Canterbury continue to find ways to win, completing a double-digit comeback for the second time in as many weeks in NRL Round 11. Their ability to absorb pressure and minimise the damage with their defence has been integral to these comebacks; the Bulldogs trust their systems and know if they weather the storm for long enough, their chances will come late in the piece.
What’s impressing most about Canterbury though is what they’re doing with those chances. Toby Sexton is taking smart options from first receiver to put the Bulldogs strike players into positive involvements on either edge. It’s no surprise that Viliame Kikau, Stephen Crichton and Bronson Xerri feature on the scoreboard in Canterbury’s recent wins.
Even with players missing this week, the Bulldogs middle profiles well against a Redcliffe pack that isn’t applying pressure for the full 80 minutes. Little lapses throughout the contest – kick pressure, line speed, ruck control – are undoing all the positive things Isaiya Katoa is doing on the ball right now.
Manly posted a much-needed win last week on the back of an improved defensive display. They tightened up around the ruck to limit the looks Tom Dearden and Scott Drinkwater enjoyed when skipping across the line before scoreboard pressure did the rest.
Daly Cherry-Evans is a big loss for the Sea Eagles attack but we’ve seen Jake Arthur to a job in his absence before. With two tries and 15 assists from eight NSW Cup games this year, there’s nothing to suggest Arthur can’t pick the right passes along a full strength Manly right edge in this one.
Parramatta have played themselves into form of late but a lot of it has come on the back of Mitch Moses’ boot and the yardage game of Zac Lomax (and Bailey Simonsson) – none of whom will feature for the Eels here.
Without an established general play kicker to end their sets, Parramatta look vulnerable on the kick return and early in exit sets – somewhere Manly have excelled under Anthony Seibold…
The pressure gauge is redlining in Newcastle after losses to the Titans (17th on the NRL ladder) and Eels (16th) in the past fortnight. Noise is getting louder around an early release for Adam O’Brien, who’s once resilient and connected defensive systems are now crumbling under scoreboard pressure.
Fletcher Sharpe is a likely move to fullback along with Dylan Lucas returning to the backrow, but concerns remain around the ability of this spine to get the best out of their strike players in attack.
Penrith are without all their top line talent this week which suggests they’ll play even more simple than usual. With Mitch Kenny presumably orchestrating things from behind the ruck and Newcastle battling their own demons out wide, everything points to this game being a grind.
With that in mind, it’s Penrith’s to lose.
It’s been an ugly start but the Cronulla Sharks have played themselves into form and into the top end of the NRL ladder. Yet to enjoy a bye and completely unaffected by the Origin period, the Sharks now have a great opportunity to get some reps in and solidify what works for them in attack.
Blayke Brailey is spending just enough more time on the ball right now to compress the defensive line from dummy-half. When they don’t, he’s finding spaces around the ruck (see AFB’s try last week) but when they do, he’s putting Nicho Hynes and Braydon Trindall over the ad-line at a stressed defence.
While Easts continue to win enough of the games they should, the absentee list is long for this one. An already leaky middle defence will be tested here and Dominic Young faces a tough return to first-grade against an in-form Ronaldo Mulitalo.
No doubt the Wahs have had this one circled in the calendar since returning from Las Vegas in March.
Both clubs have kicked on since NRL Round 1; Canberra’s unorthodox attack has proven far more repeatable than expected while the Warriors top-tier defence continues to keep them in contests each week.
James Fisher-Harris and Mitch Barnett are enormous outs here but it’s hard to deny what New Zealand’s ‘role players’ have produced around their big names this season.
Hudson Young (and Matty Nicholson) have left big holes on Canberra’s edges and it’s an area the Warriors can target here. Luke Metcalf is relishing playing behind a quick ruck and he only needs a few half chances on the tram lines to create points.