The causal factor of Moses Suli’s head knock when tackling Jared Waerea-Hargreaves was his team mate, Jaydn Su’A. Su’A comes in hard from the right in order to jam JWH and get his shoulder into the ribs. However, in the confined space, he also makes contact with Suli. This drove Suli to the left, changed his point of contact with JWH and put his head in a dangerous position.

None of this changes the point you are making but it does lead us to consider the full details. In this instance, there are three defenders all moving to hit JWH. This is four big bodies, all upright and all in the same small space. One of those bodies was travelling at speed. The combination of space, speed of movement and therefor reduced reaction time, more factors outside the individual player’s control and less opportunity for recovery elevates risk.

While the scenario this time is the kick off, the requirement is to reduce the number of bodies all moving into the same space, in the same alignment at the same time.

It’s worse than that, he slowed down. He either thought he was free and clear or he reacted to seeing Gordon in cover. There are only two acceptable responses for a player in that position – use the burners and go for the corner or set back in field for support. Unfortunately Pietsch got caught between the two and made a mess of it.

This is a great move for both Swinton and Bordeaux, from which RA may still benefit.

The line between brutal hit and red card is perishingly small at elite level. The move to a new environment, where power players are prized and technical coaching superior, may be what Swinton needs to achieve the balance between discipline and aggression. If he can achieve this, he will become the type of player always needed in international packs.

I’m surprised by how many under value his skills and dismiss him as a thug. Yes, he has got it wrong but the talent he brings is unique and he offers a physicality and intimidation no other Australian offers. This type of player, over-gifted in one distinct skillset, will always have deficiencies in other areas. However, when this type of player gets that one talent right they monster opponents. Those asking why he played 7 tests miss the point: he was picked solely as the only Australian eligible player with the potential to intimidate opposing packs.

I hope some time in France gives him the couple of extra percentage points he needs to realise his potential.

The Sharkies have both the most beautiful acting structures in the NRL and the most seamless transitions between tackles but a structure that has already hit its ceiling. Watching the Sharkies transition from attacking one corner, with the two 6.5’s wrapping, then immediately switch corners to a waiting pod of three runners, then rinse and repeat, is a thing of wonder. The pace of transition and bodies in motion on changing lines will overcome weak or poorly structured defences every time. For solid defences with an alert caller in the backline, it’s just another options play. It also brings a bogey in that the rate of energy expended in attack by necessity reduces the energy for defence – which in part explains Fitzgibbon’s bench utilisation.
The weakness in the system is that it hinges on creative play being generated solely from the halves. Without a third creative option the defensive read simplifies to tracking Hynes and Trindall. The structure makes this easy for a good defence, as they are usually found together. One of the pet plays was Hynes running a straight line off a short ball from 9 following play executed by Moylan / Trindall – this worked far more often that it should as the defence over-read the expectation that Hynes was resetting as the next playmaking option. It’s been successful enough that defences will track this as a set play unless deception can be masked.
Fonua Blake will fix a number of problems, at the forefront providing a tackle breaking run option on the inside during sweeps, which will also act to pin the defensive slide. The most effective inside run option from the current roster is McInnes, who relies on speed for effect. Again an effective option for weaker attacks but not a threat for the better teams.
The type of player Fitzgibbon urgently needs is a third playmaking option. Joey Manu types are in short supply, so most teams generate this from 9, 1 or occasionally 13. Neither Brailey nor Kennedy are this type of player while Finucane and McInnes give something very different. Short of a wunderkind materialising in the junior grades, the tough question Fitzgibbon needs to ask is which otherwise strong contributor in the pack he needs to move on so he can bring in a third playmaking threat.

Articles such as this don’t explore the deeper reasons for success within League.
Almost all the elite key position players in NRL are coming from teams with a comprehensive game play structure that is understood to an intimate level by the entire team. The best of these teams, and there are only a few, have embedded this play style throughout their pathways and junior teams – which is why the elite teams seem to keep finding the ‘the next man up’. Look no further than Jack Cogger, reserve half for the Panthers last night. Cogger was a discard from teams such as the Bulldogs but was an important contributor throughout Penrith’s season. Luke Garner came from Wests Tigers.
The value of a superstar is lost if the team are unable to provide the support lines, react to the overcalls and planned moves and provide a base or structure for the playmaker to pivot. At the moment, the Wallabies play with no cohesion and little effective synergy between positions. This demonstrates a team who do not have a clear understanding of individual roles on the field and do not understand how, outside of effort, they are required to contribute to developing play.
When Wallaby coaching units are able to define the playstyle and structure for the team, then articulate it such that it is clearly understood by every player in the system, including those outside the gameday squad, then is the time to talk about purchasing superstars.

I agree Odi. In very short period, we’ve gone from Kerevi being one of the few world class players in the Wallaby team to him being discarded from the match day squad. I do not believe this is due to his injury.
The best of Kerevi came playing outside Cooper and then Foley. There is no subtlety to power players like Kerevi, the defence always knows what is coming. The subtlety is provided at 10 by selecting when and how to unleash the beast. Foketi may prove an effective choice at 12 as his skillset is closer to a second five-eight, taking some of the playmaking load off the inexperienced 10s. If it does work, it’s more good luck than good management.

Too much time is spent distracted by what Eddie Jones says rather than watching what he is doing.

