This may seem weird to say given the Penrith Panthers have won six on the trot without him, but Apisai Koroisau is still the Panthers’ most important player.
Last night’s victory over the Newcastle Knights may have looked dominating on the scoreboard, but the contest itself was a lot closer than that score suggested.
While the game was played at a high tempo, and it’d be fair to say the Panthers could have won by more if they didn’t bomb a number of scoring opportunities, they didn’t roll over the plucky Newcastle side with ease.
And sure, it might seem somewhat redundant to anoint a ‘most important player’ in a team where all 17 members play their role each and every week, but the last fortnight has shown Penrith are a different beast with Koroisau on the park.
Mitchell Kenny does a fine job filling in, but there is just something missing in terms of the pace at which service is delivered and the crispness of where the balls are being thrown. That, in turn, impacts exactly how easily the Panthers’ attack is able to flow.
It takes a keen eye to realise it, but the Panthers have been a step slow the last fortnight. It’s hard to say it happened before that, but with a couple of forward packs in the Broncos and now Knights who have aimed up and tried to stick with them through the middle third, it’s been noticeable that Penrith just haven’t been on quite the same level, and the absence of Koroisau is why.
I’ll stop short of saying the men from the foot of the mountains need Koroisau back as a matter of urgency, because clearly they are still winning matches, but to win the premiership, they do need their hooker, who has quietly gone about his business to become one of the best in the game.
Always underrated, Koroisau’s impact on the Panthers was noticeable right throughout the 2020 season as he managed to provide a calming influence on Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai in the halves while setting up the forward pack to roll right over the opposition week in and week out.
The rule changes only made it easier for someone of Koroisau’s talent too, the quicker game suiting his running and darting style down to the ground.
Apart from the smooth service and danger running the footy, Koroisau also provided a solid third kicking option and a mountain of experience, which Penrith don’t have a heap of.
Again, they haven’t yet needed it this year, only coming close to being beaten by the Storm, although they were behind heading into halftime against Brisbane last week, but they will need it later in the season as this side looks to build on the heartbreak of their grand final appearance of last year.
(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
While they don’t lose much defensively by playing Kenny in the hooking position, Koroisau averages among the most metres of any hooker in the competition (56 last year), but is also involved in more tries than you can poke a stick at through his passing, even if he isn’t often credited with the assist.
The other, and maybe most telling factor of Penrith’s need for Koroisau to be playing in all their big games and moments is the output of their forwards over the last fortnight.
Again, when a pack muscles up against them, it’s someone like Koroisau with his quick, direct and crisp service out of dummy half which can get the momentum of a game flipped. The role of the hooker in the modern game is critical, and the Panthers’ first-choice has it down to a fine art.
What we saw in last night’s game was the Panthers at times being caught flat-footed or over-running passes due to the split-second extra it was taking to receive the ball – and that’s all it is – a split second. But it’s noticeable when it happens over and over again.
Again, it’s not that Kenny played poorly – far from it. It’s just that Koroisau provides that something extra that, at the end of the day, will be the difference between Ivan Cleary’s side being a premiership contender or not.
The Panthers have so many talented players, many of them youthful. Whether it’s Brian To’o’s eye-watering 337 metres, or James Fisher-Harris stepping up time and time again to lead their pack or the ridiculous improvement of Jarome Luai over the last 12 months, the stories are everywhere at the foot of the mountains.
(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
The stories suggesting this is a team destined for glory in October under their coach who has worked this team into what he wants it to be.
But that glory in October needs their first-choice dummy half on the park. Without him, beating the best of the best in the biggest moments of them all may prove one bridge too far for a Penrith team who at the moment, don’t know how to lose.
Chris Love
Roar Guru
Papali’i says hello.
Jason Good
Roar Rookie
Check reserve grade....the depth is huge. OK, some are juniors that have not tasted first grade yet....but I think folks will be surprised. Kurt Wells being the example. Burton is a huge loss for us next year as he's a brilliant half.....guess what....lol.
Pomoz
Roar Rookie
Throw Yeo into the mix! Yeo is the best backrower in the NRL at the moment. He should be one of the first on the list. Against the Knights, 108m, 42 tackles (0 missed, 1 ineffective!), 20 passes. He delivers that level of performance every week.
