#KiwiNRL Encyclopedia: Round 20

Tui never had a halfback like Brooks at the Warriors...

Broncos vs Bulldogs

The 13

Broncos: Jamayne Isaako, Jordan Kahu, Adam Blair, Alex Glenn.

Bulldogs: Chase Stanley.

Bench

Broncos: Benji Marshall, Kodi Nikorima.

Bulldogs: Sam Kasiano, Raymond Faitala-Mariner.

Doc's Word

Jamayne Isaako looked at home in the NRL last weekend with 14 carries for 161m, good enough to seal another shot at fullback this weekend. There's a fantastic opening for Isaako as Darius Boyd is out injured and we can enjoy incremental improvements in Isaako's game like more touches and more passing out on the edges. Brisbane don't need Isaako to do a whole lot as they have two dominant halves and Benji Marshall lurking on the bench, so this will allow Isaako time to settle into his niche as an NRL fullback.

Update: It looks as though Kodi Nikorima could start at fullback for Brisbane. Bummer for Isaako but as it's a #KiwiNRL swap, I ain't complaining. This gives Nikorima a shot to showcase his versatility having come off the bench and playing in the halves this season.

Also keep an eye on Alex Glenn who played 80 minutes against Newcastle and was monumental with 16 carries for 149m. Glenn keeps his edge spot with Matt Gillett returning, keeping Sam Thaiday on the bench as Wayne Bennett's x-factor.

Roosters vs Knights

The 13

Roosters: Joseph Manu, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Isaac Liu.

Knights: Shaun Kenny-Dowall, Danny Levi.

Bench

Roosters: Sio Siua Taukeiaho

Knights: Haters

Doc's Word

Newcastle have had a teeny weeny #KiwiNRL group and Shaun Kenny-Dowall's presence doubles their #KiwiNRL numbers. Kenny-Dowall slots straight on to the right wing where he's likely to play with Dane Gagai as his centre, giving Newcastle a splash of class on either edge now as they'll have the exciting Mata'uta combo on the left. Look for SKD to be an aerial target on attack and his rangey running could spark some attacking opportunities for Newcastle through the middle.

Sio Siua Taukeiaho needs to start stacking up minutes and have a bit of injury-luck go his way in this final stanza of the season. Taukeiaho has been in and out of the Roosters team this year through injury and he'll be crucial heading into the finals. Luckily for the Chooks, they have Otahuhu's Isaac Liu who has been super solid in the middle throughout Taukeiaho's absence and has enjoyed a starting spot at lock. This is a nice mix with Taukeiaho's impact off the bench complimenting Liu's workhorse nature.

Sharks vs Rabbitohs

The 13

Sharks: Sosaia Feki, Gerard Beale, Fa'amanu Brown.

Rabbitohs: Bryson Goodwin.

Bench

Sharks: Sam Tagataese.

Rabbitohs: Zane Musgrove.

Doc's Word

I've harped on about Zane Musgrove all season and he continues to impress, despite the Rabbitohs not being very good. Musgrove came off the bench against the Cowboys and in just 31 minutes he had 74m off 6 carries, 23 tackles and an offload. Compare that to David Tyrrell who started the game and played 40 minutes with 22m from 3 carries and the Mangere East junior's work speaks for itself. This week he'll be up against Andrew Fifita, Matt Prior and Paul Gallen so it'll be a good gauge for what sort of impact Musgrove can offer and whether he deserves a promotion or not.

Panthers vs Titans

The 13

Panthers: Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, Corey Harawira-Naera, Moses Leota.

Titans: Konrad Hurrell, Kevin Proctor.

Bench

Panthers: Sione Katoa, James Fisher-Harris, Sitaleki Akauola.

Titans: Agnatius Paasi, Nathaniel Peteru, Leivaha Pulu.

Doc's Word

Moses Leota gets a start at lock in place of Trent Merrin and it's great opportunity for the Auckland-born forward as Merrin's a durable player and such chances don't pop up too often. It also signals how coach Anthony Griffin views Leota and he's clearly next in line in a fairly strong Penrith forward pack. 

They'll need to be impressive through the middle because Gold Coast rolled out their ruthless trio of #KiwiNRL forwards in Agnatius Paasi, Nathaniel Peteru and Leivaha Pulu last week and they'll do it again this week. These three were strong against Cronulla, especially Paasi who played 31 minutes off the bench and got through 16 carries for 140m which puts Musgrove's 31 minutes to shame.

Hello, World!

