NRL captains’ poll: Players who will light up the finals
The verdict is in — the skippers of the top eight teams have revealed who they think will light up this year’s NRL finals series.
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The NRL’s decision to stand firm on its home ground policy in week one of the finals series has split opinion among the club captains set to feature in the play-offs.
Thousands of fans will miss out on Friday night’s showdown between the Panthers and Parramatta with the western Sydney powerhouse clubs to do battle at Penrith’s 22,500-seat Bluebet Stadium, rather than Accor Stadium which can accommodate 83,500 people.
Panthers co-captain Isaah Yeo isn’t a fan of giving up the home ground advantage and the Penrith lock has an unlikely ally in Eels skipper Clint Gutherson.
Cronulla‘s PointsBet Stadium, which is under renovation, only fits 12,000 fans but Wade Graham believes if suburban grounds were brought up to standard there would be no debate about taking games away from smaller venues.
North Queensland co-captain Chad Townsend and South Sydney leader Cameron Murray want finals matches to be taken to larger venues.
The Daily Telegraph also canvassed the opinion of the finals captains on the Dally M winner, the first player they would sign into their side and which player is likely to have the biggest impact on the finals series.
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NRL CAPTAINS’ POLL
ISAAH YEO (PANTHERS)
Who will you play in the grand final?
I said at the start of the year Roosters would be there and I’m going to stick with it. I felt like if someone was going to win the comp that wasn’t us, it would be them. They figured out how to play off each other in the last eight weeks and it shows.
Which player will have the biggest impact on the finals series?
Nathan Cleary. He’s had five weeks off. He’s the ultimate professional, he’ll come back fit and strong.
If you were starting a team, who’s the first player you’d buy?
Nathan Cleary. Halfback is the most important position in the game, the way they have the ability to control the game and I feel like he is the best halfback in the game.
Who will win the Dally M?
It’s a three-horse race between Ben Hunt, Nicho Hynes and Dylan Edwards. But I’ll go Nicho, the Sharks have had a lot of success and it has been on the back of this. I think there would be some of our guys taking points of Dylan.
Should first week finals be played at home/suburban grounds or major venues?
I know it’s the debate, they should have taken our game to Accor for a bigger crowd. I feel like it’s a reward, even if we win this week, we only get one game at Penrith. If we weren’t playing Parramatta would they be saying the same thing. Two years ago, no one was saying it when we played the Roosters in the first semi but now we are playing the Battle of West, and mate, they want to play in a different stadium.
WADE GRAHAM (SHARKS)
Who will you play in the grand final?
Penrith.
Which player will have the biggest impact on the finals series?
Hopefully Nicho Hynes.
If you were starting a team, who’s the first player you’d buy?
Nathan Cleary.
Who will win the Dally M?
Ben Hunt.
Should first week finals be played at home/suburban grounds or major venues?
There is nothing quite like the feel of a suburban ground. As much as it is the players, it is the members and fans’ home ground. As much as it rewards the players for their hard work and results throughout the year, the fans get to enjoy a semi in their backyard. I have seen both sides of the argument and we have taken home games away. I think the NRL’s aggression to bring suburban stadiums is the right way to go about things. The issue shouldn’t be about taking games away from suburban grounds, it should be making suburban grounds up to standard and ready for finals
CHAD TOWNSEND (COWBOYS)
Who will you play in the grand final?
Penrith.
Which player will have the biggest impact on the finals series?
Scott Drinkwater.
If you were starting a team, who’s the first player you’d buy?
Cam Munster.
Who will win the Dally M
Ben Hunt.
Should first week finals be played at home/suburban grounds or major venues?
Big venues.
CLINT GUTHERSON (EELS)
Who will you play in the grand final?
Penrith, they have the best team in the last three years and have been the most consistent.
Which player will have the biggest impact on the finals series?
Mitchell Moses. He’s the leader of our team and he is in career best form
If you were starting a team, who’s the first player you’d buy?
There are too many to choose from, there are too many good players at the moment.
Who will win the Dally M?
I think James Tedesco or Ben Hunt. Tedesco is still the best player in the world in my opinion. What he brings to that team and what he does in the big games, he deserves another one.
Should first week finals be played at home/suburban grounds or major venues?
If you get the home ground, you deserve to play at home. If I was Penrith, or anyone else, if you can play at your home ground then that’s where you want to play. That’s why you work so hard, you want that advantage.
JESSE BROMWICH (STORM)
Who will you play in the grand final?
Penrith.
Which player will have the biggest impact on the finals series?
Cameron Munster.
If you were starting a team, who’s the first player you’d buy?
Cameron Munster.
Who will win the Dally M ?
Cameron Munster.
Should first week finals be played at home/suburban grounds or major venues?
I like playing at suburban grounds. There is something special about a suburban ground.
JAMES TEDESCO (ROOSTERS)
Who will you play in the grand final?
I was going to say Penrith or Parra but I think we play them before then. I’m going to say Melbourne, so it’ll be two teams out of the top four.
Which player will have the biggest impact on the finals series?
I think Mitch Moses is going to have a big finals series. When he’s been out they’ve struggled. But when he’s been back for the games against the top teams, he’s been playing good footy. He’s the key for Parra.
If you were starting a team, who’s the first player you’d buy?
I’d say Suaalii. They’ve got 15 good years out of him.
Who will win the Dally M?
Nicho Hynes. I feel like the Sharks have been winning and he’s been leading them well.
