NRL Notepad: Round 10 (Saturday)
From now through to October, I’ll look back at my notes from the prior round and highlight an area of each team to keep a close eye on from your couch.
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St George-Illawarra Dragons v Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
Dragons
This forward pack can do enough to compete with the best teams in the competition if they can string together a few consistent performances.
Last week vs Manly:
Blake Lawrie - 155 running metres
Ben Hunt - 53 running metres, 1 try assist
Paul Vaughan - 237 running metres, 37 tackles, 100% tackle efficiency
Tyson Frizell - 137 running metres, 39 tackles
Tariq Sims - 48 running metres, 28 tackles
Cameron McInnes - 144 running metres, 46 tackles, 100% tackle efficiency
Now, this new-look Dragons pack did dominate an understrength Sea Eagles middle in a relatively easy win. While the Bulldogs don’t make for the toughest of opponents this week, it’s a prime opportunity for the Red V middle to get a roll on into the second half of the season.
Bulldogs
The Bulldogs should re-sign Kieran Foran on a club-friendly deal for next season. He’s shown enough when healthy to prove he can still dominate a game if given the chance.
Foran needs a halves partner, though. In the wake of Dean Pay’s departure, Steve Georgallis is giving Lachlan Lewis another crack. Brandon Wakeham hasn’t done enough to guarantee selection, so the change makes sense.
“Wakeham has failed to impress in the halves alongside Kieran Foran, and his two weakest attributes - defence and kicking - are arguably Lewis’ greatest strengths.” - Oscar Pannifex, Round 10: Heads In!
Lewis played through the honeymoon period to start his career as footy fans revelled in his strange kicking style and famous last name. But the reality is, Lewis is a bang average footy player. At least, that’s all he’s shown us in his 29 first-grade games to date.
Can he take this opportunity and earn a place for the rest of the season?
South Sydney Rabbitohs v Newcastle Knights
Rabbitohs
Jaxson Paulo makes his debut on the wing for the Rabbitohs this week.
Growing up on Auckland’s North Shore, Paulo came up through the Northcote Tigers before moving to the Gold Coast to attend Keebra Park State High School.
As a fellow Shore boy, albeit a Mt Albert fan, I’m particularly interested in seeing how the 20-year-old goes on debut this week.
Knights
Daniel Saifiti is a massive loss for the Knights. In the midst of a career year, his absence throughout the final quarter last week could well have been the difference in the end.
That game was there for the Knights, but the Eels dominated the middle of the field late to secure the 10-4 win.
In one particular set with seven minutes to play, the Knights tried to work their way up the field without a single forward touching the ball. It was no surprise to see Kurt Mann put in a hurried kick to end the set. While Saifiti would no doubt have been involved if he was out there, the rest of the Knights pack struggled to get back. This team has looked one of the fittest in the competition at times this season. That wasn’t the case in Round 9.
We’re still keeping an eye on where Kalyn Ponga takes possession. I’ll be following Mitchell Pearce after he amassed an unhelpful 96 touches of the football last week. But it’s the improvement of the forward pack that has allowed the Knights to take a couple of steps forward this season. Who will put their hand up for the tough carries to take them up the field this week?
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles v Parramatta Eels
Sea Eagles
Will the real Daly Cherry-Evans please stand up?
What was that last week?
In a game you would expect the State of Origin halfback to command his side and manufacture a win over a beatable team, Cherry-Evans coughed the ball up three times.
But, with this simple ball to Joel Thompson:
And this line break before a crippling intercept leading to Dragons points:
We can see how Cherry-Evans might be able to inspire an unlikely win on Saturday night.
Eels
Reed Mahoney saved Dylan Brown and Jai Field last week.
The young halves pairing struggled to create in good ball sets, and in those that they finished, offered poor 5th tackle options.
However, Mahoney provided a dangerous grubber to end this set…
…but not before an unthreatening shift to the left, an ineffective Nathan Brown crab across the field, a just as ineffective Clint Gutherson dart from dummy half, and a disrupted shift back to the right side.
I’ll be looking at how Parramatta end their sets this week.
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