cowboys crush Raiders

Valentine Holmes has etched himself into North Queensland record books days after announcing his exit from the club, scoring a hat-trick in their 42-4 win over a woeful Canberra.

Holmes finished with a club-record 26 points of his own in Townsville on Saturday night to cap a week in which his place in the side was questioned and he signed with St George Illawarra for next year.

Jake Clifford also impressed after being preferred at halfback for the axed Chad Townsend, scoring one try and setting up two others in the Cowboys’ biggest win of 2024.

Scott Drinkwater and Tom Dearden were among others to star, as the hosts sent a message one month out from the finals.

With the bye next week, a win over one of Melbourne or Canterbury in the final two rounds would be enough to guarantee North Queensland a finals spot.

with AAP

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