To save ourselves from the ‘it’s only Round X’ rhetoric in the early stages of the season, Oscar & Jase are posing a Big Question for every NRL club.
Oscar has already covered the Vegas teams and those playing Thursday – Saturday this week. Mopping up the tail of the round, Jason is chiming in with his early-season questions for the Dolphins, North Queensland Cowboys and Wests Tigers.
Everything can be explained away with “it’s early” at this point in the NRL season, but I have a few questions we might be able to answer when we revisit them in five or six weeks.
- Dolphins: What does the first-choice 17 look like?
- Cowboys: Will the Townsend/Dearden partnership last the season?
- Tigers: What changes has Benji made to the attack?
The Dolphins
There is a lot of depth in the Dolphins roster despite it lacking at the top end.
Jake Averillo, Euan Aitken and Isaiya Katoa have all been left out of the Round 1 squad for Sunday, but will be nipping at the heels of those playing.
Averillo is the biggest shock. He moved from the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and displayed some positive signs in the trials. Last year when finally playing in one position over a lengthy period, he looked every bit like a regular first grader.
“Across 78 NRL games he has played fullback (16 games), wing (2), centre (30), five-eighth (11), halfback (15) and come off the bench (4). It’s difficult to develop consistency and cohesion when being shuffled around.” – Can the new recruits propel the Dolphins into the Top 8?
Tesi Niu has been named ahead of Averillo after an impressive preseason in which he lost eight kilograms. It appears he didn’t lose any of his leg drive after contact, but have his defensive moments improved? That will make or break Niu’s time in the centres early on.
Aitken is serviceable and reliable. Given his ability to play in the centres or backrow, it’s somewhat surprising that he couldn’t earn a spot on the bench. Kenny Bromwich’s shift to the bench after starting 21 of his 22 NRL games last year might have something to do with Aitken’s absence in the 17.
Less surprising but disappointing as a big fan of his, Katoa will start the year on the extended bench. He was much higher up the Rookie of the Year list for me than most last season. Footy smarts beyond his years, Katoa has a long future in the NRL. We know what Sean O’Sullivan is as a player, but Kodi Nikorima has never been able to consistently lock down a spot in the halves. Expect Katoa to be given his chance throughout the year.
Will it be before Round 6? Will we have any idea of what the Dolphins’ first choice is by that point?
North Queensland Cowboys
Tom Dearden and Chad Townsend have been named to start in the halves for the North Queensland Cowboys in Round 1.
Will they still be there together after Round 27?
Personally, I don’t see it changing outside of an injury.
Social media has demanded Townsend be replaced for a little while now. Oscar is excited by the return of Jake Clifford and for his potential to force his way into the 17 at some point this season.
Personally, I don’t see it happening.
Todd Payten signed Townsend as an organising half who can direct the team around the field. His style of play is a dying breed at the moment. Most halves now are sticking to channels and playing one side as ball-playing locks and props provide middle service. Townsend, along with Shaun Johnson and Adam Reynolds, aren’t all that common these days.
Replacing Townsend with Clifford, who profiles as a one-side player who threatens as a runner more than he does an organiser, would force a rewrite of the whole Cowboys attack. It’s not a decision Payten would take lightly, especially considering why Townsend was signed.
He’s not flashy. His 47 running metres per game and 12 try assists in 24 matches won’t see him feature in SuperCoach conversations. However, he can still do the job he was signed to do.
As exciting as it would be to see Dearden and Clifford strike up a running partnership in the halves with Reuben Cotter, Sam McIntyre and Jason Taumalolo providing more service, I’ll be surprised to see it happen this year.
Wests Tigers
The Wests Tigers have been one of my favourite teams to watch over the last two seasons.
It hasn’t been pretty, obviously. But it has been interesting trying to figure out what the heck they’re trying to do with the ball.
Offloading and shifting the ball wide at every opportunity defined Tim Sheens’s time at the club. This was an old-school approach, outdated and exposed. Players are too fit, and defences are too well-organised to simply throw the ball around and hope for the best.
So, what adjustments will Benji make?
Wests’ best time with the ball over the prior two NRL seasons came with Jackson Hastings touching the ball 90 times and moving the defence around the field. While he’s not going to get close to Hastings’ touch numbers, Aidan Sezer can play the role of organiser. One Marshall will likely adopt with the run-threat he has at five-eighth in Jayden Sullivan or Lachlan Galvin.
Playing more narrowly and within structure makes best use of the best players on the field, too. The strength is in the pack for the Wests Tigers. Stefano Utoikamanu, David Klemmer, Isaiah Papali’i and John Bateman should be able to compete with any pack put in front of them. We know Api Koroisau will work some magic behind them.
We saw some of Sezer’s calming influence on the Tigers attack in the trial.
Watch his interaction with Lachlan Galvin here.
Galvin looks to switch a play early, but Sezer keeps him in his spot and directs another carry into the defence.
Now the long side is ready. Galvin sees Viliame Fifita (15) flip from marker in the previous tackle to the short side A spot. With Jaydn Su’a late out of the tackle and trying to get back home on his left edge, Fifita is flipped again to the long side, but it’s too late. You can see Sezer pointing out his target now.
The Tigers have the look they want and execute it to perfection.
I’m looking for these organized and patient actions when the Tigers finally kick off in Round 2.