With a continued number of pre-weekend matches in the NRL, the editors at The Roar have charged me with the responsibility of identifying a few key moments and points of interest from the early games of each round.
This will manifest itself in my NRL Saturday Synopsis each week, which I hope you enjoy.
Round 1 usually produces upsets galore yet the early match-ups this year were so close to call, nothing would surprise. While never definitive, the early rounds do say much about the preparation of teams and can often provide pointers for future form.
In that spirit, what do we take from the initial confrontations of 2018?
#1 The Dragons have some teeth and the Broncos will struggle
Much pre-season commentary suggested the Dragons’ improvement in 2017, despite the late season collapse, was set to continue with an ever-improving side and new signings that created depth in the squad.
Was there ever a better opportunity than a Round 1 contest against the Broncos outside their comfy Friday night slot? In hindsight, probably not, and the Dragons put the northerners to the sword in the second half, in a performance that instilled much belief back into the Red V.
Could this be the Dragons side that finally rises from the ashes of the 2010 premiership and impacts the competition in a meaningful way come semi-final time?
Contrastingly, the Broncos might be in for a year of despair. With such a youthful halves combination and far too much resting on the always fragile shoulders of Darius Boyd, the Broncos look nothing like the dominant force they have been for, well, forever. It appears they may struggle this season without an injection of direction and purpose in the halves.
#2 The Knights are obviously improved and Manly are there or thereabouts
One of the most interesting questions around the performance of the teams looking to improve in 2018, has been the recruitment and energy around the Newcastle Knights. Test number one has been passed with flying colours and a Friday night win against the Eagles, with golden child Mitchell Pearce at the helm, will have the Hunter rocking.
Manly will be disappointed yet not forlorn. Trent Barrett has done well with his team since his appointment and the club, according to many, should be around the mark when it comes to finals football in 2018.
Personally, I am not convinced, with the reliance on Daly Cherry-Evans and a lack of alternative options around the ruck, providing the major challenge and a definite hurdle when it comes to toppling the big guns of the NRL.
#3 JT is still JT in close games
Watching Cronulla Coach Shane Flanagan throw the kitchen sink he had ripped from the dressing room wall at the North Queensland Cowboys, as well as the collective sinks of just about every resident of the shire, it became clear once again, that the man who has played 300 games in the NRL is as much a champion as he ever was.
Johnathan Thurston kept his troops calm and composed throughout the later stages of the second-half against Cronulla and the Cowboys walked away with a win, despite never hitting their straps.
#4 Touch it with the foot?
After constant pleas from fans and journalists to mandate the engagement of the foot in the play-the-ball, the NRL had apparently come to the party. Sadly, after watching the first three games of the weekend, it appears nothing has changed.
Talk is cheap when no action is taken and observation and commentary reverted to ‘the intention to strike with the foot’, far too quickly for my liking. In a game where collision and contact are valued heavily, more legislature in the play-the-ball would open the game up considerably and provide increased entertainment for the ticket paying fans.
All this after three matches? What a season we are in for if the first matches are anything to go by.
Enjoy the remainder of the weekend, good luck with your tips and I’ll be back next Saturday with my thoughts on the Friday night action.
DP Schaefer
Guest
Yes Dogs Boddy. though there are calls to put Dugan at fullback, Your selections would create a better team overall.
Vivalasvegan
Guest
Cannot understand the issue... Use your foot... Was it ever not the rule? Why is it difficult for players? Yes, I am getting old... It is another test of focus under fatigue... I like it... Just hope they enforce it...
Bill larkin
Guest
Exactly. This whole thread is hilarious. Refs engineering a golden point win ? How is this even possible. Why not simply give the favoured team penalty after penalty until they score?
jimmmy
Guest
And the broken record plays on and on and on.
jimmmy
Guest
You are one hundred and ten percent on the play the ball . WHY do you need to touch it with foot at all. Change the rule for crying out loud.
Dogs Boddy
Roar Rookie
Encouragingly our defence was solid, like last year. Sharks had one of the worst attacks and most penalties in 2017 and still finished 5th. If we could learn to score some points then who knows what will happen. Val at fullback needs to change or he will end up having nightmares about looping torpedo bombs. Put him back on the wing where he does his best work and slot Moylan into fullback and bring Hodkinson into the halves and we might have a decent shot. Not a great game and the Sharks certainly didn't deserve the points. The final scoreline flattered us a bit.
eagleJack
Roar Guru
At no point have I said it was the refs fault. Look at my comments. But there is no doubt that there were home town decisions. They happen in the NRL. Manly will get plenty at Brookie. The Broncos plenty at Suncorp. We live with them. But they are sometimes harder to cope with after a Golden Point loss. Which is always the toughest loss to take. Losing by over 20 means you were comprehensively outplayed from start to finish. Not sure DCE’s “one attacking weapon” is the bomb to Turbo. But anyway. I’m actually pretty happy with the Manly performance. They showed grit and determination and were inches away from winning it. They were on top for large patches of the game and won the upfront battle comfortably. A lack of polish and errors at crucial moments let them down. They can improve on that. They now have a base. A loss like that can sting but ultimately work in your favour. You will strive to be better. A win can sometimes mask the faults.
