Ikin See Clearly: round two

Ben Ikin ... 'Newcastle, Manly is going to be an absolute corker'. Source: Gregg Porteous / News Limited

Fox Sports league expert Ben Ikin looks ahead to round two action in the NRL and picks out the five things he is most looking forward to.

		W	L	D	B	PD	Pts
1	Knights	1	0	0	0	32	2
2	Eels	1	0	0	0	30	2
3	Panthers	1	0	0	0	22	2
4	Storm	1	0	0	0	20	2
5	Rabbitohs	1	0	0	0	18	2
6	Cowboys	1	0	0	0	12	2
7	Sea Eagles	1	0	0	0	8	2
8	Sharks	1	0	0	0	2	2
9	Titans	0	1	0	0	-2	0
10	Broncos	0	1	0	0	-8	0
11	Bulldogs	0	1	0	0	-12	0
12	Roosters	0	1	0	0	-18	0
13	Dragons	0	1	0	0	-20	0
14	Raiders	0	1	0	0	-22	0
15	Warriors	0	1	0	0	-30	0
16	Tigers	0	1	0	0	-32	0

If Chris Sandow can back up his performance from the weekend.
I thought he was magnificent on Saturday night against the Warriors, I don't think the opposition presented much of a challenge but he looked to me like he was enjoying playing his footy again. He had a smile back on his face, he in the game up to his eyeballs, which was in stark contrast to what I saw last year. It looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders and for whatever reason Ricky (Stuart) has been able to get inside his head and get him to enjoy playing footy again. He's one of those guys who if he is enjoying his football, he will play his best football. Other players have the ability to play in the grind and they love that part of it, Chris Sandow just wants to turn up and play football and be excited.

Whether the Broncos can turn around the second half performance against Manly.
I think people have underscored how good Manly were in that second half. The Broncos showed me plenty of good things in the first half but they did fall away. Because they're such a big brand in rugby league and a huge brand in Queensland and Brisbane, when you're not performing to people's expectations criticism comes thick and fast. Friday night in Wollongong, everybody has got question marks over the Dragons - despite being beaten by the Storm there was plenty to like - they really dug in and they were up again the best in the competition. The Dragons are going to provide stiff competition for the Broncos and if they go down to Wollongong and lose the pressure is going to come thick and fast again but if they go down there and win it will silence a few critics.

I can't wait to see SBW in his first start.
We saw a bit of a glimpse of what he brings to a footy side without giving away too much. He's back over in his homeland, in New Zealand, and as I say he'll be pumped he's been pushed into the starting team. Like everyone else that has a huge profile, it comes with big expectations. He'd be out there wanting to show people just what he is capable of.

The Manly v Newcastle game.
I think it is going to be an absolute corker. I was so impressed with Kieran Foran and Daley Cherry-Evans on Friday night against the Broncos. They were in everything, they were durable and creative and the Manly forwards lead the way. I was amazed at how well Brent Kite played, I always thought him a good player but he carried the Sea Eagles back into that match and gave Cherry-Evans and Foran the room they needed. They're up against a Newcastle side that looks very much a Wayne Bennett team that the Knights weren't last year. He's got some new recruits, he's got his skipper and halfback in Kurt Gidley, Darius Boyd is back to his best, Dane Gagai looks like he's going to be a superstar and Akuila Uate is one of the most exciting wingers hanging off his right hip. Manly, Newcastle the match itself, like most fans, I just can't wait to see it.

It will be interesting to see how the Raiders bounce back.
After this week, those off-field issues really knock a club around and it would be fair to say Josh Dugan and Blake Ferguson could have a lot of friends in the side and those friends and teammates would be pretty disappointed in their behaviour. I'd say right now, Dugan and Ferguson would be pretty disappointed in themselves. The big thing for them is, they've got two of their best players on the sidelines. So I reckon it will be a big test for David Furner and the group in the face of something you'd never expected to arrive this early in the season. Let's now forget the Raiders played pretty poorly, so (Furner's) a man of great pride who was a great player who had very high standards of himself. He would expect that of his team and he'd feel pretty let down by the performance on Sunday. The Raiders, heading up the Coast, to play the Titans are going to get some very stiff competition. The Titans were very good in the game against the Sharks.

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