This time of year is when arguably the best standard of play occurs.
Teams have had a couple of months to get their combinations right, injuries for the most part haven’t taken too much of a toll and the towering spectre that is Origin hasn’t gobbled up all the mid-season attention and thrown the club outfits off kilter.
By this stage of the year teams pretty much are what they are, which is bad news for Canberra, Newcastle and the Gold Coast, who were supposed to be finals contenders but are in contention for the wooden spoon.
This could be the most predictable rest of the season in many a year. Penrith and Melbourne look on a collision course to meet in the grand final on October 2 and the other six teams in the top eight look like playoff material: Cowboys, Sharks, Eels, Rabbitohs, Roosters and Sea Eagles.
Not just because they’ve been playing well or at least decent but because the other eight teams don’t inspire much confidence that they can get their act together.
It’s not quite Wake Me up When September Ends but the NRL needs a few of the current strugglers to find some form to remove the sense of inevitability about the season’s outcome.
Here are there burning questions for each team heading into Round 9.
Thursday
Rabbitohs v Broncos at Accor Stadium, 7.50pm
Is Keaon Koloamatangi ready for Origin? The Rabbitohs second-rower was in the NSW extended squad last year and with Angus Crichton struggling for form at the Roosters, he could be a bench option for the Blues. Weirdly, Rabbitohs lock Cameron Murray will probably switch to the starting second row for NSW, as he did in all three games last year, with Isaah Yeo getting the No.13 jersey while Bunnies second-rower Jai Arrow is likely to be at the back of the scrum for Queensland as the Maroons have some decent edge forward options even though Jaydn Su’A and David Fifita are out in Kurt Capewell, Jeremiah Nanai and Felise Kaufusi.
(Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
Does anyone know if Brenko Lee can still play? He hasn’t played a full game in the NRL since starting in the centres for Melbourne in the 2020 grand final win over Penrith. He missed all of last year due to a serious calf concern and has been given just 24 minutes off the bench in Brisbane’s Round 4 loss to the Warriors. He’s 18th man for this game and won’t displace Kotoni Staggs or Herbie Farnworth anytime soon but at 26, he should be far from a spent force.
Friday
Raiders v Bulldogs at GIO Stadium, 6pm
If anyone isn’t cheering for Jarrod Croker, do they have a heart? Whenever an unofficial NRL best blokes XIII has been compiled over the past decade, Croker has been one of the first names blurted out in the barroom where such banter tends to be a topic of conversation. He’s been bothered by knee, shoulder and back injuries in recent times and had to work his way back to match fitness via the NSW Cup but the 291-gamer is finally back in the Canberra centres. Under contract for two more years after this one, hopefully he gets to go out on his own terms in first grade rather than via injury or stuck in reserve grade.
Can the Dogs find their bark in the red zone? Amid all the controversy and celebration following their win over the Roosters last week, the 16-12 win was yet another example of Canterbury getting the ball upfield then failing to capitalise. They should have put the Roosters away but their failure to put points on the board nearly cost them when Joseph Suaalii dived over in the corner at the end but was denied due to his foot being in touch. The Dogs, who have not won back-to-matches since a four-game dead cat bounce late in the 2019 season, are fourth in the NRL for plays in the opposition 20-metre zone but still dead last for points per game (10.8).
Panthers v Eels at BlueBet Stadium, 7.55pm
Can the Penrith back five be nullified? One of the many reasons why the Panthers are unbeaten is because their outside backs average a league-best 798 metres per game, which is a lot more than the Eels (585). If metre-eating NSW winger Brian To’o is cleared to make his comeback from injury, Parramatta’s task will be even harder.
(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
What’s happened to Parra’s defence? The most line breaks conceded per team at 6.3. Worse than the last-placed Knights (5.4), Dragons (5.1) and Broncos (4.8). The Eels can at least scramble well after conceding a break as their 20.3 points allowed per game is mid-table but still, if they have any hope of challenging Penrith and Melbourne for the title, their defence needs an overhaul.
