Influential performances from Melbourne Storm and North Queensland Cowboys' respective #KiwiNRL groups were off-set by some lacklustre performances from those on the losing Brisbane Broncos and Sydney Roosters. That's even more concerning for individuals who are looking at pushing their case forward for Aotearoa's World Cup squad. 

Jared Waerea-Hargreaves was probably the most disappointing in that regard as his work-rate was down given the disparity in possession between the two teams - Cowboys had 57% of the footy - but he gave away two silly penalties and made an error. That's always been the knock on Waerea-Hargreaves and when it mattered most, he dished up what many have come to expect which is far from ideal.

Isaac Liu (11.87m/carry) and Sio Siua Taukeiaho (9.7m/carry) both offered plenty of oomph for the Chooks, the issue was that they just didn't have enough footy. Each made errors as well, meaning that the three #KiwiNRL Roosters forwards all made an error and obviously didn't do a great job of restricting Jason Taumalolo's impact.

For the Broncos, well they got out-played in every aspect so meh. Blair was his stock-standard self, which blends in well to a team that is firing on all cylinders and Melbourne's dominance resulted in Blair and his fellow Broncos forwards struggling to slow the Storm's ruck down, thus being penalized. Jordan Kahu was largely a non-factor on the wing and news that Kieran Foran is unlikely to play at the World Cup came at the same time that Benji Marshall looked like Brisbane's most threatening player. 

Marshall had a few funky passes and a grubber/re-gather that showcased his #KiwiNRL GOAT status, not that the Kiwis selectors/haters would have been impressed though. Kodi Nikorima shifted to fullback when Marshall came on; both Roosters and Broncos had mid-game backline shuffles that did nothing but hinder their performances, funny that. Nikorima was lively in the halves and when he decides to run, he's quick off the mark and ducks between defenders. The lack of a dominant half and similarities between Nikorima and Anthony Milford also hindered the Broncos as they looked unorganised. 

Melbourne generated speed in their ruck by consistently finding their 'fronts' and their #KiwiNRL forwards did this almost every carry. Jesse Bromwich didn't quite put up the numbers that we've come to expect (51 mins, 11 carries, 102m, 4 tackle busts), but he led the forward pack strongly and with Nelson Asofa-Solomona coming off the bench to put up 8 carries, 80m, 4 tackle busts and a line break in just 27 minutes, Melbourne enjoyed middle dominance. Kenny Bromwich got 42 minutes off the bench and while you may not notice Kenny like you notice NAS, Kenny almost averaged 10m/carry like NAS with 76m from 8 carries. 

Picking a stand-out #KiwiNRL performer from Melbourne is never easy given their quality, however I couldn't take my eyes off Tohu Harris. Harris was strong in attack with 13 carries for 113m, which compared to his opposite Matt Gillett was an almighty performance. Gillett had the same number of carries, also in 80 minutes, but Gillett only made 88m; Gillett averaged 6.76m/carry, Harris averaged 8.69m/carry and Gillett had more touches than Harris (20 vs 14).
Harris' defence though was immense and this isn't just because Harris is a fantastic tackler.

Harris is big, so he can wrap up anyone and then you have to factor in his wrestle training, a craft that he's had drilled into him since he left Aotearoa for Melbourne. This allows Harris to win the majority of tackles he is involved in, which is perhaps why Harris often defends a few spots further in-field than his standard left edge spot.

The first example is more evidence of Harris' effort and desire, reflected in most of the Storm players. This followed Cameron Smith's long, early kick that Cooper Cronk chased down and Harris then made multiple tackles down the right edge. Here's Harris tackling Tautau Moga, with Harris defending next to Will Chambers (right centre) and he's also found himself further right than Felise Kaufusi (right edge forward. This comes after Harris has already made a tackle on the right edge, so he finds himself at marker and chases hard...

Harris tackles Moga with Suliasi Vunivalu and he's twice found himself at marker, on the right edge. Brisbane kick down-field, obviously unable to make a swift shift and take advantage of Harris' efforts down the right edge. 

The second example is a more routine defensive set and this is commonly where Harris' defensive prowess is seen. Harris is defending smack-bang in the middle, with all three middle forwards on Harris' left; Jesse Bromwich is next to him, Jordan McLean at marker and Dale Finucane is out of shot on the left. Harris is lining up to tackle Josh McGuire...

Coach Craig Bellamy would only allow for Harris to slide in-field defensively, if Harris was not just capable of defending well in the middle, but capable of dominating tackles. Possession was relatively even (49 vs 51%, to Brisbane) and the number of carries was fairly similar (167 vs 162, to Melbourne), yet Melbourne ran for 1,569m and Brisbane just 1,330. Much of that is thanks to the defensive effort and skill of Melbourne, led by Harris who made 42 tackles, 8 more than any other Storm player.

Not much more needs to be said about Jason Taumalolo as I've waxed super lyrical about South Auckland's Rhino and 21 carries for 244m, 11.61m/carry with 3 tackle busts in 64 minutes of footy tells the story. What I do what to note is the importance of Taumalolo, not just with his carries but his general execution within a structure. After last week, Michael Morgan celebrated Taumalolo's brain-power as Taumalolo took the last run before Morgan slotted his field-goal.

Taumalolo made big metres, however he made sure he found his front at the 10m-line, placing an emphasis on getting a quick play-the-ball for Morgan and not going within the 10m-zone, thus reducing the distance for Cronulla's defenders to chase down Morgan's field-goal.
Taumalolo could have ran to within 1m of the try-line, but then Cronulla's defenders only would have had to run 10m to get to Morgan. Taumalolo got a quick play the ball and Cronulla's defenders had to run 20m to get to Morgan. 

Te Maire Martin had his moment of brilliance to get the Cowboys rolling, this started with Taumalolo running a decoy and Morgan playing out the back to Martin. Given Taumalolo's running ability, you have to pay it respect, you have no choice and you can not slide off Taumalolo - you gotta do the opposite and get at least three bodies in front of Taumalolo. Here, Taumalolo sold the decoy beautifully and the Roosters were left scrambling...

Melbourne may note that Taumalolo usually makes his big carries by getting the footy early and he doesn't tend to get short-balls, receiving the footy at the defensive line. The Cowboys also use Taumalolo in returning kick-offs and drop-outs, with one drop-out return seeing Taumalolo run 25m before meetin Roosters defenders. This showcased Taumalolo's rare abilities as he was at top-speed after 20m and was boostin' it, I was scared watching.

Morgan then through a delicious face-pass for Kane Linnett to score (Morgan was exceptional) and this play started with guess what; a Taumalolo carry. In fact, it was Taumalolo's first carry after a spell on the sidelines and coach Paul Green had given Taumalolo a 16-minute break after half-time. Yes, yes, Taumalolo played the whole first half. Taumalolo's first run saw him get the footy on the 20m line and with open pasture in front of him, allowing him to wind up that speed...

Taumalolo plays the footy 5m-out from the Roosters and you can tell it was a quick play-the-ball because the Roosters markers (O) are terribly positioned. Michael Gordon and Ryan Matterson (X) are also terribly positioned, which isn't ideal when you have Morgan at first-receiver with two flat passes (Lowe/Linnett) beside him and Lachlan Coote out the back. 

What's funky, is that Harris and Taumalolo's paths could cross in the Grand Final. The Roosters failed miserably in even coming close to stopping Taumalolo, while Harris' ability to push in-field, combined with Melbourne's slick wrestling, could see the Storm do the best job of any team in limiting Taumalolo's influence. Easier said than done though, but I'm super intrigued by what Bellamy and co-coaches Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk and Billy Slater have up their sleeves.

Peace and love 27.

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