Monday Bunker: Burning question for NRL finals teams
AHEAD of the opening round of the 2018 NRL finals, our rugby league writers run the rule over the sides still standing — check out the burning question for every top eight team.
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THE regular season is wrapped up and it’s down to eight teams in the race for the 2018 NRL premiership.
As we build up to the opening round of the 2018 NRL finals, our rugby league writers run the rule over the eight sides still standing and analyse the burning question for each contender heading into the playoffs.
CAN ROOSTERS MUSCLE UP IN THE MIDDLE?
The Roosters finished minor premiers and are yet to play their best football.
That represents a dangerous proposition for the other teams ahead of the finals series.
The Roosters finished with a flurry to secure their fourth minor premiership in six years while putting the cleaners through a hapless Parramatta where their entire back five scored.
Their big-name recruits James Tedesco and Cooper Cronk showed why they were brought to the club with great performances while Luke Keary is a vital cog in the team’s attack.
The big question marks remain regarding their forward pack. At times this season they have been criticised when they’ve been set to by opposition teams.
Teams will again come at the Roosters in the middle, aware their outside backs are the most potent in the competition.
The Roosters have faltered at the preliminary final three teams in the past four years so they are aware they can’t let this opportunity slide.
The arrival of Cronk will ensure that when the game is on the line, he will ice it for them.
— Michael Carayannis
HALVES HEADACHE WON’T GO AWAY FOR STORM
Melbourne Storm has played halfback lotto all season, so why change now?
Is it sustainable in finals? The short answer is probably not, but what other choice does the reigning premier have ahead of its crunch qualifying final against South Sydney.
Brodie Croft had his chance, then Ryley Jacks, and for a promising late-season patch Jahrome Hughes had a turn.
Croft appears to be the chosen one, for now, having put in the work on and off the field to earn back the trust of his teammates.
If successfully picked this week, Croft’s finals debut will also be his 15th career game. Hardly an imposing figure, especially when you consider opposing number at Souths, Adam Reynolds, boasts 10 times that many first grade appearances.
What the Storm lacks in stability it makes up for in flexibility.
Hughes can be deployed almost anywhere in the backfield, while Jacks, when duty calls, wouldn’t know how to play a bad game.
It boils down to who comes back?
If Cameron Munster (knee) is deemed fit it affords the Storm greater flexibility and strike.
For so long the Storm relied on the likes of Cam, Billy and formerly Cooper, but 2019 free agent Munster now holds the keys to September.
— Gilbert Gardiner
MAJOR DECISION FOR RABBITOHS COACH SEIBOLD
South Sydney’s management of Sam Burgess’ hamstring injury over the next fortnight could make or break their season.
The side’s most influential player and best forward was forced from the field with the injury in the 51-10 win over the Tigers on Thursday night.
Scans revealed the injury to be minor, however the fickle hamstring region must be treated with extreme caution.
Look no further than Sharks co-captain Wade Graham who twice returned early from hamstring strains this season — granted more severe than the one sustained by Burgess — and twice tweaked the injury leading to further time on the sidelines.
Burgess is expected to play week one of finals against the Storm in Melbourne, but coach Anthony Seibold has a major decision to make on whether he plays the regular 80-minute man for the majority of the clash.
Should he play reduced minutes, or in the unlikely event he misses the clash altogether, Souths’ middle men will have an enormous job filling his role.
Brothers Tom and George are brutal at their best, but consistency has alluded them ever since the drought-breaking grand final triumph in 2014.
It’s Sam Burgess who leads the pack week in week out without fail.
The risk of aggravation to hamstring injuries is high, and the Rabbitohs need their English international firing if they’re to make a title charge.
Burgess missed four games earlier in the season through suspension, two of which South Sydney lost.
His lingering injury appears the only blip in a Rabbitohs outfit who have hit top gear at the right point of the season.
With a full side back on deck, South Sydney are all of a sudden ticking just about every box required by a premiership winning team.
Robert Jennings returned, Alex Johnston was back in full flight following a hamstring injury and Greg Inglis has bubbled along as if he’s ready to erupt in finals footy.
The Rabbitohs ran for a phenomenal 1086 metres more than their opposition on Thursday night.
A tantalising week one finals match-up against the Storm awaits the men from Redfern.
But can they conquer the reigning premiers if Slammin’ Sam’ injury is greater than leads on?
— Tim Williams
SHARKS CONUNDRUM: MATCHWINNER OR TIME BOMB?
Cronulla’s biggest threat in the finals comes from within.
We know the Sharks have a squad capable of going all the way with talent and toughness all over the park.
They have pack that will more than hold its own against any of the top eight rivals and the backline is full of speed, skill, power and aggression, while Matt Moylan and Val Holmes provide the X-factor.
But perhaps their biggest weapon upfront can also be their greatest liability, and a couple of recent incidents involving Andrew Fifita would have to be making Shane Flanagan a little nervous.
At his best Fifita is still the most damaging prop in the game but he is also a ticking time bomb whose discipline, on and off the field, can get the better of him.
And it has the potential to bring him down along with his teammates.
It reminds me of the brain explosion Fifita had in last year’s finals loss to North Queensland.
You’ll remember the Sharks had one last crack at the Cowboys to level the scores in extra time.
