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1: I heard someone talking about a play and the referenced as 7/3 what does that mean?
Working towards a 7/3 split sounds a lot more complicated than it really is. If you watch enough footy, chances are you’ve heard of terms like ‘counting numbers’ or ‘stripping short sides’ coming from the commentary box or down at the local, and although it all sounds rather clever it’s easy enough to break down (from the couch, at least).
The 7/3 split refers simply to the way the defensive line has arranged itself on the field. There are 13 players on a team, including two markers and a fullback who doesn’t defend in the line. That leaves ten players to line up across the field in defence every time the opposition plays the ball, which is where we get that number split from. A 7/3 split is when the defence sets up with seven defenders on the open side and three defenders down the short side.
Good attacking teams will often work to certain areas on the field so that the defence is forced to set up this way, before striking on the following play. It’s easier to run shape if you know exactly how and where the defence will be and some teams do it better than others. Other times, we see ‘eyes up’ footy take advantage of players out of position or defenders slow to retreat on the short side. Both are equally effective when done right and we’ve got a few different examples to break down for you here from Round 12.
The first is one of the best examples of ‘eyes up’ footy from one of the best ‘eyes up’ players in our competition – James Tedesco.
Early in the tackle count and still inside their own half, the Roosters take a settler on the left scrum line through Nat Butcher. Butcher attracts three Raiders defenders into the tackle including edge backrower Corey Harawira-Naera, who importantly makes his third tackle of the set here. Harawira-Naera is gassed and is slow to peel in the tackle and is barely back onside as Butcher plays the ball, and Tedesco sees it.
The wide angle shows it best – Tedesco sweeps from the open side to the blind side very late in the piece and heads right for where Harawira-Naera should be in the defensive line. Curtis Scott slides in to make the tackle but can’t wrap the ball up, Tedesco gets the offload away and the Roosters cross for another. It’s not a traditional example of a 7/3 split by any means – usually the attacking team will stack four players on the short side to create the numbers advantage – but it’s a wonderful example of counting the numbers and playing what’s in front of you.
Wests Tigers gave us a few more conventional examples against St George on Friday night.
This action early in the piece was a sign of good things to come for the Tigers, and it all worked off the principles of creating that 7/3 situation in the defensive line. Moses Mbye and Luke Brooks played short to their backrowers all night, intentionally sending them right between the half (three defender – as in the third defender in from the wing) and backrower (four defender) in the defensive line. By design, this strips the short side for numbers with the half either slow to retreat in the defensive line (as above) or a forward forced to fill in in the outside backs.
In this instance, Corey Norman peels off the tackle very late and instead of filling in at A defender on the short side as he should, you can see him retreat to the wing and point his teammates to slide in. Bad idea. Jack Bird and Jordan Pereira are all over the shop as they try to readjust at the last second and Luciano Leilua makes them pay. The Tigers created the 7/3 split situation and had the numbers advantage, and with St George’s short side in disarray Leilua heads right for where Norman should have been, gets an offload away and the Tigers race upfield. They mightn’t have scored here but Wests sniffed an opportunity and kept at it to produce a lovely try for Daine Laurie not long after.
This was lovely to watch.
With Billy Burns caught up in the tackle the Dragons are missing their right edge back-rower on the short side, and that’s exactly where Brooks goes. Tigers have the four-on-three advantage as Brooks gets the ball over the advantage line, burns his man for speed, straightens to engage Ben Hunt before putting Tommy Talau into space. Laurie backs up like any good fullback to ice the play. This was a nice example of a well-constructed 7/3 split situation. The Tigers’ got Burns involved in the set-up tackle before pulling the trigger with the numbers advantage down the short side on the following play.
It was a case of whatever you can do, I can do better for Daly Cherry-Evans and the Sea Eagles, however.
Jase has already covered this one in his Play of the Round, so I won’t bang on about it much here. Edge backrower Tyson Frizell is caught up in the tackle, Connor Watson is so far offside he might as well not have even been there at all and Cherry-Evans plays the 7/3 situation perfectly as Brad Parker crosses for the opener.
The next time you watch a game, take note of the tackle or two leading up to a try being scored in the corner. The better teams in our competition are elite at constructing scoring situations and working to good areas on the field to attack, and creating a 7/3 or 6/4 split situation is a prime example. The amount of time we’re seeing 13 v 12 at the moment provides the attacking team with even more opportunities to move the defensive line around into splits they want to run against.
Conversely, keep an eye on Tedesco (as above) or Tom Trbojevic who are elite at playing ‘eyes up’ and counting numbers in the defensive line. It’s no surprise that the best players in our game are the ones who ice these split-second opportunities the most.
~ Oscar
2: How can the Tigers use Daine Laurie more effectively in attack?
