Latest news with #BrianTo'o
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Brian To'o limps out of Panthers' sixth-straight win
Penrith's sixth consecutive win may have come at a cost as superstar Brian To'o limped out of the 30-10 win over depleted South Sydney, who suffered two more injury blows of their own. Gun winger To'o initially played on after hurting his leg in a tackle from back-up hooker Peter Mamouzelos in the second half of Friday night's game at CommBank Stadium. The Panthers took To'o off in the final 20 minutes as a precaution but a representative told AAP the club held concerns for the NSW representative, who has been hampered by injury all season. To'o's premature exit put a damper on the resurgent Panthers' latest triumph, inspired by stand-in captain Dylan Edwards in the absence of the rested Isaah Yeo and Nathan Cleary. The fullback crossed for two tries, one after a brilliant To'o run and the second as he grabbed an offload from Luke Garner in the second half. He added a try assist to his stats sheet by supporting Blaize Talagi up the field and then finding Casey McLean. McLean capped off the big win by beating five defenders down the left wing for a second try in the final five minutes. McLean turns them inside out to score his second! 💥 — NRL (@NRL) July 18, 2025 Making their seventh-straight loss even worse, the Rabbitohs lost their shining light Keaon Koloamatangi to an ankle issue suffered as he attempted to tackle Garner in the second half. He was joined on the sidelines by Mamouzelos, who suffered a head knock colliding with Isaiah Papali'i shortly thereafter. Alex Johnston chased Jack Wighton's grubber kick to cross for his 207th career try in the final 90 seconds and give the Rabbitohs something to smile about. Johnston is only five four-pointers away from equalling Ken Irvine's record of 212. The Rabbitohs are now unable to finish the season with a winning record and have their coach Wayne Bennett on his longest losing streak since 2014. Souths are on track to finish lower on the ladder than any Bennett-coached side in history, a mark currently held by the inaugural Dolphins side that placed 13th in 2023. The outlook is rosier for four-time reigning premiers Penrith, who now have one hand on a top-eight spot after slumping to last on the ladder after 12 rounds. They will be hot favourites in their next three games, all against bottom-eight sides, and are guaranteed a winning record to finish the season if they take care of business in all three.
News.com.au
13-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Do the Penrith Panthers dare to dream of a five-peat as Nathan Cleary exorcises Origin demons
Do the Panthers dare dream of a five-peat? That is the question on everyone's lips after they were purring once again on Sunday. Even without Brian To'o, Dylan Edwards and Liam Martin and with Nathan Cleary starting on the bench for the first time in his NRL career, the Panthers were far too strong for the Eels as they registered a comfortable 32-10 at CommBank Stadium. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. Despite losing four of their opening five games of the season, the defending premiers are back on track and now sit just five competition points behind the fourth-placed Warriors. For the last 30 years, no team that finished outside the top four has ever won but the Panthers' resurgent form has put them in the conversation to not only be premiership contenders but potentially favourites to win it all again. Despite coming from the bench, Cleary led from the front on Sunday, exorcising his Origin demons as he scored a match-sealing try nine minutes out from full-time, showcasing his total class. And it has fans believing they can win a fifth straight title come September. 'They're going to win it again this year aren't they?' one fan wrote after Cleary crossed for a try. While others wrote: 'They are serious contenders again' and 'not again'. Why the Panthers can win it again in 2025 The Penrith dynasty has been built on hard work, mateship and an insatiable desire for success. This Panthers side is already the most successful team of not only the salary cap era but also the limited tackle era – which began with the introduction of four tackle sets in 1967 after the Dragons won a record 11 consecutive premierships. And although just two months ago many had written them off for finals footy, they are coming good at the right time … again. After some teething issues to start the year, understandable ones at that given they lost leaders Jarome Luai and James Fisher Harris and perennial try scorer Sunia Turuva, they are starting to click and it is an ominous sight for their rivals. But Panthers coach Ivan Cleary isn't getting ahead of himself, saying he's just focusing on winning games so they can finish as high as possible. 'We know where we wanted to finish at the start of the year and we didn't really change our mind on that,' Cleary said earlier this week. 'It's more a case that we're focused on the very short term. We'll worry about the ladder and whatever else down the track because it doesn't really matter at the moment. 'You've got to prepare well and play well, and if you do that often enough then you'll win enough games.' The Storm, Bulldogs, Raiders, Warriors and Broncos along with Penrith appear to be the teams who can logically win it this year but all have some serious holes. So can they win it again? Time will tell. But one thing is for sure, you cannot write off the Panthers in 2025 and coming into finals they are the team I would want to avoid at all costs.
