The Sydney Roosters are battered and bruised on the edges but one Melbourne Storm middle forward can be the one to do the most damage in this NRL Finals match.
This week for the Notepad I’m looking into how Nelson Asofa-Solomona, a massive middle forward, can be the key to Melbourne Storm unlocking the attack out wide.
A lot of the pre-game chatter will revolve around the Sydney Roosters backline, and so it should. While Melbourne is running with a makeshift back-five, the Roosters are decimated out wide. None of Fetalaiga Pauga, Paul Momirovski, Corey Allan or Jaxson Paulo are part of their first choice 17.
Pauga has spent most of his season at New South Wales Cup level where he has dominated and absolutely earned his chance to feature in the NRL Finals. Paul Momirovski, on the other hand, hasn’t featured for the Roosters or North Sydney Bears since Round 9. Corey Allan has been in and out of the side while Jaxson Paulo returns for the first time since Round 12 having played ten games in four different positions at Cup level in the meantime.
All four are capable backups but when all four are on the field at once, the Roosters have a problem.
It’s an area the Storm can capitalise on if they stick to their systems and don’t become too focused on an area they’ve no doubt put a target on during the week.
We often see teams get excited when an opposition player is sent to the sin bin as they desperately fire the ball to the edges. When you’re running against 12 it’s understandable that you’d assume the space is on the edges. The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks against the Roosters last week is a fine example. However, beating teams on the edges starts in the middle. As we’ve seen out of the Wests Tigers attack all year, teams are happy to slide and cover from the inside if the attacking plan is to simply play the ball through the hands to the edges. The same idea applies here. While the Roosters have their full complement of players on the field, the edge is still the target.
Enter: Nelson Asofa-Solomona.
The 200cm and 115kg middle forwards’ spell off the bench can be where the game is won or lost If Tui Kamikamica and Christian Welch can weather the early storm of Lindsay Collins and company through the middle, Asofa-Solomona is the destructive ball carrier to open things up on the edges.
Cameron Munster didn’t mince his words when asked about Melbourne’s performance following their 26-0 defeat to the Broncos last week.
“Dog shit,” he said to Nine.
“Sorry for swearing, but our spine — myself, Hughesy (Jahrome Hughes), Harry (Grant), Meanes (Nick Meaney) — were disconnected tonight.”
If they can reconnect this week and play behind a barnstorming Asofa-Solomona, this new-look Roosters edge is going to be put under a lot of pressure.
Asofa-Solomona is huge and could lead the competition in post-contact metres if he wanted. That isn’t what Craig Bellamy wants out of him, though. Instead, he’s after ruck speed for the spine to play off.
The Storm never got going last week but you can see how quickly they could on Friday night based on what happened on the back of a few Asofa-Solomona carries.
Here, after Asofa-Solomona crashes at the Broncos defensive line, leaves a player on the ground and generates a quick play-the-ball, Tom Eisenhuth misses the pass.
Asofa-Solomona compressed the line by taking out three players: Kobe Hetherington left on the ground, Billy Walters as the lone marker who has no choice but to hold on Harry Grant, and Pat Carrigan who is late back into the line forcing Kurt Capewell and Ezra Mam in. Had Eisenhuth used the lead inside Mam and played out the back to Jahrome Hughes, the Storm would have been in position to make a play.
If that player left on the ground is slow back into the line and the markers aren’t set, look for Grant to pounce himself.
Only minutes after Eisenhuth held the pass, another strong carry created space on the edges.
We can see some of that disconnection Munster mentioned here, too. With his time again I’m sure Munster would take a longer pass here and bounce out at Adam Reynolds three-in from the sideline. Instead, his timing with Grant looks slightly off and he catches it a bit flat. The defence is able to force an earlier pass and an error out of Trent Loiero.
The plan is there. It’s the execution at speed that let the Storm down last week.
I think the Storm might run Asofa-Solomona a little bit wider at times on Friday night, too. Both Sam Walker and Luke Keary are diminutive targets in the line. Running at one of them brings two others into the tackle and creates opportunities down the short side.
A defending middle forward needs to flip around to the A defender spot down the short side for a start. Under pressure and with Hughes approaching a middle forward at speed, the Storm will be asking a Roosters edge with little to no experience defending together to make quick decisions as a unit.
It’s no secret that the Storm will be asking questions of the Roosters edge defence. Trent Robinson will have an idea of what is coming and spend the week preparing Pauga, Momirovski, Allan and Paulo as best he can. However, there is only so much you can train for during the week. The best defensive teams or spots on the field are often those that play with cohesion. Knowing what your inside man is going to do or trusting those outside you to react is crucial.
The temptation to adopt the “just give them early ball” approach will pop up, but if the Storm can hold their own through the middle of the field to start and put Asofa-Solomona in positions to do what he does best, Munster, Hughes and Grant should be provided with the opportunities to make up for last week.
Evaluation time for the Sharks & Raiders
“Both teams ended this season earlier than they did the last. While both are surely proud given the circumstances of the year overall, there will come a time in the next few weeks when they reflect and put more emphasis on why – for all intents and purposes – they went backwards.”