The NRL Tackle: Mitchell Moses’ timely return for nightmare Eels run, Zac Lomax revelation prompts more questions for Dragons
The return of Mitchell Moses could not come any sooner for the Eels, for the sake of Parramatta’s season, and ultimately Brad Arthur’s job. FATIMA KDOUH writes in The Tackle.
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Round 10 of the NRL is in the books — check out the Likes and Dislikes from another big weekend of rugby league action.
DISLIKES
EELS’ NIGHTMARE DRAW
The return of halfback Mitchell Moses from a broken foot could not come any sooner for the Eels.
After going down to the Broncos, Parramatta now face a Storm outfit looking to bounce back from a loss to Cronulla. A Storm side on the rebound is the worst time to take on a Craig Bellamy side.
But for the sake of Parramatta’s season, and ultimately Brad Arthur’s job, the Eels need to find a response too. The Storm clash is followed by games against South Sydney, Sharks, Bulldogs and Roosters in a decisive five weeks for the under-siege club.
Arthur praised his side’s effort against the Broncos but it could not hide the lack of polish in attack, and the one-dimensional approach to moving the ball forward. The Eels insisted on offloading the ball when the rainy conditions worsened rather than tucking it under the arm and getting into the grind.
LOMAX EXIT LEAVES DRAGONS FANS DISGRUNTLED
There are more questions than there are answers over Zac Lomax’s defection to Parramatta.
The in-form St George Illawarra star wanted to leave the Red V so badly he walked away from the final two years of his deal with the club. Shane Flanagan insists there was no falling out between the pair, and the narrative has been that the outside back was disgruntled over being picked on the wing rather than his preferred position at centre.
But speaking after amassing a 16-point haul, which included a try and two-point field goal against South Sydney, Lomax himself declared that wasn’t the case.
“It’s got nothing to do with being (on the) wing, I try to pride myself on being a football player and I love my teammates and I love being able to play wherever that is for the team … they’re the best bunch of boys to play with,” Lomax said.
So what is the real reason? Now it’s Dragons fans who are disgruntled over his premature exit, with one even demanding on social media “heads should roll” over Lomax’s departure.
It wasn’t Lomax’s only eyebrow-raising moment on Saturday. He blasted captain Ben Hunt for not challenging a play-the-ball error – planting the ball while attempting to play it.
Replays showed Hunt made the right decision but that didn’t stop Lomax from spraying his captain, and going on with it in the back play after Latrell Mitchell scored on the back of the error.
Parramatta skipper Clint Gutherson and halfback Mitchell Moses have never shied away from spraying teammates, and stamping their authority, during play. Lomax’s blow-up would have gone down like a lead balloon at Parramatta.
TITANS FANS BOO FIFITA
Titans fans did not hold back in letting David Fifita know exactly how they feel about his decision to walk away from the club, unceremoniously booing the backrower last night.
Fifita will join the Sydney Roosters from 2025 on a $3.3m deal, after rejecting a play by Penrith, and opting not to take up a player option in his favour to stay on the Gold Coast.
And Titans faithful were not happy about his decision.
Boos clearly rang out throughout Cbus Super Stadium as Fifita trucked the ball upfield for his first carry of the match, and again after his second touch of the ball. The boos quickly turned into cheers after Fifita crashed over the tryline in 24 minute.
Rather then getting on board with Des Hasler’s rebuild, Fifita preferred to link up with former Titans coach Justin Holbrook at the Roosters, where he is an assistant to Trent Robinson. Interestingly, Fifita had a clause inserted in his contract that would make him a free agent if Holbrook was sacked.
SEVENS HELL ON EARTH
It’s gone from seventh heaven to sevens hell for a mounting list of NRL glamour clubs.
There is now over $6m worth of halfback talent sidelined with injury, including Nathan Cleary (hamstring), Nicho Hynes (calf), Jahrome Hughes (calf), Mitchell Moses (foot), Adam Reynolds (biceps) and Jamal Fogarty (biceps).
Yes, the injuries have given depth players the chance to prove their worth but it has also robbed the game of some of its biggest stars. Injuries are now at crisis level and the NRL should be asking why.
Cleary will return for the back end of the season but the bigger task for Penrith is not slipping out of the top four without its general.
It’s too early to write off Penrith as a title contender but the loss of Cleary for up to eight weeks gives their opposition, which includes the Warriors, Sharks, Dragons, Sea Eagles, Knights and Cowboys, a fighting chance.
With Brad Schneider suffering a knee injury on the weekend, Penrith will now likely turn to Jack Cole, the youngster being groomed as Jarome Luai’s long term replacement.
RABBITOHS’ LATRELL DILEMMA
The calls for Latrell Mitchell to be shifted into the centres only get louder. The problem for interim coach Ben Hornby is that the side has no better option at fullback right now, with Jye Gray (ankle) sidelined.
