NRL Round 13 Review: Jargon, A Cleary Masterclass & The Danger Of Midfield Bombs

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The NRL season is crossing the halfway point, and we’re not a lot closer to determining a significant favourite.

While the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, Canberra Raiders, Warriors and Melbourne Storm are establishing themselves in the Top 4, only one win separates the North Queensland Cowboys at 6th from the Parramatta Eels at 16th.

It’s one of the closest seasons in recent memory. The little things matter more and more, and it’s the little things we’re digging into here.

What's To Come This Week...

• Big Takeaway From the Week: NRL Jargon

• Quick Play-the-Balls

  • Cleary Mesmerises Eels

  • The Danger Of Midfield Bombs

• Setting Up For A Shot: Tigers Scrum Defence Number …

• Try Time: Another Sea Eagles Stunner

Big Takeaway From the Week: NRL Jargon

Tackle one can make or break a set of six. First up here, we’re breaking down what makes for the biggest talking point of the week.

While the availability of NRL analysis is slowly growing, people are coming into the X’s and O’s area of the game from different points. So, with that in mind, I’m going back to a comment left on my breakdown of the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs win over the Canberra Raiders:

“I’m still unsure about the 3 or 4 man jargon as someone who didn’t actually play footy, so maybe also explaining it with their position as well could be helpful to learn it.”

First, what are two, three, four and five-man?

We’re referring to the players in from the sideline.

So, the centre in a defensive line would typically be the two-man, half the three, and backrower the four-man. Through the middle around the ruck, we will speak about A (closest to the ruck), B and C defenders.

While we could describe this try with the lead inside the half and Viliame Kikau getting outside the centre, the players further in those spots are often different.

On this occasion, Tom Starling - a hooker - is in the backrower’s spot. He’s four-in from the sideline. Matty Nicholson has been caught up in the washing machine through the middle, and Canberra’s defensive system doesn’t seem to put a lot of pressure on players getting home.

That leaves Starling at four and Jamal Fogarty at three, an excellent cue against a big running five-eighth in Matt Burton.

Shortsides are another good example of why the terminology is used, as opposed to strictly referring to positions. If you’re seeing a prop travel to the shortside to four-man, that’s a good look.

When teams are working up the field, they’re trying to get the defensive line to move. Specifically, they’re looking for middles to travel to spots on the field they wouldn’t typically defend in. Spencer Leniu at four-man on a wide shortside is a cue for Isaiya Katoa, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow and Kodi Nikorima to lay on a beauty.

So, that’s some NRL jargon for the week. If there are any other terms you’ve heard and aren’t quite sure about, or want to seek some clarity on any phrases I regularly use here, flick them through and we can start to piece together an NRL glossary.

Quick Play-the-Balls

We’re generating momentum through the middle of the article with a couple of quick carries.

Cleary Mesmerises Eels

Nathan Cleary put on an attacking masterclass to lead the Penrith Panthers to victory on Saturday night.

He finished the game without a try assist…

His ability to mould the defensive line to craft the look he wants is incredible and these two tries capture it all to perfection.

Cleary holds up his run to the point he almost stops in this one. It might look like indecision or a lack of communication, but it’s all by design.

If Cleary is too quick forward, his lead runner outside offers little threat. It’s easy for Mitchell Moses three-in to release from a lead three or four metres in front of him as the ball sails past. However, by holding up his run until Kelma Tuilagi can close the space off the line, Cleary is able to dig his backorder into Moses, which triggers a reaction from the two defenders outside.

Clearly later applied a different tempo to his run, holding up the ball until the last possible moment. He quite literally falls through the line he holds up his feet so late.

You can see the cue present for Cleary in the reverse angle. He slows up his run, scans the line, and holds the pass until Dylan Brown makes his move on Liam Martin. There isn’t anything more Brown can do here. He commits to the lead and the split-second he steps in front of Martin, Cleary fires the ball out the back.

One cue creates another as the last two Eels defenders on the end of the line are presented with three attacking players. Josh Addo-Carr makes his move to jam on Izack Tago, but Dylan Edwards has the hands to loft the ball over to Brian To’o in the corner.

Casey McLean and Edwards deserve their credit for the role they played in these two tries, but the opportunity doesn’t present itself without Cleary’s work earlier in the shift.

The Danger Of Midfield Bombs

Contested kicks are becoming a regular feature here. While there is obviously a place for engaging in a contest, and trailing by two points with seven minutes to play is one of them, we also learned here why midfield bombs can be dangerous.

Cameron Ciraldo spoke about Matt Burton putting the midfield bomb away this season after Round 11. He mentioned not getting the result 80% of the time Burton sent one into orbit. The Roosters didn’t get the result on Sunday night either.

I’ve covered the importance of a consistent kick chase in the past but Sunday night provides a specific example on midfield kicks.

Unless they’re scripted and everybody is on the same page, sending a kick from the right tap line into the middle of the field can catch the kick chase off guard. Where sending one up into the corner brings the sideline into play as an extra defender, putting it in the middle leaves you with a disjointed defensive line.

Again, while I’m not sure Hugo Savala intended to land the ball in the middle of the field on this one, there is a time and place for it. The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles with Tom Trbojevic flying through often produces. However, you run the risk of it working against you, particularly when Kaeo Weekes is catching the ball with room to move.

Setting Up For A Shot: Tigers Scrum Defence Numbers

Teams play to points with the following tackle in mind. Here, I’m touching on something to watch next week as we try to keep ahead of things happening on the field.

While Benji Marshall put a lot of emphasis on the two sin bins and a Bunker decision following Wests Tigers loss to the Cowboys, he also mentioned needing to address “things they can control.”

Their splits for defending scrums are likely to be one of those things.

Strangely, after creating opportunities to play with six on the long side of a tapline scrum in the past, they were caught out when the Cowboys did the same to them.

Wests are a man down here, but that disadvantage is in the scrum. They still have six available to defend outside it.

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