Recap the latest round of NRL action with the Repeat Set: Talking points, highlights, lowlights and the Play of the Round.
Here’s your Repeat Set for Round 16 of the 2021 NRL season:
- Broncos have found their Niu #1
- Missing chances on 20-metre restarts
- A round to remember for…Newcastle Knights
- A round to forget for…New Zealand Warriors
- Play of the Round: Payne Haas
- Graham Annesley’s Briefing Summary
Broncos have found their Niu #1
Tesi Niu is an excellent talent.
His development stalled in 2020 as he was shuffled around, thrown in the deep end and unfairly hooked all in the space of six games. It can’t have been easy for the then-18-year-old to process the early matches of his NRL career and begin rebuilding for another crack in 2021.
Sent into the centres to start this season, Niu offered enough with the ball to see his potential but defensive frailties – not unexpected from a 19-year-old playing out of position – made it too easy for the opposition at times. Dropped again before returning in Round 14 as a late inclusion for Xavier Coates, Niu has since made the Broncos #1 jersey his own.
He still has a lot to learn about the position. Defusing bombs is one area Niu requires some work. His defensive positioning will improve with experience but his contact in one-on-one situations will need to be something he focuses on over the summer. However, he has the makings of becoming a top tier fullback in the future. His outstanding performance against the Sharks in Round 16 stems from a couple of little things he did when given the chance at fullback in Round 14.
First and foremost, Niu is electric on his feet. We’ve not seen it often enough within what has been a dire Broncos attack for much of the season, but the signs are there. I referenced this skip across the field off a scrum after Round 14.
“The Broncos didn’t provide Niu with many opportunities last week, but I’d love to see him on the end of a right-side shift so he can bounce onto the outside shoulder of his defender and create an overlap.” NRL Notepad: Round 15
Presented with a scrum opportunity with Toby Rudolf standing in front of him, Niu went back to it on Sunday afternoon. He skipped off his left foot to the outside of Rudolf, shaped to pass which keeps Connor Tracey from jamming in, then bang off his right foot.
The speed and tackle-breaking ability is one thing, but to recognise the opportunity and execute with the game in the balance is an especially positive sign at his age.
Niu is an active fullback. He hangs around the ball to act as both a decoy runner and second phase option. It was a key feature of his performance against the Raiders. In this set he took a carry on 2nd-tackle before floating around the ball on 3rd and 4th. He’s an option for Herbie Farnworth on the one-out carry and a possible recipient of the Tevita Pangai Jr offload.
He ended up with the ball on 5th tackle on this occasion which is an error on the part of the Broncos halves. Nonetheless, Niu made sure he was available to finish the set.
Fast-forward two weeks and his activity around the ruck ended up with a try in the corner.
Niu pops up from behind the dummy half and hits the gap between the A defender and marker here. That throws some uncertainty into the line which provides TC Robati with just enough space to get his arms through the line to offload the football. Kotoni Staggs draws the fullback and Niu finishes it off.
Upon slowing it down on the reverse angle, you can see what Niu’s presence does to the defensive line. Teig Wilton steps out to slide in defence but is forced to hold on the inside as Jack Williams struggles to keep up with Niu from marker. Tyson Gamble does a superb job of shaping his pass in to Niu to halt Wilton and turn Braydon Trindall in, which forces the Sharks half into a desperate legs tackle.
Robati is growing in confidence and he’s going to release an offload in this situation more often than not. When it falls to Staggs, Niu’s continued run sees him rewarded with an inside ball and four points.
Niu isn’t generating the hype other young players around the NRL are right now. Part of that comes down to his disrupted introduction to first-grade. The other is that it is hard to shine in a side that is being comprehensively beaten most weeks. However, it’s encouraging to see Niu put himself into good positions should the opportunities arise. The Broncos played one of their better games in the last 18 months on Sunday, and Niu was right there to make the most of it.
It’s important that as the Broncos continue to struggle overall and Niu produces some less than impressive statistical performances, we still see the effort and work rate. His development is crucial for Brisbane’s future success, but it is exciting to see the difference three games can make on his production in the side.
Round 18 shapes as a prime opportunity for Niu to continue his growth against a Wests Tigers defence that does provide opposition fullbacks with opportunities through the middle.
Missing chances on 20-metre restarts
This one is a little bit out of left-field, but it’s something that I’m noticing more and more. Teams are frequently being presented with opportunities to chance their arm on 20-metre restarts but holding the pass and instead opting for a settler.
It was Will Kennedy’s dart with Connor Tracey in support that forced me to look back in my notes.
Holding the ball worked for the Sharks in this case as Kennedy streaked up the field before they scored shortly after. But it’s Tracey’s supporting run that stretches the defence and forces a few more decisions. Tracey could well have scored himself had Kennedy released the pass but 60 metres and a quick play-the-ball is a decent enough result.
It’s something the Broncos themselves could have generated a few weeks earlier had David Mead let go of the ball rather than throwing the dummy to Albert Kelly.
Kelly wasn’t about to go the length of the field with the speedy Storm defence tracking across, but it would have produced a better result than the ten metres Mead generated off the restart.
The opportunities are there so often as big forwards struggle to get back and defensive lines tend to close the door in the middle as the rest of the line fills in out wide.
It’s not always on and it’s a risky play even when it is. Still, I’m surprised we haven’t seen more teams really target these situations when speed out wide and stretching defences are becoming key features to an attack.
The Titans have enjoyed success when throwing passes straight from the kickoff and a handful of other teams have tried it on since. It will only take one or two concerted efforts from the more enterprising attacking teams before moving the ball on restarts begins a new trend.
It was a round to remember for…
Kalyn Ponga returns.
The Knights beat the Cowboys 38-0.
All of a sudden, this side is 9th on the NRL ladder on only points differential.
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