NRL round four preview: Eels, Raiders search for first win; Warriors out to prove a point
YOUR Easter long weekend will be jammed packed with footy action! We preview every game and what you should be watching out for in from round four.
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YOUR Easter long weekend will be jammed packed with footy action!
We preview every game and what you should be watching out for in from round four.
BULLDOGS vs. RABBITOHS
Moses Mbye’s move to fullback looks to be Dean Pay’s first great success as coach as the quicksilver speedster has made a great transition to the back.
Mbye’s speed on kick returns has been impressive in all three matches but in his most recent performance he managed to combine well with his halves and Canterbury’s attack looked more dangerous than it has all season.
Getting the ball in Mbye’s hands, especially in the attacking 20, should be a priority for Canterbury.
South Sydney won last week by returning to what made them premiership contenders from 2012 to 2014 — dominating the middle.
Sam Burgess had his best game of the season against Manly, as did his twin brothers, and the energy and physicality the entire pack showed through the 80 minutes worked a treat against Manly.
For the run to continue, South Sydney need to continue to develop their attack — especially throughout their spine.
Alex Johnston showed some promising signs last week, and allowing him to link with Dane Gagai and Greg Inglis is something the Rabbitohs should focus on.
SHARKS vs. STORM
After two ill-tempered grand final rematches last season you can bet this one will have plenty of fireworks, but unless Melbourne’s attack completely abandons them it’s hard to see how the Sharks can get the win.
Cronulla broke their duck last week by reverting to the most Cronulla-type play possible — keeping it in the middle, kicking to the corners, not getting too adventurous in attack and backing their forward pack and defence to get the job done.
It’s what their finals runs in 2012, 2013 and 2015 were all built on.
The Sharks are still a tough, hard-nosed outfit, but points are a problem for them again, as they were before James Maloney joined the club.
They need more from Matt Moylan, who struggled in his two matches before missing last week with a knee injury.
Melbourne’s own attack is far from a finished product and it was no surprise to see Billy Slater and Cameron Smith take more dominant roles last week.
Brodie Croft’s career is still developing and Cameron Munster, as effective as he can be at five-eighth, does not come to that role naturally.
The Storm’s forward pack has a more dynamic quality now that Nelson Asofa-Solomona is starting and even if Croft doesn’t totally turn it on they have the middle forwards to match the Sharks and the speed to score more readily and often.
ROOSTERS vs. WARRIORS
Cooper Cronk had his first great game as a Rooster last week and showed why there is such a gulf between him and the general population of halfbacks.
Cronk’s single best skill is his kicking game and he kicked the Knights to death, turning the ball through the air like he’d gotten Cam Bancroft to have a go at it.
The Roosters are still getting all their parts moving together — James Tedesco is still acclimatising to his new surrounds — but with Cronk’s kicking game to fall back on they have a weapon unlike anything they’ve possessed before.
Of course, when it comes to weapons, the Warriors have the kind of arsenal usually seen in Rambo movies.
After three straight wins to open the season, including a jailbreak effort in Canberra, the Warriors are starting to convert the unbelievers.
But it must be said, their three wins have come over teams who don’t rate among many people’s competition heavyweights.
A win over the Roosters, away from home, with the whole NRL watching, will go a long way to convincing those who are rightly sceptical of this bright start.
Given the performance of their forwards, the renewed defensive strength and the form of Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, such a win is not beyond them.
SEA EAGLES vs. RAIDERS
Good luck getting a read on Manly. After three matches I have no more idea about their capabilities than I did before the season as the peaks and valleys of their form are separated by several stratospheres.
When their forwards aim up and Daly Cherry-Evans is firing they look sensational, but their reliance on the $10 million man was showcased in last week’s loss to Souths.
When Cherry-Evans is off, they don’t have the creativity to compensate and that situation will be exacerbated if, as expected, Lachlan Croker is ruled out and Apisai Koroisau is moved to five-eighth.
What else is there to be said about Canberra? Points aren’t a problem, but stopping them is and the problem, the late collapses have reached epidemic levels and the constant shuffling of halves and hooker has to change.
The injury to Josh Hodgson is having the worst impact possible and threatens to derail the entire season. Not much is certain beyond the need for Siliva Havili to play more minutes at hooker and Aidan Sezer to stay away from dummy half, for the sake of his own sanity if nothing else.
Canberra could win this game 40, they could go down in the last second or they could lose by 40. Good luck guessing which way it goes.
DRAGONS vs. KNIGHTS
People are starting to come around on St George Illawarra and their 54-8 thrashing of the Titans was a display of the kind of attacking ferocity they’re capable of.
The depth of the forward pack means the Dragons have the baseline to compete with most teams in the competition and the inclusion of Ben Hunt and Matt Dufty has propelled the team’s spine to a new level.
The creative options, the speed with which their entire spine can attack after the forwards set the platform, the size and power of their outside backs, it all looks like it can be replicated against any team in the competition.
The Dragons are deserved favourites in this one and will be favourites in every game they play until they face the Roosters on ANZAC DAY — going into that match unbeaten should be their aim.
Newcastle were thrown back to earth last week by the Roosters and were reminded that they’re still a developing team with a lot of new players and a heap of brand new parts.
The attack still looks fractured at times, and the combinations — particularly between the likes of Tautau Moga and Nathan Ross — are still getting there.
Their third away game in a row, against a very primed opposition, is a tough one to see them taking.
BRONCOS vs. TITANS
It’s difficult to know what to expect from Brisbane — their form fluctuates so wildly within matches and they’re yet to put in 80 strong minutes all season.
The inability to put the Tigers away, despite copious amounts of possession and numerous half chances, indicates they’re still developing their attack as a team. Anthony Milford has looked more comfortable with his kicking game over the last two weeks, but is yet to have the breakout running performance we know he’s capable of — taking on the Titans, who Brisbane have dominated for many years, at home seems a perfect time for him to start.
Gold Coast were violated by the Dragons last week and were it not for a fortunate bounce against the Raiders they’d be 0-3.
Garth Brennan has made the right call in shifting Ryan James back to the middle — a James, Jai Arrow and Jarrod Wallace triumvirate becomes one of the team’s strong points and will solidify them in both attack and defence.
However, the James Roberts matchup on Dale Copley and Kane Elgey is a disaster waiting to happen — the former Titan could easily cut his former club to pieces again.
TIGERS vs. EELS
Don’t crawl down in the gutter with the Tigers, cause if you do they’ll bite your nose off and only a dodgy refereeing call can save you.
Winning games scoring one try week isn’t sustainable, but the Tigers have played three very strong defensive sides without ¾ of their first choice spine. Things will open up for them eventually and a dry track at ANZ Stadium could work wonders for their offloading style.
It will be interesting to see if Tui Lolohea is included in the team if fit — he played well enough to hold his spot in Round 1 before missing the next two matches. Corey Thompson is undroppable and David Nofalouma has been strong.
It’s a good problem for Ivan Cleary to have, but given the attacking struggles the club has had, Lolohea seems to be a vital inclusion.
Parramatta’s attack looks totally broken. They are a team who relied tremendously on their two halves to create chances last year, and with Mitchell Moses and Corey Norman struggling any spark they had has gone totally out the window.
Since the brilliant opening 30 minutes against Penrith, the Eels have put up four points in 200 minutes of play. They’ve done their best to shake things up with a backline reshuffle this week, but if their creative players don’t fire it’s hard to see anything changing.
Originally published as NRL round four preview: Eels, Raiders search for first win; Warriors out to prove a point
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