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.
– The Panthers System
– How the Sharks made the most of a small Bulldogs defence
– The Eels score a simple one
– Good NRL reads
– State of Origin Preview: Queensland Maroons Edition
The Panthers System
Penrith Panthers coach Ivan Cleary spoke about games at this time of the year being a good way to “test the system.”
Decimated by State of Origin with a handful of injuries to boot, Cleary was forced to name an unrecognisable team for Round 16. While the win would be nice, the reality is this can be chalked up as a scheduled loss and one where the positives come from the process more than the competition points.
Still, he had faith in the system. The system nearly produced an incredible victory.
Most NRL teams will apply the core features of their system through the grades. While the SG Ball and Jersey Flegg sides might not employ the same game plan as such, a lot of the core principles apply across all grades. The Top 30 contracted players in the reserve grade side will know everything there is to know about how the top side plays. So, it’s no surprise to see the Panthers second-string side run out there on Friday night and produce first-string moments.
The most notable for me was their execution of a scrum play I mentioned in the Notepad.
“Jake Turpin does a great job of breaking from the scrum and applying enough pressure on Nathan Cleary that the Panthers can’t create the numbers. Still, you can see what they’re trying to do and with how dangerous they are on that side, why they have stacked the numbers in such a way.”
The what and why became clear when the Panthers scored a training run try from the same play in Round 16.
A few differences between the first and second examples:
– Jack Cogger appears to be standing a little bit wider in this one than Nathan Cleary in the first.
– Unlike Jake Turpin above, Scott Drinkwater can’t close down the time Cogger has with the ball.
– Cogger is able to get deep into the line and engage Heilum Luki (12) with the lead runner.
Perhaps the most impressive difference is the personnel; Dylan Edwards and Scott Sorensen are the only two players to feature in both.
That right there is the Panthers system in action.
There is always the option to go short, too…
Every team claims a next-man-up approach. There is always a body ready and willing to step up as a replacement. It’s whether or not they can do so within the system that sets the top teams apart from the rest and the Panthers prove time and time again that what they do throughout the week, regardless of who is named for the weekend, is designed for the whole roster.
This NRL season is the closest and most exciting we’ve seen in years. Putting your tips in is a lottery every week. However, the Panthers are quietly sitting at the top of the table, playing with a historically good defence, and on track to win a third-consecutive premiership. While many are waiting for a serious finals-time injury bug to hit them at some stage during the dynasty, there’s a good chance those that step up do so at a premiership-contending level.
How the Sharks made the most of a small Bulldogs defence
In contrast to the Panthers, the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs system didn’t hold up. Michael Ennis mentioned in the commentary that “it looks like they’ve hardly played the game” and that “it looks like they’re making things up on the run.”
The attack didn’t fire and defensively the Sharks made the most of a small Bulldogs lineup in front of them.
They came into the game with a plan and you can see Nicho Hynes actioning it off the tap. He’s setting his side up to run Braden Hamlin-Uele straight at Reed Mahoney on the following tackle.
With Mahoney where he wants him at A, Hynes sweeps and pulls the B defender away and drops his big prop back underneath to score.
Too easy.
Later in the match and in the space of four minutes, Blayke Brailey – along with his halfback – had his way with the Bulldogs to lay on two tries.
Both follow the same pattern: Generate a quick play-the-ball through Mahoney and send a big forward at Karl Oloapu on the back of it.
Working from the right side following two tackles off a scrum, Hynes plays Jack Williams onto Mahoney and generates a decent play-the-ball. Importantly, Brailey is left with Jake Averillo and Oloapu in front of him. Mahoney over-chases on Brailey, but even still, the Sharks have created an opportunity for a hard-running Cameron McInnes to run at one of three smaller defenders.
McInnes isn’t the biggest unit himself, but he runs above his size and crashes over to score another simple try.
Earning a penalty out of yardage on the following set, Brailey and the Sharks go back to the well. With a lead runner targeting the defender inside Mahoney, the Sharks are looking to isolate the hooker in the line and play on the back of it.
Dale Finucane picks Mahoney out in the line, rolls over the top of him and leaves both defenders out of the play. With no markers in front of him, Brailey jumps out from dummy half and puts Williams through Oloapu and a flimsy Jayden Okunbor tackle.
Their hand was somewhat forced with Matt Burton being called into the Blues State of Origin side. Still, the Bulldogs took a risk by carrying a small team into this one and it didn’t pay off. Hynes, Brailey and the Sharks middles identified the opportunity to make their mark and cashed in for what ended up as an easy win.
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Eels nail a simple one
Rugby League is a simple game.
Kind of…
There is a lot more to it than most people realise but for the most part, it can be fairly simple.
Say, for example, you’re a team with 13 players running against 12. It would make sense to draw the defending team into the middle to create space on the edges. It’s simple, but so many teams forget it under pressure and fatigue.
The Parramatta Eels, however, nailed it for Bailey Simonsson to score a lovely try on Saturday night.
Working from a mid-field scrum and plugging two tackles down the right edge, the Eels returned to the middle. In doing so, they’ve moved the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles defence and forced a 5:5 split from the middle with three defenders with too much space to cover on the edge.
The Sea Eagles middle could have worked a lot harder from the inside, but the Eels made the most of the opportunity through a simple pass into the numbers advantage. It’s Daejarn Asi’s straightforward shovel pass into a four-v-three that effectively sets up the try.
