The NRL Finals are upon us. Most teams are looking to peak at this point of the season but for the Melbourne Storm and Sydney Roosters, they’re trying to reintegrate key parts of their attack late in the piece.
Walker’s return: Is it too late for the Roosters?
Sam Walker has returned to a better Sydney Roosters team and looks better for it.
The Roosters look better a better team with Sam Walker.
Trent Robinson had his reasons for dropping Walker. There is little doubt he never intended for the young half to be out of the NRL for so long but an injury threw a spanner in the works. In the end, it appears as though his stint in reserve grade was for the best. Perhaps it has all come too late, but Walker has looked good over the last two weeks and you can see what he brings to the team and how it might translate into a deep September run.
It’s a set ending with an error that has me optimistic about the Roosters heading into their clash with the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks on Saturday night.
It highlights the benefit of being a threat on both sides of the ruck and what the third prominent ball player can do to a defensive line.
From the tap, Lindsay Collins carts the ball up and produces a quick play-the-ball. Just like that, the Roosters have an extra man down the short side attacking three defenders and a peeling tackler.
I’d imagine this set has been scripted up and Brandon Smith doesn’t like what he sees enough to break away from it. Instead, he finds Victor Radley one off the ruck who gets to the middle of the field.
You can see Luke Keary making a late move to the long side here. He’s a bit late and their timing is off in general. However, Keary’s swing has left five defenders down the Rabbitohs left edge for the Roosters to have a significant numbers advantage along their own left edge.
Again, Walker doesn’t like what he sees out wide and turns it back for Egan Butcher to charge at the left post. Falling into shape like the Roosters at their very best, Walker and Keary fan out to the right side. They’re in a position to fire a long shift at a defensive line that has started to compress in the middle.
In recent weeks the defence has only really needed to monitor Keary and James Tedesco. Drew Hutchison and Sandon Smith are serviceable halves but not those that defensive lines track and use as a signal. The Rabbitohs load up their left edge leaving Tedesco with the four-man short side he wants.
It ends with an error, but a good error. The best Roosters teams of recent NRL seasons, including the back-to-back premiers, lead the competition in errors. An error ‘playing footy’ like this one is a lot different from simply dropping the ball in yardage. It’s one coaches will cop given the play it came on.
Tedesco is dangerous in this spot. He’s not the best ball-playing fullback going around, but when he’s able to attack the B defender and create an overlap out wide, Tedesco is in a good position to pull the trigger. He pulls the wrong one here, but the action and intent are encouraging.
This next example doesn’t end well either.
Following a strong Nat Butcher carry at Lachlan Ilias to generate momentum, the Roosters swing the ball wide. There is Keary again on the short side as an option. But through Radley in the middle and Walker on the second layer, Tedesco is able to get to a spot on the field he can dominate.
The Roosters run out of room and end up on the sideline, much like the tap to start the previous example…
Once again the Roosters move off the sideline with a crash ball, but this one is wider. It leaves them with enough room to explore back down the short side with a five-on-four advantage, no less. Jai Arrow knows the Rabbitohs are short on numbers and looks to close down Walker’s time with the ball. He’s relying on his inside defence to track across in cover but with Smith holding up Tallis Duncan at the ruck, a gaping hope opens up for a dropping Siua Wong.
Unfortunately, Walker isn’t able to find his backrower and Tedesco is forced to flick the ball on as the play breaks down.
It’s important to judge the process, though. The Roosters won without looking particularly good, but if you look closely enough, you can see that they aren’t far off.
Is it too little too late?
We will know a lot more on Saturday night. I like their chances, though. The Roosters looked a lot better defensively against the Rabbitohs. Brandon Smith, in particular, played out one of his best games of the 2023 NRL season and his best work came without the ball. If the Chooks can hold up defensively, I like what they have to offer against a Sharks side that has struggled to contain the edges.
Line organisation is crucial against a team that can threaten on both sides. Connor Tracey has performed well with the ball in hand since taking over from Will Kennedy. He’s looked right at home on the end of their sweeps close to the opposition line. However, it’s how he organises his own line in defence that will be a crucial element to the Sharks result in this one. If he gets it wrong, expect the Roosters to make them pay as another game and week of training together helps to iron out the creases of the attack.
I couldn’t rule the Roosters out of playing finals footy when most had a line through them. Now, I can’t rule them out of a win on Saturday and a genuine crack at the premiership.
Papenhuyzen’s potential influence
Take your pick of the games this weekend; all four have an argument for being the best game of Week 1.
The Warriors and Panthers will be one for the purists with the potential for a high-quality 80-minute battle defined by physicality, toughness and a good ol’ grind. Whatever happens between the Sharks and Roosters on Saturday and Knights and Raiders on Sunday, the fact they’re both knockout games adds to the excitement in the build-up.
Unlike some seasons where Week 1 of the NRL Finals can feel like a bit of a formality in some matches, all four could go either way. Friday Night Footy, in particular, has Game of the Season potential.
The Brisbane Broncos are arguably the most exciting team in the competition right now. Meanwhile, the Melbourne Storm have been one of the most consistent for well over a decade, have been here and done it all before in NRL Finals games, and have done it all especially well at Suncorp Stadium over the years.
We can ignore what happened last week. Some players will have taken things out of the game, but it was a primetime opposed training session for a returning Ryan Papenhuyzen more than anything else.
He is going to be a big factor in this one.
Currently named on the bench, I’ll be surprised if Papenhuyzen doesn’t start or play a decent number of minutes. Whether he’s lost a touch of speed or not, his instincts make him one of the best-supporting fullbacks in the competition. His ball playing adds another element to the Storm good ball attack, too.
Papenhuyzen’s speed and ball-playing can have an impact on both edges. With how influential the Broncos forwards are to how they attack, my guess is that Craig Bellamy and the Storm will be looking to move them around the field and bring fatigue into the game as early as possible. Papenhuyzen can play a big role there.
When I think of Papenhuyzen at his best, I’m picturing shifts like this:
The Storm fire the ball wide in yardage, Papenhuyzen is able to burst outside the two-in defender, and they either turn it into points or a big-metre gain down the edge.
Brisbane isn’t short of speed out wide so they might be able to handle these shifts better than most. Still, the speed in which Melbourne can move the ball would force the defending middles to track a long way across the field.
The Broncos pack is superior to the Storm. It’s unlikely that Bellamy will try to beat them at their own game. Instead, I think he will look to play a little bit more expansive and Papenhuyzen is the support player that can allow Jahrome Hughes and Cameron Munster to do their best work.
Plug time…
For those new here, I also pop up with the odd article on NRL.com.
My latest on the Newcastle Knights has just gone up which explores reasons for their recent success beyond “Ponga is good.”
Precision, poise and Ponga: How the Knights have flown into finals footy
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