But when Fifita got the ball on the fifth tackle he ran towards the sideline and away from the field-goal kickers and dropped the ball.
Of course Fifita can also be the matchwinner and often the bigger the game the better he performs, as he showed in the Sharks’ 2016 grand final victory.
I reckon which Andrew Fifita turns up this September could well determine the Sharks’ fortunes.
— Paul Crawley
PROVEN WINNER HOLDS KEY FOR PANTHERS
James Maloney is far from perfect but he holds the key for Penrith to progress deep in the finals.
Maloney returned from a two-week lay-off in Friday’s win over Melbourne and immediately showcased his class.
The Panthers battled in the first half against the Storm, with two players sent to the sin bin.
But on the back of Maloney’s composure, Penrith surged home to record a vital win.
Sure, Melbourne were missing a cast of stars but the Panthers’ fight was impressive.
Maloney is also a proven winner. The Orange-born five-eighth thrives in September. He has won two premierships (Roosters and Cronulla) and his big game experience will give Penrith an edge.
The Panthers should also thrilled to be playing the Warriors in the first week of the finals.
It is a terrific result.
Prior to Friday’s win over a depleted Melbourne side, the Panthers were struggling big time.
Poor discipline and defence plagued the mountain men but they rediscovered their confidence against the Storm.
This will hold the Panthers in good stead to defeat the Warriors in Sydney on Saturday night.
— Matt Logue
SEVEN HEAVEN COULD TRIP UP BRONCOS
The Broncos are charging into the finals with plenty of momentum behind them.
Over the last three weeks they have taken down top four teams in the Rabbitohs and Roosters, as well as thrashing the Sea Eagles to guarantee themselves a week one home final against the Dragons.
It’s been impressive to watch how they have gone from strength to strength each week to become serious premiership contenders.
But the question for Brisbane now is, in a tight competition where anything more than two wins in a row is considered a winning streak, can they claim seven in a row to take out the title?
Their win over Manly saw them claim three consecutive victories for only the second time this season.
They are also playing do-or-die footy each week so will need to find consistency, something which they have lacked at times this season.
The signs so far are promising.
Anthony Milford and Kodi Nikorima are playing at their best, the young forwards are growing in confidence each week, skipper Darius Boyd has a new-found energy and Corey Oates is a proven try-scoring machine.
The Dragons are coming into the finals on shaky ground, which could help the Broncos’ case in week one.
But there is no doubt halfback Ben Hunt will want to fire against his old team and it will be up to Brisbane to stop him in his tracks.
If they can do that, it’s another huge step towards the title.
— Rikki-Lee Arnold
HAS TIME RUN OUT FOR SPLUTTERING SAINTS?
Can the Dragons bring it all together in the space of a week?
As they return to full strength and welcome back captain and on-field director Gareth Widdop, there’ll be a marked improvement in the Dragons’ attack.
Against the Knights they created opportunities. They crossed several times but couldn’t finish it off. There were sloppy errors, silly penalties. They lacked the finesse of a team one week out from finals.
But having come off a 38-0 flogging, the improvement from one week to the next was marked and coach Paul McGregor was happy with what he saw. Only seven missed tackles and having made 100 more than their opponents, the stats showed they’d left behind the performance against the Bulldogs the week prior.
But Newcastle didn’t have the capabilities to capitalise on opportunities presented to them, the Broncos are a different story.
Newcastle led 10-2 at half-time on Saturday and they nearly stole the game when they were down 18-14 with five minutes to go.
So where does that leave the Dragons?
Widdop could have played at the weekend so McGregor wasn’t too concerned about where the Dragons would finish on the ladder, instead wanting his fittest and strongest side on the park for the important finals clash.
Will the return of Widdop close the deficiencies seen against the Knights?
It’s possible. And the coach seems confident: “Next week’s a new competition, it’s knock out footy and both teams are level. We’ve beaten all teams that are in there, so why not?”
— Fiona Bollen
WHICH WARRIORS SIDE WILL WE SEE IN THE FINALS?
There’s only one question that matters when it comes to the Warriors — are they on?
If the answer’s no we can pencil them in for an early exit. After almost a decade in the finals wilderness, just making the playoffs is a big step. Most people picked them for the wooden spoon, so to do this well is a good result on the whole.
But if the answer’s yes? Brother, you are in for a treat.
The distance between New Zealand’s best and their worst has been shrinking all season. A harder edge, brought in by Stephen Kearney during the pre-season and taken into action by Adam Blair and the reborn Issac Luke, means the Warriors no longer fall to pieces away from home. Their 8-4 road record is the equal best in the league.
The capacity for wild point scoring is still there — the Shaun Johnson, Tohu Harris, Peta Hiku and David Fusitu’a edge is as good as any in football and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck is playing Dally M Medal football — but it’s been centred by the wily Blake Green, who will return to the side this weekend after two matches out.
This Warriors team will not fall over. They will not beat themselves. They make you do it. The club’s first finals match since 2011 will be at the same sight as their last, as they return to the stage of the grand final that proved to be yet another false dawn.
Penrith are beatable, as the Warriors proved just two weeks ago. The ability and circumstance are there for a deep finals run.
At the end, there’s only one question left — are they on?
— Nick Campton
Originally published as Monday Bunker: Burning question for NRL finals teams
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