News.com.au
11-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Vote for The Daily Telegraph People's Choice Award nominees for 2025
Payne Haas' barnstorming efforts or Brian To'o's incredible running game? Jesse Southwell's career-defining virtuoso performance or Olivia Kernick's unstoppable output? Now that the State of Origin series are completed, it's over to you to decide who you believe has been the best player for the Blues' men's and women's teams this year. Voting is now open for The Daily Telegraph People's Choice Award for 2025. The winners of the awards will be announced at the Brad Fittler Medal night later this year. Last season, you voted Jaime Chapman and Angus Crichton as the people's champions. This year, we have five more worthy finalists for both the men and women, in what's sure to be a closely run race. MEN DYLAN EDWARDS Fullback Games: 3 Never stopped the entire series. Scored the game-sealing try in game one, put in a typically lung-busting effort in Perth, and ran for 236m in game three when the Blues were on the back foot, throwing the final pass for Zac Lomax's try. BRIAN TO'O Winger Games: 3 Scored five tries to equal the all-time record for a series alongside Ryan Girdler (2000) and Lote Tuqiri (2002). To'o continued his ridiculously good carries, keeping his average running metres above 200. His 644m was the eighth-most all time, solidifying what we already knew – he's such a weapon for the Blues. And he did it while carrying an injury. STEPHEN CRICHTON Centre Games: 3 The best defensive centre in the competition. He bravely held down the Blues' edge by himself in game one when Brian To'o was sin-binned. He also scored tries, set them up and generally created attacking opportunities when the ball came his way throughout the series. PAYNE HAAS Prop Games: 3 Big forward with a bigger engine. Haas was man of the match in game one in a match he dominated. In an arena where metres are at a premium and it's hard to gain the advantage, Haas averaged 125m a game as the Blues' main man, and busted 13 tackles. LIAM MARTIN Second row Games: 3 The Blues' talisman and a constant target for Queenslanders. If he wasn't putting shots on Cameron Munster or Tino Fa'asuamaleaui, he was tracking back when he had every right to run out of steam. Martin made 42 tackles in game one as he rattled the Maroons into submission. Followed it up with 37 tackles in the decider despite a right hand injury, which stunted his ferocity somewhat. WOMEN ABBI CHURCH Fullback Games: 3 What an introduction to Origin as the Eels star more than justified her selection. Church finished her Origin debut in game one with 15 runs for 130m, six tackle busts, a try, a try assist and linebreak assist. She was a brilliant attacking threat from the back, finishing with 15 tackle busts and more than 300 running metres for the series. JESSE SOUTHWELL Halfback Games: 3 Hard to believe she's only 20. Southwell's Blues recall – 12 months after being dropped – will go down in Origin folklore. Her pinpoint kicking game – both long and short – was sublime throughout the series. The ultra-competitive halfback produced two try assists and three linebreak assists as NSW hammered Queensland in game one, and directed the Blues around the park in game two to stamp her return to the Origin arena. ISABELLE KELLY Centre Games: 3 The new Blues captain was simply a beast this series. She earned player of the match honours in game one, scoring a try and terrorising the Maroons' edge. Kelly was equally as damaging as she led the Blues to a series victory in game two. She averaged 127m a game, with the only blemish when she dived over to score in the dead rubber, but the ball never touched the ground because it because it was pressed against her own right forearm. OLIVIA KERNICK Lock Games: 3 NSW's player of the series, Kernick was unstoppable in game two in particular. She scored two tries, set another one up beautifully for Simaima Taufa, ran for almost 200m and busted 10 tackles along the way to wrap up the series for NSW. The fact she did it in driving rain was even more impressive. SIMAIMA TAUFA Prop Games: 3 A devastating force in the middle for the Blues. Taufa ran for 123m in game one and 116m in game two, in just 40 minutes each time. The Raiders prop kept NSW rolling forward, helping set up both wins to secure the series, and even crashed over for a try in game two.
