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Opinion
Some startling upsets, a few close games and biblical rain has brought about an enthralling weekend of footy. Here are my NRL talking points for Round 2.
Broncos take a trip to 2020 with woeful defence
The opening 40 minutes of the season suggested the Broncos might have turned a corner to start the 2021 season.
But ever since then they have looked more like the team who rolled out in 2020 than the ones who are going to be challenging for the finals.
The second half against the Eels was bad, but it had nothing on the capitulation against the Titans, as they conceded three tries in just six minutes during the lead-up to halftime.
The opening try of the match – in the 19th minute to Jarrod Wallace – was unbelievably soft, but the next three indicated the middle third of Brisbane wanted to be anywhere else but on the footy field.
As it was in 2020, there was no commitment, no willingness to do the hard yards and make tackles, and as a result the scoreboard ballooned 6-4 to 22-4 in eight minutes.
Credit has to go the way of the Titans, but the Broncos saw far too much of this last year, where a little patch would cost them the game and all momentum.
One week it’s a full half, the next it’s less than ten minutes, but the results are all the same.
Brisbane will play the Bulldogs next week, but if they fail to win that one, a run of Melbourne (away), Rabbitohs (away), Panthers (home) and Eels (away) could easily leave than at zero and seven, staring down the barrel of a second wooden spoon on the trot.
(Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
Manly’s spine needs improvements
There is a pretty solid argument to be made right now that the Sea Eagles have the worst spine in the comp.
And, yes, it was raining sideways at Lottoland, so it’s difficult to know what to make of their loss to the Rabbitohs, but it’s not a one-off occurrence of their spine looking average.
That will obviously pick up a little once Tom Trbojevic returns from injury, but it’s doubtful even he can turn the sinking Sea Eagles ship around in their current predicament.
Addin Fonua-Blake has proven irreplaceable, and while they got away without a recognised No. 9 for much of last year, the ongoing issues are now hurting big time.
Their loss to South Sydney on Saturday was gritty but lacked any real attacking intent, and the service to forwards was mediocre at best, their overall run metres being 100 behind South Sydney despite having just over half of the possession.
The issues weren’t quite as pronounced as they were in Round 1, but then the Rabbitohs aren’t quite the Roosters either.
Unless Manly can find a way to round out their squad with a hooker, get Tom Trbojevic back and have Daly Cherry-Evans back at his best form, it’s going to be a long season for the men from the northern beaches.
No Koroisau against Melbourne? Let’s rate Penrith next week
The last time Penrith conceded a point in regular-season games was the 69th minute of their Round 19 clash against the Cowboys last year.
That means they have now gone 251 minutes of regular season footy holding teams to nil.
It’s a phenomenal record, and they have become the first team in Australian first-grade history to hold their opposition to nil in both Rounds 1 and 2.
But – and it’s a big but – the real test is about to come for the Panthers. Playing the Cowboys and Bulldogs is not exactly the yardstick by which you measure form.
But playing Melbourne, who will be coming off a loss, and doing it without potentially their most important player in Apisai Koroisau (broken hand) will show us exactly where the men from the foot of the mountains are at.
If they manage to stay competitive next week, then confirmation that they are at last year’s levels will be achieved, but let’s hold the horses on going crazy about Ivan Cleary’s side until then.
(Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)
The Cowboys attack needs an overhaul
Maybe one of the biggest shocks of the weekend was the Dragons leaving Townsville with two competition points.
While the Cowboys didn’t make a great start to the season either and came into Saturday night’s game without Jason Taumalolo, it was still something of a surprise to see them crumble the way they did.
It was a sloppy game from both teams, and for a large portion of the second half it seemed as if both teams were actively encouraging the other to win the game.
However, with 15 minutes to go and seven points behind, the Cowboys spent four sets in a row on the attack and dominated possession and opportunities during the closing stages of the game.
Credit must be awarded to the Dragons defence in humid and challenging conditions, but North Queensland threw absolutely nothing at them and, for the most part, made the job of defending a lead incredibly easy for the red and white.
Instead of getting Scott Drinkwater and Michael Morgan involved regularly, Todd Payten’s men looked like a throwback to the Bulldogs in the James Graham and Aiden Tolman era as they spent five tackles carting it up followed by a kick.
It was an embarrassingly poor effort with the footy in hand, with nil imagination or creativity in attempting to breach the Dragons defence, and they ended up paying for it, going down by seven points.
