NRL Notepad: Round 3 Preview
With the NRL finally back in action, it’s time to check the notepad on what to look out for in Round 3.
Part of me still won’t believe it until I see it, but rugby league is returning.
From now through to October, I’ll look back at my notes from the prior round (dust them off in this case) and highlight an area of each team to keep a close eye on from your couch.
Brisbane Broncos
Anthony Seibold fell into making the right decision on who to play at fullback this season. Now it’s time for Jamayne Isaako to up his involvement.
He only registered 22.5 touches per game in the opening two rounds. As a fullback that will run the ball and use his power game more than he offers any astute ball-playing out the back, Isaako needs to get his touches up closer to the elite fullbacks in those fields. James Tedesco and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck have averaged 29.7 receipts per game between them so far in 2020.
Parramatta Eels
Brad Arthur conceded Reed Mahoney “might be a touch underdone” heading into this one. Coming back from a broken foot two months ago, Mahoney’s first test is up against perhaps the hardest-running and uninterrupted middle in the NRL.
The slightest sign of being underdone will put a target on his back. Not convinced on the “future Maroon” chat just yet, Mahoney might be in for a long night here.
North Queensland Cowboys
Playing behind what is likely to be a dominant pack that gets up the field with relative ease, Scott Drinkwater has a chance to really establish himself this week. Michael Morgan is out, so ‘Thirsty’ will assume a lot of the play-making duties as Jake Clifford plays a more traditional halfback role.
Drinkwater has an excellent running game and his ball-playing is relatively underrated after playing just his second game in the halves in Round 2. Expect him to run plenty at the Titans edge on both sides of the field.
Gold Coast Titans
Even with anti-tackler Bryce Cartwright dropped from the side, I fear for the Titans edge defence.
On one side, Kevin Proctor has a lot of cover work to do if he’s to stop the Cowboys from running through Tyrone Peachey in the centres. On the other, Keegan Hipgrave is playing his first game in almost 12 months. Unless he’s become less susceptible to shooting out of the line at importune times, chances to attack down the edge will present themselves to the Cowboys.
Sydney Roosters
This version of the Roosters have always been a high-risk/high-error team. Their eagerness to throw support players into every run and make the extra pass when the opportunity presents itself is what makes the Roosters so dangerous.
However, as we’ve seen through their 0–2 start, 15 errors per game is too many. Kyle Flanagan is trying to carve out his role in the side but has been forced to do so in a team that, so far, can’t hold onto the football. We won’t get a decent read on the new-look halves pairing, and the Roosters’ chances of a three-peat, until we see a few consistent performances.
One against their arch rivals on Friday night would make for a good start.
South Sydney Rabbitohs
All eyes are on Latrell Mitchell in this one. His willingness to get involved has been questioned with “lazy” thrown around more than once. Surely, in his first game against the Roosters, Mitchell gets his hands on the ball more than the 20 times he touched it in 80 minutes last time out.
He has the play-making ability to be a threat in good ball areas. As OscarPannifex mentioned earlier in the week, he can earn a repeat set at the very least.
Show us something this week, Trell.
New Zealand Warriors
You know footy is back when the Warriors are dropping a young half while the whole team is in a slump…
It’s Chanel Harris-Tavita out and Kodi Nikorima in.
Nikorima needs to justify the change this week. If he’s going to keep the club’s most promising young player out of the side — in a contract year, no less — then Nikorima must be the focal point of the Warriors attack. They’re trying to get Roger Tuivasa-Sheck more involved during good ball sets. With mixed results at best so far, it’s produced no line breaks and their only points have come via a penalty try.
Please, Kodi. Force me to eat humble pie on Saturday afternoon.
St George-Illawarra Dragons
Having Matt Dufty defend in the line could become a real issue for the Dragons. One of the smallest players in the NRL at only 83 kgs, hookers will be picking him out close to the goal line if he’s stuck at ‘A’.
Api Koroisau spotted him alone in Round 2, and while he shaped to go left before going right and selling a dummy, he was always headed straight at Dufty. James Graham couldn’t scramble quick enough to help him out.
Warriors interchange, Karl Lawton, loves a dart from dummy half close to the line…
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
Wade Graham and Shaun Johnson. Two of my favourite attacking players in the game linked up beautifully in Round 1 and I expect to see Johnson drift across to Graham’s left edge a little more often now that the pair are healthy.
