NRL Finals Week Two Preview
There's no one in the NRL like Tyrone Peachey, trust.
Cowboys vs Broncos
Match Up
Darius Boyd vs Lachlan Coote: Some fullbacks break tackles, some run over blokes and then you've got fullbacks who play like halves. Boyd and Coote are the best in the NRL at setting up their outside men and we are going to be treated to pretty epic display of skill and decision-making in the fullback position from these two. Coote will chime in with kicks down his left edge and be largely responsible for the Cowboys attack down the left, while Boyd will pop up on both edges. Keep an eye on the work inside Boyd from Anthony Milford and Ben Hunt as their objective will be to get Boyd the footy with bodies in motion, preferably with a slight overlap.
Kyle Feldt/Antonio Winterstein vs Corey Oates/Jordan Kahu: I had to highlight the battle of the wingers here because these four wingers may not be the headline grabbers, however I've got all four as being among my top NRL wingers. While they can finish in pretty much any situation close to the line, it's their work in helping their team out through the middle that really catches the eye. All four carry the footy strongly, all four can finish exceptionally and all four are fairly safe under the high-ball ... especially now that Oates has sussed his hands out.
Key Men
All season long, Jason Taumalolo has been a beast with at least 15 carries/150m each game. This has been a constant and it's kept the Cowboys in many contests this season, especially when Mathew Scott and James Tamou haven't quite been at their best or haven't been playing.
After being kept quiet by Melbourne last week, I don't doubt we'll see Taumalolo roll through his usual production, what we need to see is Scott and Tamou dominating as well. The Broncos will be out to slow Taumalolo down and with the mobility and effort around the ruck being a strength of the Broncos, they are well-equipped to limit Taumalolo's metres and momentum. What will hurt the Broncos is when they have to try stop Taumalolo, then Scott and then Tamou with Scott and Tamou lurking a pass or two wide of the ruck. Scott and Tamou need to be busy and replicate Taumalolo's effort.
Anthony Milford was fantastic last week against the Titans and we've come to expect that form the Milf. Allowing Milford to play his 'backyard' footy style though is Ben Hunt, zoning in on his typical halfback duties and steering the Broncos around the park. People think that Hunt's not playing well because he's not dazzling with his running game as he has done, I reckon we're just seeing Hunt focus more on kicking and passing with the odd run. Hunt must kick with precision and take responsibility for much of the kicking, plus we'll likely see Hunt focus on distributing the footy before targeting the Cowboys forwards who may fatigue, with a cheeky show-and-go.
Keep An Eye On
It's all about the two benches here as both teams have nailed what they want from their bench and the personnel that can offer that. The Cowboys enjoy a second wave with Scott Bolton and Ben Hannant coming on to roll down-field, while Brisbane does the same with Jarrod Wallace's arrival into the arena but in Alex Glenn, there's also some quick feet and power to make up for the loss of Kodi Nikorima through the middle.
Verdict
The Cowboys should win. They have a middle-trio who can blow away any forward pack and Jonathan Thurston's wizardry will be on display on home-turf. Brisbane are nicely built to beat the Cowboys though as they are more mobile in the forward and have the grizzly forwards who will welcome the challenge of stopping the Cowboys middle-trio.
Raiders vs Panthers
Match Up
Edrick Lee/Jordan Rapana vs Josh Mansour/Dallin Watene-Zelezniak: Oh what! More wingers, yup. There's no way I was going to ignore Mansour and Watene-Zelezniak as they are two of the best wingers at running up the guts and as we saw last week, points often come from these blokes simply running the footy regardless of where that run starts. Rapana has been hot all season, while we shouldn't sleep on Lee either because he's a big body who tends to always roll forward with his carries but more importantly, he's tall and the Raiders will look to match him up against Watene-Zelezniak under the high ball.
Aidan Sezer vs Nathan Cleary: If you weren't a trained viewer, you'd be forgiven for not noticing these blokes on the field and that's how it should be. While they both produce plays of pure class, they both at their best when they are at first-receiver, giving the footy to the right bloke and sparking an attacking movement with a minor detail that many wouldn't notice.
Sezer and Cleary are halfbacks, there's less razzle dazzle with these blokes and more 'doing ya job' for the team which means directing traffic etc. I'd encourage y'all to focus your attention on these two ... maybe on the third replay or something though 'cos you would miss all the other freaks.
Key Men
Junior Paulo and Shannon Boyd are always noticeable when on the field because they always steam through plenty of metres and get the Raiders on the front-foot. What has confused me a little has been their lack of minutes on the park and if I found myself wondering where Paulo and Boyd were last week against Cronulla, I have a feeling it'll be the same this week against a more mobile/free-flowing Panthers side. Working in favour of Paulo and Boyd is that they will make metres against Penrith; they'll be hugely effective but could also be a liability.
Bryce Cartwright has done a nice job in the halves for Penrith, mainly because Matt Moylan's there to do a lot of the work and push Cartwright more into a edge forward role. Cartwright does do his share of the skillful stuff and we saw last week that Cartwright is the perfect bloke to have as he's capable of firing a 20m pass to a winger, as well as offloading at will himself. Cartwright doesn't have to worry too much about organising or offering control - Cleary and Moylan do that - which allows Cartwright to simply chime and with Penrith throwing caution to the wind, Cartwright is the perfect bloke to have to spark and make the most of broken play.
We can't sleep on Tyrone Peachey either. Peachey has been a dynamo for Penrith in whatever position he plays and of late, he has done so at centre before moving further in-field at any opportunity. I reckon Peachey will be licking his lips when he sees Joey Leilua opposite him as Peachey's speed and footwork will cause Leilua all sorts of problems ... then you've got Peachey cutting back inside against the grain where he'll find some tired Raiders forwards.
Keep An Eye On
Will Penrith kick near the Raiders try-line? Last week they kept the ball in play against the Bulldogs and I reckon we'll see a similar ploy this week.
Josh Hodgson is crucial and whether he plays or not will likely decide the game.
Also keep an eye on Blake Austin. Austin has been out with injury and with his running ability, the Raiders have a totally different dimension to their attack. If Hodgson's out and Austin's at his best, the Raiders will have a sniff.
Verdict
Panthers will win. Last week they showed the blueprint how to beat a bigger team and they have nailed that style of footy, which matches up perfectly against the Raiders.