The Notepad identifies one key player, stat, trend or talking point for every team, every round of the 2021 NRL season.
Saturday
Knights
The Knights have used 13 different names to fill the #1, #6, #7 and #9 jerseys since Round 1 last season.
Fullback: Kalyn Ponga, Tex Hoy, Kurt Mann
Five-eighth: Kurt Mann, Blake Green, Mason Lino, Phoenix Crossland, Connor Watson, Jake Clifford,
Halfback: Mitchell Pearce, Blake Green, Phoenix Crossland, Kurt Mann, Jake Clifford
Hooker: Jayen Brailey, Connor Watson, Andrew McCullough, Chris Randall, Kurt Mann, Sione Mata’utia
They’ve not played with what most would consider their first-choice spine since Jayden Brailey suffered an ACL injury in Round 2, 2020.
With Kalyn Ponga at the back, Mitchell Pearce and Jake Clifford in the halves, and Brailey behind the ruck, Adam O’Brien has named the best spine he has available this week.
Ponga and Pearce have been in and out of the side all season while Clifford only just arrived. This will be just the fifth time Brailey has played with Pearce and eighth time with Ponga. We can expect A LOT of teething issues in the coming weeks as the four spine players develop combinations.
Remarkably, the Knights are only one win outside the Top 8 despite winning just five of their first 14 games this season. A win this week while working through a reshuffle will put them in a promising position to play finals football.
Update:
The Knights won’t, in fact, play with their first-choice spine today with Kalyn Ponga ruled out.
Warriors
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck ran the ball 21 times for 200 metres in his last game on the wing back in Round 12. They’re nice enough numbers, but the Warriors used him as a traditional winger which felt like a waste.
Tom Trbojevic has carved up the Queensland Maroons while playing in the centres since then, though.
Surely – SURELY!! – the Warriors look for new ways to use Tuivasa-Sheck off the wing on Saturday. It has been a case of shoveling him the ball and hoping for the best so far.
This tackle here playing him three-in is the right idea. He has the speed to get by a back rower and strength to go straight through an opposing half. However, Kodi Nikorima doesn’t dig into the line at all. The back rower is allowed to slide, and once Scott Drinkwater completes his job as a speed bump, Shane Wright finishes the tackle.
Nathan Brown needs to put some shape around Tuivasa-Sheck in these situations. Have Reece Walsh on Tuivasa-Sheck’s inside shoulder as an option with a backrower running a line through the two-in and three-in defenders. There aren’t many centres in the NRL that will be able to stop Tuivasa-Sheck one-on-one very often.
In fact, just do this…
Dragons
Well, the Dragons released a hit piece on Matthew Dufty and he played it out to near-perfection in Round 14. Atrocious in defence, he put a huge dent in his negotiations while the Dragons decision makers can feel somewhat justified in their decision to play this all out in the media.
But he wasn’t the only problem.
The Red V’s Round 14 performance is one of the worst by any team throughout the 2021 NRL season. They turned up expecting to win, lacked intent, and were run off the park by a side that has resembled a reserve grade outfit more often than not this season.
This isn’t a Top 8 side. It’s only a matter of time before they fall out of the eight, unlikely to return before the end of Round 25. Still, there is a lot to keep an eye on from here.
Playing Corey Norman and Dufty despite knowing they won’t be there next season is strange. Although, Adam Clune and Tyrell Sloan have both been named in the reserves this week, so their inclusion in the side might not be far away. Jack de Belin’s form is a big consideration when talking about the Dragons in 2022, too.
The Dragons aren’t a particularly exciting side overall, but individual aspects remain interesting at the point of the year struggling teams start looking toward next season.
Update:
Dragons Matt Dufty set to be ruled out of #NRLDragonsRaiders due to shoulder injury with Tyrell Sloan set to make NRL debut
— Wacko's Whispers (@WackosWhispers) June 18, 2021
Raiders
I’m a big Josh Hodgson guy. I loved seeing him dominate a game last week and am hoping for more on Saturday afternoon.
I covered his performance at dummy half and looked at the Raiders Recovery in the Repeat Set on Monday.
But outside of Hodgson, I’m looking out for Jack Wighton. If the Raiders are to dig themselves out of this hole, Wighton needs to return to his best. Looking for ways to get his hands on the ball and floating over to the right side was a promising start last week.
He popped up on the right side to put Corey Harawira-Naera into a gap and score this beauty:
With George Williams now gone, Hodgson will more than likely assume his role as the dominant ball-handler in the side. He’s going to decide where the ball goes. As we know, the Englishman will probably overplay his hand from time to time and stall the attack. However, it looks like Canberra’s best way forward and it’s up to Wighton to find different ways to be effective.
Storm
Reimis Smith is really starting to play well. As a Kiwi, I’m looking at him from a Rugby League World Cup perspective every week. As for the Storm, his combination with Feliese Kaufusi is developing into something special. The pair worked together to produce a try and another try-scoring opportunity in ten minutes last week using two different shapes.
Smith runs the lead on the first. He’s a strong ball-carrier so seeing him run a bit of a backrowers line isn’t too surprising. Note Kaufusi trailing out the back on this one.
Ten minutes later when attacking the line, the two swap places. Smith’s quick hands are put out the back this time and he completes an impressive pass to Dean Ieremia. Only a ridiculous Tuivasa-Sheck try-saver stops the Storm from scoring another one down that side in quick succession.
Given the issues the Tigers have faced defending on the edges this season, I’m expecting Kaufusi and Smith to produce a couple more of these opportunities on Saturday night.
Tigers
Ken Maumalo is making his Tigers debut this week so he is the main draw for this frustrated Warriors fan.
A top yardage winger that has been poorly used this season, the Tigers have received a gift from the Warriors who forced Maumalo out before the end of his contract.
Big Ken has some defensive issues, for sure. The prospect of David Nofoaluma and Maumalo on the same team is a potential nightmare defensively. However, Wests will receive a big boost in their yardage and ability to work up the field in exit sets.
The Warriors persisted with running Maumalo three-in and found him with a long right-to-left shift in exit sets – a long pass out of dummy half to Harris-Tavita/Nikorima who shoveled the ball on. While the idea to have him run at an opposition half is a good one, it became predictable after two or three weeks. It’s no coincidence that Maumalo’s metres have dropped this season after changing where he took possession in exit sets.
Disappointed to see him leave, I’m excited for the Maumalo/Nofoaluma chaos and curious to see if a change in approach sees Maumalo return to form.
Sunday
There is a real former-Warrior feel to the Notepad this week but I am buzzing to see Nathaniel Roache on Sunday.
You’ve got a good one here if he can stay healthy, Eels fans.
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