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The Evolution of Talakai & the Sharks left edge
The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks played out a promising 80 minutes against South Sydney last week, regardless of the end result.
All the positives of their 2022 NRL campaign were on show in Round 1; a productive back five in yardage, Blayke Brailey generating momentum around the ruck and halves combining for smooth, sweeping backline movements. The Rabbitohs did enough – thanks largely to Lachlan Ilias – to take the two points last week but we still got a good indication of Cronulla’s strengths in 2023.
Whether by design or coincidence, the Sharks played predominantly down Moylan’s left edge in their first hit-out of the NRL regular season. There was a concerted effort to play short on that side of the field, using the intimidating presence of Siosifa Talakai as a decoy in both yardage and good ball.
Ronaldo Mulitalo went very close to scoring the opener thanks to exactly that. Set up in good ball, Moylan filled a familiar role at first receiver with Trindall and Will Kennedy sweeping out the back on the left edge.
Moylan does all the leg work in this action. He slows and straightens on his run which pulls South Sydney’s defensive line towards the ball and by the time he throws out the back to Trindall, the overlap has been created.
The Rabbitohs slide very quickly off Teig Wilton’s lead line as Trindall too passes out the back to Kennedy. We can see now where (or who) the Rabbitohs are sliding towards; both Campbell Graham and Isaac Thompson only have eyes for Talakai here which presents Kennedy with a yawning gap back on the inside. Only a special effort from Ilias prevents a certain Sharks try in this instance.
Adjusting on the run, Cronulla played short to their lead man Wilton the next time they searched left.
Dale Finucane is at first receiver this time and he pops a lovely pass to Wilton as Cronulla work downfield in yardage. You can see Graham again flying off the line to jam Talakai, leaving Ilias with a one-on-one tackle on the Sharks backrower. Wilton wins that match-up to get an offload away and a few scrappy moments later Trindall touches down for a four-pointer.
It played out a little opportunistically but the plan was clear – isolate Wilton onto Ilias at the line and play on the back of it.
Not long afterwards, Cronulla again set up with Moylan and Kennedy searching down the left edge.
Moylan hits Wilton who is running a hard unders line at Ilias’ inside shoulder, but the young halfback nails his assignment to hit underneath the ball and force the error. The opportunity was there though – again Graham has shot out at Talakai leaving his half in an unfavourable match-up against a charging backrower.
The same thing happened midway through the second half.
The presence of Kennedy and Talakai sweeping out the back demands attention from Graham and Thompson, leaving Ilias alone in the defensive line. It’s the perfect set-up and the perfect pass from Moylan, but again Ilias makes a superb one-on-one tackle to dislodge the ball and repel a promising Sharks attack. If Ilias doesn’t force the error here, Wilton either offloads for Talakai in support or generates a quick play-the-ball as the Rabbitohs scramble to reset.
Ilias’ defensive efforts in Round 1 deserve credit, but we can also identify a positive action from the Sharks.
Using Talakai as a decoy instead of a battering ram provides Cronulla’s left edge with great variety in attack. He has a Villiame Kikau-like influence on the defensive line and can create opportunities for teammates around him without even touching the ball. Wilton will win that match-up with an isolated half more often than not and we can put these errors down to a good night at the office from Ilias moreso than a poor performance from the Sharks.
Sure enough, Cronulla stuck to their processes and almost got a result late in the game.
The Sharks backline is fanned out in shape as the ball comes left, but Moylan plays short to Braeden Hamlin-Uele when South Sydney shoot on Trindall and Talakai out the back. It’s great pass selection as Moylan gets Hamlin-Uele into the backfield only for Latrell Mitchell to drag him down close to the line.
Having hit the short option the Sharks then reload down the same channel, trying to break down a scrambling South Sydney defence. It’s only the second time Cronulla had the chance to play on the back of that short ball (the first was Trindall’s try), but Blayke Brailey doesn’t make the most of it with two crash plays in the following two tackles.
Had Cronulla shifted to the right edge, you’d like their chances against a thin Rabbitohs defensive line on the far side of the field. Perhaps Nicho Hynes would have constructed something here, but instead Brailey is left to try his chances around the ruck and comes up empty.
It’s one of only a few moments in Round 1 where Hynes’ absence was really felt and I’m looking at both Moylan and Trindall in these areas on Friday night.