News.com.au
10-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
NSW star's act of sheer class we all missed in emotional Origin decider
Laurie Daley and his NSW team have shown their class after Wednesday night's emotional State of Origin series decider in Sydney. An act by red-hot winger Brian To'o said it all as the Blues went out of their way to show support for enemy captain Cameron Munster — before, during and after the game, where Queensland completed a historic series comeback. Munster fell to his knees before being mobbed by teammates after the final siren sounded at Accor Stadium and he let the emotions pour out. Munster fought back tears during the post-game ceremonies after leading his team to victory just days after his father died. The Melbourne Storm playmaker was in camp with his Maroons teammates when his father Steven died on Saturday night. Munster only rejoined the team for the captain's run on Tuesday after spending time with his family grieving. A social media post shared by To'o before the game showed there were plenty of people in the Blues' dressing room feeling for their opposition captain. To'o carried a written tribute to Steven on his wrist during the game. His photo showed he had written 'Steven' on the strapping wrapped around his wrist, and also showed a cross and love heart symbols. It's one of many reasons Munster thanked his opponents for their support. 'Yeah look, it's a tough one,' Munster said. 'Like a high of emotions. I think when someone loses someone, you forget about it sometimes, but then it brings back memories and obviously, I just want to say thank you to all the rugby league community. They've been outstanding. 'I've had so much support and text messages from not only obviously rugby league, but also the NSW team, so just shows what kind of character those guys are and yeah, just forever grateful. 'And rugby league and that I think family is more important than anything and a lot of people showed that the last couple of days and really got behind me, so I want to say thank you to all those people and thanks for coming out tonight.' Munster was stoic but became emotional talking to his wife and kids. 'Thank you to my mum, my sister, my partner Bianca and the kids,' Munster said. 'I just want to say thank you for getting behind me this weekend. I know it's been a tough time, but yeah, I guess at the end of the day, that's life. 'And I just want to appreciate everyone that's been around me and make this week so special. And yeah, we'll enjoy it tonight and can't wait to obviously go next year and hopefully see what we can do. But thank you guys. Have a good night.' Earlier Munster paid tribute to the Blues for reaching out to him in a tough week. 'I'd just like to thank the NSW Blues, Isaah (Yeo), Nathan (Cleary), Laurie Daley and all the coaching staff and all the players,' Munster said. 'I just want to say I really appreciate some of you reaching out to me during the week. Just shows how good rugby league is. 'Family's bigger than the sport and yeah, I just want to say thank you for rallying behind me. It doesn't go unnoticed. And yeah, testament to all you guys as characters, I'm in awe of you. I'm in awe of all you guys and you'll be back bigger, better next year. 'Peter V'landys, Andrew Abdo just thanks for the spectacle, it's been a great series. 'To obviously the Queensland boys and the coaching staff. I love youse, I just want to say thanks for making it a great week. 'To NSW fans also, especially to Queensland fans back home and (here) tonight, thanks for coming tonight. It's always a great series, forever grateful.' Munster didn't think the Maroons had it won until the final whistle. 'I wouldn't say we had the game in the bag,' Munster said. 'You know, guys like Nathan Cleary, Dylan Edwards, Jarome Luai with the ball in hand, Latrell Mitchell, Stephen Crichton. You just know when they got the ball they can create anything. 'So look, in those last five minutes, I've seen them dominate grand finals, they've come back from big losses. And yeah they did it in game two. 'And look we went away a little bit at the (end). We made it work. You know the saying goes you work hard you get lucky, so it felt like our group worked really hard tonight. And yeah we've got those 5050s.' Munster wrote himself a little bit of history by becoming the fourth Queenslander to win his first series as captain, joining Darren Lockyer, Trevor Gillmeister and Cameron Smith. Andrew Johns paid tribute to Munster's heroic performance. 'Well, Queensland supporters, your skipper, he's played one for the ages,' Johns said. 'The passing of his father, Steven, the courage to play but also wanting to play. He's inspired his teammates they've lifted. They've no doubt they've lifted for the Munster family. 'Cameron Munster knew the importance of captaining Queensland. It's been some performance.' Cameron Smith also paid tribute to Munster. 'Just look at those pictures on screen, Cam Munster, been a tough three or four days for him and his family,' Smith said. 'Being able to put all that aside. Such tragic circumstances. You see Dylan Edwards there just going up to console him. 'All the NSW players. It's great to see. They battle it out for 80 minutes, but at the end of the day, we're all mates.'
