The second round of the 2023 NRL season saw stand-out performances in sides many didn't think stood a chance, with the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs dominating Bellamy's Storm and the St George Illawarra Dragons opening their season with a big win.

The Edge of the Crowd Rugby League team put their heads together to put together the best 13 players in this week's Team of the Week.

1. Fullback - Reece Walsh - Brisbane Broncos

There was very little stopping Reece Walsh in his debut for the Broncos, scoring the final try of the match in the 76th minute and having a hand in a second earlier in the match.

Off his 16 runs, Walsh ran for 175 metres passing the ball off at just the right time on more than one occasion to perform three linebreak assists.

2. Wing - Jacob Kiraz - Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs

Kiraz came in hot on the wing on Saturday, leading the run metres with 235m. Scoring two tries, he was the only player to rack up double digits in tackle breaks at 10 and lead the Bulldogs for linebreaks with two.

All around the park, Kiraz was on form tackling at 100 per cent efficiency and parking himself under several kicks without any drama.

3. Centre - Joseph-Aukuso Suaali - Sydney Roosters

Few players ran further than the Sydney Roosters' Joseph-Aukuso Suaali in the second round, running for 231 metres from his 17 runs for an average of 13.58 metres.

Suaali was vital for the Roosters' attack picking up a try assist, on top of seven tackle breaks and two linebreaks for the match.

4. Centre - Dane Gagai - Newcastle Knights

Now in his second year in Newcastle, Dane Gagai seems to have settled into his role in the centre for the Knights. Running for 173 metres for the match and performing two try assists.

Gagai and Dominic Young seem to have found their mojo in 2023 as the perfect combination for the Knights.

5. Wing - Dominic Young - Newcastle Knights

Dominic Young's Round Two performance had it all, scoring two tries in his 70 minutes on field but getting sent to the sin bin late in the first half giving the Tigers the opportunity to put points on the board while the Knights were a player down.

But aside from that one moment everything was going right for Young, running 177 metres with an equal match-high for tackle breaks with nine and two line breaks.

6. Five-Eighth - Jack Wighton - Canberra Raiders

Despite the Raiders' loss, Jack Wighton looked solid in the Raiders' spine scoring the opening try for the match in the 13th minute. Wighton stepped up in multiple sets kicking for 245 metres and running for 94 metres for the match with one line break.

7. Halfback - Ben Hunt - St George Illawarra Dragons

Ben Hunt got his 2023 season off to the right start in the Dragons' big win over the Titans. Hunt struck in the right moments scoring a try in the 36th minute and having his hand in a second, however, his running game was just as powerful, running for 114 metres and picking up four tackle breaks, two linebreaks and giving the ball off at the right time for three offloads.

8. Prop - Max King - Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs

Max King's 55 minutes on the park were utilised efficiently in the Bulldogs' win over the Storm. Defensively, King put up a good performance with 35 tackles, working in tandem with Ryan Sutton and Reed Mahoney.

The prop led the charge in offence for the forwards with 84 post-contact metres, the second-highest for the match. He ran for a total of 194 metres from 17 runs offloading the ball twice.

9. Hooker - Reed Mahoney - Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs

Reed Mahoney lead the Bulldogs for tackles in the side's win over Melbourne with 44. It might only be Mahoney's first year at the Kennel but the 24-year-old opened the Bulldogs' attack at AAMI Park, running from dummy half five times for 33 metres and making four kicks for 126 metres.

Mahoney also had a hand in the first try of the match receiving an offload from Max King to pass the ball onto Jacob Preston to put the Bulldogs up 4-0 eight minutes into the match.

10. Prop - Payne Haas - Brisbane Broncos

Payne Haas played a big role in the Broncos' 28-16 win over the North Queensland Cowboys. Playing 65 minutes, Hass lead the Broncos for tackle breaks with five, with 84 post-contact metres and lead the match with three offloads.

From his 19 runs, Haas ran for 180m with 18 hit-ups. Defensively the 23-year-old hardly missed a beat performing 30 tackles.

11. Second Row - Keaon Koloamatangi - South Sydney Rabbitohs

Keaon Koloamatangi continues to grow on all areas of the park, making 43 tackles in South Sydney's loss to Penrith.

Going forward the fourth-year Rabbitoh ran for 116 metres from 14 runs with 34 post-contact metres and 11 kick-return metres.

12. Second Row - Liam Martin - Penrith Panthers

Fifth-year Panther Liam Martin put in a comprehensive showing in the reigning premiers' win over the South Sydney Rabbitohs. Martin had the second most tackle breaks for the match with 7, running for 134 metres, 48 post-contact from his 13 runs.

13. Lock - Tohu Harris - New Zealand Warriors

Tohu Harris continued to stand up for the New Zealand Warriors in their second-round loss to the Sydney Roosters. The 11-year-NRL veteran led the league for tackles in Round Two with 60 tackles, missing just one earning his place at the top of the league's tackle count for 2023 with 111.

Harris was also effective going forward running for 144 metres from 15 runs with a team-high 51 post-contact metres.

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