Almanac Rugby League – 2022 NRL Finals Week 2 and NRLW Round 5: High drama in Week 1, high hopes for more in Week 2

 

Week 1 of the 2022 NRL Finals series certainly lived up to our hopes with four great clashes, albeit each in its own way. Meanwhile in the NRLW, the final round this weekend will determine the last spot for their finals series.

 

In the NRL, the Panthers reinforced their premiership favouritism with a convincing win over the Eels after a real struggle in the first half. The kicking game of Cleary was pivotal to the outcome while the failure of the Eels to do anything about it by way of pressure was confusing, to say the least. You can’t let a player of that calibre have so much time and space and hope to remain competitive. Check the tape from State of Origin to see what to do. Gutherson and Brown had quiet games by their standards which reduced the attacking opportunities for Parra. The Storm and the Raiders put on a classic battle which may not have been all that pretty but did not lack in intensity or excitement. Tapine was huge for the Raiders throughout and Papalii put in several blockbusting runs towards the end to keep Melbourne on the back foot. Coates was best for the Storm, Munster threatened and Grant was his usual busy self. Melbourne face a huge rebuild ahead of 2023 which will require every bit of Bellamy’s accumulated experience and nous to achieve. The free-wheeling Raiders live to fight another day.

 

The Sharks v Cowboys game was one of the very best of the season, open, flowing, intense and in doubt until the final second. Neither side deserved to lose and, in the end, it took an extraordinary kick from Holmes to resolve the issue. Total to credit to all 34 players and their coaches for this spectacle! The Cows will enjoy the rest and then a home qualifying final that seemed out of reach a week ago. The Sharks face a tough fight to get up again to take on South Sydney on Saturday night. The Souths v Roosters epic lost nothing by comparison and produced a game that will only add to their legendary Book of Feuds history. It was undoubtedly the toughest, roughest, most physical game of the year. There will be some very sore bodies this week! The Rabbitohs did remarkably well when twice reduced to 11 men on the field while the Roosters were down to just one man on the bench for much of the game. In the end, it was the Bunnies who kept their cool better when it counted to execute several clinical finishes.

 

The match officials have copped a bagging for their handling of this game. I beg to differ. It was always going to be a heated affair with both teams featuring players known for pushing the boundaries. Keeping a lid on it all was the key. ‘Put the whistle away and let the players sort it out’ was never going to be the way to go. I thought all seven sin bins were deserved. If players want to test the limits of the rules and the patience of the officials, they can hardly complain when they’re adjudged to have overstepped the mark and are dismissed. In the end, it was a case of Souths’ two key but temperamental players (Walker and Mitchell) who contained their composure and played the ball rather than the man. Full credit to them. Campbell Graham was outstanding running the hard ball out of defence and tackled above his weight relentlessly; and Cameron Murray is one of the very players best running around. Now they have to do it all again on Saturday against the Sharks!

 

So Week 2 of the finals begins with the Eels versus the Raiders on Friday night. Parra’s record over the last 40 years will see them very nervous, all the more so as Moses will be battling to play after that bad knock. They will need to get more out of their pack to give the likes of Brown and Gutherson room to move. The latter two have to lift considerably from Week 1. Canberra have nothing to lose as no-one expected them to get this far. Their forwards are in fine form and will take the game right up to the Eels; Fogarty is back to his scheming best and Wighton thrives in the big games; Savage and Rapana know how to sniff out an opportunity. Momentum is with Canberra and I’ll go with them to pull off another win.

 

The Sharks v Souths clash on Saturday night will test the fitness and endurance of both teams after their enervating games in Week 1. Let’s hope they both choose to run the ball, something they both do very well. I favour Souths if it’s a tightly fought match but it evens up in a more open affair. Perhaps it will all come down to a single play or error as exhaustion sets in, which means the likes of Cook, Mitchell or Walker for Souths or Brailey, Hynes or Kennedy for the Sharks coming to the fore. Extra time again? My fear is that the cumulative demands of last week and this week will see the winner become easy fodder in Week 3. I’m tossing coins about this one but I’ll stay with Souths.

 

So my NRL winners this week are the Raiders and the Rabbitohs.

 

In the NRLW, the Titans finally chalked up the win that had been coming their way when they pipped the fast-finishing Eels 18-16 to keep the door to the finals ever so slightly ajar. Steph Hancock scored yet again and her team completed their sets at over 90% efficiency. Georgia Hale was a tower of strength and Evan Pelite ran for 300 metres. Simaima Taufa put in another great effort for the Eels but a modest completion rate didn’t help their chances. The Dragons finally had a win over the Broncos at the seventh attempt but needed Golden Point to get there. The Broncos scored four tries to three but it was Rachael Pearson’s goal-kicking that kept the Dragons in the game before a dynamic Kezie Apps burst downfield set up the opportunity for Pearson to ice the game – she didn’t miss. The season’s big improvers, the Knights, went within a few minutes of downing the Roosters but Isabelle Kelly pounced on a mistake to keep her side’s perfect record for the season in tact.

 

This weekend the Broncos take on the Eels and a win to Brisbane should be enough to snare 4th spot. A loss would see them relying on other results to go through. The Eels can’t make the four even if they win on Saturday as their points differential is too great. I favour the Broncos but expect the Eels to do everything they can to chalk up their first win of the season. The Titans will have to beat the Roosters and hope that the Broncos go down if they are to progress – a very tall order indeed! As game as the Titans will be, I expect the Roosters to prevail. The Dragons play the Knights in what should be the match of the round. Regardless of the outcome this week, I expect they’ll play off again in Week 1 of the finals. So, at the very least, a psychological advantage is at stake. Given their form to date, I favour the Knights.

 

So my NRLW winners this week are the Broncos, Roosters and Knights.

 

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About Ian Hauser

A relaxed, Noosa-based retiree with a (very) modest sporting CV. A loyal Queenslander, especially when it comes to cricket and rugby league. Enjoys travel, coffee and cake, reading, and has been known to appreciate a glass or three of wine. One of Footy Almanac's online editors who enjoys the occasional editing opportunity to assist aspiring writers.

Comments

  1. I thought the Bunnies-Chooks game was one of the most dramatic sporting contests of the year – across all sports. I watched it late that night on Kayo, having successfully avoided media that evening, so not knowing the result. It felt like I’d been watching for an hour and it was the 27 minute mark of the first half. So much happened.

    I agree wtih your view on the refereeing. If the swinging arms had not been policed it would have been dangerous by half-time. It was dangerous enough as it was.

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