Recap the latest round of the 2023 NRL season with the Repeat Set as we break down some of the best plays from the weekend.
How Cherry-Evans stressed the Bulldogs defence
Real life got the better of me this weekend and I wasn’t able to see a lot of footy so I asked Oscar for a suggestion for this segment:
“We won’t be talking about Manly again for a while, so that’s something.”
As it turns out, it was something.
The Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles won’t play finals football in 2023 so this is one of the last opportunities to highlight the better aspects of their game. They’ve played well at points throughout the year. Daly Cherry-Evans, in particular, has been fantastic. The 34-year-old has shown no signs of slowing down and if his body does start to stall in his 35-year-old season, his smarts will get him through.
While the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs defence is dire, you can still appreciate the process of how a team rips through it. Cherry-Evans and the Sea Eagles did just that in Round 26 as they exposed a weakness and played to it for three of their seven tries.
Looking back on a few games, it looks as though Cherry-Evans typically picks his point of attack a lot earlier than he did in Round 26. You can see in a few clips here over the last three weeks against the Sydney Roosters, Penrith Panthers and New Zealand Warriors that he fixes his spot before the play-the-ball and goes from there.
In James Tedesco, Dylan Edwards and Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad you’ve got three of the best defensive fullbacks in the NRL. They’re experienced, hard-working across the field and organise their line well.
Hayze Perham, on the other hand, doesn’t have the same experience at fullback. He works hard, but under fatigue, his line organisation takes a hit. Cherry-Evans and the Sea Eagles made him work even harder by flipping sides late and stressing Perham and the numbers he’d set either side of the ruck, and also exposed some lazy work from marker which only made things more difficult for the fullback.
While Jake Averilo was named to play fullback but ended up in the centres, the plan more than likely remained the same. The Bulldogs replaced one relatively inexperienced fullback with another before kickoff.
You can see in the few instances above that Cherry-Evans is making his move as his teammate is being tackled and preparing to play the ball. As a fullback, and one that I’m guessing was tasked with following Cherry-Evans around the field, Perham would want to stack his numbers to one side early.
With that in mind, the Sea Eagles made their moves late to keep Perham guessing for as long as possible.
The first example – their second try of the afternoon – is a well-worked try by Lachlan Croker. Cherry-Evans doesn’t even touch the ball in the play producing points but his influence is clear.
Jake Trbojevic’s carry isn’t one designed to bend the line. Instead, he wants to bring Max King and Jayden Okunbor into the tackle at a particular point on the field. In doing so, Perham needs to decide whether or not he leaves four on the short side, flips a teammate or fills the line in there himself.
He leaves four and Cherry-Evans and Croker spot the opportunity. Both jump out from behind the ruck. Croker engages King as a fairly passive marker while Cherry-Evans sweeps and takes the attention of Viliame Kikau at A. It’s only one step towards Cherry-Evans, but it’s enough for the Fijian to be off balance and lose the strength needed to bring down a barnstorming Toafofoa Sipley that close to the line.
Their following try comes through the left edge as Cherry-Evans again makes a late move to the openside with the Bulldogs short side defence putting four players on only three Sea Eagles.
Perham is following Cherry-Evans here. As Reed Mahoney peels out of the tackle to the open side, Cherry-Evans follows him. The game of cat and mouse continues as Perham follows Cherry-Evans to the open side, but all of a sudden, the spacing of the Bulldogs’ defence is too tight around the ruck. Add the lone marker and Trbjoevic’s lead off Croker and the Bulldogs’ middle can’t slide out.
With the defence compressed through the middle, Cherry-Evans is able to pass Jake Arthur to the outside shoulder of the four-in defender and the Sea Eagles swing to the corner for Raymond Tuiamalo Vaega to score.
It looks easy and is to a point. Still, it’s the subtleties of Cherry-Evans’ movements and pregame planning that make it look so simple. Halves always know which defenders they want to get to but it’s how they get there which separates the good attacking teams from the bad.
The third and final example scored just after halftime sums it up best.
Take note again of the first carry, where it is and who he brings into the tackle. Spying only three down the short side, Cherry-Evans again sweeps late and plays Haumole Olakau’atu into a massive hole.
The wide-angle replay shows us exactly what Perham and Cherry-Evans are seeing in each other.
With Cherry-Evans hovering behind the ruck, Perham sends his peeling defender to the long side having seen the halfback swing that way shortly before halftime. In response, Cherry-Evans takes on the three defenders down the short side and lays on an easy one for his backrower.
He’s manipulated the line and taken what the defence has given him for points – lovely footy.
The Sea Eagles have been a middling team for most of the year. While capable, they’ve lacked the quality and consistency to be in contention for the finals.
You can only take so much away from a win over the Bulldogs at the moment but with one of the best halfbacks in the game and a dangerous backline outside of him, there is a lot to work with at Brookvale heading into the 2024 NRL season.
How the Titans can unlock Jamie Chapman
“Chapman has all the physical attributes to put up Mele Hufanga numbers each week for the Titans this season. It will all come down to the work of her teammates on the inside though.
If her half can consistently isolate Chapman one-on-one, she’ll score more often than not.”
Ricky’s 13 & the left edge defence
I mentioned the concerns I had for the Canberra Raiders left edge defence heading into Round 26. The speed and fluidity of the Brisbane Broncos attack always looked as though it would have too much for Ricky Stuart’s men.
What I hadn’t considered, however, was Jack Wighton moving into the centres.
Stuart named a strange 17 and the Green Machine fan base reacted accordingly. In the end, Jordan Rapana moved to fullback, Seb Kris to wing and Wighton to the centres. Given what they were coming up against, it made sense defensively.
Wighton is a far, far superior defender to Jarod Croker in the centres. He’s quicker, stronger and more aggressive. Those are three traits you want in an edge defender tasked with keeping a lid on Reece Walsh and the Broncos right edge.
There were moments early on when it looked as though the Raiders might be able to contain Walsh and company.
As far as a cohesive edge working together from the inside out goes, they answered their first question in defence relatively well. Matt Frawley handled the lead runner and bounced out; his centre and winger followed.
The second question only 90 seconds later?
Not so much…
Walsh doesn’t even give them the time to move as one. He goes directly at Frawley this time which leads to Kris trying to solve the shift himself and Selwyn Cobbo going over in the corner.
Their second is a piece of Walsh speed and magic with his in-and-away on Frawley a thing of beauty which Wighton could only admire before turning in to help his beaten five-eighth.
In the end, the Broncos did what the Broncos do down the right edge. Still, I can see what Stuart had in mind with his switch. Wighton’s aggression and the way he spoils shifts by getting out in front of his line helped throughout the match. Simply being there no doubt turned the Broncos into other parts of the field with one of their biggest targets in the line moved to the bench.
It remains to be seen what Stuart goes with this week. While The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks don’t play with the firepower of the Broncos, they’re capable of piling up points. Briton Nikora, in particular, can cause Frawley nightmares if Wighton isn’t moved back into five-eighth. Bring Croker back and Jesse Ramien will be licking his lips.
It all comes down to Round 27 for the Raiders. Assuming they need to win on Sunday to feature in the NRL finals, their spot in the Top 8 will more than likely be decided by the left edge defence.