Apii Nicholls and the importance of kick returns
In assessing the Cronulla Sharks a few weeks ago, I mentioned that field position was king in the NRLW.
A strong forward pack and a clean fifth tackle kick option can help you to win almost half the battle right now, as more and more players crash over in good-ball to generate points.
It would seem I left out one key element in this yardage game though – kick returns.
In both the NRL and NRLW, there is a distinct correlation between kick return metres and ladder position. The Penrith Panthers are comfortably first in the NRL for total kick return metres this season while the Sydney Roosters dominate this stat in the NRLW after seven rounds played. Indeed, just two team across the NRL and NRLW sit inside the Top Eight/Four while ranking towards the bottom of the competition for total kick return metres.
A good kick return can generate momentum in a set from play one and have a snowball effect on your yardage game throughout the course of a match.
Not only are you chewing up cheap metres after catching the ball, you’re also limiting the distance your forwards need to travel and saving them up for defence. It’s a tactic Ivan Cleary has employed expertly for the last few years in the NRL, and in NRLW Round 7 it’s what Canberra did to almost beat the Knights.
Apii Nicholls had arguably her best game in the NRLW on Saturday but she didn’t do it all by herself. Some smart coaching from Darren Borthwick saw Canberra shift the ball in exit sets to stretch and move the Knights defensive line.
With the momentum created early in sets, the Raiders were able to cash in with two first-half tries and put all the pressure back on Newcastle.
This was with their first possession of the game:
After two hit-ups down the right edge, Canberra put together a five-pass shift to send Maddison Bartlett down the left touchline. Some nice footwork from Bartlett punishes Newcastle’s sliding defence to carry the Raiders a further 20 metres upfield.
Suddenly on the attack, Canberra play on the back of the momentum created. A settler through Simaima Taufa centres things before Nicholls gets involved again, this time down the right edge:
The Raiders made Georgia Roche a target in this one and it’s something to keep an eye on in Newcastle’s next game. Roche bites on the lead runner here which allows Nicholls to isolate the centre and send Mazkenzie Wiki into the backfield.
Tamika Upton makes a brilliant try saving tackle here but it’s a cue for Zahara Temara to roll one into the in-goal:
She nails it and suddenly Canberra have gone the length from the kick-off and are straight on the attack.
There was some nice footy in between, but this all came from that early shift on play three – and that theme continued.
Nicholls’ repeat efforts on the kick return slowly helped Canberra win the field position battle…
… and she was extremely well supported by her fellow outside backs. Bartlett (125 run metres), Shakiah Tungai (125m), Wiki (250m) and Cheyelle Robins-Reti (132m) were all highly effective with their yardage carries in NRLW Round 7, applying pressure to Newcastle’s defensive line.
Eventually that pressure told.
A strong carry from Tungai here draws a penalty from Laishon Albert-Jones who was trying to slow down the play-the-ball. It’s a good example of how a good kick return game can influence a game in other areas.
With the ensuing field position, Canberra manufactured first points through Bartlett.
From a set start, Grace Kemp carts it up before Temara and Nicholls have another crack at Roche on the Knights left edge.
The play breaks down when the pass goes behind Nicholls though, so the Raiders reset through Taufa before opening up their left edge this time.
This is lovely ballplaying from both Raiders halves:
With Kemp running at Jesse Southwell’s inside shoulder, Temara holds the pass just long enough to keep Southwell interested before throwing to Ashleigh Quinlan out the back. Without any inside pressure, Quinlan has time to sum things up and loft a peach over the top to an unmarked Bartlett.
Again, it’s slick footy from the Raiders in good-ball but it started all the way back down the other end of the field with their exit carries.
Bartlett’s second try just before halftime was the result of similar principles.
A shanked Southwell kick is collected by Nicholls who plays to the spaces by linking with her winger.
Newcastle centre Abigail Roache makes the stop on Tungai here, leaving winger Jasmin Strange defending next to her half on the short side.
Nicholls identifies the opportunity and doubles up down the right edge:
Perhaps due to the unfamiliar face on her inside, Strange is positioned poorly here and misses her assignment. Wiki sprints down the touchline before again being dragged down by a superb Upton tackle.
Another settler though Taufa compresses Newcastle’s defensive line around the posts before Quinlan fires a shot back down the left edge.
There’s nothing really on here, but the double effort from Bartlett is what makes the play:
There’s Nicholls chiming in again, this time throwing long to get winger one-on-one. With room to move, Bartlett cuts back inside Sherriden Gallagher, drags Shanice Parker into the tackle and still gets an offload away to Robins-Reti.
Bartlett doesn’t stop there, though.