Gold Coast's middle rotation is creepy; they take off Jarrod Wallace and Ryan James and bring on Paasi and Peteru while Pulu slips in at lock. That sets up an enticing battle when James Fisher-Harris enters the game off the bench around the same time for Penrith.

Great to see Sione Katoa maintain his bench spot with Peter Wallace returning to start at hooker. Mitch Rein drops out and I reckon this is thanks to Katoa's versatility as he can legit play lock as well, otherwise Katoa's impressed in recent opportunities and deserves to keep his spot.

Raiders vs Storm

The 13

Raiders: Jordan Rapana, Joseph Tapine.

Storm: Jesse Bromwich, Tohu Harris.

Bench

Raiders: Erin Clark.

Storm: Kenny Bromwich, Nelson Asofa-Solomona. 

Doc's Word

Josh Papalii's suspension opens up a spot on the edge for Joseph Tapine to slither into. Tapine was an edge forward before arriving in Canberra and while it's his mobility that makes him a threat through the middle, his size will cause problems out on the edge for Canberra; expect him to be offloading a fair bit. We won't be treated to Tapine vs Tohu Harris though as Harris plays down the left edge and will be tasked with shutting down Elliott Whitehead and Leipana.

Cowboys vs Warriors

The 13

Cowboys: Antonio Winterstein, Te Maire Martin, Jason Taumalolo.

Warriors: All but Blake Ayshford and Jacob Lillyman.

Bench

Cowboys: Braden Uele, Kalyn Ponga.

Warriors: Errrbody.

Doc's Word

Te Maire Martin has an opportunity to flex all over Kieran Foran and Mason Lino in this game, thus stating his case for a Kiwis halves spot. Martin definitely enjoys the Jason Taumalolo luxury and there's no better forward for a half to play behind than Taumalolo, which should give Martin an immediate advantage.

Dragons vs Sea Eagles

The 13

Dragons: Jason Nightingale, Leeson Ah Mau.

Sea Eagles: Martin Taupau.

Bench

Dragons: Taane Milne, Russell Packer.

Sea Eagles: Addin Fonua-Blake, Lewis Brown.

Doc's Word

Leeson Ah Mau showed what he's capable of last week against Canberra as he played 64 minutes with 141m from 15 carries and 4 tackle busts, giving us an enticing battle between he and Martin Taupau. Both teams have extremely mobile props who are capable of laying on some footwork or bursting on to the footy with speed which will make for some hefty collisions. 

I gotta highlight Addin Fonua-Blake once again as this dude is swiftly emerging as a possible World Cup bolter. In just 25 minutes last week against Wests Tigers, Fonua-Blake smashed through 101m from 9 carries and when you inject that sort of impact off the bench amongst Martin Taupau's 188m from 20 carries, you've got a brutal #KiwiNRL duo.

Tigers vs Eels

The 13

Tigers: Esan Marsters, Malakai Watene-Zelezniak, Tuimoala Lolohea, Matt McIlwrick, Ava Seumanufagai, Elijah Taylor. 

Eels: Brad Takairangi, Manu Ma'u.

Bench

Tigers: Michael Chee-Kam, Josh Aloiai.

Eels: Kenny Edwards, Suaia Matagi, Peni Terepo, Kirisome Auva'a.

Doc's Word

We're slowly starting to see what Tuimoala Lolohea's capable of when playing alongside a dominant halfback like Luke Brooks. Lolohea only had 29 touches of the footy to Brooks' 60 against Manly, meaning Brooks is doing most of the organisational ball-playing. Lolohea and Brooks both ran 8 times (Lolohea had 107m with 8 tackle busts) but Brooks had double the touches of Lolohea which is another sign of Lolohea being free of the organisation duties and allowed to play what he sees. The kicking duties were shared evenly with Lolohea kicking 5 times to Brooks' 7 and there's a nice split here as Brooks' was mainly kicking long and Lolohea was putting in attacking kicks.

This is exactly what Lolohea needs and the more footy he plays alongside Brooks, the better as they move towards playing off of instincts - it takes time to build that relationship though. 

Matt McIlwrick also enjoyed a slice of luck after losing his starting spot to Jacob Liddle a few weeks ago. Liddle's got a bung shoulder, which gave McIlwrick 76 minutes of footy last week and he led the tackle count with 51. With no other dummy half option selected in the Tigers 17, McIlwrick could be in for an 80 minute stint at hooker and that's exactly the sort of opening he needs.

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Written by Scott Miller On Tagged