Daily Mail
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
State of Origin game three player ratings: See who starred and the surprising big name who was an absolute flop in Queensland's win for the ages
Billy Slater's Queensland left New South Wales stunned as they won back State of Origin bragging rights on Wednesday evening in Sydney with a 24-12 victory against the Blues. Emotional scenes erupted at full-time as players and coaches from both sides rallied around Maroons captain Cameron Munster, who returned to guide his side to the epic victory, following the sudden passing of his dad, Steven, over the weekend. Tom Dearden was crowned the Player of the Series and once again stood up for the Maroons, scoring twice either side of half-time, with Xavier Coates and Harry Grant also crossing the whitewash. New South Wales had looked a shadow of the side that had won the opening fixture of the series, with the Maroons running out a 20-0 lead by half-time. Daily Mail Australia's Shayne Bugden reveals who flopped and who shone as he delivers his player ratings from Wednesday's crunch decider. New South Wales 1. Dylan Edwards 5 Sure, his 270-odd metres topped the charts for both sides, but he was a long way off his usual high standards. Threw a good ball for the only NSW try but struggled to make an impact otherwise. 2. Brian To'o 7 One of the Blues' best, despite carrying a knee injury into the match. Could've scored a try if Latrell's pass wasn't forward and did good work carting the ball back out when the forwards were busted, and also made a line break - a very rare site for NSW. 3. Stephen Crichton 6 The side's lone tryscorer was effective in defence and made several strong runs, but he also contributed to the awfully disjointed NSW attack, with their backs and halves looking like strangers at several critical stages. 4. Latrell Mitchell 4 Two forward passes - one of which wasn't picked up by the touchie - and some really bad misses in defence for the Bunnies superstar. He was more involved this time around than he was in game two, but there wasn't much quality to his efforts. 5. Zac Lomax 3 If he'd played like this in game two, all the talk would have been about who was going to replace him on the wing. Rushed up and missed his man to let Queensland in for their first, and that was far from his only defensive lapse. A couple of strong runs and that difficult conversion were his only real contributions. 6. Jarome Luai 3 Fans will be filthy that Mitch Moses was injured for games two and three. Luai had nowhere near the Parra half's impact - he was often the point where the attack broke down, did nothing with the boot bar that kick to set up the last try, and his passing was off too. 7. Nathan Cleary 4 There was talk that winning a decider was the last big achievement missing from his career. Now the fans who have been unfairly slamming him for not aiming up in Origin have a good argument - he did not step up when desperately needed. Queensland killed NSW with the boot, largely because he was ineffective with punt-it-and-hope tactics. Needed to take this one by the scruff of the neck and wasn't anywhere near it. 8. Max King 4 The words 'pop gun' spring to mind. He was hard to spot out there, getting just 23 minutes of playing time - and he didn't do much with them. 9. Reece Robson 6 Good in defence, as usual, with 46 tackles, and chanced his arm with a bit more running than he's known for, but made way for Connor Watson after 53 minutes - and the difference in energy after that was very noticeable. 10. Payne Haas 7 Bad back? What bad back? Got through 63 minutes and was easily the best forward in the losing side. Made almost as many tackles as Robson, and sometimes looked like the only member of the pack who could bend the line. Would've been a far worse loss without him. 11. Liam Martin 5 He'll be killing himself over this match. Marto is usually in a few memorable moments in Origins, but nothing stood out from him tonight. No mongrel moments, no running battles with Munster, no dynamite hits... just hanging on for dear life, like most of his teammates. 12. Angus Crichton 4 Got levelled by Valentine Holmes in the first half and did bugger-all after that. Let's repeat that: last year's player of the series, the best NSW forward in 2024, got folded by a winger. There were no stand out moments for NSW star Liam Martin (left) either, and he'll be kicking himself over his side's performance 13. Isaah Yeo 7 Poor bloke. He tried his guts out, tried to pick the team up by leading through example by taking probing runs and trying to set up play with his usual pivot-like play, and was pretty much mistake-free. 14. Connor Watson 6 Gave the Blues a real burst through the ruck when he came on, challenging the defence with his footwork and energy. Daley might be wishing he'd brought him on with 10-15 minutes left in the first half, when the Blues needed a momentum lift like a drowning man needs oxygen. 