Bunney
Roar Rookie
Hi Stuart, I agree that the NRL needs to do a lot more than promise to crack down on a rule, and then not really do anything. It's like parents who threaten punishment and never follow through. The result is kids out of control. Part of the problem is the obsession the public and the media have with free-flowing games stemming (in part) from minimal penalties. On Triple M radio during the Dragons vs Broncos match, the commentators noted that "Cecchin has blown quite a lot of penalties tonight", but gave no comment about whether they were worthy penalties or not. It was a sneering type comment that implied the game would have been better had he not blown so many. The public and the media HAVE to change their perception that its the refs fault if he blows 20 penalties in a game - its the players fault! The refs have been brow-beaten into calling less penalties, and I'd argue the game is poorer for it, with infractions not called during pretty much every set. If their is a contentious rule, change it. But don't get the refs to turn a blind eye to it.
PNGBF88
Guest
This same halves combo that had a 7 from 7 record a month out of the 2017 finals. For all their 'inexperience' they did quite well to finish 3rd without spine regulars McCullough and Boyd to the back end. And now after one bad game, the season opener, they have no direction and purpose. Do they hand out the spoon in round 1? Broncs short priced favourites at this stage with 5 games to go :)
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
The encouraging thing for Manly is that if they completed at a more acceptable level then they win for sure against a pretty fair Knights side at home. Manly still could have won with all the errors.
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
I was dubious about the Broncos before the season and haven't changed my mind. The same halves led them to many victories last year which is true but what happens last year often doesn't repeat. The trend for them was heading in the wrong direction I believe a bit like Hasler and if that proves to be the case then last year doesn't mean much. Bennett can't be written off of course and it will be interesting to see if he changes his team in the next few weeks
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
I was dubious about the Broncos before the season and haven't changed my mind. The same halves led them to many victories last year which is true but what happens last year often doesn't repeat. The trend for them was heading in the wrong direction I believe a bit like Hasler and if that proves to be the case then last year doesn't mean much. Bennett can't be written off of course and it will be interesting to see if he changes his team in the next few weeks
slippery
Guest
how come manly get a penalty in front with 3 mins on the clock to take the game to xtra time
Nat
Roar Guru
Mate, come on... there's nothing you can say about the Broncos that I don't agree with but I'm not blaming the ref for their loss. However, the Broncos had a better completion, missed less tackles and less errors than Manly. DCE's one attacking weapon is the bomb for Turbo which never worked once. Neither team played well, that's fine it's rnd 1 but it's not the refs fault.
Fraser
Guest
Yeah, I want to agree for the sake of cleaning it up. However, I don't want to see the game become tackle touch footy. At the very least the player needs to be on his feet, on the mark, and square. None of the bogus Fifita, Thaiday style play the balls. It's a tough one.
eagleJack
Roar Guru
Judging by your analysis that “Manly struggled with direction and kicking game” lends itself to the fact you missed a fair bit during the game. Direction was fine, plenty of opportunities created. Forwards rolled up the field comfortably. Defensive and attacking kicks were fine too. But they lacked polish and committed far too many errors. They’ll need to fix that up but it is Round 1 Now if you were talking about the Broncos you’d be spot on. Halves couldn’t/didn’t lead and the forward pack lacked go forward. Kicking? It was a little embarrassing with Milford’s mid-field bomb from inside 40 a symptom of having two playmakers used to playing off the cuff rather than taking control. But hey as I said it is Round 1 so things can change quickly. Both sides can take positives from their clashes. Both need to be better.
Nat
Roar Guru
You had me thinking I missed something that is easier picked up if at the game but flopping isn't one. Gotta say I didn't see that, let alone continuously. Mind you, the rushing and arguing with the ref isn't going to lend yourselves to a favourable call/no call.
Nat
Roar Guru
So far this round has shown what most of us thought. The Broncos halves need work but they were on the back foot most of the time. Hunt played well and adds to Widdop, although I'm still holding opinion on them in total or at least until all teams have played as a fair comparison. Manly struggled with direction and kicking game but sounds like it was the refs fault again (which is BS if you watched the game without bias). Ponga showed more in 80mins yesterday then all last season but that whole game was played with emotion so they'll have to maintain a high standard then take too much from a poor/under manned Manly team. Cowboys vs Sharks went as expected. Cowboys did play well but their greatest opposition was taking each other out (nice $1.5m headbut!). Silly penalties, errors and lack of attack from the Sharks ala 2017. Grubber for 1 try and intercept for the other is not a great first outing for the Shire boys but not indicative of the seasons proper.
DP Schaefer
Guest
Hard Yards, I think your review is tainted by some Sea Eagle eyes. While I didn't see it live the highlights certainly don't show a game where the result was contrived. If that had ben the case, Manly wouldn't have been given a last minute penalty to even up and I didn't see the ref jump in front of DCE when he took a FG shot to win the game. There's no conspiracy theory here, maybe some ref errors that happen each week.
Fraser
Guest
"The fix is in!" "It's a rort!" "That's BS." The exact phrases coming from Newcastle fans when the referee awarded one of the softest penalties in history to make it Golden Point. It's almost like they engineered it (sarcasm). We are 3 games in and you guys are already blaming the referees. It's going to be a long season for the tinfoil folks.