NRL Trials: 3 Takeaways From Week 2

There is only so much you can take out of NRL Trial games. There will be a lot of overreactions and even more dismissals of genuine clues for the NRL season ahead.

So, with that in mind, I’m going to try to find some middle ground with a few takeaways from Week 2.

3 Takeaways From Week 2

• Tuku’s passing could be a problem

• Play-the-ball before points

• More Dragons halves stuff

Tuku’s passing could be a problem

Tuku Hau Tapuha is a massive unit.

The NRL website has him listed at 196cm and 114kg, but you could easily tell me those numbers are on the smaller side.

He featured only 10 times in the 2024 NRL season, averaging 40 running metres per game in limited minutes. Notably, Fox Sports Lab has him down for only five passes in total last season.

So, when he played a part in the Cronulla Sutherland Sharks scoring their second try on Thursday night, I took a note.

The Sharks are a team that likes to play to a point for a shot. Where they have fallen short at times in recent years is against the better defensive teams who don’t offer regular cues from those points.

Here, they’ve shifted the ball from a scrum before making their way back to the middle of the field. Blayke Brailey crabs across the field to drop Tom Hazelton off at the right post where they’re looking at the splits.

Look closely, and you can see Nicho Hynes throw his hands up after Brailey assesses the line and moves the ball left.

While the Sharks haven’t always created enough cues against the best defending teams, Hau Tapuha can create more if he’s adding a pass to his game through the middle.

He’s a big middle who can break up the line in the setup play (I’ll touch more on that via Taniela Paseka shortly), which attracts multiple defenders. The defence will want three in the tackle here. With that in the mind of the defence, a long pass puts Hynes outside the three-man and creates a four-on-two overlap.

As the game becomes quicker and bigger bodies are put under more pressure defensively, they’ll have to make up for those lapses in other areas. Attacking inside the 10-metre line is where they can make their mark. Nelson Asofa-Solomona is a constant threat on the line. I’ve got Stefano Utoikamanu adding to his 21 offloads from last season following his move to the Melbourne Storm¹ .

If Hau Tapua can earn a regular spot in the Sharks 17, look for him to either generate the play-the-ball before points, or throw a vital pass in a longer shift.

Play-the-ball before points

Players in the prop position aren’t often credited as those who can generate points, but like Tuku Hau Tapuha above, Taniela Paseka is a big body that can create opportunities for others.

He won’t be credited with the try assist, but Paseka’s carry 20 metres from the line plays a massive part in Lehi Hopoate earning one.

By being able to stand in the contact just for a moment, Paseka forces Davvy Moale into the tackle. He carries the ball high and wins the contact to bring in the third defender. His effort there is where the space is created out wide.

With Moale late out of the tackle, the Rabbitohs spacings are wide on the edges. Jye Gray is holding his spot at A on the long side, waiting for Moale to get back, but he ends up behind ruck - neither on the short side nor on the long side where the outside defenders could take a step or two out.

As a result, the big gap between the two and three-man is a gift for the Sea Eagles who have all three spine players lined up on the right side.

As one defender slides, another turns in. The winger is caught in no man’s land and backtracks to buy time. There is too much space to defend, and the Sea Eagles execute perfectly.

Attacking from this field position is all about splits and numbers. A quick ruck forces quick retreats and split-second decisions from the defence. Good ball players tie up the right players to hold up the middle and create the space we see out wide in this one.

It all starts with a destructive carry, though.

I’ll be paying closer attention to who plays the ball leading to a try this season.

More Dragons halves stuff

We didn’t get a lot of time to see Kyle Flanagan and Lachlan Ilias in the halves together.

*Insert whichever “it’s only a trial” trope you like here* but we did see some clues into how the St George Illawarra Dragons will try to run the attack.

We saw a few examples of the three spine players all stacking one side of the field. They’re playing from outside the post, and depending on which side of the field they’re playing the ball, Ilias or Flanagan will provide the middle service.

From the right post, Ilias spots up one pass of the ruck with Flanagan and Clint Gutherson sweeping out the back.

Following one shift, the Dragons again play from a similar spot on the left edge. Like the last, the half on that side of the field drops a forward to just outside the left post before looking to take back possession in the middle.

Gutherson made the pass from dummy half, but you can see him sweep late from the shortside late which adds another number to the shift.

The four-man has been caught ball-watching and causes havoc to the defensive line. With it, and as Ilias and Gutherson make their move out wide, Flanagan shows and goes over the line to score an impressive individual try.

I circled the Dragons halves² as something to watch this week. Every year I have a team that seems to occupy my attention more than others. At this rate, it’s looking like the Red V will be that team for the 2025 NRL season.

1  Utoikamanu threw a career-high 21 offloads last season - a number he could well clear again in 2025. - Players to Watch

2  Red V returning to finals footy - sign up for a Premium membership using THIS link for three months free