Monday's Expert - 2020 NRL Round 4

Embed from Getty Images

Monday's Expert is back in 2020 - each week providing a full wrap of everything happening around the rugby league traps each Monday.

Each edition will include NRL match review charges & judiciary updates, our player of the year leaderboard, crowd stats, TV ratings and injury news.

First things first...

Our Round 4 wrap of the NRL results can be found here.

Match reports for NRL matches are here.

A huge thanks to the following legends for putting hard work into our weekly previews and live blogs of NRL games - Rob Crosby, Sam Bourke, Josh Robertson, Justin Davies, Andrew Jackson, Andrew Ferguson, Jeff Dickinson-Fox, Rick Edgerton, Paul Jobber, Adam Huxtable and Hamish Parker.

The Front Row - match program

If you haven't checked it out yet, the first two editions of The Front Row - our brand new online mag - can be found here (R4) and here (R3).

Keep an eye out this Wednesday for Issue 3 (Round 5)!

Match review

Three players have been charged from the first seven matches of Round 4.

Waqa Blake (Eels)

Grade 1 Careless High Tackle
19th minute, on Danny Levi (Sea Eagles)
Base penalty $1500 fine
7 year incident free discount (50%)
Guilty / no contest = $750 fine
Guilty - early plea = $550 fine
PLEA: Guilty - early plea
OUTCOME: $550 fine

Sam Lisone (Titans)

Grade 1 Dangerous Contact (head/neck)
15th minute, on Adam Doueihi (Wests Tigers)
Base penalty 100 points
Guilty / no contest = 100 points (1 match)
Guilty - early plea = 75 points (1 match)
PLEA: Guilty - early plea
OUTCOME: No suspension. 75 carryover points accrued

Ash Taylor (Titans)

Grade 1 Dangerous Contact (head/neck)
67th minute, on Luke Garner (Wests Tigers)
Base penalty 100 points
Guilty / no contest = 100 points (1 match)
Guilty - early plea = 75 points (1 match)
PLEA: Guilty - early plea
OUTCOME: No suspension. 75 carryover points accrued

Reimis Smith (Bulldogs)

Grade 1 Dangerous Contact (head/neck)
17th minute, on Mikaele Ravalawa (Dragons)
Base penalty 100 points
1 x non-similar prior offence last 2 years (20% loading)
30 carryover points to be added
Guilty / no contest = 150+30=180 points (1 match)
Guilty - early plea = 90+30=120 points (1 match)
PLEA: Not guilty. Faces judiciary Tuesday night.
OUTCOME: TBC

The LU Leaderboard

At the conclusion of each match our reporters will choose their best three players from the match. You can views those points in each match in their respective match reports. Each week we'll update the leaderboard.

6 points - Matt Burton (Panthers), Tom Trbojevic (Sea Eagles), Dylan Brown (Eels), Jason Taumalolo (Cowboys), Cameron Munster (Storm)

5 points - Mitchell Pearce (Knights), Jarrod Croker (Raiders), Mitchell Moses (Eels), Kalyn Ponga (Knights), David Klemmer (Knights), Benji Marshall (Wests Tigers)

4 points - Brett Morris (Roosters), George Williams (Raiders), Dallin Watene-Zelezniak (Bulldogs), James Tedesco (Roosters)

3 points - Luke Brooks (Wests Tigers), Blake Green (Warriors), Nathan Cleary (Panthers), Kotoni Staggs (Broncos), Luke Keary (Roosters), Isaah Yeo (Panthers), Maika Sivo (Eels), Jamayne Isaako (Broncos), Jesse Ramien (Sharks), Young Tonumaipea (Titans), Cameron Smith (Storm), Shaun Johnson (Sharks), Will Hopoate (Bulldogs), Jake Trbojevic (Sea Eagles), Viliame Kikau (Panthers), Adam Reynolds (Rabbitohs), Jack Wighton (Raiders)

2 points - Scott Drinkwater (Cowboys), Clinton Gutherson (Eels), Michael Jennings (Eels), Dale Finucane (Storm), Ronaldo Mulitalo (Sharks), Ashley Taylor (Titans), Jorge Taufua (Sea Eagles), Jarome Luai (Panthers), Bradman Best (Knights), Lindsay Collins (Roosters), Kodi Nikorima (Warriors), Daly Cherry-Evans (Sea Eagles), Stephen Crichton (Panthers), Anthony Milford (Broncos), David Nofoaluma (Wests Tigers), Jahrome Hughes (Storm), Emre Guler (Raiders), David Fifita (Broncos), Nick Cotric (Raiders), Michael Morgan (Cowboys), Sione Katoa (Bulldogs)

1 point - Ethan Lowe (Rabbitohs), Daniel Saifiti (Knights), Tui Kamikamica (Storm), Alex Twal (Wests Tigers), Shaun Lane (Eels), Brian Kelly (Titans), Phillip Sami (Titans), Adam Elliott (Bulldogs), Tevita Pangai Junior (Broncos), Jaydn Su'A (Rabbitohs), Herman Ese'ese (Knights), Valentine Holmes (Cowboys), Reed Mahoney (Eels), Wade Graham (Sharks), Thomas Flegler (Broncos), Daniel Tupou (Roosters), Josh Papali'i (Raiders), Tyrell Fuimaono (Dragons), Apisai Koroisau (Panthers), Coen Hess (Cowboys), Curtis Sironen (Sea Eagles), Connor Watson (Knights), Eliesa Katoa (Warriors)

Sore points - injury update

Injury news that came out of Round 4

Victor Radley (Roosters) - elbow - monitored
James Tedesco (Roosters) - illness - cleared
Isaac Liu (Roosters) - concussion - monitored
John Asiata (Cowboys) - meniscus - 4-6 weeks
Mitchell Dunn (Cowboys) - concussion - monitored
Coen Hess (Cowboys) - ankle - monitored
Chad Townsend (Sharks) - hamstring - monitored
Andrew Fifita (Sharks) - calf - monitored
Kurt Mann (Knights) - ankle - 1 week
Kalyn Ponga (Knights) - concussion - monitored
Jack Wighton (Raiders) - concussion - monitored
Jahrome Hughes (Storm) - hand - 2-3 weeks
Josh Addo-Carr (Storm) - ribs - monitored
Luke Garner (Wests Tigers) - throat - monitored
Brayden Wiliame (Dragons) - calf - scans

The good news - who's back?

The following players are likely or possible to return from injury or suspension this weekend.

Raiders - Ryan Sutton
Sharks - Chad Townsend, Andrew Fifita
Titans - Tyrone Roberts
Storm - Tui Kamikamica
Knights - Lachlan Fitzgibbon
Cowboys - Jason Taumalolo
Eels - Nathan Brown
Panthers - Dylan Edwards, Nathan Cleary
Rabbitohs - Cody Walker
Roosters - James Tedesco
Warriors - Peta Hiku, Lachlan Burr, Agnatius Paasi
Wests Tigers - Russell Packer

Metrics Metrics Metrics

Each week we'll also do our best to keep you across the crowd figures and TV ratings which are often the most talked-about parts of the game.

Hopefully we'll be able to bring you crowd stats in a few weeks as things return to a new normal post-COVID.

Ratings: Round 4

One last thing...

That forward pass rule hey? After the controversial finish in the Eels-Manly game on Saturday, calls have flared again from many to have the Bunker rule on forward passes.

Do you think it's time we looked at it? Some think a Captain's Challenge might even be worth a look. Join the discussion on our forums here.