With the two-in defender on his heels and Jason Saab desperately reaching for an intercept, Simonsson is able to force his way over to score.
It’s just smart, simple footy.
More good NRL & NRLW reads
The demise of Twitter has made stumbling on good NRL content even more difficult so I think it’s important to share it around where possible. Here are a few things – sometimes not specifically rugby league related but lead me to rugby league thoughts – that I’ve read or listened to recently:
- The whole of Leeton is behind Tess Staines
- ‘Similar challenge’: Blues’ Samoan connection to draw on World Cup feats
- Twal’s try worth the wait
- Munster on the cusp of righting wrongs and rewriting history
State of Origin Preview: Queensland Edition
Resident New South Wales fan Oscar Pannifex is in charge of the Blues portion of the preview leaving me, a relative neutral, to cover the Queensland Maroons.
If you’ve not seen my piece on NRL.com covering where it went right for the Maroons and where it went wrong for the Blues in Game 1, give that a look here.
TLDR; Queensland took more risks and created the moments that ultimately won them the match. They moved the ball wide early and stretched the defence across the field. New South Wales, on the other hand, waited for the moment to happen. They played patient, controlled football in an attempt to grind the opposition into submission.
Both teams have made changes to their squads for Game 2. Queensland’s have been a lot more forced than New South Wales. So, let’s dive into how Queensland might approach this one and how the changes to the New South Wales lineup might influence the plan.
More of the same in yardage?
From an attacking standpoint, there is little reason to think the Maroons won’t employ much of the same approach they did in Game 1 to Game 2.
Queensland moved the ball early and often, using Reece Walsh’s speed on one side and the destructive power game of David Fifita on the other. Stretching the defence doesn’t always translate into a good yardage game, but with the weapons the Maroons have on either side, they were able to get up the field while adding fatigue into the defensive line.
However, the absence of Tom Gilbert and Selwyn Cobbo might change things for the Maroons. Both are far superior ball carriers in terms of yardage than their replacements, Jeremiah Nanai and Xavier Coates.
While Nanai doesn’t generate a lot of yardage himself, he can contribute to how Queensland get up the field on the edges with an inside offload to Walsh the first action that comes to mind as an option. Still, he will need to put his hand up more often in these shifts out of yardage if the Maroons are to find the same success in getting up the field. Similarly, the 84 running metres Coates has averaged across six State of Origin performances will need a boost. Cobbo managed 109 metres in 68 minutes in Game 1 – Coates’ season average at NRL level in 2023.
I’d imagine Billy Slater looks to emulate the way his team worked up the field in Game 2. It’s whether or not the new faces can do the job that will determine their success.
Variation in good ball
Where Nanai can have a significant impact is in Queensland’s variation in good ball.
New South Wales will spend their camp plotting ways to stop Walsh on the edges. He had his way with the left edge defence at times in Game 1.
The Blues can’t allow Walsh to run downhill at a retreating defensive line too often if they’re to cause an upset.
While Nanai isn’t at Keaon Koloamatangi levels of line running* he will offer more than Gilbert (and Reuben Cotter) as a short option. If they hit him early and train the defence into the short ball, Walsh will only have more time and space to make the right pass out the back of shape.
If Coates and Nanai both play on the right edge, Daly Cherry-Evans and Cameron Munster will be kicking to that side of the field on last tackle all night, too.
* I can’t believe Koloamatangi couldn’t crack the NSW squad, but I’m sure Oscar will touch on that for us.
Blues changes
I seem to be in the minority when it comes to Nicho Hynes not being selected. While I’m surprised, I think it’s the right decision. His naming in Game 1 being the primary reason for selection in Game 2 doesn’t wash with me. He shouldn’t have been selected in Game 1. It was the wrong call by Brad Fittler to have him in there and rather than sticking with the selection for the sake of it, he’s corrected it.
Mitchell Moses is the better #7 and a better fit for this team. His kicking game at NRL level is superior and will have been a huge consideration alongside Jarome Luai. Moses will attack the game, too. Where the Blues looked to be patient and kept the ball relatively tight, Moses is more likely to throw the pass wide Nathan Cleary held in the series opener.
New South Wales explored a lot down the short side in the opener, too. It’s an aspect of Moses’ game that can translate nicely into Fittler’s plan for Wednesday night.
In correcting his error in Game 1, Fittler’s bench looks a lot more balanced. The Reece Robson selection provides cover at hooker and an option for a fast 10-15 minutes in the middle should Damien Cook play 80 minutes. Stefano Utoikamanu, while a surprise, is a genuine prop and leaves no room for overthinking his role. He will go out there and run hard and straight.
I did have a whole segment here dedicated to Latrell Mitchell and how the Maroons might need to defend him. While one spot wider, Xavier Coates could have been a target given the concerns around his defence and the stepback style of the Melbourne Storm defence on the edges. But Mitchell’s selection ended up as a risk that didn’t pay off for Fittler. Albeit a worthwhile one.
While significant underdogs at Suncorp Stadium, I won’t be surprised at all to see the Blues win Game 2. Cleary is a huge loss and Mitchell’s inclusion would have changed their approach in attack on the left edge. However, for a side that looked like the better of the two for 60 minutes in Game 1, the balance of this squad is exciting and capable of an upset.