Sea Eagles v Tigers at 4 Pines Park, 3pm
How much of a loss will Brad Parker be? He’s not the flashiest customer but he’s been an integral part of Manly’s backline the past couple of years and such is Morgan Harper’s recent struggles, coach Des Hasler has gone with a pair of rookies in Ben Trbojevic and Tolu Koula as his centre pairing against the Tigers.
Can the Tigers hookers get a start somewhere next year? Api Koroisau is headed to the club next year but Jacob Liddle and Jake Simpkin have shown enough to suggest they are at least worthy back-up options either at the Tigers or at another club if they request a release. Liddle is under contract at the Tigers until the end of next year while Simpkin’s deal runs a further season. The Tigers are second only to metres out of dummy half this season due to the combined efforts of these two, who each rank in the top 10 in the NRL for this category.
Roosters v Titans at BB Print Stadium, Mackay 5.30pm
Can Roosters maintain dominance over Titans? The Tricolours have got up in their past eight meetings, the two most recent clashes by a single point but Gold Coast fans don’t like to be reminded of last year’s playoff. One more pass and they win. Agony.
Has Greg Marzhew finally found his feet in the NRL? He was at the Eels for a few years and was annually tipped as a player to watch but never made the leap as injuries got in the way. He played eight games in and out of the Titans team last year but after getting a late call-up in Round 1, has cemented his spot on the wing and leads the NRL in tackle breaks at 54, ahead of Roosters opponent James Tedesco (51).
Cowboys v Knights at QCB Stadium, 7.35pm
Where does The Hammer fit in now? Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow looked tentative when he made his comeback from a knee injury in the second half of the Darwin demolition of the Eels but was still able to play a part in the late avalanche of tries. He’s again been named on the bench and with Scott Drinkwater excelling at fullback, does Todd Payten could slot him into the centres ahead of veteran Peta Hiku.
Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)
Can the Knights learn how to catch? They have made 30 errors in their own half this season – it’s always bad to turn the ball over but doubly so when it gifts field position to the opponents. With a patched-together team, Newcastle are going to struggle to remain competitive away to the red-hot Cowboys if they continue that trend.
Sunday
Storm v Dragons at AAMI Park, 2pm
Why aren’t Melbourne good at absolutely everything? It took a while but there’s a stat out there which sort of shows the Storm are not elite at one aspect of the Greatest Game of All. In fact, they’re last in the league. Forced drop-outs – they rank 16th at just five for the season. Now that may be due to the fact that when you’re averaging 6.5 tries per game, you don’t need to get those comically mispronounced reeeeepeat sets but still, it shows they’re not the Perfect Storm that the lazy headline writers love to describe them as being.
(Photo by Ashley Feder/Getty Images)
Are the Dragons about to get a reality check? They’ve eked out three wins on the trot by six or less against a clunky Roosters outfit, the woeful Knights and a feisty yet outclassed Wests Tigers side. After this game, they’ve got the Titans, Warriors and Dogs so St George Illawarra can still maintain a spot on the periphery of the top eight but that appears to be their ceiling in 2022.
Sharks v Warriors at PointsBet Stadium, 4.05pm
Does Nicho Hynes not care about preserving his looks? The Sharks playmaker and his fellow playmaker Matt Moylan are each in the top five for line engagements per game at 13 and 12 respectively. Their propensity to take the ball deep into the defensive line has been one of the main reasons why Cronulla (54) are second only to the rampant Storm (56) for line breaks in 2022.
How have the Warriors managed to win four of their eight games? They’ve turned winning ugly into an artform with two of their victories coming via field goals and another after the Tigers were denied a fair try. They’ve stayed on brand by being 4-4 to continue their ingrained inconsistency but they should probably be lower on the ladder given their defence (25.3 points conceded per game) is only better then the legless Knights (25.8). They also have run for an average of 316 metres per game fewer than their opposition, the biggest negative difference of any team in the competition.
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