Expect the Sharks to test out the Matt Doorey/Mitch Moses/Will Penisini edge combination for Parramatta by passing short to Wilton and then doubling up down that channel on the following play. They won’t be denied by a few big shots from a halfback every week and it’s an action that will lead to points if they stick with it.
Laying backrowers and hitting edges aside, Cronulla’s best weapon in their attacking arsenal is quickly becoming my favourite shape in the NRL. Awarded a good-ball set in the shadows of halftime, the Sharks produced a signature backline movement that ended with Sione Katoa diving over in the corner.
The key to this action is the depth Cronulla play with. Take note of how far back Kennedy positions himself at the beginning of this play.
Kennedy’s is almost behind the play-the-ball when Brailey swings it right, and he has Mulitalo pushing up on his inside as a second fullback. Katoa is even deeper still – he’s almost 20 metres back from the advantage line and flies onto the Kennedy pass when Cronulla fan out in unison.
It looks even better from front on.
That is an absolute nightmare to defend. Changes of direction and multiple bodies in motion hold up a defence that wants to slide but simply can’t with so much traffic coming at them. It’s all done at speed and with passes out in front, giving the defence no time to scramble and herd Cronulla to the sideline.
Katoa is going to finish off a few more of these by the season’s end.
Head Noise – What’s living rent free in my head this week?
Jahrome Hughes & Eli Katoa – With Cameron Munster sidelined I’m expecting Hughes and Katoa to see plenty of ball this weekend. Katoa spent most of his time tackling anything that moved last week (42 tackles, 12 carries for 117 metres) but I’m hoping Round 2 is when he re-establishes himself as a strike attacking edge forward in the NRL.
Getting his timing and spacing right with Hughes is the first step. Katoa has the mobility and hole-hitting nouse to take full advantage of Hughes’ running and passing strengths. He can charge onto a short ball to hit the unders line or bounce overs and test the outside shoulder of a defending half. He can also support as an offload target if Hughes decides to take on the line himself.
Coming up against Villiame Kikau and Matt Burton this week isn’t an ideal place to start, but I don’t think it’s long before Hughes / Katoa are talked about as one of the better half / backrower combinations in the NRL.
Kieran Foran & David Fifita – Foran is every chance of being a late exclusion this week but allow me to double down on my key Titans takeaway from Round 1 of the NRL season: “David Fifita moving to the left and combining with Kieran Foran is the silver living in Beau Fermor’s season ending injury.”
Is it a coincidence that Fifita re-signed with the Gold Coast Titans after 80 minutes running off Foran’s hip last week? Im not sure. No one straightens an attack like ‘Foz’ and he is the perfect candidate to partner with Fifita in attack.
They’ll come up against a new-look Dragons right edge this week, with Mosese Suli and Zac Lomax tipped to switch sides in 2023. I’m expect Foran and Fifita to pepper those new combinations all night.
Shaquai Mitchell – The Rabbitohs middle forward depth is already being tested just two rounds into the NRL season. Tevita Tatola, Jai Arrow, Hame Sele, Liam Knight, Siliva Havili and Jacob Host are all unavailable for Round 2 meaning South Sydney will again turn to ‘Shaq’ to fill the vacant minutes.
Shaquai was superb in Round 1. He punched out 45 busy minutes in the middle, taking 11 carries for 125 metres gain (55 in post-contact), busted four tackles and completed 26 of his own with no misses. He’s still very raw and ideally doesn’t play a huge role in South Sydney’s 2023 campaign, but he’s proving a reliable fill-in at this stage of the season. Love to see it.
Corey Harawira-Neara on an edge – Ricky Stuart has again named Harawira-Naera at lock but I’m waiting to see if he spends most of his time on the right edge as he did last week. He runs a mean unders line as an edge forward but his decision-making and repeat efforts in defence were tested by the Cowboys last week.
The Dolphins attack isn’t as fine-tuned as North Queensland’s just yet, but Sean O’Sullivan had some nice touches down the left edge in Round 1 and could have some joy if Harawira-Naera is stationed out there in defence on Saturday.
RLW Percentage Plays
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I’ll be spending the first few rounds learning what I can before giving premium subscribers a few weekly tips accompanied with relevant examples and RLW-style analysis. In the meantime, I was on the NEDs Punting Preview Podcast to get ready for Round 2.