The Mole: Perfect Manly plan exposes Harry Grant as blueprint to stop Storm emerges in upset

With the bitter taste of Origin still in the mouths of NSW, it's obvious they won't beat Queensland until they pick a hooker capable of matching it with Harry Grant.

And while it may be early days, Cronulla's Blayke Brailey is mounting a strong case to be that man for the 2026 series.

Brailey was deadly out of dummy-half against the Roosters last Friday night, producing two try assists and making several line breaks.

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It was a Grant-like performance and something Reece Robson just cannot produce.

Brailey has been the key figure in the Sharks' turnaround and if he continues this form, he'll be the Blues' number nine in 2026.

Another thing in his favour - he's an iron man - Brailey hasn't missed a game since round 20, 2020.

MANLY SHOW 'BLUEPRINT' TO STOP STORM

Manly has given the teams in the finals race the secret blueprint to shutting down the Storm's x-factor Grant.

The Sea Eagles scored a stunning upset win over Melbourne at AAMI Park - ending a 10-game winning run by Craig Bellamy's men at home.

And they did it by running traffic at Grant throughout the 80 minutes.

The busy hooker was forced to make a season-high 63 tackles in 80 minutes, dulling his usually brilliant work in attack.

The game's best hooker made just eight runs for 57 metres and the Storm's attack looked clunky and off tune as a result.

"We made Grant make a lot of tackles," Sea Eagles veteran Luke Brooks revealed to Fox League on ground after the game.

"It worked well for us."

Rival coaches will have noticed - and Grant can now expect to be the busiest defender in the NRL for the rest of the season.

'TROUBLE' FOR TIGERS IN BID TO RETAIN DOUEIHI

Adam Doueihi can lay claim to being close to the most versatile player in the NRL after his match-winning display for the Tigers in yesterday's scrappy 21-20 over the Titans.

The talented utility has played in every spot in the backline over his NRL career - so in what turned out to be a master-stroke, Benji Marshall thought he'd give him a crack in the forwards.

In an awful game of football, Doueihi was one of the few players to shine at lock and delighted the capacity crowd at Leichhardt by booting the wobbly field goal that proved the difference between the teams.

The challenge now is to find a way to retain Doueihi - he is being 'advised' by the club's nemesis, controversial player manager Isaac Moses - and that can only mean trouble for the joint venture in their bid to sign him to a new deal.

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CRUCIAL COMBO LIFTING CANBERRA

Having a one-two punch in the key hooking role is one of the secrets behind the Raiders' run to the top of the table.

And it was on show for all to see in the big win over the Eels down in the ACT on Saturday afternoon.

The experienced Tom Starling started the game and held up the middle, topping the tackle count to boot.

Then as the Eels defence began to tire, Ricky Stuart injected dynamic youngster Owen Pattie and the rookie wasted little time scoring his first NRL try, then quickly added his second to end a brief Eels comeback.

Canberra have now racked up eight wins in a row and critics waiting for them to fall apart are being left sadly disappointed.

THE ONLY THING SAVING BENNETT

With seven straight losses and almost an entire first grade team sidelined through injury, Wayne Bennett is staring at the first wooden spoon of his career at Souths.

Only the abysmal form of the Titans may save the bumbling Bunnies from claiming last spot next month.

Souths' woes went from bad to worse when their best forward, Keaon Koloamatangi (ankle) was ruled out for the season in the loss to the Panthers on the weekend.

Even if they do manage to avoid the spoon, it's been a season of disappointment at Souths, although the worst injury toll in the league has been a major factor in that.

DOLPHINS COACH IN LINE FOR TOP GONG

Even if the Dolphins don't make the final series, Kristian Woolf should be seriously considered for the coach of the year award.

Why? Because the Dolphins play the most attractive football in the rugby league world and are a delight to watch, week in, week out.

Woolf clearly gives his players a license to thrill, not play the robot-ball that we see from most NRL teams.

There's no hit it up for five tackles and a bomb from the Phins - they play what is in front of them and the fans are the winners.

With brilliant attacking players like Isaiya Katoa, Herbie Farnworth and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, the Phins have the speed and class to worry any team in the NRL.

They destroyed a desperate Cowboys outfit 43-24 on Thursday night and are a team rivals have every right to fear.

And they have done it the hard way, missing a host of top graders for much of the season through injury.