The NRL Tackle Round 20: Horror defensive stats haunt Dragons in top eight quest
The St George Illawarra Dragons are still in the hunt for a top eight spot but they need an urgent fix to their defensive woes.
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Our rugby league writers reveal what caught their eye — good and bad — in Round 20 of the NRL.
Likes: It’s taken longer than expected for the game’s most underrated superstar to be given the recognition he deserves, but Joseph Manu is finally feeling the love. He was immense against the Eels, running for 287 metres to go with a try and two linebreaks in a rare night on the wing. During a season in which Roosters players have dropped like flies, Manu has been the busy bee of the backline, starring at fullback, centre or in the halves. The only problem for the Roosters is other clubs are noticing, and they will come hard in November when he is free to negotiate. The Warriors are interested, and he would be the perfect local hero. But good luck trying to poach this Chook.
Dislikes: Brad Arthur should spend the next few days learning morse code so he can send a much-needed SOS message to Mitch Moses. Parramatta’s attack has fallen off a cliff without him there to call the shots, and in a competition where tries are being scored for fun, the Eels are the only team in the top six yet to crack 500 points. They tried to move the ball against the Roosters but it looked forced and led to simple errors. Jake Arthur has plenty of potential but they need their little general back to fight for their spot in the top four. The cracks are already appearing after Clint Gutherson verbally attacked Tom Opacic, but Moses is the glue who can patch things up.
Player-of-the-year votes: 3 Joey Manu, 2 Sam Walker, 1 James Tedesco
— Martin Gabor
Likes: The Warriors only had 20 players available for the clash but played with the desire and pride in the jersey that was lacking in their opponents, as epitomised by brave skipper Peta Hiku in his first game in four months on return from shoulder surgery. Euan Aitken, usually a centre, had his best game for the Warriors in the unfamiliar position of second-row.
His two tries, eight tackle busts and 42 tackles impressed coach Nathan Brown so much that the former Dragon looks set for a permanent positional switch. It was the first game of the post-Roger Tuivasa-Sheck era and 19-year-old Reece Walsh, while not at his best, backed himself as always and showed why he is tipped to take the Warriors into a brighter future.
Dislikes: When Joe Ofahengaue played the ball near the tryline in the final minutes with no dummy-half in place it summed up the Tigers mentality. Michael Maguire called it “frantic”, and it was an indictment on the absence of leadership that haunts Wests.
More than a few nice touches here and there from halves Adam Doueihi and Luke Brooks were required. The duo had plenty of chances to put the game to bed but failed. Another golden opportunity to press for the finals was wasted by the Tigers. The players keep alluding to how they have let Maguire down this year but talk is cheap when actions don’t follow. If this game revealed anything it was that the Tigers have made no progress in 2021.
— Joel Gould
Player-of-the-year votes: 3 Euan Aitken 2 Marcelo Montoya 1 Stefano Utoikamanu
Likes: If Broncos coach Kevin Walters wants to play finals football next year, he has to keep Kotoni Staggs at centre. Staggs’ two-try demolition of the Cowboys underlined why he is a bona fide centre and a move to five-eighth is a risk in a team needing stability. Tyson Gamble is showing the type of competitive fire and game sense at six to be a handy foil for Adam Reynolds when the Souths maestro slots into the Broncos No.7 jumper next year. Staggs is also striking a nice right-edge combination with rookie back-rower Jordan Riki, who had the best game of his career to show he can be a regular game breaker for the Broncos next year.
Dislikes: The Cowboys are showing little signs of the mental toughness rookie coach Todd Payten is trying to instil in his battling team. North Queensland will miss the finals for the fourth straight year and Payten would be concerned with his side’s lack of steel in the middle third of the field. The jury is also out on Tom Dearden as an NRL playmaker. The former Bronco has now lost 22 consecutive games as a starting halfback and he needs a solid 12 months in the Intrust Super Cup to become a more seasoned shot-caller.
Player-of-the-year votes: 3 Jordan Riki, 2 Kotoni Staggs, 1 Tyson Gamble
— Peter Badel
Likes: We’ve been waiting for the Knights to prove they deserve to play finals footy, and they finally showed something to suggest they are on the up. Newcastle looked awful in their past two losses, going down 76-12, but with Bradman Best back and tormenting opponents, they have the weapons to work their way into the top eight.
Kalyn Ponga was outstanding and they’ll get Mitchell Pearce back next week, so the ball is in their court to take advantage of a very favourable draw to finish the regular season.
Dislikes: Someone get me a pair of glasses because it’s impossible to get a read on the Raiders. Their season looked done when they were belted 44-6 by the Titans at home, but they steadied the ship with three wins in a row to get their campaign on track.
This was a must-win match against a team breathing down their necks, but they missed the kick and were always chasing the game. Jack Wighton was eerily quiet in attack while their right-edge defence was marshmallow soft. They have a very difficult run home, and this could be the loss that they look back on as the one that cost them a spot in September.
— Martin Gabor
Player-of-the-year votes: 3 Bradman Best 2 Kalyn Ponga 1 Jordan Rapana
Likes: The Storm’s club record 16th win in a row is an incredible achievement on the back of the constantly changing Covid challenges they have had thrown in their direction. Their +465 points differential is also now the greatest of all time. It was defensive intent and desperation that came to the fore against the Panthers. Justin Olam and Felise Kaufusi are beasts on their respective sides of the field, and were both in menacing moods.
