Whether you’re searching for an edge in the workplace tipping comp or just desperate to talk some footy, you’ve found the place. Join Oscar Pannifex as he unpacks the scrum each week in the NRL.
Introducing Kruise Leeming
Kruise Leeming is two games into his NRL career and the early signs are pleasing for Gold Coast Titans fans. Chris Randall has been sound filling in at dummy-half for the injured Sam Verrills, but Leeming is a genuine No.9 who the Titans can build an attack around.
Leeming is a smart attacking hooker. The subtleties of his ballplaying can create space for his forwards around the ruck and he’s quick enough to go it himself if the chance arrives.
A few steps with the ball in two hands out in front engages the markers here and gets Joe Vuna one-on-one with Toby Couchman at A defender. Vuna wins the tackle to play the ball quickly and with Couchman offside at marker, Leeming takes his chance to run. It all seems simple enough, but these are specialist hooking actions that a fill-in No.9 won’t execute consistently.
Leeming’s ruck recognition and speed off the mark is also creating attacking chances down short sides.
Some nice shape from the Titans against the Dragons in Round 6 invited Talatau Amone and Zac Lomax into this Joe Stimson tackle.
With St George’s left edge stripped for numbers, Leeming identifies the opportunity and plays his part perfectly.
Again with the ball out in front, Leeming holds the pass just long enough to engage Amone before dishing to Toby Sexton in space. If Leeming had passed off the deck, Amone would’ve pressured Sexton from the inside and allowed his edge defenders to slide out and number up. Leeming’s involvement is what creates the overlap and leads to Phillip Sami tearing down the touchline and into the backfield.
Take note of Leeming pushing up in support there, too. He didn’t get the ball on this occasion, but one week later against the Broncos he did:
Another promising Titans backline movement this time sees Brian Kelly take possession with room to move. Despite the ball going four passes wider, Leeming doesn’t stop tracking the play and pops up in support when Kelly breaks the line. Again, it’s simple enough but shows Leeming’s feel for the game and hunger to be involved in the attack.
It’s close to the line though where I think Leeming can really improve the Titans this season.
This action with Moeaki Fotuaika has potential written all over it:
Standing behind the ruck as Kieran Foran gets to his feet, Leeming sees a few things here. He identifies that Foran has dragged both of Brisbane’s middle forwards into the tackle. He also identifies that Foran has generated a quick play-the-ball to leave Martin Taupau on the ground and out of play.
He also notices that Reece Walsh, Corey Paix and Kurt Capewell – hardly Brisbane’s biggest bodies – are defending a 10 metre space around the right upright while Gold Coast’s backline is fanned out to the open side.
All of these factors prompts Leeming to scoot from half, engage both Walsh and Paix to pitch Fotuaika one-on-one with Capewell on the try line. If Fotuaika had been a fraction flatter here, he might’ve punched through the hole and scored between the posts. As it happens, Capewell makes good first contact and holds up Fotuaika until help arrives.
As Leeming develops combinations with the forwards around him, we should see more of this from the Titans in good-ball. Fotuaika, Tino Fa’asuamaleaui and David Fifita are all appealing options for Leeming close to the line if he can isolate them against a smaller defender.
As his match fitness and confidence grows in the NRL, I think we will see Leeming adopt an increased role in the Titans attack. He has all the attributes to be an effective attacking dummy-half and all the pass options a hooker could ask for, close to the line.
I’m a big Verrills guy, but Leeming’s arrival on the Gold Coast could significantly change whatever long-term plans Justin Holbrook first had for his main offseason recruit.
Head Noise – What’s living rent free in my head this week?
Jack Wighton rumours – The latest development in the Jack Wighton saga has South Sydney in the box seat to secure his services for the 2024 NRL season. It would be a major coup for the Rabbitohs and a significant step closer to Wighton’s goal of winning a premiership before he retires.
Plugging Wighton into the left centre position is the most likely outcome. I want to throw another option in there though; left-edge backrow.
This isn’t a hill I’m prepared to die on, but Wighton is an appealing option running off Cody Walker’s hip on Souths left edge. He’s a powerful runner who demands consideration from the defence as a ball carrier or a decoy. He’s also a strong defender and has one of the best kick-chases in the NRL – two qualities important to the backrow position.
The attacking potential of a Walker – Wighton combination down that tram line is frightening, and it would also allow Isaiah Tass to continue his development in the centres.
With 23 first-games under his belt, Tass is developing very nicely. At this rate, he’ll be an option for the Maroons when Dane Gagai retires in the near future. He’s a smart defender and one of the busier outside backs in the NRL when working it off his own line. Tass would likely find a home on the right wing if Wighton does take his centre position, but I’m not ruling out a Walker – Wighton – Tass – Johnston left edge for the Bunnies if the Wighton rumours prove true.