Jones is a master entertainer and creator of headlines, with the easiest path to headlines being constant contradiction. State the opposite today than what was said yesterday, attack the media when the norm is respectful and passive, make bold claims and then deny the claim was made. The column inches write themselves, the media are kept happy by easily filed stories, the fans are kept captivated by their outrage and Jones achieves satisfaction from the spectacle.

Meanwhile, the real story plays out unnoticed.

The strategy that Jones is using is similar to that employed with Japan. His logic was based on analysis that victory is built on a minimum number of total caps across the entire squad. He accepted short term mediocrity to give his players the games needed to gain this experience. Selections prioritised those players that had the potential, after many games, to compete at an international standard. When an ideal candidate was not available, he went with those believed coachable or with an exploitable strength or characteristic. The remaining gaps were filled by the best of the existing playing group.

The strategy worked with Japan through a single breakout victory against a top tier team. This provided a foundation for subsequent coaches to continue the development. Jones’ successors with Japan are more adept at building long-term cohesion and a distinct playstyle. Ironically, hallmarks closer to a Dave Rennie.

The real question is whether the Jones strategy can work for Australia. The Australian aspiration is to return to frequent victory against top tier teams, a different outcome to what was sought by Japan.

There was a lot of footage yesterday of Benji in the box doing all the talking while Sheens looked on, Megeng. This will be part of Sheen’s mentoring of Benji: more and more responsibility will be handed over to Benji to get him ready for 2025, but it’s all happening to Sheen’s game plan and under his supervision.

I’m not sure what to expect in that game Albo. By rights, Canberra are the type of team that the Dragons system is built to beat. Canberra are coming off a guts effort but it’s hard to maintain that type of emotion-based game. I suspect an ugly, grinding game. Best hope for the fans is a high effort close game, hard to see it being a spectacle.

Hey Mike

Firstly, world class compensate on the Cowboys, great stuff. However, fully agree with the sentiment and I was worried that with so many breakout players last year there was a risk of a team-wide second year blues.

Secondly, the Knights and Titans are both in the 8. I doubt any of us believe they deserve to be but let’s see how long the run lasts.

Two teams to watch closely are the Roosters and Eels. Brad Arthur’s coaching record has been seen the Eels at both ends of the table, Moses alone won’t be enough to win against at least 10 of the teams on this table and their structure just isn’t gelling. Roosters are being beaten badly through the middle and look shallow in the forwards, they really need Crichton and Lodge back. On what we’ve seen so far, both teams look like missing the 8.

Lastly, the one strength of the Dragons system is to reliably beat weak teams. Losing to the Titans questions whether even that is feasible and the team is looking like 2021 when they struggled to sustain intensity week to week. Canberra will be on the bounce next week, coming off the emotional high of beating the Broncos: a good test of whether Hook’s system can still hit its modest aims.

Stephen Crichton seems to be playing with more power this year, he makes holes when he runs at gaps and he is straightening the attack when Cleary starts the right sweep.

Still early days for Benji Forty but not many of the elite players transitional well to coaching. For the Tigers sake, I hope he becomes one of the few.

Cheers Rob, that’s very generous of you.

Good points Panthers. I thought Klemmer was effective for the Knights last year but there was some weird goings on. The ‘incident’ with the trainer was definitely manufactured by club heirarchy yet he managed to pick up the player’s player.

Newcastle certainly did well out of the trade getting Hastings, they needed a dominant half mroe than a prop.

Thanks Dutski. I hadn’t considered the old school perspective, was bogged down in the mechanics and numbers, but now you mention it yes it really does sound that way.

Thanks Outsider. Kick return is an area I don’t think they can fix in the short term, but they might be able to tweak it to better support the attacking set.

Jimmmy I feel for the fans, they deserve more and this team should be capable of producing more.

There’s a good point in there Contego.
Titans are down 3 of their first choice spine players between Verrills, Brimson and Foran. This certainly gives potential upside for the Titans.
Meanwhile, Dragons are essentially full strength. So this was peak Dragon, any further improvement is through individual execution they can’t expect a boost from players returning from injury.

Good points all Blings – what I’m researching atm is the stats for the Tigers pack. Initial numbers show they perform better than we may think and are compensating for weaknesses in other aspects of the Tigers structure. Klemmer’s personal stats are still very good and he was the best of the Newcastle forwards last year, which includes two Saifitis, he just doesn’t intimidate anymore which used to be his strength.

For Papali’i, I think Brad Arthurs knows his system relies on a type of edge forward rather than a particular name, so he was happy to save money and sign a cheaper replacement.

Absolutely agreed Robbo, it’s like a modern day form of superstition. If I was less kind, I’d describe it as smoke and mirrors BS used to fill marketing lines.

Where I do think there is credit is that some teams have structures that are more effective against others. We saw that last year with Parramatta knocking over Penrith twice in the 2022 regular season and earlier this year. However, we also saw that this can be corrected through adjusting the game plan, as Penrith showed in last year’s Grand Final.

Lol – cheers Choppy. Hopefully Part 2 hits the same mark.

Rumour has it that Billy Slater was asking how Josh McGuire’s been playing. Reliable sources…

Tom Burgess dishes out that type of punishment…

Mitch Pearce flying in from France ala Alfie Langer to save the day would be magnificent for the Channel 9 promo commercials.

I doubt it Tim. Most of Fittler’s success has come with Mitchell and Turbo the 3-4 combo.