NRL 2020: What we learned from weekend trials, All Stars and World Club Challenge
Rookies put their hand up, injuries wreaked havoc and coaches were given selection headaches — check out what we learned from all the weekend's rugby league action.
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Injury dramas, new recruits, shock switches, positions won, positions up in the air, young guns, halves battles and more — there were plenty of talking points as the NRL action ramped up.
The Indigenous All Stars-New Zealand Maori clash and World Club Challenge headlined a big weekend of rugby league that also included seven pre-season trials in the countdown to the 2020 NRL season kick-off.
Here’s what we learned from all the weekend’s action.
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1. There’s been a lot of talk that South Sydney just don’t have the forward pack to match it with the best teams this year. But one man who was very happy with what he saw from his spot on the sideline at Ringrose Park last Friday night was Wayne Bennett as the no frills Bunnies forwards got over the top of the much higher-profile Parramatta pack. Among the standouts was Hame Sele who is expected to be upgraded from a train-and-trial contract to a top-30 deal in coming weeks. Tom Burgess also played strongly while young backrowers Keaon Koloamatangi and Jack Johns both put in good games. Koloamatangi is a powerful and rugged youngster who looks as though he will be a handful for years to come, while Johns is really starting to fill into his frame and looks a better footballer every time you see him out there.
2. There is going to be huge pressure on Reagan Campbell-Gillard this season and Parramatta’s new recruit got a pass mark from coach Brad Arthur after his opening appearance. Campbell-Gillard only played 20 minutes but he looked a lot fitter than he did last season and his arrival is going to give the Eels some much needed added aggression and depth. Despite going down narrowly Arthur was most happy that his team escaped with no injury issues.
3. Michael Jennings was the only Parramatta backline star who played in the trial and Arthur was also impressed with the centre’s sharp performance. Also, young South Sydney halfback Blake Taaffe continued to impress after his strong showing at the NRL Nines in Perth the previous weekend. Taaffe has good speed and certainly doesn’t lack any confidence when it comes to directing his team around the park. He is going to be a player of the future.
— Paul Crawley
BURLEIGH BEARS 18 def GOLD COAST TITANS 16
1. New Titans coach Justin Holbrook has a real challenge on his hands to transform the Gold Coast into a competitive team this year. While it was only a trial game, the Titans’ entire starting 13 were full-time contracted NRL players, yet they trailed the semi-professional Burleigh Bears 12-4 at half-time and lost 18-16. Holbrook has inherited a squad that claimed last year’s wooden spoon and was assembled by former coach Garth Brennan. He faces a fight to make them a finals contender.
2. The Titans are going to struggle to compete in the front row this year. The loss of Ryan James to a season-ending knee injury is a huge blow and has exposed the club’s lack of middle forward depth. Jarrod Wallace and Shannon Boyd started against the Bears, the latter playing his first game since July following shoulder surgery. With Moeaki Fotuaika (wrist) in danger of missing Round 1, Jai Arrow could be forced to move to the front row to bolster their stocks. The signing of Warriors prop Sam Lisone will help, but he is hardly a world beater.
3. The son of Titans legend Preston Campbell proved that heart and determination can take you far in sport. Jayden Campbell pulled on a Titans jersey for the first time and produced a play he will remember forever. The 70kg Campbell chased down a runaway Burleigh winger after he plucked an intercept and dragged him down just metres from the try-line in what was a sensational play. If the rest of the Titans show heart like that the club will bounce back this year.
— Travis Meyn
STORM 18 def WARRIORS 16
1. Fusitu’a reveals big move: David Fusitu’a is set to switch to the centres at the Warriors this season, apparently at the behest of coach Stephen Kearney.
Fusitu’a, who has become known for his incredible acrobatics in diving for the corner, was the NRL’s top try scorer in 2018, with 23 tries as the Warriors reached the finals.
But the 25-year-old played Saturday’s trial at right centre and indicated that it wasn’t going to be a one off.
“Mooks (Kearney) wants me to play one in this year,” Fusitu’a said in a half-time interview.
“At the moment it looks like I am going to be playing centre (this year).”
2. The Tino Fa’asuamaleaui show: It was only a trial, but the Storm giant showed why he was one of the hottest properties of the off season. Fa’asuamaleaui was a notable presence for most of the first hour, with strong carries, big defence and some handy offloads.
He also demonstrated a massive engine, impressive for someone of his size.
