The finals are here! And not before time.
After more off-field crud in the NRL this week I’m more than keen to get stuck into this most intriguing of postseasons and I know you all are too.
For the first time in a long time you can make a pretty convincing case for all eight teams to take the premiership, but final ladder positions make some roads tougher than others.
All the focus in the lead in is on the usual household names like Cooper Cronk, Cameron Smith and Valentine Holmes and how their flair, skill and x-factor will take their team to the promised land.
Well, I’m not about all that. This isn’t talking about ‘superstars’ or ‘game breakers’. That’s boring.
This is a look at the workhorses, unsung heroes, underrated players and meat and potato grinders who can stand up and make a difference for the eight finalists.
Who can make an impact from an unexpected place? Let’s take a look.
Sydney Roosters: Siosiua Taukeiaho
The Roosters love a player who tears in with minimum fuss and maximum effort and Taukeiaho is just the right fit.
He’s one of my favourite players because he gets metres. He averages 140 per game and guess what? He only plays about 45 minutes per game. Just two weeks ago against Canberra he racked up 216 metres in 50 minutes.
Taukeiaho can be hit, but it’s incredibly tough to get him to ground and bring him to a complete stop. That’s exactly why he’s becoming one of the better front rowers in the game.
In finals where real estate is at its most valuable, he’s a huge factor in getting Luke Keary and Cooper Cronk the time and space to make things happen.
Oh – and he kicks goals. I love a big fella kicking goals.
Melbourne Storm: Dale Finucane
Finucane has had a lot of time away in 2018 with injury but he heads into the finals in great shape.
He’s a Craig Bellamy favourite and it’s clear why. Finucane does the grind work that lays the platform for the Storm attack and he’s a metronome in defence, ticking up tackle after tackle.
Watch the Storm inside the attacking half and you’ll see him take three and four defenders with him as he drives forward. That’s how the ‘flair’ players get the time and space they need to do what they do.
Dale Finucane of the Storm (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
Finucane’s style and consistency is the foundation champion teams build around. His team mates love him and they know he can be relied on.
He won’t score try after try, but without his energy, the Storm won’t either.
South Sydney Rabbitohs: Thomas Burgess
There’s not a lot of difference in Thomas’ stat line between this season and the last one. His run metres (114 per game) and tackle numbers (527 at 90 per cent), offloads and tackle breaks are all remarkably similar.
But there’s one thing that’s noticeably different: errors. Thomas has replaced his frying pan hands with a pair that actually carry the ball properly, cutting his errors from 18 last year to 9 in 2018.
Now that he’s keeping the ball in hand he’s the top try-scoring prop of the final eight sides, crossing the line five times.
All the fuss will surround his brother Sam and electrifying players like Cody Walker, Rob Jennings and Dane Gagai, but finals are won in the guts and Thomas Burgess is primed to do good things.
Cronulla Sharks: Luke Lewis
It may seem a no brainer to pick a player who has well over 300 games under his belt, two premierships and a Clive Churchill medal, but I’ve got Lewis here because not only is he a proven pressure player, he’ll be in the back of his team mate’s minds when things get tough.
After announcing his retirement at the end of the season you can guarantee the Sharks are playing to send Lewis off with a third premiership to his name.
And the man himself will be putting every ounce of his fibre into reaching the mountain summit one last time.
Sharks captain Paul Gallen celebrates with Luke Lewis after a win. (AAP Image/Dean Lewins)
Penrith Panthers: Tyrone Peachey
Peachey’s work in the halves with James Maloney pretty much held the Panthers’ season together when he covered for Nathan Cleary earlier this year. So effective was Peachey’s work that he was selected for his Origin debut.
His ability to adapt his game to what the team needs is crucial for finals play. Peachey can plug a gap at the back, protect the halves in defence and also break out a pretty effective kicking game here and there.
He’ll be a key figure in how far Penrith goes over the next month.
Brisbane Broncos: Jamayne Isaako
Young players in finals can go one of two ways; freeze like a roo in headlights or take their game to a whole new level.
But this is no ordinary young player. The Broncos winger is the highest scoring rookie in rugby league history with 233 points and goal kicking at 84 per cent.
Isaako is one talent who can push himself and his team to the heights some are tipping them for. The Broncos are going to do it tough to win it all but with youthful energy they might be able to make a run at the title.
This kid is great. Exciting play with strong running, decent defence and most importantly – he makes Wayne Bennett smile.
St George Dragons: Cameron McInnes
An early New South Wales Origin contender, McInnes is having a career-best season for running metres (62.7 per game) and try assists (6) but he’s under the pump to deliver for his stumbling Dragons.
More is expected of the number nine these days in attack and McInnes definitely has the offensive weaponry, but hasn’t produced consistently enough to take some heat off Ben Hunt and Gareth Widdop.
He always gives a massive defensive effort (44 tackles per game at 93%), but he’ll need to cut down the penalties and find ways to inject himself into the attack. While he doesn’t chew up the turf he does have a canny kicking game close to the line, and that’s where a lot of finals football is played.
New Zealand Warriors: Solomone Kata
Confession: I love Warriors centre Solomone Kata. It feels like he’s been in the NRL for decades but he’s only played 86 games.
He’s a great foil for the silk of Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and David Fusitu’a, a player who will hurt the opposition on the scoreboard and in the ribs when he gets a tackle in.
Solomone Kata of the Warriors. (Naparazzi / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0)
We all enjoy watching a bullocking, no-nonsense centre who never saw a tackle he couldn’t bust. If Kata gets the ball anywhere inside the 20 he’s capable of scoring… But he’s also capable of being completely invisible for 80 minutes.
That’s eight possible unexpected finals heroes. Who do you suggest?
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