Hear what myself and Jharal Yow-Yeh had to say about all this on the Neds NRL Punting Podcast this week: APPLE – https://apple.co/3IgwUp2 | SPOTIFY – https://spoti.fi/3w7aPXT
Cleary’s latest trick-shot – Nathan Cleary and the Penrith Panthers have dished up something new for us in each of the last few seasons. In 2022 it was that weird, backwards-facing pass along the backline, and the year before that it was the cross-field attacking kick out of dummy-half.
In NRL Round 7, 2023, Cleary dished up the latest action in his growing bag of tricks:
Following a Dylan Edwards linebreak, Cleary knows the Knights are short for numbers out wide. Stephen Crichton and Brian To’o are in an acre of space on the Panthers right edge, and when Cleary takes the ball into the line on tackle five here, the Knights fold in and that space out wide grows even larger. Without breaking a stride, Cleary suddenly drops the ball onto the outside of his foot and banana-kicks it to Crichton waiting at right centre.
The kick is pinpoint. It comes down into Crichton’s lap and Greg Marzhew’s presence is the only thing that stops him finding To’o unmarked on the paint.
Cleary is a player who makes actions like this look easy. Too easy. We’re going to see this one again.
Jack Bird on an edge – Bird has been named on the Dragons left-edge again this week, two weeks after I talked about the attacking potential of Jacob Liddle, Ben Hunt and Bird linking up through the middle of the field.
I don’t like it.
Bird is at his best when playing off-the-cuff and injecting himself into a variety of actions across the park. He can tip to a forward teammate at the line, he can sweep out the back of shape or he can crab across-field and look for a support runner. Locked down on the left edge, Bird’s role is a little more conventional. He looked lost a few times in attack last week when asked to lay the lead line as St George shifted left, and his timing was off in a number of backline movements. He’ll no doubt improve in the position given time, but I’m not convinced the Dragons can get the most out of Bird while playing him on an edge. I’ll be watching his involvements closely this weekend.
Matt Burton named at halfback – It screams of smoke and mirrors and will be one of the major talking points in Round 8:
6 Kyle Flangan
7 Matt Burton
19 Karl Oloapu
It won’t surprise to see a late change on Saturday with Oloapu given his long-anticipated NRL debut. The young half has two tries and four assists from seven NSW Cup games this season – not bad. Throw in an average 90 running metres per game and three forced drop-outs and you’ve got a very talented attacking playmaker. He’s not afraid to take the line on and has all the skills to make it as a halfback or five-eighth in first-grade.
He’s quite clearly the future for the Bulldogs alongside Burton in the halves, but Round 8 isn’t when we thought it would happen. It still might not, but I’m very interested to see how this one plays out.
RLW Percentage Play – NRL Round 8
While RLW content is the kind of gear you’re likely to discuss over a schooner at the pub, our premium subscribers see it for what it can really be – an edge. Not every action we notice eventuates in a winning bet slip, but with enough work we can at the very least take an educated guess – an informed punt, if you will – at where the value is each week in the NRL.
Newcastle Knights v North Queensland Cowboys (Saturday)
Kalyn Ponga makes his return to the NRL this week and will line up at five-eighth on Newcastle’s left edge. It’s an area where Ponga has been double-marked in the past, given the Knights lack of creative attacking threats elsewhere in the lineup. On Saturday night though, Ponga will ideally play a complementary role in Newcastle’s improving attacking systems.
Given he lines up against a leaky North Queensland right edge in this one (13 tries conceded, 2nd most in the NRL), I like the value in Greg Marzhew to score anytime on Saturday night. Peta Hiku and Kyle Feldt have both been beaten for speed a few times already this season, and no one enjoys playing fast down their left edge like Ponga does.
There are two actions in particular I’m expecting Marzhew to benefit from in Round 8.
With Ponga back in the side, we should see him sweeping down a short left edge a few times in this one. He’s one of the best in the NRL at summing up the numbers and picking the right pass when short-side defenders turn in.
With Bradman Best demanding attention from the defence when Ponga plays at the line, Marzhew should find himself unmarked on the paint in actions like this. He’s a target for a double cut-out pass from Ponga or a chance of collecting an offload from Best, like Edrick Lee does in this example.
The other action I’m looking out for is a little more conventional.
Jackson Hastings has done a wonderful job of bringing Best into contests so far this year. He’s slinging the ball wide and finding his strike centre in space on the edge, allowing him time to sum things up with a run or pass.
Swap Pheonix Crossland out for Ponga here and Best is even more likely to find himself in good attacking position courtesy of that Hastings cut-out pass. Ponga will be a target for Kyle Feldt and Peta Hiku jamming in, and his presence can create space for Best and Marzhew without even touching the ball.
RLW NRL Round 8 Percentage Play
Greg Marzhew anytime try scorer @ $2.25 (Bet365)