Any team that can inject Ryan Papenhuyzen and Harry Grant from the bench has an abundance of riches and both showed that they are on their way back to their best after lengthy injury layoffs. Papenhuyzen’s confidence is returning and that spells bad news for opponents.
Dislikes: Panthers coach Ivan Cleary lamented his side’s lack of resolve defensively against the Storm. In a grand final rematch and top of the table clash, that absence of intent is a major concern. Under strength they are, but Penrith’s form has dipped in the past two months just as Melbourne’s has gone into overdrive.
The form of playmaker Jarome Luai since returning from a knee injury is another worry. Luai had just three runs against the Storm and was hardly sighted. He’s clearly missing his halves partner Nathan Cleary but this is the time of year Luai needs to be at his best. The Penrith back five lacked punch. Without Brian To’o for the next month they will need more involvement from the likes of Charlie Staines who was also off his game.
— Joel Gould
Player-of-the-year votes: 3 Felise Kaufusi 2 Harry Grant 1 Jahrome Hughes
Likes: It’s not hyperbole to call Latrell Mitchell’s performance as one of the most destructive of his career. At one point the Dragons needed eight cracks at bringing him down on a rampaging run that set up a try for Jai Arrow on the next play, before the star fullback finished with a career-high 15 tackle busts, two tries and 156 metres. They’ve got some defensive issues, sure, so we’ll get a better gauge when they meet Parramatta in a third versus fourth clash on Friday night.
The form of Adam Reynolds and Cody Walker is also steering the Rabbitohs to a top-four finish. Reynolds set up two tries while Walker — the NRL’s top try assister — had a hand in four tries to help the Bunnies to a commanding win over the Dragons. Reynolds is also only two points away from cracking 200 points for the season.
Dislikes: There have been some woeful defensive efforts this season, many of them against a white-hot Rabbitohs attack. But a whopping 54 combined missed tackles by the Dragons defence made for some ugly reading, most of them by rookies.
Young centre Talatau Amone had eight, promising playmaker Jayden Sullivan had seven, and exciting fullback Tyrell Sloan had five. The suspensions from BBQ-gate forced Anthony Griffin’s hand, but he also omitted Matt Dufty and played Corey Norman in the centres. “It was just a combination of the opposition being really good and us, at times, we lost our way with the ball and at the end of our set we couldn’t build any pressure on them,” coach Anthony Griffin said.
— Matt Encarnacion
Player-of-the-year votes: 3 Cody Walker 2 Latrell Mitchell 1 Mark Nicholls
Likes: When Ash Taylor is on, boy can he play. The 26-year-old faces an uncertain future with the Titans but on Monday night he showed just how talented he can be. The Gold Coast No.7 proved a handful with the ball and his kicking game was impressive as he produced one of his best performances of the season. Taylor started off the match strongly, booting a handy 40/20 in the fifth minute of the game as the Titans looked to pile on the pressure. He finished the match with a try, a try assist and 220 kicking metres. Taylor also seems to be enjoying his new halves partner Toby Sexton who played just his second NRL match and finished with one try assist and two linebreak assists.
Dislikes: The Bulldogs are staring down the barrel of claiming this year’s wooden spoon and their Monday night performance did them no good in avoiding it. After a couple of brave performances against the likes of Cronulla and Canberra, they lacked any attacking flair against the Titans. Such was their performance, they came close to becoming the first team held scoreless by the Titans since 2013 if not for a try late in the game from Bailey Biondi-Odo. Coach Trent Barrett challenged his playing group to be better in the final games of the season. “We’ve got a few blokes in there who need to have a good look at themselves,” Barrett said after the match.
Player-of-the-year votes: 3 Ash Taylor, 2 Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, 1 Brian Kelly.
— Chris Honnery
Jesse Ramien a late out for the Sharks tonight due to an ear infection. Medical issues like this can be more unpredictable than the musculoskeletal injuries more commonly seen in the NRL. Thankfully most ear infections settle quickly enough to allow a return to play within a week
— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) August 2, 2021
Likes: Manly’s form reversal since their opening month of woe has been off the charts. It was the Tom Trbojevic show against the Sharks. It was his third hat-trick in his past four starts and he had try assists and line breaks coming out his ears. You’d pay good money to watch live the freakish talents of Manly back-rower Josh Schuster. Schuster views each play as a try scoring chance and there was one chip and chase at speed against the Sharks that suggested he’d been watching Phil Blake highlight reels. He didn’t score but the skill and confidence that went into it highlights the verve this Manly team is playing with. It is a razzle dazzle style of football that could worry the Storm on Saturday night.
Dislikes: The Sharks had a great chance at the start of the second half to get into the game but lacked direction when they had the ball and fell apart when Tom Trbojevic unleashed. The missed tackles, and there were 47 of them, was not the standard of a top eight side. Will Chambers had a shocker and was his lippy self all night. It was good theatre but it didn’t help Cronulla one bit
The Sea Eagles were great to watch in the first half but it was high risk. Their nine errors kept the Sharks in it and would not have pleased coach Des Hasler. There is a warning there somewhere . If Manly do that against Melbourne next week it won’t end well.
Player-of-the-year votes: 3 Tom Trbojevic, 2 Marty Taupau, 1 Daly Cherry-Evans
— Joel Gould
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