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.
– Defending through Cleary’s absence
– More Roosters hype
– The Tackle Bot: Corey Horsburgh
– Shaun Johnson in 2023
– Look out, the Rabbitohs left edge is coming…
– NRLW Contracts
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Defending through Cleary’s absence
Nathan Cleary will miss State of Origin Game 2!
That’s the most common headline after news broke that he will be sidelined for up to six weeks with a hamstring injury.
Never mind the five games the Penrith Panthers will play in that time. He may not return for his club until Round 21. With only four competition points separating 1st from 9th on the NRL ladder, his absence could mean a lot more for Penrith than it does for New South Wales in series that most people forget about shortly after Game 3 finishes.
The Panthers won’t fall out of the Top 8 while he’s gone. They’re too good for that. There is a risk they drop down the ladder, away from the Minor Premiership, and into away games in the NRL Finals, though.
This NRL season is incredibly close. A string of wins or losses can have a significant impact on the ladder. The current Top 8 is without the Sydney Roosters and Parramatta Eels, too. There is a good chance at least one of those two jumps up into finals football, if not both.
It’s not the first time Penrith has faced a lengthy period without their playmaker. Per Opta, they’ve won nine of their last 11 NRL games without Cleary. Also of note, they were without Dylan Edwards and Jarome Luai in both of those losses.
Regardless of who Penrith has out there over the next few weeks, it’s going to be on the defensive side of the ball that they make up for the loss of Cleary.
Playing with the best defence in the NRL after 14 rounds, the Panthers are once again defending a near history-making level.
Only the 2007 and 2008 Melbourne Storm and 2021 Panthers conceded fewer points per game than the 2023 version are currently. As we can see here, while Cleary and company have piled up points for fun at times, their dynasty has been built on defence for the last four seasons to all feature inside the all-time Top 20.
It’s no secret that defence wins premierships. The Panthers went back-to-back behind the best defence in the NRL and are looking to do the same in their three-peat. Only one team in the last 17 NRL seasons has won the premiership with a defence outside the Top 3.
Brisbane Broncos and South Sydney Rabbitohs, you’re still a chance…
Kurt Falls has played in 12 games for the Panthers Cup team this season but didn’t feature in Round 14. Instead, Ryley Smith started in his first game at halfback at Cup level. Whether it be Falls or Smith, they don’t have the readymade replacement they did with Sean O’Sullivan last season.
History says the Panthers will do it comfortably, but with Origin already taking its toll and now Cleary unavailable throughout, there are a few hurdles for them to jump in the coming weeks.
More Roosters hype
The Sydney Roosters managed to escape Round 14 with a 25-24 win over the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. It wasn’t pretty and falls short of what they’re capable of producing. However, they once again displayed some promising signs and I’m still anticipating a sharp rise in form towards the back end of the NRL season.
I highlighted how the Roosters created this try in the Notepad before the round.
Luke Keary gets the backrower into the tackle forcing a prop to flip over to defend on the short side. With the mismatch, Keary beats the big forward for speed and skips through the line to score.
Lovely.
Keary and the Roosters went back to what worked against the Bulldogs on Sunday.
Max King (circled) has made back-to-back tackles before peeling out of this one and getting back into the line. You can see Keary pushing his backline further out as he instructs Sitili Tupounia to direct his run towards Jayden Okunbor.
Tupouniua carries the ball forward and there’s King again. The big unit has made three consecutive tackles and travelled a lot of ground while doing so.
King is directed to A on the Bulldogs right edge and the Roosters fall into shape. Most notably, James Tedesco is hanging on Keary’s hip to stop the marker from applying inside pressure on the Roosters five-eighth. With Karl Oloapu dealing with a big backrower charging straight at him, Keary has King isolated and beats him for speed.
Drawing the fullback and finding Tedesco back inside, it’s another fine example of what the Roosters can do when they’re on the same page.
Brandon Smith has talked about needing to work better as a unit. Tedesco eluded to it further in his post-game interview on Sunday afternoon.
This is the sort of play that comes about by working as a unit.
This is the sort of play that suggests the Roosters aren’t too far off.