Given they didn’t score a single point in Round 1 either, it’s now at a critical juncture for the Cowboys where changes must be made not just to personnel but to the way they are playing if they hope to make anything of the 2021 season.
(Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)
Captain’s challenge proves its worth
It was an intense game to finish the round at Kogarah between Cronulla and Canberra, with the green machine running out eventual two-point winners.
Despite a late miss at penalty goal from Chad Townsend followed by Matt Moylan taking a wild attempt at a field goal from 65 metres out after the siren, none of that would have even be allowed to happen without a successful captain’s challenge a play earlier as Josh Dugan was tackled off the ball.
While the captain’s challenge has its fair share of doubters – and with good reason – it’s a moment like this that it proves its status in the game.
Had Townsend nailed the penalty goal from the sideline, the game would have gone to golden point, but at least he had the shot to do it after illegal foul play. The refereeing team had originally missed the indiscretion, and the game was set to conclude with the ball in the hands of the Raiders.
Sure, there are examples of the captain’s challenge not working, but this one example alone, which could have saved the NRL from some very ugly fallout at the hands of Morris and his Sharks, should prove to all fans once and for all that it is needed in the game even if some tweaks follow in the coming weeks or years.
(Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)
James Tedesco is somehow getting better
When you’re the best player in the world, improvement shouldn’t really be in the question.
But the way James Tedesco has started 2021, it’s almost as if he still has a point to prove regarding his status in the game. And maybe, given the rise of Ryan Papenhuyzen, he does.
But there is no doubt ‘Teddy’ is still the best fullback and best player in the game.
The Roosters fullback, not content with a hat-trick, 140 metres and eight tackle busts last week, rolled out at Campbelltown to get the opening try and another one on the other side of halftime to go 191 metres, and he was involved in the lead-up to plenty of points for the Tricolours.
Consistency has defined Tedesco over the last couple of years, and while there is an argument to be made he wasn’t as good in 2020, he was still better than all of those playing around him.
His attack is one thing – the pace, agility and vision to create both for himself and others – but he also organises the Roosters defence like a well-oiled machine from the back.
Watching him play live, you get a sense that, as a fan at least, we haven’t had since Billy Slater was in his prime. Organisation from fullback is one of the most important factors to a team defending strongly, and it’s little wonder Tedesco and the Roosters have had one of the best records consistently over the past couple of years.
That has been on display during the first two rounds, with the Sea Eagles and Tigers managing only a try apiece. While the men from the Eastern Suburbs are in a similar boat to Penrith in that the sides they have played aren’t the yardsticks by which to measure your season, the Roosters have been crowing for years, and that isn’t going to change while Tedesco is in the form he has displayed over the first two rounds.
(Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
Reed Mahoney is realising his potential
Parramatta hooker Reed Mahoney is another player who is taking his game to another level early in the new season.
Ever since he burst onto the first-grade scene he has been defensively rock solid, but his attack has gone to another level to start the new season.
The control and grittiness Parramatta displayed in hanging with the Storm on a wet night to kick off Round 2 shows just how far the blue and gold have come, but a lot of that wouldn’t have been possible without the control and decision-making on display from their No. 9.
While he topped the tackle count with 59 in the match, he also ran the ball a handful of times, had a try assist and was generally dangerous in creating for Parramatta. The performance only followed up a try and another topping of the tackle count in the opening round.
Mahoney becoming a multi-dimensional player at both ends of the park will only help the Eels along as they attempt to take the next step, while the hooker himself could well put his hand up for a potential spot in the Maroons squad come Origin time with continued impressive performances.
Tyson Frizell needed a change of scenery
While Frizell has been a permanent fixture in the New South Wales side in recent times, his spot has certainly come under the microscope.
Capable of being one of the best second-rowers in the game, Frizell’s consistency let him down in a big way during his final seasons at the Dragons, leaving fans frustrated at the level he was able to churn out against what often was actually being played.
However, a move north to Newcastle for a fresh start seems to have given the Blues second-rower the change he needed.
He has been more involved in the last two games than he was in the last two seasons, running for 180 metres against the Bulldogs before following it up on Friday with 129 against the Warriors.
It’s not just the numbers though, with Frizell busy and involved right throughout both games, always looking to create an opportunity and doing his job solidly in defence.
This isn’t to say Frizell was poor at the Dragons – he just wasn’t hitting his potential.
It’s only a small sample size, but the early indications are positive for his time in Newcastle.
Roarers, what did you make of Round 2? Drop a comment below and let us know.