Cooper Johns also had his moments and kicked well, but journeyman wing Brenko Lee was the pick of the backs for the Storm, running for more than 200 metres with three tackle busts, one line break and a try assist.
3. Chanel shows class: Chanel Harris-Tavita demonstrated once again why Kearney’s halves decision in 2020 is such a quandary.
The 20-year-old showed good vision to spark one try, then quick thinking to score another from a quick penalty tap.
He defended solidly, his kicking game was good (aside from one charge down) and he showed how far he has progressed in the space of 12 months with his game management.
Harris-Tavita was replaced at the start of the fourth quarter, and the Warriors lost some direction without him, with the Storm regaining the lead with eight minutes to play.
— Michael Burgess
1. If there was any doubt about Zac Lomax and his full-time transition from the outside backs into fullback, it was put to rest in Maitland. The popular SuperCoach buy took some time to get into the match but when he did, he had a hand in just about everything. He set up three tries and kicked four from five conversions.
2. Dragons coach Paul McGregor could be facing a selection headache in the outside backs. Jordan Pereira, who scored four tries against the Knights, and Jason Saab look set to become the first choice wingers. But Mikaele Ravalawa would have given McGregor something to think about. The winger put in a powerful performance on the right edge and troubled the Knights defence the duration of his time on the field.
3. For the Knights, new signing Jayden Brailey was solid in his stint where he even produced a couple of uncharacteristic darts from dummy half. Adam O’Brien’s men started the match with plenty of intent especially in defence but fell away after wholesale changes. Prop David Klemmer was particularly impressive during his stint on the field.
— Fatima Kdouh
1. Canterbury’s halves conundrum doesn’t appear to be any clearer after Saturday night’s trial match in Port Moresby. Coach Dean Pay started the game with the combination everyone is anticipating will be there in round one — Lachlan Lewis and Jack Cogger. But Brandon Wakeham helped boost his team’s attack when he came on for Cogger in the second half. Pay will find it hard to leave him out of the 17.
2. Cronulla’s hooking depth will be tested after back-up rake Cameron King suffered a suspected season-ending ACL injury. King will have scans but the Sharks are resigned to losing him. Former South Sydney half Connor Tracey, who has done his ACL three times, could be the man to come in for King. Tracey looked sharp against the Bulldogs as did Braydon Trindall.
3. Bulldogs’ winger-turned centre Reimis Smith was given a chance to press his claims to be closer to the action this season. Canterbury’s leading tryscorer from last season approached coach Dean Pay about the switch before the pre-season, believing he can make a bigger impact on the Bulldogs’ attack. The speedster had some nice touches but struggled with his defensive reads.
— Fatima Kdouh
PANTHERS 32 def WESTS TIGERS 4
1. Josh Reynolds has put his hand up for the dummy-half position for the Wests Tigers’ Round 1 clash against St George Illawarra but youngster Billy Walters is up for the fight. Walters was given first crack at the position on Saturday night and he impressed throughout the first half. Reynolds took over after the break, and as much as he had a solid performance, he did miss a tackle which led to a Panthers try. The position looks to be a two-horse race, however co-captain Moses Mbye is also a chance to wear the No.9 jumper.
2. With Dylan Edwards ruled out for the start of the season, the fullback position is vacant at Penrith. Caleb Aekins is the hot favourite to claim the No.1 jersey but he missed the match as his partner gave birth to a boy on Saturday. Stephen Crichton played the second half at the back and was exceptional – he wouldn’t look out of place there.
3. Panthers playmaker Tyrone May returned to the field for the first time in 18 months after pleading guilty to four charges of intentionally recording an intimate image without consent – and was brilliant in the final 40 minutes. He scored a stunning individual try and set up another. He’s eligible for selection from Round 5 and would love to snare the team’s utility role.
— Michael Blok
1. The Cowboys have unearthed a hooking sensation in Reece Robson. The 21-year-old played nine games in two seasons at the Dragons and looks ready to cement himself as an NRL game-breaker for the Cowboys. Robson’s service from dummy half is crisp and he has the power to bust tackles. One line-break against the Broncos, in which Robson sliced them up the middle, showed he has the speed to give North Queensland the spark Jake Granville provided in the club’s premiership-winning year in 2015. Robson could be one of the buys of the season.
