NRL Repeat Set: Kennedy’s role in the Sharks attack, Tigers first win & Panthers only try

Check-in with the Repeat Set every week to recap the latest round of NRL action. This week we’re highlighting Will Kennedy’s value, the Tigers upset win and the Rabbitohs defence.

Kennedy’s role in the Sharks attack

Will Kennedy is, in fact, the guy for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks.

Before his extension through to the end of the 2025 NRL season, there were conversations within NRL fan circles around his longevity as the Sharks #1. He fills a role, but is he the long-term option for the club?

Current form suggests the 26-year-old will be the first-choice fullback for the remainder of his current contract and possibly into the next.

His numbers don’t always jump off the page, but his contributions don’t always show up in the numbers.

Regardless of what the stats pages say, he is a key part of the Sharks attack and his ability to pop up in the right spot at the right time is among the best in the NRL. He’s deceptively quick but most of all, his timing is impeccable. Kennedy flies onto the ball and can do so after developing a cohesive partnership with Nicho Hynes which has translated into the Sharks scoring 29.6 points per game – 1st in the NRL.

This try in Round 9 is a ripper and captures the danger of the Sharks’ slingshot attack to the edges and Kennedy’s role within it.

Kennedy starts his run from the left post before finally taking possession outside the numbers on the right edge. In the meantime, Matt Moylan runs a block for Hynes to get at Tom Dearden. Briton Nikora drops underneath, but as Hynes gets to Dearden with Jesse Ramien off his hip, Murray Taulagi jams in looking to close down the shift.

Not with Kennedy’s hands…

Kennedy changes his angle to get behind Ramien and crabs across the field to buy himself enough time to complete the pass in one motion.

Back to “his actions don’t always show up in the numbers” from earlier: Kennedy often throws the pass before the pass. His involvements aren’t always recorded in the numbers that do exist either.

Fox Sports Lab records ‘Try Contributions’. It’s no doubt a subjective decision on whether or not a player is involved in setting up a try. However, Kennedy’s 0 for the season suggests they should be taken with more than a grain of salt.

This try, for example, doesn’t eventuate if not for Kennedy’s quality involvement.

Again the fullback swings around and uses his quick hands to shift the ball. By popping up where and when he does, Kennedy forces Peta Hiku to jam this time. Kyle Feldt is forced to follow but stutters slightly as he watches the pass. Some equally nice hands from Siosifa Talaka (who I imagine is credited with one of his four try assists or six try contributions for the season here) puts Ronaldo Mulitalo on the outside to score.

It’s Kennedy that stresses the defence and forces the decision that ultimately creates the space out wide.

What makes Kennedy so dangerous in these spots is his decision-making. He has a knack for making the right decision of passing or running, and once he’s getting downhill, he’s tough to stop close to the line despite his small stature.

He has scored nine tries in eight games already this season and is well on track to beat his season high from 2021 of 14 tries in 24 games.

Where Dylan Edwards is somehow still considered to be part of the ‘most underrated player in the game’ chat, I put Kennedy firmly in that conversation.

Hynes occupies a lot of the headlines while the likes of Talakai, Mulitalo and Sione Katoa produce the highlight reels plays. However, Kennedy is crucial to Hynes’ play and often a key piece in those highlight reel plays by the outside backs.

It wasn’t long ago that many people considered Matt Dufty as the better option at fullback if given the choice. But consistency speaks volumes. Kennedy is one of the most reliable players in the game and capable of playing out a premiership-winning season as the Sharks #1.

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Congrats, Tigers

“Unfortunately for the Tigers, just as confidence starts to build, they’re up against one of the best defensive teams in NRL history this week.” Round 9 Notepad

When you play like one of the best defensive teams in NRL history, even if only for a week, it doesn’t matter how you perform in attack.

Against the defending premier Penrith Panthers, the Wests Tigers gave up only eight points.

Like they have done a lot this season, Wests won the yardage battle (+246 metres) and played with more possession (55%). Per Fox Sports, the Tigers won the territory battle with 57% of the game played in Penrith’s half.

While 12 points scored is a poor return on 54 tackles inside the Panthers 20-metre line, at 0-7, the competition points are all that matter.

Two Luke Brooks 40/20’s turned into points. The second another example of how the Tigers attack is slowly improving as the season goes on.

No team uses the wraparound more than Wests right now. With a tight lead off it and John Bateman holding up the defence by dropping underneath, the space is created for Jahream Bula to throw the cutout ball to David Nofoaluma to score in the corner.

