NRL Round 16 Review: Tedesco's Passing Game, Repacking Scrums & A Sharks Tap Start

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What's to come this week...

• Is Tedesco Still Evolving?

• Quick Play-the-Balls

  • State of Origin Takeaway

  • Repacking The Scrum

  • Another Sharks Tap Try

• Setting Up For A Shot: Knights Wrap

• Try Time: Fa’alongo On Return

Big Takeaway From the Week: Is Tedesco Still Evolving?

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.

The best players in the NRL constantly evolve and adjust. They keep up with the trends in the game and apply their greatest strengths to capitalise on them.

While James Tedesco has long been regarded as one of the top fullbacks in rugby league, he might yet be done improving.

The 32-year-old finished up with 48 touches and 28 passes against the North Queensland Cowboys in Round 16. It’s the most he’s recorded in both categories for at least the last two seasons, with only Round 26 against the Canberra Raiders in 2024, when Sam Walker and Brandon Smith combined for only 49 minutes, particularly close.

His passing game stood out from the start on Sunday night and prompted a look into his numbers.

Few fullbacks are better at the play-four carry in behind the ruck to set up a kick for their halves than Tedesco² . He’s destructive, bounces out of tackles, and so often finds his front to generate a quick play-the-ball and cut down on the kick pressure.

Once the Roosters started to find themselves on the front foot, he hit the advantage line at pace before playing out the back. You can see the influence his typical play-four carry has on the shirking defence.

The play that is most exciting, and perhaps a sign of things to come more regularly, is Tedesco’s pass leading to Billy Smith’s try.

Again it’s on 4th tackle around halfway. The defence is expecting him to dive back in behind the ruck in the middle of the field to open up both sides for his kickers. Instead, Tedesco skips over on the A defender into B with a lead inside C.

Jeremiah Nanai’s inside shoulder, while improved recently, will have been part of the Roosters attack plan. Tedesco found it with his passing game to generate half a break leading to points.

With his passing game well established, Tedesco’s running game can go to another level.

The Roosters are only a middling supports team to rank 8th with 51.1 per game¹ . But when Tedesco is getting downhill with runners either side of him, he can pick defenders out in the line to push through contact, find his front and generate a quick play-the-ball.

As Tedesco mixes up his runs, tips to the outside or passes back inside, the Roosters get rolling. Not only does he find 207 metres per game on the ground himself, the fullback makes the carries for those around him easier by engaging the line and turning the defence before the pass.

His kickers are massive beneficiaries of Tedesco’s work, whether he runs or passes, on 4th tackle.

Tedesco’s 33.9 touches per game is up on his 32.4 from last season and his most per game since 2020. Unfortunately, we’re limited in the passing data historically. Still, his 28 touches on Sunday is significantly more than normal and the Roosters looked a lot better for it. They found the right combination of risk and reward. Tedesco emobdies that as a player.

There is still a lot to change at the Roosters this season with Sam Walker to return, but Tedesco adopting a larger role as a ball-player is something else to keep an eye out for moving forward.

State of Origin: You can’t write a Tedesco hype-piece in June without at least touching on the New South Wales Blues…

They won’t drop Dylan Edwards for the decider, but the selectors would be doing the state a disservice by not at least mentioning Tedesco’s name in their meeting. He’s a proven performer and can adopt his game to whatever the Blues need on the day.

He was my pick to play in the last series and would have been there to start this one.

Quick Play-the-Balls

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

State of Origin Takeaway

It’s the only article published here that has resulted in a negative net-subscriber rate, so it might be one for Queensland Maroons fans only…

Repacking The Scrum

We caught the potential for scrums to become a key and varied feature of the attack early here. We’re seeing tries scored from the scrum base almost every week.

Unfortunately, the decision makers are still catching up.

Whether or not teams are deliberately giving away penalties at scrum time or not, the attacking team needs to have the option to repack the scrum.

When Hohepa Puru arrived late to the scrum, the Brisbane Broncos were rewarded with a penalty and a full Sharks defensive line…

We’ve seen all of this play out before. This is what happens when changes aren’t thought through well enough. The rule being adjusted sooner or later is what happens next.

Another Sharks Tap Try

Being presented with a tap start as opposed to a scrum isn’t always a bad thing, depending on field position.

I’d imagine most teams would rather start an attacking set 10 metres out with a scrum, but as the Sharks have shown in back-to-back weeks, a tap start from 30 metres out presents a golden opportunity in itself.

They started a similar set from the same spot and created another good look on the line against the Brisbane Broncos in Round 16.

It’s once again designed around momentum and creating a mismatch on the line.

It starts with two hit ups from the tap. Notably, Reece Walsh has fixed himself at A down the shortside for Hohepa Puru to attack on the second tackle.

Now on the front foot and moving forward, the Sharks drop a big forward back off through the middle. Brendan Piakura as his target isn’t a coincidence. With the back rower first involved in the tackle and subsequently left on the ground, Walsh is forced back down the shortside with only three outside him.

He’s isolated on the line and Blayke Brailey has his pick of options.

A tip on to Puru would have produced points, too.

Tap starts are typically somewhat scripted sets designed to attack the spots in the line spoken about during the week. The Sharks revealed part of their game plan with this one.

Setting Up For A Shot: Knights Wrap

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.

The Newcastle Knights scored 26 points in Round 16 and did so without some key players, but the attack still needs a lot of work.

While the conservative style has served them well at times, it’s unlikely to be enough to topple the top teams. They’re in desperate need of some strike and it starts with Kalyn Ponga.

It might be predictable. It seems like something Adam O’Brien has tried to move away from. Most good things the Knights do with the ball come through Ponga and this shape in yardage had me sitting up in my chair.

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