"Heads In!" Round 13
Unpacking the scrum each week in the NRL
The Broncos welcome back a big name, while two middle placed teams go head-to-head in what could be a season defining match.
Whether you’re searching for an edge in the workplace tipping comp, or just desperate to talk some footy, you’ve found the place. Join me as we unpack the scrum that is the NRL each week.
Centre-Field Scrum
What’s centre-frame in the Rugby League lens this week?
Consistency is Key
All eyes will be on the Broncos’ back row on Friday night, with superstar forward David Fifita set to line up for Brisbane for the first time since the competition resumption.Â
We’ve all seen Fifita’s highlights package played on repeat as the conjecture around his future at the Broncos raged through the media, and there is no doubt that his game breaking qualities will be a much welcomed addition to a struggling Brisbane pack - albeit only for the remainder of this season.Â
His combination of size, speed and agility makes Fifita a rare commodity in the NRL, where he is equally effective in yardage sets as he is in attacking shifts close to the line.
The key for halves Tom Dearden and Brodie Croft will be to get Fifita involved at the right times, else he becomes overused and predictable ala Villiame Kikau circa 2019.Â
But even without the ball, we’re expecting Fifita’s presence to have a positive influence on the Broncos moving forward.
Since the back end of last season, coach Anthony Seibold had Fifita playing an 80-minute role on Brisbane’s left edge, where he not only tackle busted his way to 100+ running meters most weeks, but also defended with a 94.8% tackle efficiency, averaging a tic under 25 tackles per game.Â
The Broncos finished the 2019 season with 27 tries conceded down that left edge, compared to 20 tries already after just 12 games in 2020.Â
There are a range of factors contributing to these numbers, but perhaps none more so than Brisbane’s complete lack of continuity in the back row position this season:Â
A revolving door rotation of back rowers at the Broncos this season has made it nigh impossible for halves Anthony Milford, Croft or Dearden to build any kind of combination with their edge forwards.
We’ve seen half/second-rower combinations feature at the core of successful offensive systems in years past - think Jonathon Thurston and Gavin Cooper, Cooper Cronk and Felise Kaufusi - even Kieran Foran and Raymond Faitala-Mariner have managed to develop a reliable one-two punch close to the line in a struggling Bulldogs side this season.
But with so much inconsistency on both edges for the Broncos, it’s not hard to understand why they have leaked so many points this season and failed to create many scoring opportunities themselves.
With seemingly first-choice second rowers Fifita and Tevita Pangai Jnr packing down in the back row - hopefully for longer than a few weeks at a time - we should not only see an increase in attacking output from the Broncos, but also a more resilient and connected defensive system on the edges…
‘Should’.
Right Scrum-Line
Who is feeling the pressure this week?
Newcastle Knights vs Wests Tigers
Whether their fanbases would like to admit it is one thing, but the Knights and the Tigers find themselves in very similar positions heading into Round 13.
Two teams with passionate, fiery coaches trying to change a culture of perennial underachievement.
Two teams with veteran playmakers, forward packs combining weathered experience and exuberant youth, and some dynamic outside backs.
Two teams in the middle of the ladder struggling to find some consistency in their performances.
A Michael Maguire half-time classic wasn’t enough to kick the Tigers into gear last weekend, as they let slip an early lead - and a few rungs on the premiership ladder - against the New Zealand Warriors.
The evergreen attacking form of Benji Marshall and the emergence of Harry Grant as an NRL-ready dummy-half have kept the Tigers competitive this season, but ‘Madge’ continues to toy with his squad as he searches for the right balance.
While Maguire’s cut-throat selection philosophy no doubt incites effort from his troops each week, the Tigers may - like the Broncos above - be suffering from a lack of continuity across the park.
With a shortened season and injuries always going to take their toll, the clock is ticking for Maguire to settle on his strongest 17 and get the Tigers rolling before the finals are out of reach.
With Grant on the sidelines this week, Moses Mbye moves to hooker while Luke Brooks returns to the starting side, pushing Billy Walters to the bench.