15. Spencer Leniu 6 Much like Watson, he did a good job of pinning his ears back and hitting the Maroons with some blunt-force trauma. Not much variety in his game but when you can run that hard, who cares? 16. Hudson Young 3 Only had 28 minutes, and the most noticeable thing about those was his awful kick in the second half, which he followed up by knocking on when he tried to regather. 17. Stefano Utoikamanu You'd have to be brave to bet on him getting another start for NSW. Expect a lot of fans to be smashing the selectors for going with him over Terrell May in one of the more head-scratching choices of the series. Queensland 1. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow 8 Slater's decision to pick him over Reece Walsh worried a lot of Maroons fans, but he handled the switch to fullback brilliantly. Safe under the ball, cut through NSW to set up Dearden's first try, saved an Angus Crichton try, displayed great speed and evasion on a dynamite second-half run. 2. Xavier Coates 7 Scored the first try, but the real story with him was his tough running, which put him on the approach to 200 metres for the night. 3. Robert Toia 8 Just quality for all of his 80 minutes. He popped up everywhere - hard running, smart passing, making half-breaks, setting up the men outside him, and his defence was terrific. A stone in the Blues' shoe from start to finish. Terrorised Latrell Mitchell more than once. 4. Gehamat Shibasaki 7.5 Set up the first try by making Lomax look silly. Made a few other Blues look silly by running through or over them. Unless the Broncs win the grand final, this will be the high point of an incredible comeback year for the Origin debutant. 5. Valentine Holmes 7 Will probably have a lot of blue fibres from Angus Crichton's jersey embedded in his top after that hit. Has struggled in defence before. Did anything but that tonight. 6. Cameron Munster 8 Purely in terms of his play, this wasn't as good as game two - but the degree of difficulty for him after losing his father can't be overstated. Years and years from now, he'll still be getting asked about this game on TV. You'd usually say he was solid or safe, but in light of the lead-up to the match, he was brilliant. 7. Tom Dearden 9.5 The two tries were great, but they were overshadowed by one of the finest defensive games from a No.7 in Origin history, coupled with a kicking game that left the efforts from Luai and Cleary in the dust. Played tough, played direct, put Cotter through with a beautiful ball that didn't get the try it deserved - but you can't go past the desperation, dedication and technique in defence. 8. Josh Papalii 6 Just 24 minutes for the veteran after he came out of Origin retirement at Billy Slater's request. Mistake-free footy, though, and he had an impact with the ball. You'd usually say he was solid or safe, but in light of the lead-up to the match, Cameron Munster (pictured) was brilliant Tom Dearden's (front) two tries were great, but they were overshadowed by one of the finest defensive games from a No.7 in Origin history 9. Harry Grant 8 His best Origin game. A few NSW stars won't be able to watch his try without dying of embarrassment, he made a staggering number of tackles, kept making incisive runs out of dummy half, and removed any doubts about how effective Queensland can be with him in the No.9 strip. 10. Tino Fa'asuamaleaui 7 No monster hits or hit-ups from him, but pretty much every carry he made in his 40 minutes was quality as he helped sap the life out of the Blues. 11. Reuben Cotter 8 Had a huge hole on the chest of his jersey at full time, probably from friction after constantly slamming into the Blues with and without the ball all night. He's Mr Reliable and then some. 12. Kurt Capewell 6.5 After absolutely killing it in game two, he took more of a back seat in the decider, having less of an impact than the other forwards. One of the only Cane Toads who didn't always aim up in defence. Melbourne Storm star Harry Grant (pictured) enjoyed his best Origin game to date, touching down in the second half for a try Tino Fa'asuamaleaui (left) carried well throughout the match and showed a touching moment of support for Munster (right) ahead of the game 13. Trent Loiero 7.5 For a bloke who's not exactly built like a Kenworth truck, he was an absolute rock in the middle in defence. Kept not just popping up in the line, but snapping the Blues' heads back as he rocked ball runner after ball runner. 14. Kurt Mann 6 Bad timing for Mann, who came on after about 10 minutes of the second half, when the game had shifted gear a bit. Did what he could with his 27 minutes. 15. Lindsay Collins 7 Not as many bullocking, highlight-reel runs as we've seen from him previously, but more than made up for it with - you guessed it - more typically north-of-the-Tweed tackling excellence. 16. Patrick Carrigan 8 After a performance like that, you have to wonder why he didn't start. Performances like that show why he's been spoken of as a future Maroons and even Kangaroos skipper. Was possibly the best metre-eater on the park in addition to his usual outstanding work whacking Cockroaches.
