Cronulla didn’t want to win it ugly last week but that’s exactly what they’ll need to do here. Canberra excel at dragging contests into a grind, where their ability to generate second-phase play and disrupt a fatigued defensive line typically leads to points.
The Sharks are one of few rival clubs with the pack to roll with Canberra through the middle. If Blayke Brailey can demand enough attention from behind the ruck, the spaces will soon open up on the edges.
North Queensland improved their effort areas and made their own luck in a few crucial moments in NRL Round 4. Tom Dearden passed Jaxon Purdue into some nice involvements on their left edge while Jake Clifford nailed enough fifth tackle options to take an early lead.
It’s a different prospect against the Panthers ft. Nathan Cleary, though. They did everything but land the last pass against South Sydney in NRL Round 4 but that’s something Cleary changes immediately.
Victor Radley is a huge loss in a Roosters middle that is being spotted by opposing teams to start the year. As recently as last week the Gold Coast scored two straight through the front door; an ominous sign given how Pete Mamouzelos picked apart Penrith’s ruck defence in NRL Round 4.
Assuming South Sydney earn their share of field position, look for Mamouzelos to ask questions of Easts defence around the posts. If the cracks don’t appear there, they’ll soon appear a little wider for a returning Latrell Mitchell in the centres.
St George highlighted a weekend of upsets last week but need to be careful of a desperate Eels outfit here. It’s the kind of game the Dragons let slip in 2024 and Shane Flanagan will be looking towards his senior players to get this winnable job done.
While the Eels defence currently ranks last in the NRL, it’s their attack that is really struggling. A change behind the ruck this week sees the promising Ryley Smith start at hooker and it can help put Dylan Brown and Dean Hawkins into more positive involvements on the edges.
At the very least, we need to see Parramatta kick for Zac Lomax in good-ball here.
Redcliffe’s ill discipline under pressure is crippling the start to their 2025 campaign. For all the positives Isaiya Katoa is doing on the ball – that double pump to create space for Felise Kaufusi last week was mean – the Dolphins as a whole aren’t able to maintain or withstand extended periods of pressure within games.
Given how quickly the Titans are using the ball right now, it spells disaster for Redcliffe in the backend of halves.
We’re still waiting for Brisbane’s attack to fire on all cylinders but Michael Maguire has them focussing on all the little things right now. Their dominance in yardage is helping two experienced halves to finish their sets in strong positions on the field and slowly apply pressure within games, even if they aren’t piling on the points (sound familiar, Penrith fans?).
In contrast, Wests are still fairly erratic in how they use the ball – particularly in their own half and late in the tackle count. Without Jarome Luai to steer the ship, the Broncos profile well to win this once fatigue sets in.
Lehi Hopoate moving to fullback is the silver lining in every new Tom Trbojevic injury. Hopoate has silky hands and a wonderful knack of popping up in the right areas in attack; particularly down Manly’s left edge.
For Melbourne, we can expect Cam Munster and Ryan Papenhuyzen to again spend a lot of time on the ball here. The spaces around DCE can be a target for the Storm’s attack; dragging a defender out of the line and passing Papi into the spaces.
Cameron Ciraldo very cleverly moved Jacob Preston to the left edge last week for great effect; the Bulldogs scored three times down that channel thanks to Preston’s line running and Bailey Hayward’s ability to straighten the attack.
I’m looking for more of the same here, getting at the spaces around Jack Cogger on the Knights left edge. It’s been KP or nothing for the Knights so far this season and barring another individual masterclass, this is Canterbury’s to win.