Considering Walters’ form at hooker in the first two rounds of the competition, it’s a little surprising to see Mbye named here, although the latter has filled that role fairly in the past.
Wests also welcome back BJ Leilua from his long stint in the naughty corner, with the big Samoan to add some much needed strike to the Tigers’ backline.
His match up against fellow barnstormer Bradman Best would have been a battle for the ages on Saturday night, but the young Knights centre will miss more than a few weeks with a serious ankle injury.
Replacing Best isn’t the only headache in Newcastle this week for coach Adam O’Brien, who must also navigate the loss of a third hooker this season following Andrew McCullough’s horror hamstring injury last weekend.
New recruit Blake Green slots straight into the halves in what shapes to be another handy mid-season signing for Newcastle, and is expected to have a calming and controlling influence on the Knights’ attack - provided he can combine effectively with Mitchel Pearce.
Although Newcastle are undeniably better with Green, Pearce and Kurt Mann all on the field together, it is somewhat disappointing to see Mann moved again, as his utility tag threatens to derail a career-best season at five-eighth in 2020.
Efforts like this have been giving me poor-man’s-Jack-Wighton vibes this season (that’s a compliment folks) and here’s to hoping that Mann’s dynamic running game isn’t stifled while playing from hooker.
He was influential when shifted to dummy-half against the Bulldogs in Round 11, forcing a drop-out with a neat grubber while attacking Canterbury’s line before applying enough defensive pressure to send a Brandon Wakeham kick out on the full as the Knights chased an unlikely comeback:
After winning field possession for his team, Mann then read the numbers perfectly from dummy-half to send Sione Mata'utia over down the short side:
Given his form this year, Mann shapes to be crucial to Newcastle’s finals hopes this season, as does the one point the Knights picked up in their Round 3 draw with the Panthers…
With a logjam likely to form as clubs like Newcastle and Wests jockey for the bottom spots in the eight, Saturday’s result could prove make-or-break for both club’s finals ambitions.
Game on.
Left Scrum-Line
My left-field thought on the NRL this week
Signings Alert
The Melbourne Storm announced on Tuesday that they had secured the services of 2016 premiership winner and former Cronulla Shark Ricky Leutele, for the remainder of the season.
With all the attention on Sonny Bill Williams and his return to the Roosters, it’s easy to understate the addition of Leutele to Craig Bellamy’s roster for the rest of the year.
Since the departures of Will Chambers and Curtis Scott over the off season, the Storm have struggled for consistency in their centre stocks - something you don’t often associate with the ever-ready, ever-professional Melbourne based club.
Marion Seve and Justin Olam are raw, destructive runners of the football, but their passing games are still developing and neither are noted decision makers in defence.
Paul Momirovski and Brenko Lee both presented as very Melbourne-like signings - coachable, tradesman-like players who could be relied on to fill a role within the team - but fitness and injuries have prevented both from playing big minutes in a purple jumper.
In Leutele, Bellamy has a veteran NRL centre who understands the pressures of first grade football and has big match experience - something none of the above players can attest to.
At his prime, Leutele was a beautiful mover down the Sharks’ left edge, with a strong fend and great footwork netting him 30 tries across 128 appearances for Cronulla.
While these stats are dating back a few seasons now, at 30 years old Leutele is hardly at retirement age in the modern game and once his quarantine period is over, expect to see him play a large part in Melbournes’ finals campaign.
Newcastle’s adept roster management has netted them both Andrew McCullough and Blake Green at a pinch this season, but Leutele’s last minute signing is just another example of the Melbourne Storm’s supremacy as one of the best managed clubs in the competition.
Round 13, begin!
The St George Illawarra Dragons face the Sydney Roosters tonight, but the defending premiers will be without influential prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves among other stars. Will the surprise demotion of Corey Norman have the Dragons on notice and ready for an upset?
Goodluck to your teams, your tips and your punts!
Glory Glory.