She’s on the ground underneath Parker when the camera pans to Robins-Reti, but when the centre cuts back to the short side Bartlett is suddenly in position to receive the pass. The effort to get back on her feet and make herself an option is what see’s Bartlett cash in for a first-half double.
Again though, it comes back to the work of Nicholls and her outside backs on the kick return.
The Raiders rank second in the NRLW for total kick return metres, narrowly behind the Sydney Roosters – a team they’ll likely face in the finals series if they get there.
While there might be a significant gap between Easts and the rest of the NRLW, competing on kick returns can help narrow that gap. If you can spend enough time in your opposition’s half you’re likely to come away with points – regardless of the disparity between playing squads – and thanks to their back five, the Raiders are doing just that.
Always Next Week For…
… the Cronulla Sharks
They looked the better side for most of the contest in NRLW Round 7, but a three-try blitz in the minutes before halftime saw Brisbane continue their winning run and climb inside the Top Four.
I’ve a big Tayla Preston fan but she’s struggled under the weight of responsibility over the last fortnight. With Emma Tonegato still finding her feet in the front line and Jada Taylor an inexperienced young fullback, much of Cronulla’s creative output is falling on Preston.
She’s running the right shapes at the right times but needs more support from the spine players around her. Defenders are doubling up on Preston in good-ball and she’s making more errors as a result.
It’s an unlikely battle into the Top Four from here, but it is a possibility for this Sharks side. They are dominating in yardage (second for total run metres) but aren’t turning field position into points often enough.
The groundwork is there for Cronulla to flick the switch and ignite their attack, but they’re running out of time.
NRLW Round 7 Shout-Outs
Lily Peacock
Peacock was one of my standouts in the U19s State of Origin game a few months back and she finally made her NRLW debut for the North Queensland Cowboys in Round 7. She only played 24 minutes in that game but didn’t look out of place with a few strong carries and a wonderful defensive workrate.
What I noticed about Peacock in the Origin game – and what I noticed again in NRLW Round 7 – is that she is always moving.
On both sides of the ball, she’s always in the frame and in position to make a tackle or take a tough carry.
This snippet is a good example:
Peacock is at second marker here and moves quickly once the ball is played. She pushes the first marker into the line and covers her inside when the Dragons turn the ball back underneath. A good shot over the top helps Peacock win the tackle here but she wasn’t done.
She works hard again from marker to close the gates and is in perfect position to jam Jamilee Bright when she cuts back behind the ruck.
I’ve got a feeling this isn’t the last time I’m going to be giving Peacock a wrap.
Ellie Johnston
We’re blessed with some big, powerful front-rowers in the NRLW right now and Ellie Johnston has added herself to that list in 2023.
With indifferent seasons at St George and Parramatta over the last three years, Johnston has finally announced herself as a premiere NRLW prop-forward in 2023. She’s averaging 125 running metres per game to go with 138 tackles at a 97.9% efficiency, but it’s her try scoring ability in good-ball that seperates her from some of the other big name props – Millie Boyle, Sarah Togatuki, Shannon Mato – in the NRLW right now.
This is almost impossible to defend:
Quincy Dodd uses some nice deception to disguise the pass while Johnston times her run perfectly. There are three bodies in front of her but she cuts in between them and burrows low to score her fourth try in seven games this season.
The Sharks have had a fair start to life in the NRLW this season but Johnston’s development has been a highlight and gives Cronulla a player to build their pack around.
Sienna Lofipo
I don’t have access to the numbers, but the Gold Coast Titans spent a lot of time attacking Wests try line in NRLW Round 7. They ran for almost 400 metres more than the Tigers to dominate possession and field position throughout and set up camp in good-ball.
Despite this, the Titans attack was woeful to produce just three tries across 70 minutes of dominance.
The halfback experiment for Lauren Brown isn’t working and the Titans missed her creativity from behind the ruck. Five-eighth Chantay Kiria-Ratu had some nice touches early on but her involvements were limited when shifting to the centres to cover an injury.
That move gave Sienna Lofipo a chance to play in the halves and she impressed with limited opportunities. This pass for Evania Pelite is a repeatable and effective action we need to see more of from the Titans:
Pelite is difficult to stop one-on-one and Lofipo plays her into exactly that scenario here. She looks outwards before cranking back inside and popping a pass to Pelite at speed.
Unable to get a body in front here, the Tigers can’t contain Pelite who slices through to seal the result for the Titans.
It shouldn’t have taken 67 minutes to get there, though…
The Titans defence is superb and that’s what has them sitting third on the NRLW ladder right now. If they’re to do anything in the finals though, their attack must improve and actions like this can will help.