Should first week finals be played at home/suburban grounds or major venues?
I think it has to be suburban. It’s an advantage they should get because they earned it.
CAMERON MURRAY (RABBITOHS)
Who will you play in the grand final?
Penrith.
Which player will have the biggest impact on the finals series?
Cody Walker
If you were starting a team, who’s the first player you’d buy?
You want someone who is an effort player, so I would say a Campbell Graham or a Jake Trbojevic.
Who will win the Dally M?
Nicho Hynes.
Should first week finals be played at home/suburban grounds or major venues?
I think big grounds. I think it gives more fans an opportunity to watch it.
ELLIOTT WHITEHEAD (RAIDERS)
Who will you play in the grand final?
Parramatta. They are a good side and haven’t been there for a while. I feel like they will get there this year.
Which player will have the biggest impact on the finals series?
Josh Papali’i. He seems to always turn up in the big games. He is just hitting form as well. He is going to have a big impact for us.
If you were starting a team, who’s the first player you’d buy?
Me, on a five-year deal. One million per year. Nah, Hudson Young, he is a freak. If he doesn’t play for Australia ... he can’t play for England. I have already asked him and tried.
Who will win the Dally M?
I think Ben Hunt. He’s been playing some good rugby, I know Dragons haven’t gotten the results, but he’s still been one of the best this year
Should first week finals be played at home/suburban grounds or major venues?
If you finish higher on the ladder, then you definitely should get a home advantage. Your fans should be able to come to your home ground and support you.
Explosive match-up as NRL finals equation set in stone
Dylan Brown knows there was no malice in Nathan Cleary’s spear tackle but that won’t stop the Parramatta five-eighth giving his halves counterpart some extra attention on Friday night when the Eels travel to Penrith to kick off the finals series.
Cleary copped a five-match ban for the tackle on Brown and returns for Penrith in the first qualifying final between the western Sydney powerhouse clubs at BlueBet Stadium.
“I‘m gonna take his head off,” joked Brown.
“We don‘t speak on the regular but he did apologise after the game at the time.
“There‘s no beef there or anything.”
In the time Cleary was banished, Panthers five-eighth Jarome Luai was sidelined for a month with a knee injury and the mantle for the competition’s in-form halves combination was taken over by Eels duo Brown and Mitchell Moses.
“If anything, it‘s good to have him (Cleary) and Luai back, it’s going to be a good challenge for us,” Brown said.
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Halfback Moses leads the NRL for the most try assists with 22 and Brown, who has discovered his running game in 2022, is hot on his teammate’s heels.
Brown’s 18 try assists this season are more than all the assists he had created in the first three years of his NRL career.
Parramatta hooker Reed Mahoney revealed the turn in Brown’s game came after coach Brad Arthur ‘put it on’ the 22-year-old to deliver.
“I think Brad put it on him a bit to be a bit more professional,” Mahoney said on The Sunday Footy Show.
“Just with his footy, to watch more footy at home … he’s doing a bit more video with Brad … he’s free … there is a bit more detail in his game and it’s paying off.”
Brown was coy about the details of the pre-season honesty session with Arthur but admitted it was a wake-up call.
“When you know you‘re playing better, you can back yourself more,” Brown said.
“At the same time it‘s a responsibility as well. It’s been four years I’ve been in the NRL, so I need to start playing like it.”
A win for Parramatta will secure a preliminary finals berth, the first for the club in 13 years, after failing to go beyond the second week in four of the last five years.
WEEK ONE OF THE FINALS
FIRST QUALIFYING FINAL: PENRITH (1ST) V PARRAMATTA (4TH)
Penrith are clear favourites to go back-to-back, and with good reason. But will Ivan Cleary’s decision to rest up to 12 starting players for the final round of the regular season prove to be a coaching masterstroke? Or do they risk being underdone against Parra?
There is one small concession in Cleary’s approach, that despite Penrith’s undisputed dominance in 2022, the premiers need an extended preparation to topple the Eels, who have already beaten them twice this season.
SECOND QUALIFYING FINAL: CRONULLA (2ND) V COWBOYS (3RD)
Cronulla secured a home semi-final, saving them from a gruelling trip to Townsville. Craig Fitzgibbon’s title charge will receive a boost with fullback Will Kennedy and forward Toby Rudolf set to return from injury. The Cowboys have only lost seven games this year, but four of those have been on the road. Worryingly for Todd Payten, the Cowboys have lost 12 of the last 14 against the Sharks, including in round 18 this year.
FIRST ELMINATION FINAL: MELBOURNE (5TH) V CANBERRA (8TH)
A week one finals boilover is on the cards for the Storm, who have not beaten Canberra in their past four starts in Melbourne. The Storm welcome back halfback Jahrome Hughes but he could lose halves partner Cameron Munster to fullback if Nick Meaney is ruled out with a shoulder injury. With their power game and strike out wide, Canberra have the ability to emerge as a finals surprise packet.
SECOND ELIMINATION FINAL: SYDNEY ROOSTERS (6TH) V SOUTH SYDNEY (7TH)
Joey Manu’s calf injury, compounded by Daniel Tupou’s groin issue, is a huge double blow for the Roosters but a chance to get Joseph Suaalii closer to the action at centre.
Damien Cook was sorely missed for the Rabbitohs and the injection of the speedy hooker will not only boost the side’s go-forward but help steer their attack, which was rudderless behind a beaten forward pack.
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