Feeling the pain: The Raiders were within their rights to feel hard done by on Saturday night. Credit:Getty Images On the burst: Latrell Mitchell takes on the Titans defence. Credit:Getty Images Roosters find a winning combination Not only did the Sydney Roosters deliver a premiership warning with their brilliant first-round performance against the Titans, but I think we also witnessed the beginning of a potentially potent attacking combination involving new recruit Luke Keary and the amazingly talented youngster, Latrell Mitchell. Keary fitted into the five-eighth role with his new club like he had been playing with them for years. Playing behind a strong and willing forward pack and outside the very experienced halfback Mitchell Pearce, Keary has been given a roving role within the attacking framework and it suits him perfectly.

He is an extremely dangerous runner of the ball with great football instincts. While he is dangerous all over the park, I can see where he and new young centre Mitchell will become a formidable attacking duo down the Roosters' left-hand side of the field. Mitchell is a superstar. This young man is so talented it's unbelievable. For one so young to have such power and strength in his running style defies belief. His ability to make defenders miss and power through tackles makes him potentially one of the most dangerous attacking players in the game. These two fellows are going to create all sorts of problems for opposition defensive lines. I predict they will again be a major factor when the Roosters beat the Bulldogs this week. Judiciary must employ common sense I think it's a great initiative by the NRL to change the judiciary penalty system to imposing monetary fines on players who commit low-grade offences. I'm just concerned that the match review committee will start to hand out fines like Smarties because they now know they don't run the risk of a player being suspended. I have argued for many years that low-grade offences carried too many penalty points and that players were being suspended far too easily. Many of these minor offences can be sufficiently penalised on the field of play without incurring an additional financial penalty.

At the end of the day, all we want from our judiciary system is to discourage and punish the serious offences that place an opposition player's welfare at risk. Our players are not made of porcelain. They can all cop a few bumps and bruises as long as the game is played hard and fair. Let's not get too pedantic about handing out speeding fines for doing 62 kilometres in a 60-kilometre zone. Tigers outfit full of surprises Isn't it wonderful to witness a team of talented youngsters playing carefree football on the big stage? The West Tigers players were absolutely outstanding in their big win over South Sydney. It's a joy to watch the skill of their playmakers and the speed of their strike players out wide, combining to produce an attacking style of play few teams in this competition could dare to match. So much of NRL in recent times has become very stereotyped, with most sides employing exactly the same type of attacking philosophies, structures and plays. As these young Tigers players are maturing and gaining more experience in the top grade, they are developing their own style of football which is unique. The challenge for opposition teams is that the Tigers can be so unpredictable in the way that they come at you. Their ability to move the ball very quickly from one side of the field to the other and back again really stretches the defensive line. The spearhead of all this is of course the three Amigos in halfback Luke Brooks, five-eighth Mitchell Moses and scintillating fullback James Tedesco.

With so many years of top-quality rugby league ahead of them, it would be a shame if these players could not remain together at the Tigers for the entirety of their playing careers. Let's hope these players realise the opportunity ahead of them in this regard as well. They should get a big home crowd at Campbelltown on Sunday when they take on Penrith. There is plenty to like about what is happening on the pitch for the Tigers. Credit:Getty Images Essential Friday night viewing Well, the last four times these two teams have played against each other have produced absolutely amazing rugby league spectacles. I have gone back over columns I've written in the past couple of years to read how I described the battles we've witnessed between these two powerhouse clubs. Quite simply, you run out of superlatives to describe the quality, intensity and drama they have been able to produce. I guess we would be asking too much to expect another nail-biting cliffhanger this Friday night in Brisbane, however, it is hard to see how it could be any other way.

The Broncos were terrific in winning their first game away from home against defending premiers Cronulla. They were able to produce plenty of grit and courage when the result was in the balance. The Cowboys needed to go to extra time to finally get over the top of the Raiders in a high-quality affair. But there is no doubting the performance showed us they will again be among the leading contenders in 2017. I'm going to favour the home side on Friday night and tip the Broncos. Knights on the improve Season 2016 was a pretty miserable time for the Knights, but judging by Sunday's courageous performance against the New Zealand Warriors over in Auckland, Newcastle fans can take a lot of pride in their team in 2017. I was not only impressed with their commitment levels on the weekend in this difficult match away from home, but also with the quality of football they produced. They just lost their way for a short time in the first half and found themselves trailing by 20 points to eight at half-time.

However, the second-half fightback 22-20 within minutes of the full-time siren was stirring stuff. Don't get me wrong, the Knights are still very much in a rebuilding phase and it is going to take a few years before they are again a premiership force. But in the meantime, Newcastle fans should enjoy the emergence and development of some outstanding youngsters.