There is a lot to cover after every round in the NRL. Throughout the 2024 season, this is a place where I’ll cover what is most important, a few little things a liked from the round, something to keep an eye on in the next one, and a try I particularly enjoyed.
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The Tough Carry: Luke Brooks Slotting In
Tackle 1 is often the toughest carry of the set. It can make or break it. Here, it’s the biggest talking point from the first half of Round 1 of the NRL season.
It’s easy to look at the results of what Luke Brooks did at times on Sunday and say, “classic Brooks.”
It looked for a moment like it would be a classic Brooks game, one that we see glimpses of what he’s capable of before ultimately falling short.
Taking the line on, poking his head through and dropping the ball as he reached out to score just about summed his career for some. But within the moments that didn’t come off, and there were a few, came some positive signs for the future. Nauseating commentary aside, Brooks played well and ended up as one of the best on the ground.
One of the appealing aspects of his arrival at the Sea Eagles was the opportunity to pair up with a genuine on-ball half. There would be no question about who led the team around the field. Instead, Brooks could pop up as he liked in spots he typically thrives in.
He’s always liked to take on the short side. His combination with a trailing Tom Trbojevic is one of the first pictures that came to mind when thinking about how things might look for Brooks at Manly.
Brooks doubles up down the short side here to create two good chances that the defence does well to close down.
He first gets to the man he wants two-in and creates an overlap on the edge. It takes a well-timed read from the winger to stop Jaxon Paulo from streaking down the sideline. Tom Trbojevic is threatening back on the inside if the defence jams Brooks, too.
Spying the opportunity to go again, Trbojevic steps into dummy half and sends Brooks down the same channel. Back inside this time, only an excellent scrambling effort stops the Sea Eagles from their first of the night.
Another Brooks try assist went begging shortly before halftime.
Trbojevic ended up losing it short of the line, but the deception Brooks uses here to hold up the inside defence while dragging Lachlan Ilias across the field is worth nothing.
He times his run, gets to his target in the line, and sends Trboejvic through it in an action that would translate into points more often than not if they ran it again.
Fittingly, Brooks sealed the result late with his running game, down a short side.
With little on, he skips to the outside of the A defender and sells a dummy to poke through the line. Running the ball has always been the most positively spoken about element to Brooks’ game and he finished up with 102 metres to his name on Sunday.
Brooks is under the microscope to start the 2024 NRL season. Good or bad, he’s going to be a talking point. While it’s only 80 minutes and consistency has been an issue throughout his career, he’s earned himself a fortnight of peace ahead of their matchup against the Roosters in Round 2.
Quick play-the-ball: Latrell over the top, cohesion chat, Joey & Teddy
We’re generating momentum through the middle of the article with a couple of quick carries.
Latrell leaving defenders in chalk
He wasn’t lying…
Latrell put Jake Trbojevic on his backside with his first carry of the game. Trbojevic is considered one of the strongest defenders in the competition and Mitchell cast him aside like a paper plate.
He later split Lachlan Croker’s head in a brutal carry out of yardage. The sort we’re not always accustomed to seeing out of Mitchell as a relatively low-metre fullback.
Fullbacks are often a target in the line when defending the goal line, but 194cm and 102kg Tom Trbojevic isn’t usually one of them. Nonetheless, Mitchell put his head down and ran straight through him to score.
Just to make sure we didn’t forget how skilful he is, Mitchell displayed his quick hands to lay on a try shortly after.
Please give us a healthy season, footy Gods.
An excuse to mention cohesion
Regular readers know I rarely pass up the opportunity to mention the importance of cohesion and how understated it is within typical rugby league conversation.
It only took four minutes to see the importance of it in the second game on Sunday.
It’s try that came as a direct result of a lack of cohesion.
Having just shifted out to the edge for Brendan Piakura, Patrick Carrigan’s timing is off. Ezra Mam throws a pass for where Piakura would be, but Carrigan has drifted overs with the ball falling into Manu’s lap.
Cohesion is always something to consider at this time of the year as some teams remain relatively settled while others search for the winning combination.
“That’s ridiculous. What Joey Manu has done here is absurd.”
Tedesco still has still got it
It’s mostly media-constructed, but James Tedesco has somehow become a polarizing figure in the NRL recently. The Kangaroos and New South Wales Blues captain isn’t churning out the performances he did at his peak as consistently, but he’s still one of the best fullbacks in the competition despite a disappointing 2023 season.
Back to his best on Sunday, Teddy finished up with 213 running metres, a try assist, a line break and eight tackle breaks.
“It’s pretty simple. Ted’s not going to come out and talk a lot and try and make excuses. He’s going to perform to his ability and show that that was form and not a new place where his career is going to sit.”
Trent Robinson – NRL.com
Setting up for a shot: Koula popping up as a fullback
Teams play to points with the following tackle in mind. Here, I’m touching on something to watch next week as we try to keep ahead of things happening on the field.
Tolutau Koula seems destined to play fullback at some stage after what we saw towards the end of the 2023 NRL season. Until then, we might see Anthony Seibold use him in fullback-like spots from left centre.
I love this look for the Sea Eagles.
Defences scheme for Trbojevic out the back. The Rabbitohs make the right reads here, but it won’t be long before a defender slides out on Trbojevic to open up the gap for Koula to fly through.
The roaming centre is becoming a regular feature in the NRL these days, but Koula isn’t often mentioned as one of them. He’s one to keep an eye on in Round 2 and beyond.
Try Time: Gagai On Debut
Sometimes, it will be a piece of magic. Others, it’s a basic move made to look easy. Whatever it is, all great sets end in points, so we’re doing the same here.
It’s fitting as the NRL desperately seeks a new audience that the new fans in the crowd (of which I’d image was very few) and those tuning in on TV witness what is a universal celebration in our game regardless of aligenece: A try on debut.
To make Jacob Gagai’s even better is the fact that at 28 years old, he’s the second oldest debutant in South Sydney Rabbitohs history.
I firmly believe in older players being given more opportunities in first grade. We often see the young player thrown in too early in favour of the reserve grade veteran that probably could have seen time in first grade already had things turned out differently.
Even in this case, Tyrone Munro, who I’m not sure is quite ready to be in the NRL every week, would have been selected ahead of Gagai.
A spot is available in the Rabbitohs backline and Gagai has surprisingly ended up with the first crack. He did his chances no harm with how he performed in this one.