2. The Anthony Milford-Brodie Croft scrumbase combination is looking good. Finally, have the Broncos found the halves that can take them to a premiership? Titles aren’t won in February trials, but Milford and Croft could do more in their debut outing as Brisbane’s new scrumbase pairing. Milford was the best player on the park, setting up two tries and scoring one himself. Croft only played 40 minutes, but his passing was crisp, his kicking was judicious and he showed he has the confidence and strong voice to marshal Brisbane’s attack. Milford just needs a steady hand to let him roam and work his magic. Croft looks a nice fit.
3. Rival props Payne Haas and Frank Molo look primed for bumper seasons. Haas played just 30 minutes but in that time the 117kg hulk brushed aside Cowboys defenders like they were from the Townsville under-11s. It’s frightening how a man so big can be so mobile and fit. Molo, meanwhile, was outstanding for the Cowboys. The former Broncos prop has never quite stamped his mark on the NRL but at 25 he is still young enough to have a long career. Molo made a number of bruising charges and with Matt Scott having retired, the No.8 jumper is there for the taking.
— Peter Badel
NEW ZEALAND MAORI 30 def INDIGENOUS ALL STARS 16
1. Latrell Mitchell definitely has the makings of a No.1. The 22-year-old wasn’t necessarily a standout in Saturday’s Indigenous vs Maori All Stars clash - and played just 57 minutes at fullback before switching to centre — but he showed enough to prove he can handle the No.1 role. He produced some clever little attacking plays, including a forced line dropout, but it was his defence which proved impressive. He stopped Maori fullback Kalyn Ponga when he broke through the line on the fifth tackle and halted man-of-the-match Brandon Smith in a critical one-on-one tackle. He will need to work more on his catching, however, after he allowed a high ball to bounce, which was picked up by Maori Dylan Walker to score a try at the death of the game.
2. If there was any worry the Storm would lose their dummy-half impact once Cameron Smith retires, worry no more. The other Smith, Brandon, continued his meteoric rise to NRL stardom with an incredible performance for the Maori All Stars. The stocky little No.9 single-handedly turned the tide against a star-studded Indigenous side, by scoring two crucial tries to hand the Maori the win. He proved lethal out of dummy-half — racking up four linebreaks, seven tackle busts — and he should look to use more of his running game this season. Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy has the luxury of being able to play him anywhere on the paddock and Smith would no doubt throw his whole weight into wherever he plays.
3. The All Stars clash has also taken an injury toll on several clubs, with four players put on ice or limping from the field following the game. Bulldogs forward Chris Smith is understood to have suffered a season-ending knee injury, while Titans halfback Tyrone Roberts and Sharks skipper Wade Graham both succumbed to an ankle issue during the match. Smith was taken from the field in the 54th minute with a suspected ACL rupture which, if confirmed by scans, will likely end his year. Roberts was initially thought to have suffered an Achilles injury but believes it is less serious. The star playmaker will get scans on Monday to find the severity of the injury.
— Chris Honnery
WORLD CLUB CHALLENGE: ROOSTERS 20 def ST HELENS 12
1. Angus Crichton looked like a fish out of water on the left edge filling Latrell Mitchell’s sizeable shoes. A regular fixture in the backrow, Crichton could be called on to slot into the backline this season – with Mitchell gone, and his expected replacement (Billy Smith) out for the season with an ACL injury. Before coming off with concussion in the second half, Crichton had nine runs for 74 metres, just two tackle breaks and no linebreaks. Unless the Roosters can somehow swindle Josh Morris from Cronulla, the left centre spot looks a weakness.
2. Luke Keary looks primed to step out of Cooper Cronk’s shadow well and truly in 2019. The 2018 Clive Churchill medal winner has already delivered time and time again on the big stage, but 2020 will be his first at the Roosters without the cool head of the experienced Cronk. On Sunday’s evidence, the Roosters is well and truly Keary’s team now. He threw a delightful cut-out pass for the visitors’ first try – and sealed the victory by finishing off a long-range try.
3. There’s been a handful of contenders emerge over the past 18 months, but Sio Siua Taukeiaho has as strong a claim as anybody to be crowned the best prop in the world. The 28-year-old Tongan international is in his prime, ripped out another 126m – the most of all Roosters outside of winger Daniel Tupou – set up the match-sealing try and even took over the goalkicking. Just on the goalkicking … it has the potential to become a concern for the Roosters. Having lost Mitchell, the hope was sharpshooting Kyle Flanagan would fill the breach. He went 0/3 before being stripped of kicking duties, with SST hitting two-from-two when given the kicking tee.
— Joe Barton