This is a taster of our NRL Preview Newsletter, which is sent out to free members every week. Here, we piece together a few things we’ve produced at RLW to prepare for the upcoming round.
Round 4 Ramble
It’s Injury Round in the NRL this week.
A number of big-name players were struck down with long-term injuries in Round 3, putting a dampener on an incredible start to the season and the rounds to come over the next few weeks. Still, there are always positives to be found.
Egan Butcher is back in first grade to replace Lindsay Collins. The Sydney Roosters pack have an advantage heading into Thursday night, and while Collins is a big loss, Butcher’s work rate and ability as a ball carrier will do a job for Trent Robinson off the bench. In the same game, Brad Schneider is back in the NRL following a stint with Hull KR in the UK. It seemed strange that he couldn’t land a gig after when leaving the Canberra Raiders. It’s not a surprise to see the Panthers add another reliable backup halfback. Maverick Geyer will also make his NRL debut for Scott Sorensen. You can’t fault Geyer’s effort. He doesn’t have the flashy plays other backrowers might, but he runs hard and gets his body in front in defence.
Tristan Sailor looked good in limited opportunities at fullback last year and will provide the Brisbane Broncos with enough to ensure the attack still fires from their typical spots. His introduction won’t force a rewrite to how Brisbane plays with the ball.
Things are going from bad to worse for the Gold Coast Titans with Tino Fa’asuamaleaui being ruled out for the year. Jayden Campbell returning to fullback might add some life to their attack, though. Staying at fullback, we get a throwback to Roger Tuivasa-Sheck at the back for the Warriors in place of Taine Tuaupiki.
Kayal Iro consistently carves up New South Wales Cup and plenty will be circling his name as one to watch in the centres for the Sharks this week. However, Tuku Hau Papua is who I’ll be tracking following an impressive performance in Round 2.
Finally, Blaize Talagi scored my favourite try of Round 3 and lines up at five-eighth this week. Mitchell Moses will miss time which is particularly frustrating for an Eels team that has started the season well. However, in the name of finding positives, it will be interesting to see how not only Talagi plays, but how it impacts Dylan Brown’s game.
~ Jason
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The NRL Preview Notepad
Oscar has pinched Jason’s pen and paper to bring you the NRL Preview Notepad each week in 2024.
The ‘good’ Eels
We’ve covered the good and the bad of the Parramatta Eels at length here at RLWriters.
Dominant when playing direct to generate second-phase play and awkward when trying to go around teams, the Eels have found a nice balance to start the year.
As they’ve done often in recent seasons, Parramatta played some of their best footy against the Penrith Panthers in NRL Round 2 and – not surprisingly – that brand of footy was nice and direct.
It won’t always result in two tries on the highlight reels. Still, Dylan Brown passing through holes that the Eels punched into the defensive line earlier in the set is a best-case example of Parramatta’s direct approach to their attack.
This sequence was even more promising:
Using the genuine ballplaying middles at their disposal, Parramatta move the ball smoothly to stretch the defence here before quickly straightening up to punch a hole on the edge.
A special effort from Brian To’o denies the Eels on this occasion, but the key takeaway is how Parramatta are purposefully moving the defence sideways with a plan to cut back against the grain out wide.
It’s a similar principle to the one that helped Blaize Talagi to his maiden NRL try last week:
And the trend continued in NRL Round 3 for Kelma Tuilagi’s first try in Eels colours:
Mitchel Moses is an enormous loss for Parramatta but they can still play to their strengths without him steering the ship.
There are enough decent ballplayers through their middle to create positive matchups in yardage and generate second-phase play in attack. Their aggressive, direct line-running approach will continue to produce points from there if Brown and Clint Gutherson can pick the right passes on the edges.
Replacing Moses kicking game will be a challenge but the Eels still have the forward pack and the gameplan to remain relevant in this competition.
Check the full NRL Preview Notepad: AFB Cheat Code, Sam McIntyre, Titans Edge Defence
NRL Video Analysis
Every week Oscar highlights his biggest takeaway from the round that was in the NRL.
Setting up for a shot: Trbojevic’s linking up
Teams play to points with the following tackle in mind. In every round review, Jason touches on something to watch the next week as we try to keep ahead of things happening on the field.
I’m not sure exactly what the Trbojevic brothers are trying to do here, but I’m curious.
It looks planned for Tom to follow Ben back underneath Luke Brooks’ drop.
If the four-man overchases and either inside defender switches off, Tom can pop up on either of Ben’s shoulders. Parramatta does a good job of covering here. It’s one to keep an eye on, though. Perhaps putting some fatigue into a particular defender throughout a set and working towards that player being forced to cover inside on this play is what they’re working towards?
Watch this space.
NEDS NRL Podcast ft. RLW’s Oscar Pannifex
The Short Dropout
When the NRL preview rolls around, I always have a particular match, trend, team, or player in mind to focus on. This week, it’s the constantly evolving role of outside backs.
There was a time when people in rugby league would refer to wingers as “blokes that hang out with footy players.” More recently, they’ve become a key part of the yardage battle and produce some of the most exciting plays in the game every week. They’re not limited to sticking to the paint these days, either. Centre was once spoken about as a predominantly defensive position with low-frills attack. The likes of Joey Manu have well and truly changed that narrative, and he continues to lead the way in how centres get around the field.
Here, we’re going to take a look at a few different spots on the field where wingers and centres have popped up in the past and spots on the field they’re getting to right now.
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