Siosifa Talakai is a weapon, but how on earth do you stop him?

Spare a thought for Morgan Harper this week, with the 23-year-old Kiwi dropped for the Sea Eagles’ clash with Souths this Friday night.

Des Hasler made the call on Harper after he was tormented by Cronulla’s Siosifa Talakai last Thursday and it could well be the potential mental scarring of the ordeal that most drove the coach’s decision.

Harper had not been in good form leading into the match, yet as part of an injury-affected squad that had somehow managed four straight wins prior, he would have been hoping for an improved game against one of the most talked about players in the NRL.

Instead, Talakai took Harper by the scruff of his neck, bent him over his knee and humiliated him with the most embarrassing of spankings in the Sharks’ 34-22 win.

Many are waxing lyrical about the 25-year-old Sydney-born enforcer, citing his seven tackle breaks, two line break assists, three line breaks and 202 running metres, and those numbers do add to the general pattern we have seen thus far in 2022.

However, as Talakai continues to forge a reputation as the most difficult centre in the competition to grass, the more pertinent question for opposition coaches and the next men to stand opposite him in the defensive line is just what on earth they can do to limit his impact.

Talakai has a rare gift.

In the game of rugby league, halfbacks are often tough to get a hand on; whippets who frustrate bigger men with their ability to avoid being lined up and belted despite opposition’s best intentions to do so. Contrastingly, big men can often be cumbersome, slow of foot and limited in their skillsets.

As in many sports, agility and speed is usually embedded in the smaller players, with power and brawn more aligned with the bigger units, whose success or failure is often measured by their impact in the collision side of the contest.

Every now and then, a very rare individual comes along who can operate in both spheres. Talakai is such an individual and presents the most interesting of challenges for coaches. Big and powerful enough to crash through tackles, he also possesses a subtlety in footwork at the line that is the envy of many.

Throw in the excellent hand-eye coordination that allows Talakai to off-load skilfully when required and it is easy to see why no player in the NRL has more tackles breaks or line break assists than him after seven rounds of play.
Stopping the man producing an average of 167 run metres per game is simply impossible – blunting his influence must be the goal.

(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Defensive help is key against players as powerful and elusive as Talakai. Much like Greg Inglis in his prime, there is little mere mortals can do to stop him. However, by perhaps forcing Talakai onto the outside shoulder and showing him the sideline wherever possible, a sliding defence may well arrive in time to combat him in numbers.

Allowing the big man to step off either foot at the line is simply football suicide and whilst always an imperfect science, denying Talakai the inside shoulder as often as possible could at least bring a greater level of predictability to his attacking options.

Kicking down the wing of the Sharks attacking left side could also force Talakai to retreat briskly to support his winger and cart the ball forward in the least threatening of field position. Making him work as hard as possible whilst deep in the defensive zone and facing a set defence could nullify some of his impact.

Moreover, with coaches demanding a less expansive game inside their own 30, the threat of a Talakai offload is lessened in such circumstances and a compact defensive line could throw greater numbers his way.

Of course, as the Sharks’ pack rolls forward and Talakai takes possession in more dangerous parts of the field, the hope would be that some gas will have been extracted by the work he has done at his own end.

In addition, making Talakai accountable defensively is also key and coaches could do far worse that attempting to ensure he is forced to make more than his current average of 11.5 tackles per game.

With 81 tackles made thus far in 2022 and 13 efforts registered as missed tackles, there is a potential weakness to be exploited in the Talakai game. The benefits of intentionally running traffic in his direction are two-fold, with a miss possible and the extra efforts adding to his work load and subsequent fatigue.

All of the above is far from a foolproof plan and should the Sharks be on top and enjoying dominant field position and plenty of ball, good luck trying to stop Siosifa Talakai.

Tackle bags at dawn will not get it done, nor will sheer guts and bravery in defence. The Cronulla centre is simply far too big and good to be stopped by determination alone.

The coaching solution will have to be far more measured and scientific.