Johnson is at his best when setting up in the middle of the field and drifting right. With room to run and decisions to make, he sends the ball to right player more often than not. The Warriors played with the best right-side attack in 2018. According to Stats Insider’s Try Location Analysis, he took that NRL-best right-side across the ditch to the Shire in 2019.
But it’s the way he straightens off his left foot to present a fearless Graham with a gaping hole that can really get the Sharks attack firing.
With two triple-threat options running down the left edge, the Sharks attack is going to be tough to handle.
Wests Tigers
Fittingly, the Sharks left edge will be running at one of the most worrisome defensive right-sides in the NRL. For all the Leilua Brothers can offer in attack, it’s useless if they’re conceding so many easy tries at the other end.
The Knights made a mockery of Wests right-side defence in Round 2; Joey and Luciano were the main culprits.
This is soft. What more is there to say?
Here, a lack of communication between Adam Doueihi and Luciano sees the backrower fly out at Mitchell Pearce. As a 278-game halfback, Pearce isn’t missing that opportunity to sneak a grubber in behind.
A Joey brain-fart wraps up the horror sequence of three-consecutive tries through Wests right side. More focused on putting a shot on after being involved in a pushing competition minutes earlier, Joey allows Connor Watson to bounce his way to the line.
Melbourne Storm
Titans fans will be keeping an eye on this bloke just as much as the Storm faithful: Tino Faasuamaleaui.
He’s a mountain of a human-being with the 20-year old checking in at 197 cm and 107 kg. That’s if he hasn’t grown throughout the 67-day break in between rounds.
Part of Craig Bellamy’s first-choice 17 following two appearances off the bench, it looks as though we will be seeing a lot more of Faasuamaleaui in 2020. Keeping up with how he develops throughout the year is an interesting wrinkle within the predicable — and frustrating for most — Storm dominance.
Canberra Raiders
George Williams has looked right at home since arriving in Canberra. Offering a strong running game, hinting at breaking the line through that big step of his, and kicking well in Round 1 and 2, the English half faces the toughest test of his short NRL career.
Playing the Titans and Warriors to start is a nice little introduction. Let’s see how he copes against a Storm side that has picked every Round 1 opponent (this is effectively Round 1) apart since Craig Bellamy’s arrival in Melbourne 17 years ago.
Penrith Panthers
Well, we wanted to see whether or not Penrith’s form from Round 1 and 2 is real or an early-season flash in the pan. It’s going to be difficult to measure without Nathan Cleary out there. He looked brilliant in the opening rounds and has embraced the role as Penrith’s main half and leader in attack.
This week, Jarome Luai — who is still finding his feet as a first-grade half — and single-gamer Matt Burton make up the Panthers halves. Both are at their best running the ball and taking on the line. Burton, in particular, is fearless.
Neither have shown much in the form of organising a side, though. How the pair command the side and steer them around the field will go a long way to determining the result this week.
Newcastle Knights
There is a note stored away on how the Knights are looking to attack from the middle with dual playmakers on either side, but that will have to wait until Kalyn Ponga returns from his suspension.
Instead, we’re looking at Newcastle’s yardage game. They’ve finished with the fewest metres per game in each of the last four seasons. However, early signs in 2020 are positive.
They played a very direct, one-pass style coming out of their own end against the Tigers. By the looks of it, Herman Ese’ese might finally turn into a player, Daniel Saifiti may justify his State of Origin selection this season, and David Klemmer won’t need to put the team on his back every week.
The Panthers will provide this promising Knights middle with a stern test on Sunday.
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
Tom Trobojvic is healthy, and boy are there some encouraging signs for this Sea Eagles spine.
They’re ready to pounce on anything. Spying a numbers advantage down the short-side and an unsure Flanagan peeling off the ruck, Danny Levi, Daly Cherry-Evans and Tom Trbojevic were straight into it.
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
The Bulldogs have named Josh Jackson, Dean Britt and Adam Elliott to start in the backrow.
They’re all servicable, but it’s unlikely that this already terrible Bulldogs attack gets much out of this trio. Jackson has never been known for his attacking prowess, Britt has a single linebreak and offload in his 19-game career while Elliott managed one linebreak — along with 30 offloads — in 20 games throughout 2019.
With a halves pairing that struggles enough for creativity as it is, it’s difficult to picture much of an improvement to their NRL-worst 13.5 points per game from last season.
