Matthew Johns reveals the NRL’s halfback dearth exposes clubs’ inability to deal with key losses

Three of the NRL’s best halfbacks have gone down injured but only the Panthers didn’t miss a beat. That sounds alarm bells for the Eels and Broncos, MATTY JOHNS writes.

Mitchell Moses, Brad Arthur, Adam Reynolds and Kevin Walters.

There’s some quality halves sitting in the stands nursing ice packs.

So, in turn, there’s some head coaches losing sleep and taking disprin.

An experienced, top-line halfback covers a vast number of shortcomings. So, when a team loses their chief playmaker, the pressure on the coach intensifies.

Can the system of play still hold up? And, can he coach the replacement to execute it?

Elite playmakers, there ain’t that many around, and even less of the ones who’ve chalked up a decade of pulling the strings.

THE REYNO EFFECT

Look at the impact Adam Reynolds has had at Brisbane. Until he arrived two seasons back, the Broncos were a Ferrari without a steering wheel. Their young pack would dominate, but they didn’t have a player who knew how to use the momentum and space.

Panthers magician Nathan Cleary. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

Broncos conductor, Adam Reynolds. Picture: Liam Kidston

Even now, look at the difference in the Broncos’ performance in their 34-12 Round 3 loss to Penrith without Reynolds, compared to their 38-12 thrashing of North Queensland just a week later.

There was no Payne Haas or Reece Walsh, but the inclusion of the primary playmaker made all the difference. Reynolds kicked the Cowboys into submission.

PRESSURE ON ARTHUR

The loss of Parramatta halfback Mitchell Moses is a big challenge for Eels coach Brad Arthur.

The lack of playmaking depth forced him to move boom rookie Blaize Talagi from the outside backs into the halves in only his second NRL start against the Wests Tigers in Round 4.

In this instance, you want Talagi partnering an experienced half who can steer the side, nail the kick, and let the rookie run and react.

Blaize Talagi needs to be able to play his running game in Parramatta’s halves.

However, Dylan Brown is not yet that type of playmaker, and so you saw the Eels lose their way at times. Even more problematic, players then start to step outside their role in the team. Hence prop Junior Paolo throwing a double cut-out pass into the Parramatta River.

The system broke down.

It’s why a mystery person reached out to Mitchell Pearce in the days that followed to gauge his interest in joining the Eels.

PROOF YOU CAN’T BEAT THE SYSTEM

An understated factor in the Panthers aiming for four NRL premierships in a row is how the team can absorb the loss of a central playmaker and keep their attacking system in place.

In the last few seasons, Penrith have lost Cleary or Jarome Luai at vital times, but each time the ship stays the course.

In 2021, as they drove to their first of three titles, both Cleary and Luai spent time on the sidelines. In their place, Matt Burton and Tyrone May kept the wins coming.

The following season, Cleary missed a large chunk of football through injury.

In his place came the unheralded Sean O’Sullivan, who, in 11 starts, guided the team to eight wins.

What you see with Penrith during their successful run of premierships is they don’t just lose coaching staff and the odd star, but also back-up playmakers.

VITAL COGGER IN THE MACHINE

So when the Dolphins pinched O’Sullivan, coach Ivan Cleary gave Jack Cogger a second crack at an NRL career, signing him from England’s Huddersfield Giants.

And what a vital signing Cogger proved to be.

Without Cogger, Penrith don’t three-peat, for numerous reasons.

Due to injuries to Cleary and Luai, Cogger started 10 games, winning eight.

Then, in the grand final qualifier, and the grand final itself, Cogger came off the bench and played crucial roles.

In the grand final, Cogger came on after 50 minutes, with the Panthers trailing 12-8 and in trouble, with the scoreline blowing out to 24-8 over the next seven minutes.

It was then that Cogger put in the performance of his life.

He knew the Penrith system inside out and knew exactly what he had to do to get Cleary going. Cogger settled the Panthers, straightened the attack and let Cleary revert to a float-and-react role.

Cleary, with 20 minutes to go, went from struggling and totally out of sync, to putting together one of the greatest grand final performances.

Thank goodness Cogger knew how to execute the system.

IVAN’S GENIUS TO THE FORE

Ivan Cleary, by his nature, is an understated man and a coach who keeps a low profile.

So, when we talk about the greatest coaches of the modern era, he barely gets a mention. Whereas, he should be in the thick of the discussion.

Ivan Cleary’s Panthers system is unmatched.

Brad Schneider bought in and Penrith reaped the benefits.

More than just titles, it’s in his central playmakers’ absence that we see his true quality. We’ve seen how dramatically teams can collapse if they lose their chief playmaker.

Incredibly though, Penrith’s win percentage is better when Nathan Cleary is missing. That shows the strength of Ivan’s system of play.

MORE THAN SCHNEID REMARKS

And in Round 4, like O’Sullivan and Cogger before him, back-up half Brad Schneider stepped into the Panthers’ No.7 jersey and played a starring role in their 22-16 victory over the Sydney Roosters.

It’s lazy to point to a team’s success or failure based on a key individual. Systems of play, not individuals, win competitions.