NRL Offseason Octopus - On The Cusp/Brink
Insert Tongan joke here in 3, 2, 1 .... nah sorry, I love Tonga.
Each NRL season brings with it differing circumstances or context for each player. Obviously every player has helping their team win games and hopefully a ring which doesn't leave much time to contemplate where they in their careers. I've come up with five players who could be on the cusp of establishing themselves as above average NRL players or are on the brink of sliding, possibly to be overtaken by a young buck on the come up.
There's going to be more than five and there'll be a few of these leading into the NRL season when the newsy news stuff dries up, writing a whole Offseason Octopus about Tim Grant signing with Wests Tigers is pretty damn hard.
Tariq Sims
There was a time when North Queensland boasted Tariq Sims on one edge and Jason Taumalolo on the other. Both Taumalolo and Sims also got a run through the middle with the Cowboys a few years ago before Sims ventured south, joining younger brother Korbin in Newcastle.
Taumalolo and Sims' former homies now have NRL rings on their fingers while Sims has stuttered with the Knights. A lot of this is thanks to external factors with injuries, club dramas and subsequently a very mediocre footy team all holding Sims back from reaching anything close to his potential. Sims' ceiling is rep footy, he'd be a gun in the Origin arena and his athleticism on the edge could certainly be an asset for the Kangaroos.
After missing the first four rounds last season, Sims put together a very solid year given that the Knights were battling; 19 games in which he averaged 31 tackles, 13 hitups and 109m per game. That's the sort of solid season that players build on and Sims could put himself in the frame for a Blues jersey, however if Sims struggles with new coach Nathan Brown for whatever reason or is unable to really make an impact then Sims will remain behind the likes of Wade Graham, Tyson Frizell, Joel Thompson, Tony Williams, Bryce Cartwright and Boyd Cordner.
Best case: New coach, new vibes and Sims hits #BeastMode rampaging down the edge.
Worst case: Joseph Tapine and Robbie Rochow put Sims under too much pressure for minutes and Sims cracks.
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Darcy Lussick
After leaving Manly to join Parramatta, Lussick could never quite establish himself even in an Eels forward pack that lacked the consistency of better NRL teams. There was plenty of noise out of Parramatta about Lussick being pushed out of the club that had only just signed him and now Lussick returns to Manly at a crossroads.
I view Lussick as having large upside as he's big, aggressive and has a few skills, I mean enough skills to give him options in the middle of the park. Most importantly though Lussick is big and aggressive, he's got this edge to him *cue vision of Lussick ripping uppercuts before Adam Blair vs Glenn Stewart* which could help Manly re-establish themselves.
Lussick's return to Brookvale is timely as new coach Trent Barrett will be eager to see Manly return to their gritty, grimey yet highly entertaining ways. Lussick could enjoy somewhat of a breakout season as he's suited to what Manly require, alternatively Lussick could struggle to get meaningful minutes with new signings like Martin Taupau, Nate Myles and Lewis Brown joining Jake Trbojevic, Jamie Buhrer, Josh Starling, Tom Symonds and Blake Leary.
Best case: Lussick starts in the middle with Jake Trbojevic and Myles.
Worst case: Coach Barrett wants a smaller, more mobile forward pack and Lussick struggles for minutes.
Chad Townsend
After a few years of watching Townsend closely with the Warriors, I'm yet to be convinced that Townsend can be a dominant half or a supporting job-doer in a Premiership winning NRL team. Townsend came to the Warriors with a fair record as he was an Australian Schoolboys halfback and now he returns to the Shire where the Sharks need a job-doing half to help James Maloney run the team.
Playing a supporting role to Maloney where Townsend has a simple game plan and is tasked with getting the likes of Valentine Holmes, Jack Bird etc early ball could work in Townsend's favour. There's a likely chance that Townsend shows growth and relishes the opportunity to play in a team who are on the rise, who have added some attacking impetus to their gritty identity.
However, Townsend is competing with Bird and Fa'amanu Brown (injured before the season last year) for the starting halves spot and if Townsend isn't quite doing the trick then he could quickly find himself languishing in reserve grade.
Best case: Bird plays centre or fullback and Townsend starts in the halves.
Worst case: A season behind the 'phenom' (not my opinion) that is Mr Bird.
Adam Reynolds
Watching Reynolds control a game of footy when he and the Rabbitohs are rolling forward, getting through their sets, generally playing well is a joy. Reynolds' bread and butter are the basic halfback duties, which Reynolds does to near perfection as he has the full arsenal of kicks, likes to run the footy when given the chance and he directs his troops around the park expertly.
Not much flash and a whole lot of substance makes Reynolds one of the best, we just haven't seen too much of it as the Rabbitohs have slid form their perch. Reynolds missed a bunch of games during the middle of last season and there's been consistent noise about a possible move in the works for Reynolds away from Redfern - nothing concrete, just whispers. Reynolds will welcome back Sam Burgess with open arms and Burgess' return should enable Reynolds to enjoy the sort of season that had him in the mix for representative action.
Anything below average from Reynolds this season, or a ho-hum Rabbitohs season could possibly see Reynolds looking for a new home with his reputation for being M.I.A in big games in his backpack. This is especially the case with so many young halfbacks emerging and Reynolds' window to be a top-5 halfback will soon be closed.
Best case: Reynolds leads the Rabbitohs allowing Luke Keary to run more
Worst case: Rabbits struggle and Reynolds is the focus of constant rumours.
Sam Williams
I wrote a whole thingy about how interesting the Canberra Raiders are and a lot of this is thanks to the recruitment of Aidan Sezer. Sezer's arrival does however put the headgear-wearing Williams in a tricky spot as he enjoyed a very successful season last year; his combination with Blake Austin was crucial to a potent Raiders attack.
Williams flourished as he kept things simple and allowed Austin to provide the funk, this however was the first time Williams had enjoyed such a luxury and up to this point Williams was a fringe first-grader. So right after enjoying success with a simple role, Williams must now compete to start in the halves for the Raiders before he even contemplates building on last year's form.
Working is Williams' favour is that Austin is a fine utility and he could be used in a different position, which would be at a stretch. Austin could play fullback to allow Williams and Sezer to run things in the halves, however it's hard to see Ricky Stuart not opting to play Sezer and Austin together. This doesn't leave much room for Williams and as you'd have back the Sezer/Austin combo to have success, Williams may have to venture elsewhere.
Best case: Austin finds a new position and Williams starts at halfback.
Worst case: Williams gets his own Mounties locker and leaves for the Super League.