I’m not sure if Ron sent this question through to Michael Maguire last week as well, but he certainly got some answers in Round 12. Daine Laurie was highly involved in the Tigers’ convincing win over the Dragons last weekend, particularly in their set attacking shapes. We all know how naturally gifted Laurie is as a runner and support player, but it was his playmaking that stood out for me in a few moments as Wests racked up the points.
There’s not much you can say about this catch and pass. Some players can and some players can’t, and the ones that can make it look so good. Luciano Leilua lends a helping hand in this one but it probably didn’t make much of a difference as Laurie manages to release the ball with Jack Bird in his face, and from there it was a simple pass to James Roberts in the corner. Combine this kind of touch from Laurie with his work ethic and ability to be in the frame on almost every play and the Tigers have themselves a fullback they can rely on to ice attacking plays.
What I liked even more, however, was Laurie’s ability to be the man setting things up on the inside for his teammates out wide.
In the second half, a three pass shift in attacking territory saw Laurie get the ball down the left scrum line with room to move. Roberts has followed the ball in from the right edge to support the ball carrier and create the extra man, although his timing is a little off and it doesn’t quite work on this occasion.
Still, the intention was there to get Laurie into a playmaking position. Having Laurie on the ball and at a retreating defensive line with Tommy Talau off his hip and Roberts lurking in his back pocket is a promising prospect for the Tigers, and one I’ll be looking out for in the coming weeks. Laurie dies with the ball on this occasion, and Wests take a settler to the posts before Luke Brooks and Moses Mbye pull shape on the open side. St George adjust accordingly in defence and Laurie reacts.
At the last second, Laurie overcalls the play and Jacob Liddle at hooker is good enough to respond. He fires a ball out to his fullback who attacks the same edge the Tigers had just threatened one tackle earlier. Laurie skips to the outside of A defender which holds up Ben Hunt and draws in Gerard Beale at centre. The moment Beale turns in, Laurie throws a slick face ball to Talau who bounces to the outside and scores without a hand laid on him.
This action is what has me excited about Laurie’s prospects as the Tigers’ long-term fullback.
The silky soft hands he showed for Roberts’ try were nice enough, but here Laurie has just shown us his qualities as a decision maker and ball-player. Had the players around him ran the shape better Laurie might’ve been able to produce something two tackles earlier. Not to be discouraged, Laurie went looking for another shot right away. To have the confidence to overcall both his halves and the skill to execute the play here for Talau’s try was impressive and promising for Tigers fans, and I’ll be watching for how Laurie gets involved this weekend. There are a lot of moving parts at the moment for Maguire to piece together in this Tigers outfit – the Brooks / Mbye / Doueihi scenario being one of them I broke down last week, and the Liddle / Simpkin battle at dummy-half another. You can lock in Daine Laurie at fullback though.
Seriously, Wests Tigers – lock this kid in long term ASAP.
~ Oscar
3: Is the omission of Daniel Tupou from the Blues squad a huge mistake?
I guess we won’t know if it is a “huge mistake” until Wednesday night, but I’m surprised Daniel Tupou wasn’t given the first crack on the wing. He really is one of the most underrated players in the NRL at the moment. Not only that, he was one of New South Wales’ best throughout the 2020 series.
It’s not so much a Tupou v Brian To’o thing for me. Rather, continuity and reliability v handing out a debut to a deserving player. The Blues are under huge pressure to win this series. They should have won the last one with that squad and forcing through changes in what were reliable positions is definitely risky.
To’o has been outstanding this year, though. He is leading the NRL in total yardage (2,946m) and average yardage at 245.5 running metres per game. He has finished off six tries on the end of Penrith’s scintillating left edge and broken 73 tackles along the way. The 22-year-old certainly deserves to be in the squad for Game 1.
Still, I’d have named Tupou. You know what you’re going to get from him and he doesn’t carry quite the same question marks over his game as To’o. The yardage will be there, he’s a great finisher, and a top tier winger in the air. My primary concern for To’o is under the highball. Now that Valentine Holmes appears to be moving to fullback, To’o will be jumping against either Kyle Feld or Xavier Coates – two elite aerial threats.
Will the extra yardage To’o offers in exit sets be worth the possible headache?
Will To’o even eclipse Tupou’s 192 running metres per game in the 2020 series?
The Broncos found some success in limiting To’o in Round 6 by forcing him to take the first carry of a set while peppering him with bombs in good ball. It will be interesting to see how early Daly Cherry-Evans and the Maroons look to put the young fella under some pressure.
~ Jason
What the Broncos ‘tried’ to do to limit Brian To’o in Round 6
— Rugby League Writers (@rlwriters) April 19, 2021
“Kevin Walters and the Broncos will have seen what To’o did to Hudson Young and George Williams last week with Brodie Croft and Tevita Pangai Jr in mind.”
📎: https://t.co/zzf8eNuyts pic.twitter.com/WqgFWUVyzg
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