Kiwi-NRL Grand Final Preview: Rabbitohs vs Panthers
All praise the most high Benji Marshall. That's where most of my Kiwi-NRL Grand Final vibes reside and while there is limited Kiwi-NRL funk in this GF, the lack of quantity is covered with immense quality. Whakatane's kaumatua Marshall leads the show with Northcote Tigers junior Jaxson Paulo starting on the wing for Rabbitohs in his 25th NRL game, while James Fisher-Harris is representing Northland for Panthers.
Respect to the Kiwi-NRL. Jarome Luai captained the 2017 Junior Kiwis while being born and raised in Sydney, now taking the understandable route of New South Wales rep footy. Moses Leota and Spencer Leniu were both born in Auckland before moving to Sydney with Leota all but named for NSW and Leniu playing for NSW Under 20s. Unfortunately my Kiwi-NRL boundaries stretch up to Origin and big ups to these three.
Fisher-Harris is a product of Phil Gould's excursion north of Auckland back around 2014-15 as Gould rebuilt Panthers junior systems. We all know how Gould's efforts have led to Panthers reaching back to back GFs with teams predominantly featuring their own juniors and there is this slither of Gould's other development tool in Fisher-Harris. Caleb Aekins and Corey Harawira-Naera (Raiders) also joined Panthers from Northland, now it's all about Fisher-Harris.
All about how Fisher-Harris leads the hearty Panthers vibe. There is no shortage or pizzazz in this Panthers team - whether attacking funk or cultural swag - which is grounded in the mana of Fisher-Harris. Panthers are here after being the best defensive team in the NRL's regular season and the only team to concede less than 300 points overall. After losing their first finals game vs Rabbitohs, Panthers progressed further by conceding just 6 points in each of their wins vs Eels and Storm.
Fisher-Harris has made 683 tackles @ 94.3 percent efficiency. Having sparked a knee issue in chasing Jahrome Hughes last week, Fisher-Harris may not be quite as productive as he usually is. His last five games have seen him dip down from his season average of 154m/game to hover around 100m/game, making it harder to gauge Fisher-Harris' impact.
The impact is in the mahi. Showing up for a long chase to catch a halfback, showing up to shut down an inside seam and chiming in with a robust run. Chuck in dominant tackles and Fisher-Harris feels highly influential in the low key gritty Panthers vibe. That vibe has seen the Panthers become a defensive force and Benji just happens to be one of the best play-makers ever.
Keep in mind that Adam Reynolds has a groin injury which is not ideal for running the footy or kicking. This could play out two ways, perhaps a combination of both; Marshall may be deployed to add attacking impetus and break down Panthers defence or Marshall's experience and kicking game could be crucial in controlling the game as Reynolds might not be able to do so.
I don't feel the need to whip up a big Benji tribute. All of that tribute can be summarised in noting that Marshall can impact the 2021 GF as a weapon off the bench and as a game-managing veteran. We've seen both versions of Marshall this season (let alone over his career) as there have been seven games with Marshall starting, some as the experienced half. Most of this season Marshall has played 15-30 minutes off the bench as an extra ball-player.
Add the best rugby league coach ever Wayne Bennett as the bloke deploying this Benji weapon as an extra wrinkle of note. Much of my intrigue is due to not knowing precisely what role Marshall will play and this is as broad as possibly doing the weapon/manager combo, while also detailed in where Marshall does his best work. Here are examples of Marshall setting up on the left of the ruck vs Panthers in finals week tahi, then on the right vs Sea Eagles in finals week rua...
Usually Marshall defends on an edge and coach Bennett does enough stuff to ensure that a Marshall/Reynolds defensive combo isn't exploited. There are times when Marshall's defending in the middle and he's played minutes at dummy half. Where ever Marshall is defending will be identified by Panthers and with Reynolds injured, that could be a spot for Luai and Matt Burton to target. Any extended Marshall stint can and will be exploited.
Coach Bennett has the perfect bloke up his sleeve in Marshall. They won the 2008 World Cup together and I'm fairly certain there will be some kind of mystery in Marshall's deployment - even if that is Marshall coming on to close the game out. This isn't just a chance for Marshall to enjoy a GF late in his career, everything about this GF has aligned for the perfect situation for Marshall. Whether it's 10mins after half-time or 43 minutes of hard mahi, there's a beautiful chance for more Benji magic.
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