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Welcome to the second edition of a Saturday column that will focus on the key events from the Thursday and Friday matches in the NRL.
On the menu this week? The Sharks, Dogs and Broncos.
1. Is the Shire in the mire?
The most logical place to start is Southern Cross Group Stadium, where the Sharkies faithful piled in to hopefully nudge their team over the line after a disappointing loss to the Cowboys in Round 1.
Their opponent, the Dragons, had dusted up the Broncos seven days earlier in a sparkling second-half performance that raised many questions around the Queenslanders’ hopes and halves.
Cronulla played the first 40 minutes like a team coming off a loss and skipped to a 14-nil lead after 28 minutes. I must admit to thinking my tip and belief in a different sort of Dragons team in 2018, was looking shaky.
Nene MacDonald’s try just prior to the break was astonishing and did provide hope, yet surely the Sharks’ superb first-half completion rate would continue when running into the breeze in the second.
After attaining the worst percentage of completions in Round 1 (63 per cent) few thought the Sharks would allow the Dragons back into the contest on the back of their own errors.
Sadly for Cronulla, its completion rate and gameplan appeared to go out the window, as completing a set become something of a rarity.
St George Illawarra did nothing special, other than execute well, wait for mistakes and chip away with two early second-half tries. It was pretty much what Ben Hunt was brought to the club to oversee.
(Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
They showed much-improved poise and polish in attack. A series of late penalty goals saw the Dragons maintain their lead and the supporters walked away somewhat shocked after the promising first-half effort.
In the salary cap era, starting 0-2 hurts and the Sharks have plenty to do. A fact of which coach Shane Flanagan is well aware and something clearly evident in his rather overanalysed yet dramatic walk-off with a minute or so still on the clock.
2. Defence has gone to the Dogs
The Roosters dusted up the Dogs on Friday night at Allianz. No surprise there, with the smart money suggesting the Chooks would be too classy across the park, as the blue and whites still struggle for combinations.
What was alarming for the visitors was the 30 points piled on by the home side after the 36 racked up by Melbourne last week. Much was made of the impotent attack of the Bulldogs last season and there does appear to be greater urgency with the ball and a willingness to shift it earlier.
However, for all the energy and enthusiasm for a return to the Dogs’ culture and the ‘Dogs of war’ spirit that has defined the club for so long, the team has begun as many predicted.
The harsh reality lies in the fact that they are still too predictable in attack and lack explosive pace in the backline.
Kieran Foran has no doubt straightened them up and Moses Mbye is finally enjoying some freedom in his new role at the back, however without sheer pace and potency in the three-quarter personnel, things look like being a struggle.
(Photo by Will Russell/Getty Images)
There is no knee-jerk reaction in these comments. The current squad is a product of the recruitment decisions of the last five years; decisions that were responsible for the gradual decline of the team and the eventual removal of the former coach.
While new mentor Dean Pay appears to be focussing on freeing up the attack, defence must now be his focus, as chasing opposition totals of 30-plus points is not sustainable.
3. Never, ever, ever question Wayne Bennett
Well, he did it again. We have seen it many times over the years. Inspiring underrated packs to lift against the odds, convincing baby Broncos that they could perform the impossible, dominating the Kangaroos when pulling the strings with the Kiwis and even winning St George Illawarra a premiership, Bennett has done the unthinkable many times over.
After a thumping at the hands of the Dragons last week and enormous questions raised about Brisbane’s playmakers by all and sundry, Bennett reached into his 50-odd years of experience and found a way to claim victory in what has become the most anticipated clash during the home-and-away series.
The Broncos and the Cowboys did it again, as they always do, and it was a James Roberts break through the heart of the North Queensland defence that finally busted the game open with just over ten minutes remaining.
As per the script, the Cowboys launched the most stimulating of comebacks and threw everything at the Broncos in the final three minutes. The hit of the season was made by the goal post as the Broncos scrambled to deny a late try to Scott Bolton.
(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
There was no attempt by the post to wrap the arms around Bolton – expect it to feature in the official review of the match.
The usual suspects were at it for North Queensland. Johnathan Thurston choreographed the late comeback and Jason Taumalolo ate his metres with the usual power; in truth, they had the better of the game early on and very late.
But somehow, in the face of criticism and scepticism, Bennett has found the answer.
Personally, I am happy to be around 1000km away from him right now, as he might just throw a Big League program at last week’s critics. Many years ago, after bad press around Tonie Carroll, Bennett sought his revenge in that way and may do something similar tonight in defence of his halves.
Even if the Broncos are in for a season of struggle without real polish in the spine, tonight was Wayne Bennett’s to enjoy to the tune of 24-20.