NRL Repeat Set: Round 3

Recap the latest round of NRL action with the Repeat Set: Talking points, highlights, lowlights and the Play of the Round.

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Here’s your Repeat Set for Round 3 of the 2021 NRL season:

• Raiders finding a balance in attack
• Hello 18th Man
• A round to remember for…Effort plays
• A round to forget for…Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
• Play of the Round: Parramatta Eels
• Graham Annesley’s Briefing Summary

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Raiders finding a balance in attack

I’ve mentioned it a few times already this season and it was a focus in the Notepad this week, but the Canberra Raiders appear to be finding a nice balance in their attack with Josh Hodgson at dummy half.

If there is one complaint people have with the Englishman it’s that he can sometimes try to do it all himself. He can get a little bit excited about the crash ball at times, in particular. His return to the side has had an impact on Jack Wighton who averaged 42.7 touches per game in 2020. The Dally M winner hasn’t hit that number once through three games in 2021. However, we saw Hodgson’s value behind the ruck as he broke down the Warriors defence in Round 3.

Tohu Harris could be the best ball-playing middle forward in the NRL if Nathan Brown played him there for 80 minutes. He is named in the #13 jersey every Tuesday, but by the time kickoff rolls around, he’s out on the edge. That can only be to make use of his strengths in defence. Helping Kodi Nikorima defend the edge, in particular.

Hodgson did an excellent job of dragging Harris in to isolate Nikorima for Canberra’s first try on Saturday afternoon.

Following a hit up off the scrum, you can see Hodgson motion for two setup plays before making a move. He hits Ryan Sutton first who draws Harris in under the posts to make the tackle. Hodgson then directs Sia Soliola to the right post for another crash ball.

It looks like Hodgson is doing his usual and not feeding the ball to his weapons out wide. But what he has done is drag Harris in field. The Warriors have four defenders covering half the field when he releases the next pass from dummy half. George Williams does an excellent job to hold up Wayde Egan with the double pump, and just like that, with Harris caught up, Wighton has Nikorima one-on-one.

Presented with another opportunity in good ball, the Raiders again picked out Harris in the setup. He makes a solid legs tackle to bring Sutton to the ground but is left on the ground himself. Perhaps identifying that, Addin Fonua-Blake fills up on the short side beside Nikorima. That leaves the Warriors thin on the openside.

With Bayley Sironen occupied by Josh Papalii and Eli Katoa a step or two too wide, Sia Soliola hits the gap and falls over the line thanks to a perfect Hodgson pass.

It’s taking a little bit of time, but the Raiders are finding their feet in attack. The loss on Saturday hurt. However, they showed enough before the injuries started to take their toll to suggest they’re on the right track with the ball in hand.

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Hello 18th man