While Cleary might be out next week, the Roosters have a prime opportunity to start playing themselves into premiership-contending form against the best defence in the NRL next week.
More good NRL reads
The demise of Twitter has made stumbling on good footy content even more difficult so I think it’s important to share it around where possible. Here are a few things I’ve read recently:
- THE WEEKLY: The rarity and portentousness of a comet passing
- May efficiency update and is the Broncos defense elite?
- Centres of excellence: Is the Blues’ most effective tactic still alive without Latrell?
- The ‘Sheens play’ that vindicated Tigers boss as unlikely star triggers shock NRL turnaround
- ‘There’s plenty of cattle’: What it’s like to be a one-game State of Origin wonder
The Tackle Bot: Corey Horsburgh
Corey Horsburgh made a Canberra Raiders-high 44 tackles against the Wests Tigers on Friday night.
Five of those tackles came in one set with a charge-down to boot.
Tackle 1 & 2:
Tackle 3 & 4:
Tackle 5 & a charge down:
Horsburgh is in career-best form. He’s a workhorse defensively and is averaging a career-high 112 running metres per game. It’s often painful to attribute everything to State of Origin, but it’s that time of the year…
If a position opens up in the Queensland pack, Big Red deserves consideration.
Shaun Johnson in 2023
He’s playing incredible football. Some say career-best. What can’t be argued is that it’s different football.
Shaun Johnson’s form this year has revolved around his ability to lead with and without the ball.
He has scored four tries and handed out 11 try assists while playing his hand in many, many more. However, it’s his defence that has most improved. As a leader, he often leads his own kick-chase and brings the defensive line down the field with him.
As good as the new-look Johnson has been this year, seeing the classic step back inside on Saturday night produced one of the loudest cheers of the season so far.
Look out, the Rabbitohs left edge is coming…
The South Sydney Rabbitohs have scored 24 tries down their left edge this season but it’s felt like a quiet side of the field for them.
Not after Round 14…
Alex Johnston ended up with three but it’s this one I liked the most.
Damien Cook’s pass is a peach but Lachlan Illias’ work is key to this shift. His burst of speed at the inside shoulder of the four-in defender ultimately creates the space for Johnston to get over in the corner.
Cody Walker’s pass is the highlight play. He now has 19 try assists this season to lead the NRL. I didn’t think it would be possible for him to beat the 33 he managed in the Vlando Ball 2021 season, but he might just do it…
Keaon Koloamatangi has been excellent on the right edge. Campbell Graham is one of the best centres in rugby league right now. Ilias has taken a major leap in his development as a first-grade halfback. The Rabbitohs right edge has performed exceptionally well throughout the year to ensure the Bunnies are dangerous across the field but the left is where they can lift the Provan-Summons Trophy.
NRLW Contracts
The length of all NRLW contracts have been released and I’ve had a quick look through for anything that jumps out.
First of all, Tamika Upton and Leeds Rhinos and England half-back Georgia Roche are the only two players in the competition locked in until 2027. Although, Jesse and Hannah Southwell have options to do the same for the Newcastle Knights to have their core locked in long term.
We’ve seen plenty of Upton over the years. She’s one of the premier players in the game. The Knights hope to have their spine set with Roche coming over from the Super League to start the 2023 NRLW season.
Millie Boyle is confirmed to be at the Sydney Roosters until at least 2025 but has options for 2026 and 2027. The Roosters otherwise only have three other players locked in after this season: Kalosipani Hopoate, Keeley Davis and Otesa Pule.
The St. George Illawarra Dragons are in a similar position. Bobbi Law, Ella Koster and Zali Hopkins are the only three players confirmed for 2024 and beyond.
The Canberra Raiders signed roughly half of their squad to two-year deals but none any longer. Meanwhile, the majority of the Gold Coast Titans are in for the long haul. Only five players in the squad will enter the 2023 season with no contract or option in place for 2024.
There is a lot to get through so check out the full list here.
The competition is going from strength to strength. Once we start to see clubs plan for the long term and develop an identity and cohesion, the NRLW will only improve further.