One Man Banned
Roar Rookie
"He even fudged his numbers" Are you accusing me of fudging my facts jimmmy? To quote the famous philosopher Homer; "Fudge! Hmmmmm!" - Homer Simson :laughing: Cosmological constants, expanding universe... oh, you have NO idea how much I can talk about that subject jimmmy. We can talk about the horizon problem with the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), the remnant of electromagnetic radiation from the beginning of the universe, the echo of the Big Bang, another time. Along with brane multiverse theory and how the Big Bang and cosmic inflation violates the laws of thermodynamics and the general theory of relativity. But in the meantime... I'm no Einstein but I am right about this. :stoked:
The Barry
Roar Guru
I picked last nights powerball numbers...
One Man Banned
Roar Rookie
Or I pop the champagne to celebrate premiership number 22 for the Bunnies, Flexis! :stoked:
One Man Banned
Roar Rookie
jimmmy! :shocked: Too bad I missed jimmmy unleashed! :laughing:
kk
Roar Pro
Circus 88. Brailey Bros. Koroisau & Cook.
DP Schaefer
Roar Rookie
Thanks NOT for advertising my tipping woes... But for a couple of refs and some dodgy calls and weed affected tips, I'd be in the double digits. Only 10 behind, I'll come back!! Anyway, it's ALL your rabbits fault. After the preseason trials (we won't mention) I tipped them to start strong and break the Storm hoodoo. Been chasing my losses ever since.
Albo
Roar Rookie
He meant Macca ! :silly:
jimmmy
Roar Rookie
You know Einstein thought the Universe was static even though his theory of relativity predicted the Universe must either be expanding or contracting. He even fudged his numbers with a cosmological constant to make the universe stay the same. Later when Astronomy presented figures that proved the Uiniverse was expanding Einstein admitted he was wrong. Get back to me after Origin.
Flexis
Roar Rookie
You’ve got spirit. I’ll give you till the end of the season until that breaks ;)
jimmmy
Roar Rookie
kk
Roar Pro
Understood Tom, he was scary. That case has yet to be resolved.
One Man Banned
Roar Rookie
Jordan Cookie will still be faster in his late 30's than most players currently in their 20's. Besides, Cook is a different style of hooker than Harry Grant. Cook is 1st for dummy half runs, effectively in the top 10 for linebreaks (along with Tedesco, RTS, Dufty etc) and effectively 6th for total tackles. Let me know when Harry Grants tops Damien Cook for stats.
Big Daddy
Roar Rookie
It was not so long ago one the Brailey s was being touted as future NSW 9. Lot of good 9 s around at the moment same as a lot of good full backs .
andrew
Roar Rookie
I'll grant you that one Jimmmy.
One Man Banned
Roar Rookie
"Took you two hours to bite on that.. musta been sleeping" I was in shock DPS. Little jimmmy Olsen never said I was wrong before. It hit me like kryptonite for a second. That and the fact that even in QLD you have to work from time to time if you won't get paid. And Freddie warned me not to blow my cover! :stoked:
One Man Banned
Roar Rookie
"Send me the winners of the next round then willya? My tipping needs help." Struth! 258 DPS? Have you been picking winners with darts at the end of "Happy Hour" again? :laughing: I thought "WE" were doing bad on 98! Although I dont know who Foxhat is so I will have to shake them loose this week. You'd be better off asking souvalis the Mediterranean fish shop owner at Cronulla beach for tips. He's leading the ROAR pack on 11th with 36 and an 81 point differential. That's 4 correct tips and 18 points differential ahead of me. My tip for this week in the ANZAC Day game, tip with your head and not your heart. :stoked:
One Man Banned
Roar Rookie
"2nd ladder – Lost to Storm last game" Has "Happy Hour" started early at your local Flexis? The Rabbitohs last game was a dramatic and glorious golden point victory over the Tigers. Big Tom Burgess finally redeemed every dropped ball of his career with that fingertip put down in extra time. Lucky for Souths Tom didn't cut his fingernails before the game. You can hardly single Cookie out for blame for state or national rep losses given he plays in a team sport. What was Harry Grant's win/loss record with the Tigers in 2020 when they finished 11th with 7 wins and 13 losses? Does that reflect on Harry given that he played in 15 of the Tigers 20 games? Time to consider Plan B Flexis. Happy Hour isn't meant to start until after 5pm and from the sounds of it you are in no condition to drive home. :laughing: Btw, did I not mention I am the president of the Harry Grant fan club?