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Opinion
With the 2023 NRL season just around the corner, it’s easy to fall victim to narratives and opinions that are not necessarily true. Here I will make some hot takes that go against the grain of public discourse. These are not fabricated thoughts just to get clicks but my genuine views that are different to the majority of fans.
The notion that Nathan Cleary is on his way to become the greatest halfback cannot be further from the truth. Do not get me wrong, he is a very good player, but vastly overhyped. He lacks the game-breaking ability of Andrew Johns or Johnathan Thurston and has not dominated a finals series or State of Origin series like the latter.
He is 0-2 in Origin deciders against inferior opposition. In 2020 it was a Maroons team touted the worst ever and in 2022 without their best player in Cam Munster.
For Australia in the World Cup he was a non-factor despite the Kangaroos winning the World Cup. Some may look at Penrith’s success, and yes, he has played a key role in that, but he’s fortunate to be in a team and more so a system that suffocates and strangles opposition. In fairness, they do benefit from his kicking game which helps leave opposition camped inside their own half.
Furthermore, Sean O’Sullivan, a career journeyman who’s been a reserve grade player for most his career, filled that role really well and there was not a huge drop-off in production from the halfback role.
When he was missing for the Panthers in 2022 they went 8-1 – in fact there is only a 1.5 points per game difference more when he plays (which is essentially one less conversion per game) to when is not there which strengthens my argument that a lot of his success is the team and structures around him.
Nathan Cleary. (Photo by Matt Blyth/Getty Images)
He plays his part to a high level, but Daly Cherry-Evans, Mitchell Moses, or Adam Reynolds could play this same role and Panthers would still be back-to-back premiers. I am not denying he is one of the best halfbacks in the NRL, but the narrative he is heads and shoulders above any other halfback is antithetical to the facts. He has not showed up in many rep games which further highlights my point that he is more of a product of the Penrith system.
Until he dominates an Origin series, turns up when playing for Australia, or even for Penrith he does not stand out as much of an all-time grea. He will never be close to Johnathan Thurston or Andrew Johns, he’s levels below and is not even close to Cooper Cronk when comparing great No.7s in the last 20 years.
You hear almost ad nauseam how the technology, in particular the Bunker, has ruined NRL and needs to be scaled back, but I say the contrary. The common reason for opposition to the use of technology is that at the end of the day humans are still making decisions and humans are flawed, therefore there will be mistakes, which is true.
I contend that there will always be errors made by officials and technology reduces the likelihood of that happening. I propose a heat map system used similar in cricket to determine whether a ball has been hit. This can be used to see whether a ball has been touched in mid-air contests where we do not have a clue on who touched the ball and spend time going over replays and zooming in on pixelated footage and still do not have a definitive answer.
I’d also like to see some version of Hawk-Eye where every pass is analysed and if it detects a forward pass the referee will be notified. This will deliver quick and accurate decisions and take it out of the touch judge or referee’s hands as those type of calls are probably the most difficult for an official to make on the spot.
The amount of forward passes that go uncalled in a game, especially from dummy-half, illustrates how officials are behind the eight-ball where it comes to this aspect of the game.
The Eels, who made the Grand Final in 2022, lost a key player in their spine in Reed Mahoney who is 24 and at one stage looked like having a long career at Parramatta, until he decided to join the Bulldogs in 2023. Many have this player departure as a reason why Eels will go backwards this year, however, I beg to differ.
Let’s get the elephant out of the room: yes, Josh Hodgson has had two years ended with season-ending injuries and if he is hurt he is no use, but if he can stay healthy he will give Parramatta an element of attack they have not had. Mahoney was a solid defender, really good kicking game and excellent long, crisp passing off the ground that seem to always hit the mark.
Hodgson brings the ability to engage A and B defender, craftiness and knack of targeting tired forwards which will elevate the Eels’ attack to another level. He is an additional threat – that in turn keeps the middle defenders more honest, which creates even more space for their halves pairing Brown and Moses.
It is no secret if you can stop the Eels’ offloads you are going a long way to beat them, as they lack a plan B.
Hodgson provides his new team with another trump card. Some may say he is too old – yes, he does not have many years ahead of him but Cameron Smith and Michael Ennis were two hookers in their mid-30s who played key roles in their premiership-winning teams as the hooker position does not require speed, athleticism and power which generally dwindle over time.
Roosters, New South Wales and Australia captain James Tedesco has been easily one of the best fullbacks in the last 20 years but in 2023 it’s quite clear that Joseph Manu is the better fullback. His performances when he has been moved there are extraordinary. From racking up four man of the match awards from six games at fullback, to breaking the record for most metres in a game with 398.
(Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
Tedesco (aged 30) is just not the running threat that Manu (26) is. Teddy is still an excellent player but has fallen off from his best in 2015-2019, and it’s Manu’s time to dominate like he can. It is a travesty someone as talented as the Kiwi is stuck in the centres as he needs to be closer to the ball.
Who knows, in a year’s time Tedesco may be the third-best fullback in Bondi if Joseph Sua’ali’i continues his upward trajectory and given a chance if injuries occur.
I know anyone trying to alter the fabric of one of the greatest sporting contests in Australia will be a controversial topic, but today like most aspects we must adapt to the times. Rugby league is too brutal of sport to play a game where there is nothing to play for, let alone a State of Origin match which is a rugby league game on steroids in terms of intensity and physicality.
Clubs are risking injury and suspension for meaningless games where there is literally nothing to play for. The series has been decided – who cares how much you win by? Although each player loves their respective states, their preferences and priority should always be their employer who is paying them hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars, and to potentially lose a valuable asset in a game where nothing is up for grabs is plain ludicrous.
Well, there are my hot takes. Of course most won’t agree, so feel free to voice how wrong I am.
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