NRL 2021: Harry Grant and Jacob Liddle meet for first time as adversaries since Wests Tigers
Harry Grant and Jacob Liddle spent a season together, but that was enough to leave an indelible mark on the latter. Now, as rivals, can Liddle upset the best? HOOKER POWER RATINGS
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Harry Grant walked off Leichhardt Oval last year to the sound of the Wests Tigers faithful chanting his name.
The rookie hooker had just been given a 63rd-minute early mark, having just led his side to what would be a 48-0 thrashing of the Brisbane Broncos.
Grant had cemented his rookie-of-the-year status and built a cult-like following after coach Michael Maguire made one of the more astute recruitment decisions and signed the rising rake on a one-year loan deal.
The Yeppoon Seagulls junior gave Tigers fans a short but tantalising taste of what an elite No. 9 could do to a side’s attack.
“That game against the Broncos last season, the crowd was chanting his name at Leichhardt Oval, I think that probably said it all,” Maguire said of the Round 10 match.
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But, as he prepares to take on the Tigers at Sunshine Coast Stadium on Saturday night off the bench for the Melbourne Storm, the love affair with Wests fans is only one part of Grant’s legacy at Concord.
Grant’s Storm-like worth ethic and standards was exactly what Maguire, who was an assistant to Craig Bellamy in Melbourne for five years, is desperately trying to inject into his Tigers outfit.
“Harry has got high standards and someone like Jacob Liddle is exactly the same,” Maguire said.
“To play in the No. 9 position, you need to have that. You learn that from the people that have been in front of you. Harry had someone like Cameron Smith that led the way in that position for a long, long time.
“When I first met Cameron, with his standards around how he played and what he wanted to be as a player, a lot of what he's done has dictated what being a hooker is all about now.”
And just like Maguire hoped, Grant’s time at Concord left an indelible mark on Liddle, 24, who will not only get to test but prove himself against the Maroons hooker when the two sides clash at Sunshine Coast Stadium.
“We did a lot of extras together, he was good to have around. He came from that system down in Melbourne, so he knew a lot and he had a lot of good training habits around training. So I took as much as I could from him,” Liddle said of Grant.
“It’ll be a big challenge this week. Harry is a good player. He’s been playing Origin, so he is the benchmark at the moment of the hookers.
“Obviously they’ve got Brandon Smith too, who has been playing well at hooker.”
Building a formidable hooking rotation has been a priority for Maguire since he first became an NRL head coach in 2012 at South Sydney, where he guided the Redfern club to a historic premiership in 2014.
“I had the likes of Issac Luke, Cameron McInnes and Api Koroisau … I have always enjoyed having a number of hookers around the squad,” Maguire said.
“They compete and they work hard together because it is a craft, playing at nine. It plays a big part in what you are trying to do in every play.”
Maguire blooded Jake Simpkin, who is considered one of the best hooking prospects coming through the NRL ranks, in round six. Liddle has finally overcome a horrid run of serious injuries, including two shoulder reconstructions and an ACL in 2019.
Both players have been in and out Maguire’s 17 this season but the coach is confident, as a combination, the rising rakes are the future at Concord.
“Jake is going really well but he's only 19. He’s had the experience in first grade and works heavily with Robbie Farah in the background,” Maguire said.
“Sometimes you go forward to go back to go forward again.
“That what I see in our two hookers, the experiences they are gaining now are going to set them up.”
According to Fox Sports Lab, Grant outguns Liddle in a number of key attacking statistics including try assists (7-1) and linebreak assists (8-1).
It’s an area of focus for Liddle.
“I’m slowly getting little improvements in my game,” Liddle said.
“I had a tough start last year to come back into it straight away, coming back from big injury like that [ACL], But this year, injury free so far, touch wood and I’m just working on little things in my game to try to get better.”
The missing piece in Wests Tigers puzzle
Wests Tigers are slowly but surely building a top class backline but there’s still one big question to be answered.
That’s the opinion of Fox League analyst Braith Anasta on the rebuild going on at Concord.
He believes the last step to landing the club’s best backline will be a decision on where Adam Doueihi will play long-term.
Lebanese international Doueihi will miss the clash with Melbourne on Saturday after copping a knock against Parramatta but he’s been effective at five-eighth and centre this year.
“Slowly but surely they’ve been able to build a really good back five. Doueihi moving into the centres has been a good thing, although he may not agree and that might be a bit of a contentious one,” Anasta said.
“He’s a really good five-eighth and he started the season well there, but he’s also been good in the centres with Moses Mbye at five-eighth.
“I’m still not sure how that will pan out but at this stage they’re looking good.”
Coach Michael Maguire’s rebuild continued to take shape this week with the acquisition of Warriors winger Ken Maumalo.
Maguire is excited about having genuine competition for spots in the backline and how it will benefit the club’s roster.
He also hailed Maumalo’s experience and believes it will play a crucial role in getting the best out of young guns like Tommy Taulau and Reece Hoffman.
“The depth of the squad is something we’ll work very hard towards as we bring that youth through,” Maguire said.
“That’s part of what makes a strong team is competition within. You build that, be accountable at training every day, it’s what makes players and it’s what makes them what they become.
“Ken’s experience and knowledge of the game is something he’ll be able to share with what we have here, which is quite a younger squad. That experience will be invaluable.”
Maumalo’s emotional exit from the Warriors proved what Maguire already knew – that the hulking finisher was the right fit for the Tigers.
Maguire believes the same strong bond can grow between Maumalo and his new club after he was in tears at full-time of his final game for the Warriors.
And in recruiting the Kiwi international, the Tigers have added to a backline that could become one of the most formidable in the NRL sooner rather than later.
“That’s the character I know of Kenny, I wouldn’t expect anything less when I saw that emotion,” Maguire said.
“He’s very close to his teammates and that’s what makes a team. Kenny will build those bonds with the boys we have here over time and I’m sure he’ll have the same attachment as we keep building on what we’re doing.
“It’s good to see, I know how close he is to his teammates and that says a lot about a person, being willing to show his emotion of what those people mean to him.”
Maguire has first-hand experience coaching Maumalo through their time together in the New Zealand set-up and believes the 196cm giant will be a perfect fit for the Tigers.
The stats back up Maguire’s assessment – Maumalo is fifth in the league among all player for metres per game since the start of 2019 and is 11th in the NRL for tries per game for the same period.
Add in David Nofoalouma, a proven commodity as a yardage and finishing specialist, on the other flank, the Tigers could soon boast one of the best wing partnerships in the competition.
With James Roberts indicating he wants to stay with the Tigers long term, new recruit Daine Laurie starring at fullback and English international Oliver Gildart joining the club from Wigan, Maguire will have a handy back five at his disposal.
The Mbye-Luke Brooks halves combination helped the Tigers to three wins in four starts before last week’s heavy loss to Parramatta, with the No. 7 saying the switch helped him take more control of the team.
Roberts will move to centre in relief of Doueihi after three tries in three games on the wing, his first scores in Tigers colours, as the club attempts to help the former Origin flyer find his best football again.
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