Mitchell is an elite talent but has never approached the fullback role in the same manner as the game’s other premier custodians. He tends to pick his moments, instead of doing a mountain of work. It’s an approach that isn’t working for the bottom-placed South Sydney.
Mitchell had nine runs for 82m against the Dragons.
Rather than move Mitchell into the centres, it might be time for Hornby to demand a higher workrate from Mitchell. South Sydney coaches and officials can no longer ignore the fact that the modern game demands it.
TIGERS MUST CHANGE STRIPES
Tigers coach Benji Marshall slammed his side’s ill-discipline against Canterbury but the message hasn’t sunk in.
Backrower Isaiah Papali’i faces a one-match ban for tripping Newcastle’s Leo Thompson. Papali’i wasn’t sin-binned, but he should have been. It’s the kind of illegal play that is completely unnecessary and Papali’i is experienced enough to know better.
Then there’s Alex Seyfarth, who continues to challenge referees and the calls they make. He’s not the captain, it’s not Seyfarth’s place. Passion should be encouraged but discipline carries far more currency in an outfit desperately trying to find its identity.
FOOT FAULT ON FOOTY FIELD
Referees were pinging players for planting the ball down before getting to their feet to play the ball over the weekend.
But there is another part of the play-the-ball rule that is being flouted far worse, and consistently.
The rules clearly state that a player must make “a genuine attempt to play the ball with the foot while maintaining balance”.
More and more play the balls now look like tunnel ball, with players not touching the ball with their foot. If you’re going to penalise players for planting the ball, they should be penalised for failing to make a genuine attempt to heel the ball back.
ROOSTERS STARS FACE NERVOUS WAIT
Luke Keary, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves face a nervous wait ahead of the NRL judiciary in the wake of Sydney Roosters’ 38-18 win over the Warriors.
Waerea-Hargreaves was placed on report for a late shot on Tohu Harris, while Suaalii was also cited for a heavy hit on Dallin Watene-Zelezniak in the second half.
But it might be another incident that wasn’t put on report that could leave Suaalii in hot water.
Suaalii also collected Wayde Egan high with his knee while running the ball in the first half but was not penalised or placed on report.
It’s not the first time Suaalii has been penalised for his dangerous running style.
Suaalii copped a three week ban last year for raising his knee and collecting Reed Mahoney. He wasn’t cited at the time.
Suaalii won’t be the only one sweating on the judiciary.
Keary appeared to use a chicken wing type tackle on Warriors halfback Shaun Johnson in the 25h minute.
Keary took hold of Johnson’s arm, twisting it back as he attempted to take the Warriors playmaker to the ground.
But despite multiple replays of the tackle, which left Johnson reeling, neither the referee or Bunker intervened.
NRL fans on social media quickly picked up on the incident slamming it as a dangerous chicken wing tackle, an illegal manoeuvre the NRL has all but stamped out from the game.
Johnson had picked up a pectoral complaint before Keary’s tackle. He returned for the second half but failed to finish the match.
The Roosters could also be without centre Joey Manu for Saturday’s clash against Cronulla after he copped a heavy head knock trying to tackle Mitch Barnett. The hit left Manu looking worse for wear.
LIKES
WHY NRL MUST HOLD NERVE AFTER GRANT SIN BIN
The look of utter dismay on the face of Melbourne hooker Harry Grant after being binned for taking out Daniel Atkinson’s leg while attempting to kick the ball perfectly summed up the situation, apparently.
The call not only shocked the Storm skipper, but was shocking to a lot of NRL fans online in the aftermath.
But what is so shocking about the NRL doing the right thing by the kicker?
It’s not controversial by any means, and is a crackdown that is long overdue considering the damage that can be done when it goes wrong.
Both Grant and coach Craig Bellamy argued the contact was incidental and played down the incident.
The NRL will argue their comments did not influence the match review committee.
But the MRC only hit Grant with a grade one dangerous contract and a $1,000 fine after the incident on Sunday.
Given Manly’s Josh Aloiai copped a one match ban for a similar incident on Warriors halfback Shaun Johnson, Grant and Bellamy should consider themselves very lucky.
At the very least, Grant’s sin-binning sends a clear message, don’t make contact with the kicker’s leg.
It’s also set a new standard that match officials have to have the gumption to adjudicate on, despite external noise from coaches and fans that this is nothing more than any other example of the game going soft or mad.
Let’s be clear, no one is saying that kickers should not expect to be targeted but its on the defending player to put pressure in a way that will not result in serious injury to the opposition.
But we have seen the damage that can be done, on multiple occasions, when it goes horribly wrong.
South Sydney’s Lachlan Ilias is sidelined long term after breaking his leg in a similar attempted charge down by Warriors dummy half Freddy Lussick in April.
