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 8 of the 2021 NRL season:
- Plug & play Melbourne Storm
- Things I liked…
- A round to remember
for…Brett Morris - A round to forget for…Newcastle Knights
- Play of the Round: South Sydney Rabbitohs
- Player Appreciation Post: Daniel Tupou
Plug & play Melbourne Storm
The Melbourne Storm being very good at rugby league is hardly a big call but the way they’re doing it continues to amaze.
Craig Bellamy has the recruitment so defined that despite losing Cameron Smith and Tino Fa’asuamaleaui after the 2020 NRL season, he has been able to run much of the same actions in 2021. He simply plugs in another bloke and they play the role to perfection.
Unsurprisingly, they found ways to get the most out of the new rules before anybody else. With a focus through the centre-third before getting the ball wide, the Storm pulled and pushed the defensive line around the field until a try-scoring opportunity presented itself. Smith was a master behind the ruck close to the line. Smith, Fa’asuamaleaui and Nelson Asofa-Solomona tore opposition defences to shreds at the line all too regularly.
Whether they ran double leads or a little block off the hooker, the Storm trio seemed to produce in good ball every week. This is one of many instances this shape resulted in points.
Harry Grant can do the same for Melbourne now that he is starting to increase his minutes. He has the long pass to manipulate the defensive line and subtle play from behind the ruck to capitalise.
He created a similar try to many of Smith’s efforts in 2021 on Friday night. Dale Finucane first hit Toby Rudolf and Jack Williams before Grant sent a wide pass out for Cameron Munster to carry the ball. Tui Kamikamica saw the opportunity straight away and got into position beside Christian Welch.
Welch runs a hard line at Williams’ inside shoulder while Kamikamica trails. With Williams turned in and Rudolf forced to follow, Storm have created a huge gap between the B and C defenders and some quick feet from Kamikamica is all that is required for the big Fijian to reach out to the line.
It’s a play that worked so well for Smith, Fa’asuamaleaui and Asofa-Solomona last season, and now Bellamy has been able to plug Grant, Welch and Kamikamica in for similar success. This won’t be the last time we see it this season and the subtleties around the ruck will remain in post-Smith Melbourne for as long as Grant is signed.
Further to the ‘plug and play’ idea, we saw Melbourne reuse one of their trick shots after running up a lead on Friday night. This one was my Play of the Round a month ago when Tom Eisenhuth and Trent Loiero ran in a pair at the line with Ryan Papenhuyzen sweeping out the back.
In Round 8 it was Welch and Felise Kaufusi in front with Nicho Hynes out the back that pulled the defence in, putting Reimis Smith one-on-one with a backrower defending in the centres.
It doesn’t matter who is out there for the Storm, everybody is always on the same page. They’ve lost the greatest player of all time over the summer and have been forced to deal with injuries to start 2021. Still, they remain one of the benchmark sides of the NRL. They’re a pleasure to watch and look as though they will only get better this season as players return from injury and new combinations develop. Penrith are the obvious favourite to make the Grand Final at this point, but a Wayne Bennett v Craig Bellamy final to decide which legendary coach goes out a winner isn’t out of the question.
Things I liked…
Sometimes there are too many things to like in a round of footy. Rather than miss too many and having this drag on into Round 9, here is a quick hit of things I liked the look of this week.
1. Oscar covered this try in Take the Two so I don’t need to add much. Just that it’s a ripper and exactly what Anthony Milford needs to be doing in this side.
2. This is a beauty. The Bulldogs middle defence does well enough not to bite on the lead runners and continue to slide so the Eels don’t even have an overlap by the time it gets out to Maika Sivo. However, by sending Isaiah Papali’i in, having Bryce Cartwright as an option underneath and Tom Opacic engaging the three-in defender for just long enough, the Eels are playing so deep that Nick Cotric freaks out and shoots out. Clint Gutherson has the hands and nobody is stopping Sivo with that much room to move ten metres from the line.
3. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck out the back of shape flying onto the ball and a Warriors rookie scoring his first NRL try. Flight NZ188 from Gold Coast to Auckland heard about this one.
4. I’ve talked a lot about the Tigers attack and their inability to produce repeatable actions. They’ve always had enough individual talent to score a few points at times which has disguised what has been a poor attack for a few years now. This play, however, is a very positive sign.
A round to remember for…Brett Morris
I don’t want to retire Brett Morris before the man himself makes a decision on his future public, but man, it doesn’t look good for the 34-year-old. NRL Physio talked more about Morris’ ACL injury and how likely he is to come back. It’s unlikely, but he offers some hope in this video here.
If this is it for Morris, the NRL has lost one of the greatest wingers of all time.
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