On another note, this looks like the avenue for Alex Twal to score the first try of his NRL career:

There is still a lot of work to do if the Tigers are to stay off the bottom of the table this year. While we can be positive here and piece together the small signs of improvement with the ball, their 0.4 points per tackle inside the opposition’s 20-metre line is the worst I can recall in the four or five years I’ve kept an eye on the numbers. Their inefficiency close to the line will continue to cost them wins, as it did in Round 8, as long as they struggle to stress the defensive line in good ball.


Rabbitohs are really good

This version of the South Sydney Rabbitohs is different.

When finals footy rolls around we will hear all about their failures in the Preliminary Final and five years of falling short. However, those performances don’t apply to this group. Unlike previous seasons where they relied on a high-powered attack to overwhelm the opposition, the Rabbitohs – still an elite attacking team – are doing the hard work early to win it late.

They’re excellent in yardage, patient in attack and, most importantly, one of the best defensive teams in the NRL through nine rounds.

In back-to-back weeks the Bunnies have broken down the opposition throughout the first 40 minutes before taking control of the game late.

While they won’t have anticipated going 18-10 behind the Penrith Panthers in Round 8, they did enough to promote fatigue in the defence and can always pile up points in a hurry when given a chance. Importantly, their earlier play provided the Bunnies with that chance.

In Round 9, Souths turned a hard-fought 12-6 lead into a 32-6 victory over the top-of-the-table Brisbane Broncos.

There doesn’t seem to be a lot of change to how Souths play with the ball. They’re looking to the right edge more often than they have done in the past, but Cameron Murray is still a crucial ball-player in the middle, Damien Cook’s running game comes and goes depending on the opportunities, Latrell Mitchell’s best work comes in good ball, and Cody Walker is a menace with a focus on the left side.

The big change has come in defence so I’m going to keep a look out for what has changed over the last 12 months for the Bunnies to concede 19.75 points per game in 2022 and just 15.3 points per game to start 2023.


More NRL Numbers

The Brisbane Broncos jump out here while also featuring in the Top 5 points scored list above.

We often see the premiership-winning teams finish in the Top 5 in both categories. In particular, Top 3 in defence. Elite on both sides of the ball, the Broncos are justifying their place at the top of the NRL ladder despite the horror show against the Rabbitohs in Round 9.

Surprisingly, it’s the Panthers attack that is letting them down at the moment. Scoring only 22.9 points per game to be 7th in the NRL, the Panthers aren’t the same beast with the ball this season.


Panthers setting up

In saying that about the Panthers attack, I loved the setup to their try in Round 9.

They’re playing for the grubber through to Tyrone Peachey from the start and it’s all about getting Jahream Bula to fill up the defensive line on the short side.

Penrith start by moving to the left edge before Nathan Cleary plays short to Moses Leota.

Now watch the performance Cleary and the right edge put on for the defence.

They’ve stacked the right edge with five players and forced Bula to defend on that side to match them for numbers. Cleary looks as though he might take the ball flat and fast which stops Bula from premeditating the pass to the long side. Dylan Edwards is pointing and Mitch Kenny shapes right before passing left.

It’s as though Api Koroisau knows it’s coming because he rushes out to close down Jarome Luai who is hunting out Brandon Wakeham, but it’s too late.

The grubber goes through and Bula is left with too much ground to cover.

Early in the count and made to look easy, these are the tries that leave me confident in the Panthers attack despite the relatively slow start.


Waiting on International Rugby League

Name a more iconic duo that a promising period for international rugby league quickly followed up with a missed opportunity.

We’ve heard about the ‘international window’ for years now. The problem is that it is rarely filled, and when it is outside of a Rugby League World Cup year, it’s filled late.

Mate Ma’a Tonga grew sick of waiting around and organised themselves a trip to England at the end of the year.

Good on them.

They are one of the big draw cards in international rugby league at the moment and are likely to make a pretty penny by going their own way and playing three tests in the northern hemisphere.

Now we wait down under…

A rushed four nations and a host of players pulling out at the last minute, anybody?

Better yet, how about a doubleheader in Auckland when earlier organisation could see the game travel beyond a rugby league hub to not only promote the game, but likely draw a decent crowd?

Personally, I’ve given up on trying to keep up with the latest ideas. Even more so now with an NRL game being played in the U.S. for little more reason than the opportunity to cash in on gambling dollars becoming the primary focus.

“Why should the NRL be organising international rugby league?!”

*points at the 2021 Rugby League World Cup*

Maybe one day we as a game will see the long-term value of international footy and make the moves to start laying the foundation. Rolling the fixture dice in June and hoping teams turn up in October in November isn’t the answer.

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