On Friday night, Penrith halfback Brad Schneider suffered a knee injury in NSW Cup after his leg was taken out by a Canterbury defender as he attempted to get a kick away.
The illegal, and dangerous play, had left Penrith without their back-up no. 7 at the time he is needed most now that star halfback Nathan Cleary is set to miss up to eight weeks with a hamstring injury.
Controversy tends to follow the NRL at any attempt to crackdown on a rule, but this is one the governing body is right to zero in on.
There’s also every chance Wests Tigers backrower Isaiah Papali’i is sporting the same look of shock as Grant as the charge sheet was handed down.
Papali’i is facing a one-week ban for tripping Newcastle’s Leo Thompson, in an incident that was clearly a sin bin offence but somehow he stayed on the field at the time.
Replays of the trip made it very hard for coach Benji Marshall to play down the incident.
But again, if tripping is now an offence punishable by a ban, after seemingly being a fineable offence in the past, the game must stick by the precedent it has set.
EXPANSION POSTER BOYS
The NRL has just revealed its plans for expansion and the competition could have as many as 19 teams by 2030, with 20 the ultimate goal.
Already, a stack of fringe players, some even sitting outside the top 30 like dynamo Dolphins fullback Trai Fuller, are mounting a convincing argument to expedite expansion plans.
Fuller, 27, has stepped in for Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow at the back and hasn’t looked out of place in the NRL. It’s a similar story for David Armstrong at Newcastle, who haven’t lost a game since the 23-year old replaced Kalyn Ponga in the No. 1 jumper.
Playmaker Daniel Atkinson was the difference for Cronulla without Nicho Hynes against Melbourne and is now on course to keep Braydon Trindall out of the side when he returns from a ban over failed alcohol and drugs roadside test.
Then there’s Jacob Gagai at South Sydney and even Josh Rogers, 27, who came into a Broncos outfit thin in the halves stocks.
It won’t take long before there is a debate over whether or not there is enough talent, and depth, to sustain a 19 or 20-team competition, without compromising the quality of football.
But too many players are forced into a purgatory of biding their time for a crack at the NRL, or slip through the cracks. Expansion plugs that hole.
BACKROW TARGET
Penrith missed out on the services of David Fifita with the Gold Coast Titans powerhouse opting to join the Sydney Roosters.
But the reigning premiers could do much worse than to switch their attention to the player that has been one of the form backrowers in the competition – Jaydn Su’A.
The St George Illawarra forward is still without a club for next year and it doesn’t appear the Dragons are any closer to locking him beyond 2024.
Su’A might not be a like for like target, when comparing to Fifita, but he has so far exemplified the traits that Penrith seem to be looking for in a backrower.
Su’A has rediscovered the form that made him an Origin player – he’s playing tough on both sides of the ball, running hard and putting his body on the line in defence.
Ivan Cleary has always favoured a backrower willing to roll their sleeves up and work hard. Su’A is showing he would thrive in a system like at Penrith.
RETURNING ROOSTER REVVED-UP
Spencer Leniu revved up for the Roosters’ Magic Round clash against top-of-the-table Cronulla with a solid return against the Warriors in his first game back from an eight-game ban for calling Brisbane’s Ezra Mam a monkey.
Leniu added plenty of punch off the bench from the time he joined the action late in the first half. He finished with 65 metres from six runs which featured three tackle busts and the former Panther also racked up 26 tackles.
He’ll be pushing for a starting spot very soon.
MAM ON FIRE
The news halfback Adam Reynolds was out with a biceps injury for three months would have sent a shudder through Red Hill. But it turned out to be a silver lining for five-eighth Ezra Mam.
The livewire playmaker has stepped up in the absence of Reynolds with his strengths coming to the fore against Parramatta. Despite his ability to tear up defences with low percentage, freaky plays, Mam was controlled against the Eels on Friday night.
But it didn’t stop him from taking a risk and scoring a brilliant chip-and-chase try in the second half.
On the other side of the ball, he heaped on kick-chase pressure and was in the right place in support.
DOGS WELL IN THE HUNT
Only two weeks ago, Canterbury coach Cameron Ciraldo admitted to being in a rush to get the Bulldogs back to their glory days.
The urgency is paying off.
Canterbury lost to Penrith on the weekend but were gallant in defeat, and hardly disgraced. Taking on Penrith would have been a guaranteed bloodbath in recent times.
Before Friday night, the Bulldogs had conceded 206 points in just six games against the premiers since 2020. They conceded two tries on Friday night.
For a side that had the worst defence last year, the turnaround has been incredible. Bulldogs are now also conceding the least metres per run than any side in the NRL – a stat borne out of effort and commitment.
Their defence isn’t perfect, the side is still missing a lot of tackles, but Ciraldo has turned the ship around enough for the Dogs to be sitting on the fringe of the top eight after 10 rounds.
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